smooth responsive efficient works of art

too smooth for some recordings

I purchased a pair of s3 and p3's, and have enjoyed them for over a year. Smooth high end, strong mid, and low bass, that can be set according to what kind of mood you are in. I grew up in family that loves stereo equipment. My dad owns a pair of old klipsch corner horns run by a luxman lab series amp to replicate a tube amp. I constantly compare the two. And because I am young, and enjoy more bass at times I like my speakers better. These speakers shine with vocals and acoustics, but after listening to the klipsch, horn instruments just don't sound as appealing on the athena's. Don't get me wrong, horn instruments sound superb on the athena's, just not as realistic as the klipsch, but vocals and acoustics are not as enjoyable on the klipsch. Right now my speakers are running on a 200w rms yamaha natural sound stereo receiver, and if, and when I get a better amplifier, they will sound noticeably better. I know this because I tested them on my dads amplifier. But when it comes to sound, if it sounds good to you, it sounds good.

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mission, any other api product,b&w, advent,jbl

Flawless staging and accuracy. When combined with the P3's, they are the best sounding fullrange speaker in its class. Variability. Use the S3's as bookshelves and have the P3's run as an independant sub with a variable crossover, or connect using the railings (which also eliminates wires to the S3's) for amazing full range. Easy to set up. What more can you ask for. Superb!!

NONE......Nuff Said!!!

I have owned Boston Acoustics for some time until they were replaced by Athena. There are three things that Canada is very good at. Hockey, beer and speakers, and these are magnificent. To anyone who thinks these are noise boxes, they should really pay attention to what they listen to. Speakers are purely a sujective purchase. API has created a masterful system. I own a pair of S3's with a pair of P3's and these were compared for some time to the Energy Veritas. Softer high end and amazing accuracy. I am amazed that someone would think that Cerwin Vegas or Klipsch or any other middle of the road speaker could compete. Full range, when the S3 is connected to the P3 by its nicad railing, is almost flawless. But again the type of music you listen to would make you buy certain speakers. Hence the wide variety of them. Bang for the buck??? definately worth its weight in gold. Simply amazing

Similar Products Used:

Energy Veritas, Totems, Boston Acoustics (Lynnfield)

Hi-end Clarity, Bass and imagery.

Shows up limitations of source recordings - no tolerance for less than perfect recordings.

These were purchased after extensive research of comparable speakers. These blew other speakers out of the water and were less expensive whilst retaining the quality of higher end speakers. My system includes a Yamaha AV Amp and a McClaren Main Amp that is specifically dedicated to driving the Athena's as main speakers. This combination is great for both Home Theatre and CD's as I have sparate DVD and CD players.

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Magnet, Energy

Cherry looks great, not a flaw at all. When I tell people how much I spent they think I am a full of it...

Not one I can see yet...

I purchased these speakers after a long review of other speakers in the same price range (Polk, Cerwin Vega, Bose, and Mission). I ended up with 2ea S3 1ea P3(Sub)and stands. Wow I was amazed with the sound and stereo image that this set can produce. The highs are crisp and clean the midrange smooth and the bass adjustable to suit the type of music you like, if you want to shake the plaster off the walls you can, but still clean and pure. You can fill the room with great sound or listen to any TV show and it seems the sound comes from the TV... I only have 110 watts to drive these babies, but when I get my 200 watt amp I will review them again...

Similar Products Used:

Polk, Cerwin Vega, Bose, Mission.

Exciting,fast with a wide soundstage.It is also effecient and easy to drive.

Missing the P3 subwoofer.I am waiting for a AA sale.Treble could be a little smoother.

I read the reveiw in stereophile and bought these demo's on a whim.At the same time I bought a wharfedale 8.3 and 8.1 diamonds for a home cinema.The athena's are just so much better.

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Linn Kaber tri amped with LK85,sondek.Ittock.Rotel 990 power amp.Adcom preamp.Arcam CD player

There is no such thing as value with a poor sounding speaker.

Dramatically over-rated in stereophile magazine.. You would think they were a sister company to Athena.

I auditioned these for a while, I gave them special consideration because of the price and spent quality time getting to know them. I did not buy them. In fact, at $700 you can do just as well as these speakers by spending 400 dollars on a pair of Cerwin Vegas at Best Buy. The bass is terribly undefined and colored, the highs are harsh and brash, the mids are virtually non existant. Spend another $400 and get something nicer.. There are tons of speakers on the market for $1100 that will outperform the Athenas a hundred times over.. Check out Acoustic Energies, Meadowlarks, hell for 600 bucks get a pair of KLIPSH RF3 and you will outperform these noise boxes.

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AE, Medowlark, Phase Technology.

Buid quality, dynamic - clear sound. Wide soundstage. Looks and price.

Soundstage depth not as good as some other speakers.

I had a pair of older Polks for 12 years that traded for these Athenas S3s. The Polks were great speakers, but I wanted something more efficient and easier to move around. These S3s fit the bill very well. They are very dynamic, and clear. The imaging is very good for a $600 pair of speakers although the depth of the sound stage is not as good as my Polks, the Athenas are probably better suited for rock/pop and movies than for serious classical music listening. I don''t listen to a lot of classical so I''m not concerned about that. I very glad I bought these, and I plan to buy the C1 center channel soon. Also these are classy looking speaker, especially with the cherry finsih. Check them out. My system: Marantz AV9000 Parasound HCA1000 AMC 4554 Veldyne CT100 sub Sony S300 DVD Marantz CC4000 Adcom ACE515 cheap Sony speakers for rear

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Phase Techs, Polk Monitor 10Bs

Looks, sound imaging

A little bright at times

These speakers can match up with the P3 subwoofer (can be purchased separately)...kind of a neat idea for people with limited budgets, like myself. I bought these w/o the subs because I thought they sounded great w/o them.

Don't get me wrong, they sound unbelievable with them, but @ 600$ per sub, I figured I could live w/o them for a little while.

The speakers sound fantastic. I was really impressed with the sound imaging more than anything...they really create a nice sense of instrument locations. They also sound very crisp...maybe a little too crisp at times, but that may be attributable to the lack of low frequency ouput.

By the way, looks shouldn't matter all that much, but these things are gorgeous. They look real solid sitting up on the new stands I bought.

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none

Crisp sound

No Weaknesses, for a speaker at this price

I was a little nervous purchasing speakers that have'nt been on the market for very long. I have listened to various speakers and I found myself still going back to the Athenas S3. Since I have purchased these speakers the quality of my home theather system has grown to a quality listening system. I would Highly recommend these speakers to every one.

The detail on musical nuances is amazing! The soundstage is wide and deep, and the imaging is accurate even out of the "sweet spot." Bass is tight, precise, and very deep, even without the P3 subs attached. They are the most musical speakers I've ever owned. On home theatre, WOW! Amazing imaging; precise detail, not a bit harsh or "bright." I also have the C1 center channel. These are the finest loudspeakers I've ever had in my listening room! They made STEREOPHILE magazine's list of Recommended Components, and I definitely know why. The S2s are also wonderful, but do better with the P3 or P2 subs attached. Besides all this, I got the cherry finish, and they are absolutely gorgeous. These are a bargain, even at full retail!

Couldn't get the matte black finish (no big deal). Only cherry or gloss black at the time of purchase. The cherry looks like real wood veneer.

If you want high-end sound on a budget, these are the ones. I drive them with a Sherwood Newcastle R756 A/V receiver, which is also no slouch when it comes to music. In fact, it's one of the very few MUSICAL A/V receivers at popular prices. If you can't find a local dealer, e-mail me.

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Sound Dynamics RTS P100, Mirage OM-8, DCM towers, Energy Audessey.