[BlindTiger]

Athena products are part of the Audio Products International line.
the same makers of Mirage, Energy and the old Sound Dynamics.
I wouldn't say they are far from Hi Fidelity. Especially if their design group work closely with the National Research council of Canada. (I've heard this is one reason why their speakers costs less)

http://www.soundstagelive.com/factorytours/api/

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver I think the fact that Athena and Fluance are mentioned as good choices does show the of lack of experience in the audience with regard to speakers....(not that they are necessarily bad, in fact, Athenas are popular and decent budget speakers), but they are far from anything resembling hi-fidelity. If people are confused by choices in headphones, it's easy to be confused by the choices in speakers. There are far more models of speakers and brands than headphones, and the price range easily spirals to crazy levels.

Well, we were specifically talking about budget options, and those are both good budget options. I don't quite get what you mean. We both acknowledge that there are much better speakers and much higher priced ones at that.

 

[so_cal_forever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley Well, we were specifically talking about budget options, and those are both good budget options. I don't quite get what you mean. We both acknowledge that there are much better speakers and much higher priced ones at that.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[XxATOLxX]

The Irony.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxATOLxX The Irony.

Well, this thread includes a reference to that in the original post so I'd imagine it's sort of a response to it.

I'm just glad I never see a Bose recommendation, personally.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley Well, we were specifically talking about budget options, and those are both good budget options. I don't quite get what you mean. We both acknowledge that there are much better speakers and much higher priced ones at that.

I guess it came down to the fact that I object to recommendation of Fluance, which I think are completely underwhelming even for their cheap price.

After reading this thread, my observation is that people in this forum do seem to be inexperienced in speakers, because even in the same price range, something like a Infinity Primus 160 is more transparent, more detailed, and less colored sounding for same or less money. Sure you don't get the big box, loud bass, and all those drivers, but in terms of sound quality, the Infinity's are closer to having "hifi" qualities which we crave in this forum.

I do not have anything against Athena myself, except for the fact that I find them too bright and harsh, but a definite improvement over Fluance in many areas.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver I guess it came down to the fact that I object to recommendation of Fluance, which I think are completely underwhelming even for their cheap price. After reading this thread, my observation is that people in this forum do seem to be inexperienced in speakers, because even in the same price range, something like a Infinity Primus 160 is more transparent, more detailed, and less colored sounding for same or less money. Sure you don't get the big box, loud bass, and all those drivers, but in terms of sound quality, the Infinity's are closer to having "hifi" qualities which we crave in this forum.

I'll have to check them out, thanks for the recommendation. Any specific qualities they have? To which headphone would you compare their sound signature, if any?

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by geforcewong Dream System wish list(Totally outrageous and unaffordable unless I stay single my whole life and live with my parents which I WONT Do): -Room dimensions designed for home theater/musical acoustics -Room treated By RPG Diffusor Systems -Room with powerful circuit breakers and thick in house wiring -B&W Prestige Nautilus (2 fronts) for movies/music (Glossy black seashell look is so cool) -B&W 800D rears and sides -Rel Studio III subwoofer -Avantgarde Trio Horn Speakers for stereo music -Lots of Krell or Classe amps (8 just for a pair of B&W Prestige Nautilus-one for each driver) -Wadia 861se CD Player OK I'll just stop with now and wait until I get a real job .

or just listen to your speakers in your backyard where they sound better =)

 

[warpdriver]

If one wants a good dirt cheap bookshelf speaker, check out the Infinity Primus 150. It doesn't put out a lot of bass (in fact, it cuts off most of the midbass), but for $60 each on sale at vanns.com right now, it is pretty darn listenable, very articulate, very detailed, very spacious.

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver I think the fact that Athena and Fluance are mentioned as good choices does show the of lack of experience in the audience with regard to speakers....(not that they are necessarily bad, in fact, Athenas are popular and decent budget speakers), but they are far from anything resembling hi-fidelity. If people are confused by choices in headphones, it's easy to be confused by the choices in speakers. There are far more models of speakers and brands than headphones, and the price range easily spirals to crazy levels.

I agree. I've never heard the Fluance but I do know that all the other commercial speakers I've heard under $600 sounds pretty mediocre and can't be considered hi-fi. But under these standards most hi-end headphones can't be considered hi-fi either. Anyway, there are some really neat speakers out there in the $1000 range and they give up nothing to the more expensive big boys. Also, there is no reason to spend over $5000 on speakers with the Linkwitz Orions and the Salk Veracity's in existance at cheaper prices.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt But under these standards most hi-end headphones can't be considered hi-fi either.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver If one wants a good dirt cheap bookshelf speaker, check out the Infinity Primus 150. It doesn't put out a lot of bass (in fact, it cuts off most of the midbass), but for $60 each on sale at vanns.com right now, it is pretty darn listenable, very articulate, very detailed, very spacious.

This is exactly what I'm referring to.

What the hell kind of hi-fi is this? This speaker gives performance that even the Koss PortaPros can defeat! NOBODY should own stereo speakers that cost $60 dollars for a pair. Do you realize that Infinity probably puts $15 into the construction of ONE PAIR of these things? How can you expect anything near quality with that?

Sure, some people may want speakers for a good value, but we are also audiophiles! Recommending cheap, toy-quality speakers to people like us is like recommending a 15 inch LCD monitor to a computer user, for his workstation, whose laptop has a 17 inch monitor to begin with! It just doesn't fit. Sure, you'll have to put out some more beans to be able to reach similar quality to headphones (not all the time), but in the long run, you will be using these speakers for enjoyment and they are just as much of an investment as any other speaker. Unless you live a lifestyle as undestructive as the Dallai Lama's, I can guarantee you that speakers that cost under 100 dollars will not give you anything near the satisfaction that a speaker only one hundred dollars more would!

Let's be realistic here guys - we're audiophiles, which means, often times, we're also great consumers. Buying $60 speakers is a BAD CONSUMER PURCHASE.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman Let's be realistic here guys - we're audiophiles, which means, often times, we're also great consumers.PURCHASE.

I was with you right up until that part. Great in terms of willing to throw dollars at nearly anything promising better sound, yeah - wise consumers, not so much. Everything else you said was accurate, though!

 

[massappeal85]

I have GR Research A/V 1s and I am extrememly happy with them.

Paying close attention to DIY speaker communitys such as madisound.com taught me alot about speakers, the industry, and what to look for in a built pair.

I will always look to manufacturers with ties to the DIY communty to give me a great value for my money. These include GR Research, Jim Salk, Ellis Audio and others.

Happy listening.

 

[Joey_V]

I still say that this place is a headphone place first and a speaker place second. Most will prioritize spending on headphones before speakers.

Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.