Review Athena AS-F2 Speakers
Written: Apr 25 '04
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Pros: Accurate sound, build quality, price
Cons: None that I have found
The Bottom Line: For the price I don't think you will find better sounding, or better built, speakers, period.
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| kyduck4's Full Review: Athena AS-F2 Main / Stereo Speaker |
I am a music, and more recently, a home theater, lover. I'm a regular working person on a budget like most of you, so I have usually have to make my buying decisions for music and home theater based on good sound, balanced by a budgeted amount.
I built my home theater over time, adding a center channel, rear channels, a sub-woofer, then finally a mid-priced Onkyo receiver.
My front speakers were Energy 22's. Energy speakers are made the the same Canadian company that makes Athena Speakers. The Energy's were over 20 years old and still working well, but it was getting time to take a look at some newer speakers.
Speakers can get very expensive, but they are a most critical piece of equipment. I auditioned the newer Energy speakers and was impressed with the sound, but the ones I really liked were out of my price range.
I had read the review the the Athena AS-F2's in a stereo magazine, and was impressed that they gave it a "product of the year" award. I also got on web sites and read every review I could find of the speakers. They were filled with words like "accurate", "natural sounding" and "a great value".
Well, enough research. I went to a nearby Best Buy to actually hear them. They sounded good, but it is so hard to tell accurately with sample music, and lots of other sounds in the background.
I decided to give them a try at home. My listening room is long and narrow - about 11 by 19 feet and open on one end. My son and I unpacked them - it's good to have help. They are heavy and they are well built. These are qualities I have appreciated over the years with my Energy's. Now for the true test. . . . . .
I put on a regular 2 channel CD. In the first 10 seconds I knew I had made a good choice. The lower mid-range was room filling, the mid-ranges were accurate, but the highs were something I was not expecting - they were crisp, accurate, and detailed. The entire sound was just fuller, and natural, and accurate. I played many different kinds of music and it all sounded better that it ever had before. Female vocals were especially nice.
We watched "The Lord of the Rings" that evening - a great visual and audio DVD. The soundstage in front was fuller sounding than it ever had been. One of my sons friends came over during the movie and there was a scene near a waterfall. He said "Wow, that sounds like a real waterfall". In loud battle scenes, the Athena's were not strained, in quiet scenes you could hear things like birds chirping clearly and natural. I also recommend using as good equipment as you can afford with these speakers!
The Athena AS-F2's have added detail and accuracy to all the music and movies I have listened to. I would rate them a superior value for the money. Thank you Canada for creating great sound on a budget!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
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Epinions.com ID:
kyduck4
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Reviews written: 2
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