Just In:Athena's new line

[JJMP50]

I just ran across this a BB's web site:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7035102&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03044&id=1099395865333

Interesting.

 

[NetGeek]

This is their new "WS" line

It's geared towards flat-pannel TV's, tall thin speakers with multiple drivers.

They are also making cosmetic changes to the entire Audition Line, this is why they have been selling the current Audition line at a discount everywhere.

The new drivers will be red or have red in them but the specs will reamain the same. They are also using a "super magnet" in the Center Channal and the AS-B2 only if I remember correctly. They should have their Website update with these new products next week I believe.

 

[SilverMK3]

They seem a bit gimicky... is there any benefit to having that many passive radiators? Or are they trying to impress people by having 8 speakers in a tower?

I wonder how they sound, Athena's other stuff has been top notch.

 

[NetGeek]

Best Buy will be carry the WS line of speakers

But they will no longer carry the Audition Line, only the WS and athenas smaller HTIB package systems.

My guess is that they had to use multiple smaller dia. drivers to get that slim profile to match Plasma / Thin TV's; can't fit a 8" driver into a 5" wide speaker.

I don't know how much difference if any the new "super-magnet" will make on the AS-C1 Center Channel, some people feel that is the weak link in the Audition line.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

Gah! Well, that knocks Athena off my short list. I can't stand that aluminum-tube look in speakers.

 

[NetGeek]

Athena's new In-Wall Speakers match Audition Series!

This is nice if you have the Audition Series and might be forced to in-wall speakers for your rears because of WAF like I might if I keep my big honking B-2's glaring down from my back wall; I just checked out their Website and they have a new series of in-wall speakers that are timbre matched to the Audition Series.


They show no changes to the Audition Series yet on their Website nor do they have the new WS "silver tube" series sold at Best Buy. The specs on those tubes are close to the F2, 50 - 20K and they are priced the same as the F2 suggested retail; $599.

I cliped this about the new Architectural Series In-Walls from their site:


Complementing athena TECHNOLOGIES® astounding Audition Series comes a complete new line-up of Architectural Series speakers designed for easy in-wall and in-ceiling installation. All four models are a 2-way design, and are timbre-matched to mesh seamlessly with the sound performance from athena’s Audition Series. Put them together and they provide an affordable solution for your home theater environment.

All models feature injection-molded cone woofers with rubber surrounds for high power handling and durability, as well as athena’s legendary Teteron Dome tweeter design for exceptionally clear high frequency reproduction.

This is the identical 1” Teteron tweeter utilized in most other athena models. This allows perfectly seamless blending when creating your home entertainment system, so the Architectural Series products can be used in any channel of the system. This level of flexibility solves many installation problems due to room shape, furniture placement, or any other reason preventing use of traditional enclosure speakers in the system design.

 

[Shinerman]

Ok, I went to Best Buy today at lunch and they had the new line, or at least part of it. It had just been set up and no price tags or model numbers displayed. The first speaker I listened to was about 4 feet tall and about 6 inches roundish., Flat front with round back. I played some Rock music from the press pad display. It was Shinedown for those interested. Remember I was in BB so it's not a good listening environment. Here what I heard from the very limted time I spent with them.

Sound: The mids and highs were pretty good. Good detail but sounded a bit thin to me. Highs were not "bright" but just lacked, how do I say it, Umph? With the harder music, they seemed to struggle. Bass? Well, I would not say "None" but it was very week. Granted these are not meant to be bass producers. If you consider these speakers, you will need a good sub. It's a must. I think maybe I listened to what it supposed to be a double duty center channel and surround. It was about 2 feet tall with the same diameter as the floorstander. Very similar in sound to the mains. I was able to play two of them as mains. I really could not tell much of a difference between these and the floorstanders. Again, a good sub is a must. I think this speaker doubles as a center channel as well.

Looks: Tall and thin is what comes to mind. They are about 5 or 6 inches in diameter and about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall, ish. They have a flat front and a rounded back and sides. Look like a tube with the front 1/4 side cut off. They share the same basic colors as th audition series.

Price: I was told they were $199 each for the floorstanders. The salesman did not know the price of the smaller speaker. Go figure.

Overall, they look good and will do well with people who want form over function. But and this is a big BUT, they do not compare to the audition series in every other aspect. No contest to me. Not even close.

I did notice Klipsch had a very similiar speaker now out at BB. I did have a chance to listen to it for about a minute. Not impressed at all. The Synergy series playing next to it blew it away.

Anyway, just some quick thoughts.

Shinerman

 

[NetGeek]

I really would like to know about their new In-Wall Speakers

Thanks for the report Shiner!

This Series is geared towards the thin display folks that are intrested in matching their displays according to athena. This must be why they came out with a new subwoofer that has more power than the PS-300 & 400.

Still would love to read a review & see prices on the new In-Walls that are timbre matched to the Audition Series.

That "new" Center Channel also, the only change to it was some kind of "super magnet" so I do not know how different it would be. I just sometimes feel that my F2 Mains are overpowering the C-1 Center Channel when I watch DVD's for some reason? Thinking about the BIC or I might try a spare pair of B1's that I have as Presence Speakers on my 1500, you can then set a "voice boost" or something and this might help.

I am glad that athena is keeping the sound of the Audition Series alive and expanded the line with the in-walls but I was really hopeing for a "AS-C2" slightly bigger Center Channel to better match the F2's.

 

[cabron1]

I have not heard the new line; I must admit that I am dissapointed with the new line. I cannot imagine how the new speakers will sound any where close to the f2's. I spoke directly with Joe Fraser ( product manager at Athena ). Athena will be introducing 2 new subs; more power; and many more watts.

It appears the marketing guys won out over the audio designers and then the sleek new tube speakers.

The f2's are and will be continue to be the flagship model; as far as I am concerned.

 

[3db]

OMG Don't tell me its another panasonic clone

I surely hope that Athena doesn't drop its older lines for stuff thats sleek looking with no substance kinda stuff that panasonic is pumping out. I want accurate detailed sound and reasonablly high volume levels (around 85 - 90 db) with out harsh highs and grating my ear drumbs like fingers on a chalkboard. These new speakers scream "I need a sub" but I'm wonder if a sub can go high enough and integrate easily enough without drawing attention to itself. I will go and audition them and hopefully I'll be wrong about theses. I'm very skepticle that the audtition will change my mind on these new units

 

[ducker]

In my situation, I've bumped up the levels of my center channel by about +2db to better balance my C1 with my F2's.

I haven't calibrated my system with a SPL meter yet though.

 

[Shinerman]

I surely hope that Athena doesn't drop its older lines for stuff thats sleek looking with no substance kinda stuff that panasonic is pumping out. I want accurate detailed sound and reasonablly high volume levels (around 85 - 90 db) with out harsh highs and grating my ear drumbs like fingers on a chalkboard. These new speakers scream "I need a sub" but I'm wonder if a sub can go high enough and integrate easily enough without drawing attention to itself. I will go and audition them and hopefully I'll be wrong about theses. I'm very skepticle that the audtition will change my mind on these new units

The Audition Series will still be around and is getting some improvements per the grapevine. I doubt Athena will abandon the Auditions because I am guessing they made a lot of money on them and they were very well received and reviewed by audio critics and consumers. Especially for the price. The Audition series is really what put Athena on the map for more serious audio
enthusiasts.

The new WS or what ever they are calling it is an additional line to grap some of that "Form over Funtion" market. These things really remind me of the Sony "Dream System?" with the tall thin tube like speakers. They are "Trendy" and will probably sell well.

I wonder if Athena will ever produce some higher end speakers? The Audition series is great but you can always make better speakers.

Shinerman

 

[markw]

I'm kinda glad I went with the F1's.

They blend nicely with the C1. I can see where the C1, a pretty durn good center sepaker, would have a bit of a time keeping up with four 8" woofers.

as far as the new line goes, well, it must be what most people want. More and more people are springing for these new fangled flat screen that hang on the wall and they don't want to be bothered with big old bulky monster speakers jutting out into the room. Granted, they don't do the full range but (now this is blasphemy) sometimes other matters than sound take precendence.

Currently, I'm a luddite with a CRT and have no problem with my biguns but when I do go flat I'm gonna want wall mounted speakers as well. ...and a totally separate music system.

I do hope they keep up the "standard" Audition line. Nothing beats a big box for nice, full range sound.

 

[markw]

They kinda do.

I wonder if Athena will ever produce some higher end speakers? The Audition series is great but you can always make better speakers.

Athena is owned by API. API also makes the Mirage and Energy line of speakers

 

[supervij]

NetGeek and Shinerman, I have the same problem with my C1. I found that after I adjusted the output through my receiver and using an SPL meter, centre channel dialogue was getting lost, especially with sounds coming out of my F2s. Boosting the centre by 1.5 dB, I found everything was perfect.

Personally, I think the C1 is big enough for a centre channel. Any bigger and I feel it would overwhelm the space. Well, my space, anyway.

I am so loving my Athena speakers!

cheers,
supervij

 

[Shinerman]

Athena is owned by API. API also makes the Mirage and Energy line of speakers

Speaking of API, I wonder what ever happened to Sound Dynamics. They were part of API. They made some really great speakers. I think the ones I listed to years ago were RTS-9's? They remind me of Athena in their price vs perfomance.

Shinerman

 

[markw]

Funny you should mention Sound Dynamics...

Speaking of API, I wonder what ever happened to Sound Dynamics. They were part of API. They made some really great speakers. I think the ones I listed to years ago were RTS-9's? They remind me of Athena in their price vs perfomance.

Shinerman

I picked up a pair of their RTS-3's from AudioAdvisor in late '01. Good lil' speakers.

In early '02 I wanted to expand to a full blown HT system, using these for rear sutrrounds and adding front towers and a matching center speaker. I called to inquire about these and was told that the Sound Dynamics line was gone and they ere being replaced by new line in the Athena (An existing API brand) lineup. The Athena line, up to now, had consisted of separate mix-and-match satellites and subwoofers that were designed specifically to sit under the satellites and mate perfectly. These garnished some quite good reviews but were not an entry level speaker, pricewise.

The new "Audition" series hadn't even hit the catalog yet. He said if I liked the Sound Dynamics line, I would like the Athena lineup. So, maybe I was gullible that day but I went for a pair of F1's and a C1 center to see how they worked out. ...free shipping didn't hurt, either.

I liked what I heard. At this time I took advantage of a goodcredit rating and tried out similarly priced setups (Polk, Infinity, PSB, Paradigm) from the local B&M dealers and, lo and behold, wound up keeping hte Athenas. I later rounded out the set with a pair of B2's and relegated the RTS-3's to the library/guestroom

 

[Shinerman]

That's a shame they are gone. The 9's I heard were really impressive. I listened to them at a stroe in Dallas and really liked them. When I started my search for my last speakers, I could not find them anywhere. Now I know why.

Shinerman

 

[3db]

Just a guess here

That's a shame they are gone. The 9's I heard were really impressive. I listened to them at a stroe in Dallas and really liked them. When I started my search for my last speakers, I could not find them anywhere. Now I know why.

Shinerman

Can't help bu wonder if Athena is just a rebadged Sound Dynamics that came up with a new speaker series. After all they are/were both under the API parent company.

 

[markw]

differet drivers, different cabinets, different configurations...

Can't help bu wonder if Athena is just a rebadged Sound Dynamics that came up with a new speaker series. After all they are/were both under the API parent company.

Aside from that, you might have a point.