Nice speakers to round out your home theater.
These are your classic black bookshelf speakers. They’re not a smooth black, but rather a black ash, so there’s a wood grain texture to the top and sides of the speakers. I think they’re kind of sleek-looking and the black will match most homes, so that’s not a problem. That said, you might think they look a little cheap and since they’re pretty light, they also feel cheap. However, I find this to be the case with many kinds of bookshelf speakers.
The Athena AS-B1.2 speakers are quite small so you won’t have to deal with them taking up all your shelf space. This is an aspect worth considering, especially if you plan on adding these to your home theater system, because you won’t want the entire room taken over by speakers.
They are also versatile in that they can be used in one of two ways; either to enhance your existing home theater system or on their own. In fact, these make really good rear satellite speakers for a home theater since they’re great for filling out the sound of your system.
The Athena AS-B1.2 Audition Series 2 way bass-reflex speakers are sold in pairs so they work well for any home stereo. Each has a 5.5 inch injection-molded polypropylene woofer with a rubber surround. The woofer keeps the deep tones nice with clean, rich mids and the 1 inch Teteron dome tweeter keeps the highs crisp for a very well-rounded sound.
The bass response of these Athena speakers sounds nice for its price point and size. It’s deep and powerful; you can actually feel it inside when you turn them up. They handle sound without losing the details of the music, even when cranked up. However, they’re not as powerful when turned down (a small disappointment).
I like the price of the Athena AS-B1.2 speakers, especially considering the presence they have and their overall quality. You won’t get the kind of power you would from expensive Pioneer speakers (the low bass from these doesn’t compare at all), but for the price and size, these Athena speakers are nothing to sneeze at.