What do you think about this Athena Speaker Setup?

[NetGeek]

Hello everyone! Newbie here upgrading my entire HT and 9 year old Pro-Logic only system. Just replaced the 32” SD with a Sony KDP-57 WS655 HDTV and replaced my aged Onkyo Pro-Logic with a Pioneer VSX-1014 TX-K due to advice on these pages. I am very happy with the 1014 but my speakers do it no justice; it’s time to get rid of those damn Bose speakers! I have been using two 301 Series IV, a VCS-10 center channel & two very crappy 161 used for surrounds.

This is the 7.2 setup I am considering and would appreciate any comments or suggested changes to this configuration.

I will be using it for 60% HT and 40% music. My room is 20ft X 22ft with 17 ft. vaulted ceilings, about 7,500 sq. feet total. The kitchen & dining room are also connected to this room and there are no doors (yet) to close these areas off yet.


This is what I came up on a $1,000 budget:

Front Main Speakers – two Athena AS F-2 ($500 - $600 pair)

Surrounds: Four Athena point 5 MKII S.5

Center Channel: Athena C.5 Center Channel (complete point 5 bundle - $300)

Subwoofer: Velodyne VX-10 ($169 at Vanns)


Does anyone know how the new Point 5 MK II system with S.5 speakers and C.5 center channel stacks up against the older AS B-1 or AS B-2 speakers? Would the B series be a better choice for Surrounds or Center Channel? I have not been able to price the B series speakers yet but I believe they are in the same price range as the Point 5 MKII’s S and C series.


Also I have read that the F-2’s are a little weak on bass; will the VX-10 be sufficient or should I go up? I might add that I listen to music at a low to moderate level, getting to old to listen at 120db plus these days!

Thanks in advance, advice from this site is much appreciated!

 

[markw]

The F2's weak on bass? Where did you hear this one?

If anything, they are heavy on the bass.

Anyhow, I think the system will be a bit unbalanced, at least as far as multi channel goes. It will be fine for 2 channels though.

A better combo might be using a pair of B1's or B2's for the surrounds and definitely go with the C1. The .5's are a nice matched set but trying to mix the F2's with the centers and surrounds is kinda like mating a chihuahua and a rottweiler. Somebody's gonna get stepped on.

Start with a nice pair of F1's or F2's. Add a pair of B1 or B2 surrounds and the C1 center and you will have a nice balanced system.

You may find that either the F1 OR F2's put out more bass than you expect. Mate them with a powerful subwoofer. I find that even Athena's own 300 and 400 series subs are outclassed by the Audution floorstanders.

 

[NetGeek]

Thanks Mark, I see how Athena matches their speakers

And I read a review that commented a few times about how they were lacking in bass; I have not found them locally to actualy hear them myself so I am flying deaf so to speak.

I spent some time on Athena's website and now see how they have their various speakers matched; this is my "modified setup":


Fronts - AS-F2
Center Channel - AS-C1
Surrounds - AS-B2
Rear Surrounds - B1, B2 or R1's. Any idea how the R1 compares to the B1 or B2; I will be doing a wall mount for the Real Surrounds and the R1's have a nice "built-in" wall mount. They are also "bi-polar" where the B's are not; going to have to look up what bi-polar means for speaker design.


Anyone own the Athena AS-P400 Subwoofer and care to comment? I can get the Velodyne VX-10 for $170 compared to $300 for the P400. Athena seems to have gone to a lot of trouble matching the P400 to their various speakers and even have settings for each speaker series on the sub for a "factory" match.
Now the question is

 

[markw]

The R-1 is a bipolar speaker, which means two tweets firing off at 90 degree angles for a diffuse sound.

The other speakers in the series are the more traditional "monopolar" units in which the one tweeter in the front fires into whatever direction it's faces.
But, unlike many other speakers, these have quite wide dispersion. Not that much "beaming" as one would expect.

Do you absotively posilutely HAVE to purchase everything at one time? If not, here's my sugestion.

Start with the F2's (or the F1's, whichever), the C1 center and a pait of the B2's for the main surrounds. That's the basis of a 5.1 (less the .1) system. Set all speakers to "large" and see what happens. ...probably be more than a little impressed, I'd say, particularly if you have taken care to place the front mains properly. Remember, the bookshelves are rear ported so leave a few inches behind 'em so they breathe properly

For the two rear wall surrounds, perhaps a pair of the B1's will suffice but I'd set these to "small". just in case.

You will have a set of mains that need not hang their head in shame to many speakers that cost a LOT more than you paid. They are highly efficient, can absorb gobs of power and, unless you are bordering on deafness, insanity or both, will play very, very loud (and cleanly) with a relatively few number of watts.

See how this plays out for a few days/weeks. Now, you will have an idea of just how much bass you will need your sub to contribute to.

FWIW, I use a pair of F1's, a pair of B2's and a C1 with a velo 1210 (for almost three years now and still love 'em) in a 10x16 room and it is overwhelming. I don't even use the sub for music. Tain't needed. Now, you're gonna have twice the number (and radiating area) of woofers...

Well, to paraphrase that guy in Jaws, I think you're gonna need a bigger sub to realize it's contribution to the little low end range your F2's will need coverage in, generally below 45-50 hz or so.

n a room that size, up your budget and start thinking SVS or Hsu...

 

[NetGeek]

I can wait.......

I can wait & spread out the purchases, especially on the subwoofer, but I do not know how long I will be able to get the Velodyne VX-10 for $170.

Another reason I want to have all of the components in place quickly is that Greg Loewen is going to be in my area in March doing ISF Calibrations and he includes audio when he calibrates and I wanted to take advantage of this.


I keep bumping up my speaker budget so I may not have a choice in buying all at once!

 

[howard stern]

I just picked this set up using the advice from some of the members here and they were right on:
Athena AS-R1 Bi-Pole Rear Surround Center ASR1
Athena Point5 System MK II Surround Speakers System

These are great speakers I would recommend them highly. They have a very nice crisp sound and some good bass to them. Hope this helps you decision.
Amazon had the 5.1 for 288.99.