Athena Tower Speakers
Athena AS-F2
- 1" teteron (man-made silk) dome tweeter
- 2x 8" injection molded polyproyplene woofers
- Frequency response: 35 Hz - 20 kHz
- Sensitivity: 93 dB
- Power handling: 250 W
- Crossover: 2 kHz
- MSRP: $600/pair in 2002
- 51 lbs each
- 41.5" height x 15.5" depth x 9.5" width
- Magnetic shielded
The Stereophile review of these speakers is very glowing, but in the graphs they point out multiple cabinet resonances. Hmm.
I listened to them very briefly. They came across as extremely forward in the midrange, and I get that they are more sensitive, and therefore will play louder, but I perceived them to be very much in my face with what happened to be raspy female vocals... ugh. Elsewhere in the song, the speaker became overwhelmed quite easily, though I had it turned down to the same volume I was listening to the other speakers at. With the low crossover point I expected good bass clarity but bass was muddy and when the speaker was asked to reproduce frequencies throughout the spectrum simultaneously I heard it muddy all of them. If it is asked to play only treble or only midrange it can do that and in your face.
My conclusion is that, despite the glowing review, a $600/pair tower can't be expected to sound like a $2000/pair tower, and the AS-F2 prove this point.