Wide dynamic range, powerful and open sound.

Heavy to move around!

My comments echo those of other reviews. It's interesting to note that one reviewer on this site owned some Quad ESL-63s. The fact that the Athena AS-F2 can even be mentioned in the same review as an $8,000 (currently) Quad tells you a great deal about the Athenas. I first heard about the AS-F2s through the audio press. Being made in Canada, I thought I'd take a chance and see what the fuss was all about--I'm glad I did! What I like best about these speakers is their high efficiency and wide dynamic range, something that no electrostat or planar speaker can match. This gives the Athena AS-F2 an effortless sound and allows them to be used with almost any amplifier made, including very lower powered vacuum tube models. High efficiency has another plus, and that is the speakers respond well to EQ, for those who use such devices to enhance their home theater experience or to correct for room acoustics. I would agree that the speakers really shine when the components that feed them do not degrade the signal. This is because the speakers are so revealing of every sonic nuance. I would recommend the Athena AS-F2s for those who like a big, dynamic sounding speaker that can be mated to a wide variety of amplifiers and receivers. If you're building a home theater system and don't want the added cost of a subwoofer, you can't go wrong.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan, Linear Dynamics, Digital Phase, Martin Logan, Jensen

bass!!! price!! highs!!! and oh yeah BASS!!!!!!

this thing had only one weakness it left me with too much change in the range of of a grand and i don't know where to spend it. oh my :P

This site was one of the reasons i bought these speakers and the reviews at soundstage.com help too, but what made me buy them was the price. 600 bucks was way below what i was gonna spend on some B&Ws. i had no chance to hear them befor i bought them but very!!!!! glad i did get them. the highs are freakin nice because i listen to trance and jungle and this type of music is very heavy on bass (these puppys have that) and lots of highs that are sooo clear. i was going to get the b&w dm604 S3 but i didn't really like the mids on those and they cost 2 1/2 time as a set of athenas so it was a easy choice. get these things they are that good!!!!!!! oh yeah i have these things hooked up to a harman kardon sig 2.1 amp and preamp with tara labs cables(don't use radio shack cable because there really is a big difference in sound). again i love these things!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

jbls, infinity, sony (ewww),and lots of other circuit city crap.

Sexy looks lots of tight, fast bass plastic spike feet are a nice bonus...better than the steel daggers on the Infinity's. The can go LOUD!!!! Deep soundstage and clear details My big 'ol Sunfire can't hurt these like some of my past speakers

My only wish is that they could be bi-amp'd-not a feature You've gotta have good power and good components to taste the flava of these bad dogs!

WOW!!!!!!! I have had a few different systems over the past 10 years consisting of many kinds of speakers including: Infinity RSb4, Infinity Preludes, Klipsch, and hi end Yamahas. I have always been hooked up to good power (Sunfire Grand)and good components. These speakers are amazing. I knew nothing about them 4 months ago until I read an article in Stereophile, Aug 2002. I decided to purchase them with no intentions of getting rid of my Infinity's. I bought the ASC1 center, ASB2 rears and the ASF2's. Out of the box they were bright, metallic and harsh sounding. I let them run constantly and after 1 day I could start hearing differences. The take 50-100 hours of break in time. They get better and better. They are ultra efficient and have a MUCH bigger soundstage than anything I've ever owned. I not going to claim that they're the world best and the best thing I've ever heard....but...even If I had paid $2k for the F2's I would have still though I got alot of speaker for the money. I recently listed to Def Tech BP2002 side by side with these F2's and there is no way that the BP2002 outperformed the F2's by $1500. The bass and clarity on the F2's is unheard of for a speaker 2x or even 3x the price I paid. I've listed to many CD's that I know in and out and there are things I have never heard before. Layers and layers of instrumentation and background vocals that I never knew were there. Do yourself a favor...before you buy any other speaker, give these a listen. Save yourself a few bucks and spend it on better components or a little surprise for the Mrs.

Similar Products Used:

Def Tech Infinity Klipsch

Natural timbre, extended tuneful bass, pleasant throughout the audio range, very efficient, can go loud, and outstanding value.

Lack the air and resolution of more expensive speakers. An outstanding $600 speaker, but don't let the great reviews lead you to believe you're somehow getting a $2000+ speaker.

I have not had my high end system set up for a while. My prior speakers were Quad ESL-63s. I LOVED the sound. But they were older and were continually developing expensive and frustrating problems, and were taking up too much room and esthetic space. I gave them away. I finally said to myself: the best can be the enemy of the good -- get SOME speakers, now, and start enjoying music again, like you maganaged to do when you had no money and listened to mass-market junk. So based on prior reviews, the very reasonable price (open box), and a return policy, I rather impuslively ordered these. In some respects I'm disappointed, and in others I'm thrilled. I never exepected these to sound like electrostatics that now cost more than TEN times as much (with stands). But still, I'd gotteen used to some really outstanding sound - all the audiophile stuff like deep three dimensional sound staging, air, ability to hear deep into a multilayered mix or arrangement, and heartbreaking reproduction of female vocals and solo violin. You don't really get that with these speakers. Nor have I had one of those rediscover-your-CD/LP-collection-sessions that I've had when getting a new high end component. If that's what you're looking for, you've got to spend some more money. But for a $500/600 speaker? I couldn't be happier. The sound is quite natural. I played some MDs of a klezmer group that I recorded live recently, and they rendered a good representation of the actual event - the instruments were in the proper balance, the clarinet timbre was right (something that's hard to do), the bass was tuneful, not boomy, yet fully extended. The highs weren't much to write home about, but that's mostly the MD format's failing. Basically, there's no audiophile magic here, but there's nothing obnoxious about these speakers and I can totally live with them and enjoy my music collection. I don't know of another floorstander in this price range that I'd recommend over these, and there are many that are pretty awful. If I had to pick a weak point beyond omission of the high end refinements, it'd be that piano sounds slightly hard to me at higher volumes. As far as fit and finish go, I don't what Reina was gushing about. They're as good as you get on a speaker in this price range, I have no complaints, but I would not confuse them with a good $2-3k speaker either. Reviewers have also comments on a somewhat agressive treble. I don't hear it. I am using a single-ended tube amp, which just slightly rolls off the top end, but believe me, I hate wirey highs and I don't hear them with this set up. I found the supplied spikes made the speakers unstable on my heavily padded carpet. I immediately took them off for fear one of my kids would tip a speaker over. But I don't notice any bass congestion as a result. Finally a word on power: I can't believe these are rated for up to 250 watts, because they're blasting now on 40 in a big room. I have a pair of amps that can each put out 40 + 40 in stereo, or 80 bridged to mono. I'm only using one. Running both would be totally superfluous -- might as well save the tubes and electricity. So don't worry about using modestly powered electronics with these.

Similar Products Used:

Owned: RA Labs, Quad, Energy, Time Windows, KLH (USA era), Yamaha. Audioned: Tons.

Midrange detail and the best bass extension I have ever heard in their price range. They look and feel like much more expensive speakers and the 5 year warranty makes me warm and fuzzy.

They lack of bi-wiring may bother some(not me) and their height may be an issue for those with smaller rooms(so what).

This is a conditional review because they are so new but I have to say how impressed I am with these speakers even as they break in. I took a leap of faith and purchased them based on Robert Reina's review in Stereophile and breathed a big sigh of relief when I fired them up. They are smooth and balanced and go way down as outlined in his review. Their fit and finish is amazing for the modest price and I love the nylon spikes because they don't scratch my hardwood floor. I have been listening to all of my favorite CD's and have been discovering all the detail I've been missing, especially in the lower octaves. They perform well with all kinds of music but are revealing of the poor production values of electronica. Classical and Jazz really shine, though. I was very surpised by their imaging and soundstage. They are a little foward right now on some poor recordings but should mellow out when they break in some more. There should be improvements in bass extension as well.

Similar Products Used:

Meadowlark Kestrels - better imaging but less bass and $1,200 Various B&W - articulate but bland and, again, twice the price Mordaunt Short - very close but a bit shy in the bass region and a little

They have wonderfull clear vocals, tight bass response from dual drivers and a front firing port for efficient airflow. The speakers are very beautiful with the silver finish on the front of the cabinet coupled with the black grills.

None

The AS-F2 Speakers AUDITION series are the biggest of Athena Technologies. They are Canadian Stuff. The tweeter provide clear extended high frequencies, and the Dual 8" woofers provide huge amounts of bass output in a price you won't believe! The AS-F2 is fully magnetically shielded. The front vented design makes placement easier as placing the speaker against a wall has no detrimental affects to the systems performance. Power handling is a huge 250 watts for each speaker, and with its high 93dB efficiency fill alle the place with clear powerful sound. They are plugged on a Technics SA-950 receiver 5x100w, a Philips 150 HiFi CD player, Hitachi VHS. Next step, a DVD player will by add.

Similar Products Used:

I looked to for Paradigm Monitor 9 and Legend, but more expensive, for a similar result. They're made by the same company.

They have incredibly clear vocals - this comes from two things: they have the Teteron tweeter, combining the advantages of Silk with the advantages of Poly. Being that it is a synthetic fiber, they have engineered the tweeter to respond to a specific range of sound. The design of the bezel around the tweeter also allows the sound to project into the room, filling the room with clear vocals. Tight bass response from dual drivers and a front firing port for efficient airflow. Cosmetics: The silver finish on the front of the cabinet coupled with the black grills.

Cabinet is thinner than I would like it to be to decrease cabinet resonance, and I wouldn't mind at all if they had a raised bezel like the RTi series Polk Audio speakers.

I work at Future Shop, and these are a new addition to our lineup. The AS-F2 Speaker is the flagship of the AUDITION series, designed for use in large rooms and systems. The high powered 1" Teteron dome tweeter will provide clear extended high frequencies, and the Dual Injection Molded Polypropylene 8" woofers provide huge amounts of bass output in a price you won't believe! The AS-F2 is fully magnetically shielded, so it is ready to perform in your Audio Video system when you are! The curvaceous silver front baffles are slightly exposed due to the ¾ style grill, and the front vented design makes placement easier as placing the speaker against a wall has no detrimental affects to the systems performance. Power handling is a huge 250 watts for each speaker, and with its high 93dB efficiency will fill even the largest of homes with clear powerful sound.

Similar Products Used:

JBL N-38II, JBL ND-310II, Polk Audio RT50, Polk Audio RTi70. Although they did not have the same low end as the dual 10" drivers in the JBL ND-310s, the Athenas outperform the lower end Polks as we