I may have typed 150 by mistake, but it is the 350s that I have. I am going to give them another chance tonight, but I merely set the F1s aside instead of putting them in the storage closet so that I can switch back quickly. I think it is the F1s that I will end up with, but I need to be sure.
This has me wondering if there are other speakers with an identical configuration (one 1" tweeter + one 8" woofer) but even better quality?
One thing I am certain of is that the Athenas are in no way representative of their price class. They sound much, much more expensive than they are.
So those Mirage Omnis are the 350 and not the 150s. I was confused when I looked them up.
I also couldn't find a link for your Athena F1s. Are they bookshelf or floorstanding, and are they in vented or sealed cabinets? I think most Athenas are vented. Do you have a link, a picture, or specs?
The trend in commercial speakers has gotten away from larger woofers like the 8". There are a number of reasons why - both technical and marketing/sales related. The general trend is toward smaller cabinets that allow owners to place them in a wider variety of locations. Despite their audio shortcomings, Blose understands that most people want smaller cabinets. They are cheaper to make and ship. With the smaller cabinets and woofers come less bass response, and the frequent use of subwoofers.
The technical problem I see with a 2-way using an 8" woofer and a 1" tweeter, is poor midrange dispersion, and as a result, poor imaging. To generalize, most cone woofers can easily disperse sounds widely if the wavelength is longer than the diameter of the cone. With decreasing wavelength (8" wavelength corresponds to roughly 1600 Hz), an 8" cone begins to beam its sound straight ahead. Imagine light from a bare light bulb compared to a flashlight beam. When the woofer beams, off axis response drops, and imaging suffers. Most 1" tweeters, except some very expensive ones, can't be crossed over lower than 2000 Hz. So there will be a lack of imaging, perhaps even an audio hole right smack in the middle of the midrange.
With smaller woofers, a 2-way has a much better chance of doing better in the critical midrange. With this general trend going strong for as long as 15-20 years, manufacturers have been producing 5-6" midwoofers with better bass response than most available before.
Still, there must be other 2-ways with 8" woofers. Keep looking. Maybe someone has dealt with all these problems and found a good solution.