What about Athena Speakers?

[ctribble]

I am probably going to get some floorstanding speakers, bookshelf speakers, a center speaker, and a subwoofer speaker. (5.1 setup) My room is only big enough for 5.1! I see that a lot you all have Polk audio as your speakers and a lot of you have the RTi10's. They are too expensive for me so what do you all recommend in the $2000.00 dollar budget range? What do you think of Athena speakers (as-f1, as-c1, as-p300 and as-b2)
Thanks
C.T.

 

[Takeereasy]

Athena's make some really nice speakers but their subs in the audition line are not up to snuff with the speakers. You can get a pair of as-f2's a pair of as-b2's , and the as-c1 speakers at audioadvisor for less than $850 plus shipping. That would give you a grand to play with for getting a sub. I hate to say it because it gets said so darn much, but here goes, look into HSU and SVS for a sub. For under a grand you can get a sub that will shake your house, your neighbors house, their neighbors house, and so on.

Another Idea is one that has been posted by a site member named Buckeye. If these speakers can put out half as good as they look then they are a steal.The Acoustech system can be had at Costco for about $850 if I am quoting Buckeye correctly. Seems worth a look,especially since the package comes with a 12" sub. The figures for these speakers are really impressive.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I am probably going to get some floorstanding speakers, bookshelf speakers, a center speaker, and a subwoofer speaker. (5.1 setup) My room is only big enough for 5.1! I see that a lot you all have Polk audio as your speakers and a lot of you have the RTi10's. They are too expensive for me so what do you all recommend in the $2000.00 dollar budget range? What do you think of Athena speakers (as-f1, as-c1, as-p300 and as-b2)
Thanks
C.T.

CT, you'd be surprised what you can find if you shop around. I got my RTi10's as floor models for $360 from Circus City, the center for $180, the FXi's for $180, the RTi4's for $150, and my sub was $190. My one tower's grill had a rip, so I called Polk and they sold me a new one for $21 shipped. One small ding on the side of the tower, and one scratch on the bottom of the center channel. Stuff I can live with. All drivers worked perfectly. $1060 for everything isn't so bad. I would have bought the Acoustech's but couldn't pass up this deal. I planned on selling this entire system on ebay if I didn't like it for a nice profit, but it's served me well. The only problem with Polk is they like the power, and require a massive amount of power which I hate. But, considering pricepoints, what the heck. If you have a Costco nearby, by all means, check it out. Also do a google search on the Acoustechs. There's a pretty good following on them already.

 

[markw]

Funny you should mention this...

http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/1606.html

When I got my setup from AudioAdvisor in '02 (and paid full price ) I had the chance to try them at home and also try some of the price comprable brands avaliable locally. My initial testing was for only the front main pair and mainly using music as the main test. I'm of the firm belief that if these speakers do the trick, particularly on music, their mates will also.

This included Polk, Infinity, JBL, PSB and Paradigm. Yes, I compared florstanders to bookshelves and the whole bit but since I was working within a price point, fair is fair. This is one advantage to local buying and a credit card. You can do this sort of stuff.

You can see what I wound up with. I went with the F1's not so much because of the price differential of the F2's ($200 then) but since I knew I would be implementing a sub, the second woofer on the F2 was redundant. It was a good guess. From what I can hear in my home, the F2 may have rendered the system a bit mid bass heavy.

As far as the sub, unless you get a really, really good deal I think that can get better price/performance from other subs. (SVS, HSU, Adiere,etc...)

One caveat... When I bought my stuff, the dipolar (or bipolar) R1 was not available. Had it been, I would have considered it since my system's main goal is HT. If music is your main gig, then the B2's are excellent since music works best with a monopole design. ...just a thought

To this day, three years later, I still don't regret it and haven't heard anything that would fit in my room to make me want to change.

Basically, it's all a matter of taste, preference and $$. For me, this hit the bullseye, even at full price. Remember, I may have paid full price three years ago but by the same token, I've been enjoying them for three years already.

 

[ducker]

I love the full sound I get with my as-f2's. I went with the entry SVS sub, and it complements these speakers quite well. I have enough base to fully satisfy my basy needs with music or HT. I'm glad I went with the SVS sub vs. the Athena. The couple I did listen do sounded like a FisherPrice(tm) toy compaired to the SVS-ISD-PB10.

I haven't had the luxory to listen to any Polks... perhaps I have to stop by a few shops here and there and listen to them to compair.

Current setup:
as-f2, as-c1, as-r1 x3, svs isd-pb10

 

[cabron1]

The Athena's are excellent speakers for the price. I have a set of AS-F2's. They are clear, loud, and well balanced. I also own the point 5 series and the AS-P300 sub. I would tend to agree with the other posts in that Athena does not (yet) make a sub I like. That is why I bought a velodyne DPS-10.

Many reviewers have indicated that the Athena speakers ( F2's) produce sound that you would expect to hear from speakers that cost 2-3 times what they sell for.

At the end of the day you need to go listen to speakers, with music you know and like. I would also suggest you listen to speakers with and without a subwoofer. Buy what you like and what you can afford; I'll bet that the Athena's will be in your top 5 pick.

 

[supervij]

Ctribble, I have to agree with cabron. There isn't much I can add to what he said, but I do recommend you give the Athenas a try. I was blown away by the rich, full sound of them at the store. I was lucky, though, the salesguy set 'em up for me in a big room with enough separation between the individual speakers. Every CD and every DVD I played sounded better than anything I had heard before. (Take this with a grain of salt; my ears are far from golden.)

I have the AS-P400 sub, and as a newbie to the home theatre world, I like it. I don't have a lot of experience in all these different areas, but honestly, it sounds fine to me. Once I figured out crossovers and sub placement and everything, the whole system sounds mega.

Good luck with your speaker hunt!

cheers,
supervij