Well, if I read your post correctly...
I think the reason I, and prehaps other Athena users, don't go for the bipolar (dipolar?) R1's is that the diffuse soundstage presented by them is great for the mono, amorphoric type of atmospheric sounds that DPL was capable of, but DD and DTS are discrete formats and produce a focused, directional sound.
Additionally, a direct radiating speaker (their b-1 and B-2 bookshelves) produce a distinct directionality that's needed for multi-channel music.
I'm prety sure if you wantthis diffuse type of sound from your surrounds they will do he job at least as well as others and will acoustically match the rest of your Athena system.
As for their subs, well, while I like their towers nd bookshelves and think they offer great bang for the buck, I think you can do better by looking at the offerings of manufacturers that specialize in subs like Hsu, SVS, Velodyne and the like.