Athena AS-C1 Main / Stereo Speaker

Pros: This is a absolutely great speaker
Cons: There is nothing about this speaker I would change it's the best.

This is one of the very best speakers in my system. It was given to me as a gift and it was the best I could have asked for it gives great sound and no distortion, even when cranked. The best thing I can say is buy it you won't be disappointed.

Pros: good clarity and imaging. clear voices. competes well against others costing twice as much
Cons: none that I can think of.

This is on par with JBL at a fraction of the price. I purchased this to replace my old Harmon Kardon satellite speaker. I have standardized on the Athena Audition Series (except for the subwoofer: I went with the Velodyne CHT-15). I like the clarity of the speaker. Along with the AS-F2, the front channels are very clear and distinct. These are not 'cheap' speakers. No cons that I can think of.

Power: While it is rated at 150 watts per channel, the user's manual claims you can drive them with anything in the range of 20-100 watts because of their efficiency. My Onkyo receiver is only rated at 75 watts per channel, and it is driving this speaker fine.

Setup: This speaker is magnetically shielded so it will not distort your TV set. It fits perfect on top of it or below it. A pink noise generator and sound level meter are handy to set this speaker up. Otherwise, you may be able to use your ear for telling your receiver how loud to set you center channel. Standard speaker wiring is fine.

Manufacturer's website provides useful specifications:
http://www.athenaspeakers.com/modelASC1.htm

Pros: Excellent design and quality for a reasonable price.
Cons: Larger than the Bose complement.

I tried the Polk and the JBL center channel speaker to complement my system and while they are good speakers they fell short of my specifications. My test consisted of two speakers side by side and switching back and forth for direct comparison. The test included a variety of songs and also a sweep with a signal generator throughout the audio range at different sound levels. After recovering from somewhat of an apathetic attitude I gambled with the Athena AS-C1 since I was promised Best Buy would take it back. It won’t be going back because it passed with flying colors. It has full range and is linear. The coloration is minimal with accurate reproduction in all frequencies. It complemented my other high quality speakers very well. I now experience accurate phasing of Dolby 6.1 like I have never heard it before. I will eventually go with Athena for all of my home theater speakers. I would put these guys up there in the Bose category. (for less money)