Athena 15345 Point 5 MKII System Home Theater Speaker Package, Silver/Gloss Black
By: Athena Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 21
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 On: 2006-11-30
I whole heartedly agree with all the positive feedback on these awesome speakers. I have owned these for almost a year now and love them. I mated these to a Panasonic SA-XR55S digital receiver. (Which BTW is also the cats meow.) This setup is AWESOME.. (but remember you do need an active sub)
So if you can find them buy them.
On: 2006-07-11
Purchased these speakers along with the AS-P300 subwoofer. I was trying to find smallish speakers to make my wife happy, but something that sounded good. After reading so many positive reviews I took a gamble on these and I am very pleased!! I have a trained ear and have been a musician all my life, and these sound excellent for music, tv, and movies. I am using these with a Yamaha HTR-5930SL receiver that I also purchased on Amazon - very pleased with the whole setup!!!!!
On: 2006-06-29
Id spent nearly 3 months searching for an affordable home theater solution before stumbling upon these little gems of a speaker called Athenas at my local best buy. I was immediately blown away by the amazing sound quality of the tiny Micras so naturally, I began researching the company and their products. After 2 months of homework and browsing AVSFORUM.com, I decided to purchase the point5s from onecall.com. The speakers are definitely bigger than you think, but are actually quite small for the sound they reproduce.
I CANNOT, cannot---C-A-N-N-O-T say enough great things about these speakers. Paired with the Athena 10 inch sub and an Onkyo 7.1 channel receiver, these speakers allowed me to watch all 3 Star Wars DVDs like Ive NEVER been able to watch before - EVER. They produce such amazingly accurate HIGHS and lows that just make you want to make EVERY damn night a blockbuster (or netflix) night.
BUT be warned, you will want to watch EVERYTHING over and over again. You will turn down the X3 premier just so you can watch it at home when it comes out on DVD. You will make fun of your friend who spent more than 2 paychecks on their awesome BOSE (read, crap) Lifestyle system and laugh in their face when theyd rather watch T2 and Lord of the Rings at YOUR place instead. Your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, financial advisor, mailman will use every damn excuse on this planet to accidentally "drop by" whenever you happen to have another movie night. You may NEVER step foot outside of your house again. Ever. My apt measures 22x18 (with 11 ceilings) and these speakers fill the ENTIRE room with such beautiful, melodic, accurate, extraordinary, amazingly, incredibly, tremendously, pure and intoxicating AWESOME sound. Can you tell that I absolutely love these things? If these speakers do no blow you away, NOTHING WILL.
On: 2006-04-07
I could write the same things as the other reviewers -- man it is really true. I upgraded from my dry-rotted 20-year-old speakers/system to a 5.1 system. My old school of thought was somewhat skeptical -- how could I get full sound out of these tiny things?
The results are amazing. Ive had these since November 05 and they sound just great. I paired this up with an Audiosource PSW-100 subwoofer and a Sony STR DE-898 receiver.
You will need a subwoofer!
There is no way for a speaker system of this price that I could possibly feel justified in offering any criticism here. It is really big sound from some really smallish speakers but you can shake the walls with these babies.
On: 2006-01-02
These speakers are awesome. I was waiting for my speakers to break-in before I write this review. I had a pair of Sony SS-MF650H for my mains and a Sony SS-CN550H for my center and SONY surrond speakers ( I dont remember the model no). I was unhappy with my SONY purchase as it sounded OK but not great.
I knew ATHENA makes great speakers but was very doubtfull if these bookshelfs can replace my floor standing. But I was clearly amazed to see these speakers shine. These are way better than my SONY speakers.You need a subwoofer for these speakers.
This will be the best 200 dollars you have ever spent.
On: 2005-12-11
First off, I am a home theatre buff. Second, I am not an audiophile, that is, I am no audio expert. What I can tell you is that if you have any kind of "run of the mill speakers", you will notice a vast improvement with these babies! If I had to describe it without using any technical jargon, which I could not anyway, I would say that these very rich and full sounding. I did not quite realize what the benefits of "wide range" other reviewers were talking about. I knew what it was, but had a hard time putting my finger on what difference it would make. It only takes one listening session to learn how much better speakers with good range sound. You can spot it immediately, especially if you are upgrading from those run of the mill speakers.
I did hear the "tinnyness" right out of the box other reviewers mentioned. However, after about a 30 hour break in period so far,they are really starting to "smooth out" and sound better and better as each hour passes. So it is important to follow the break in proceedure.
These are not typical satellite micro speakers, however I prefer the added dynamics only possible in a larger speaker. Also, Athena wants you to set all of the speakers to LARGE on your receiver. I also find the mirror black to be very attractive. These are also pretty heavy. With my other, smaller speakers, I just put the two front speakers on my speaker stands with velcro. However with these, I suggest you get some 3M double sided tape(this is great stuff). This is the kind used for automotive emblems and can be found in the automotive section of almost any store.
It looks like Amazon is out of these now. They had them for $189.00 for a few days. I also got $30.00 off for signing up for an Amazon card and putting them on that, which I have months same as cash to pay for them. So I really feel like I got a good deal on these at $159.00 shipped! I also got free second day shipping for signing up Amazon prime trial. Amazon ran out of these one other time not so long ago, but they got some more in. I am not sure if they plan on getting any more in or not this time.
 On: 2005-12-01
Good speakers. I bought a set of these along with an extra satellite and subwoofer. The subwoofer kinda started giving weird sounds when it was blasted at full volume (for a new year party) but the speakers performed pretty good (for the money you pay). I am using a yamaha receiver with 6 speakers and one subwoofer.
If you dont mind the size of the speakers these are good quality speakers compared to sony or panasonic of similar cost and size.
I would definitely suggest it.
On: 2005-11-29
Incredible sound from these little speakers is still making me grin after a whole year. I got these speakers along with Athenas AS-P400 subwoofer(excellent choice)to complement my old Infinity tower speakers, as I was trying to create a true 7.1 surround sound(total of 8 speakers). This set up is powered by Sony STR-DA3000ES receiver, which pumps 150 Watts on each channel(!). I have a rather large room in a loft with 14 ceilings so I needed a lot of speakers, as well as a subwoofer to truly achieve a good surround effect.
My whole point is that even without the tower speakers and the subwoofer these little giants are going to leave you grinning from ear to ear - thanks Athena Technologies! There are lots of options out there but if youre in the market for an INCREDIBLE sounding speaker system and you dont want to break the bank, you should definitley consider Point 5. One more thing: do a little homework on the web and read some professional reviews of this system - it will really help you make your decision!
On: 2005-11-23
I hooked these up with Denon 1905 in a small room and it sounds too Good. I guess it would have been much better with Yamaha rxv 1500. When i tried The same Denon Rxer in a larger room with Huge Infinity speakers, I was really upset with the recievers. But when i hooked the same reciever with the Athena point 5 speakers, It sounds really good. I guess the room size was the main reason.
This is my second home theatre setup. Last year I had bought one cheapest Onkyo 5.1 package for $300. There is a remarkable difference in the audio quality.
I am not really a fan of Boom Boom music. I just like to hear clean sound. Even without a subwoofer, the lows were pretty good. The music sounds really good.
I am really really happy that I spent money on this.
In short, if you have a small or medium room(i guess less than 400 sqft), Then this is the right choice !!!
My next step is a yamaha RXV1500 Rxer.
On: 2005-10-31
I bought these speakers to upgrade the speakers that came with the Onkyo S570 HTIB - and boy, what a difference it can make! My system rocks!
I did a lot of reading before deciding to buy this set. You will get a ton of recommendations. And this is one speaker set that consistently gets a high score.
Pros:
1. GREAT sound. (Surround sound takes a new meaning with these speakers. What more do you want?)
2. Excellent finish and build quality.
Cons:
1. Rather large in size.
2. 50-100 hour break-in period.
3. A subwoofer is not included. So you might need to buy one separately (check www.avsforum.com for recommendations). I used the one that came with the HTIB.
In conclusion, the pros far outweigh the cons. These speakers are amazing value for money. Highly recommended.
My current system specs:
1. Onkyo S570 - $199 Radioshack
Keep the receiver and the subwoofer.
2. Athena 15345 MkII speakers - $199 - Amazon.
On: 2005-10-27
I purchased a set of Energy Take 5s 5 years ago. They have been good speakers, but now that I have a nice theater I need a little more sound. I wanted Encores when I bought the Take 5s, but they were out of my price range. I tend to like a brighter sound. I found these last weekend and read every review I could find and decided to give them a try. So far I am blown away with their performance, especially for the price. The highs beat my Take 5s hands down. I watched scenes in Star Wars Episode I tonight and they were awesome. They also sound great with music. I have them paired with my Energy eXL-10 sub. I hear they sound even better after a few hours of burn in.
I would highly recommend them for the money, especially for a small to medium size room.
by: videofile2100 On: 2005-10-23
The sound is very good a little bright sounding. A good match with polk subwoofer PSW 10...The speakers need several days, to break in just like a great car. Dont push to the metal, you will enjoy tonal balance, smooth and well worth the money .Thank you amazon.!!!Update 11/19/05 After several weeks of use,they sound even better...I am using the yamaha 5740 receiver..199.95 with free shipping polk psw 10 subwoofer,purchased for 99 bucks with free shipping...A pioneer dvd 383 mutizone,muti region dvd player,84.99,and the athenas....The total cost for my high end sounding system on the cheap...384.00 dollars...Thank you amazon,for this great system at an excellent price.
On: 2005-10-10
First of all, these are great speakers, with a superlative sound quality, and I highly recommend this purchase now and will do so again at the end of this review. Now that this is out of the way, let me list out a few caveats you need to watch out for first, before I move to the strengths.
But first of all, the guy who left a Single star in another review - dont mind him. Athena, or for that matter, any other manufacturer, WILL NOT honor warranties if the item is purchased from some unauthorized "An e-tailer" like he did. Even though it is extremely rare that you will end up with defective speakers like he did (assuming he did buy it Sealed manufacturer retail
box), you dont want to take any chances just to save 20-30 bucks. Makes all the more sense to buy from Amazon or OneCall, the only two Authorized places that seem to stock these speakers nowadays. (BestBuy may have a few laying round, but be prepared
to pay daylight robbery prices).
First of all, the size. These are not "a bit larger" than the Micra6 like someone said. They are a whole lot bigger. Dont be expecting weenie Home theater satellites, these are proper
bookshelf speakers, only at the smaller end of the size spectrum. Id say that volumetrically, each of the bookshelfs are 3 to 3 1/2 times the size of each Micra speaker. They are quite heavy for the size and deep too, so I do not quite recommend mounting these on walls, even though it comes with all the mounts and clamps. Cheap sturdy stands are available for like 30 bucks + Shipping from PartsExpress. The boxy shape allows you to place them on any flat surface. However, the Piano lacquer finish looks like an open invitation to scratches, so make sure you have enough rubber padding on all contact surfaces.
Looks and feel. Now, surprising as it is, to me, these look kinda uglier than the pictures would suggest. The color combo of Glossy Piano black on the sides and a dull light silver front baffle, and cheap black plastic rear panel, along with the quirky curves and humps and all those separate speaker grills give it a strangely odd-chic appearance, akin to a Korean-make car, only less hideous. Doubtlessly, they would have been far prettier in all-black, however that option, unfortunately, is not available in the 5.1 configuration.
Like the other reviewers said, they do sound "tinny" straight out of the box, but let me assure you, its not bad. Id say the sound he called "tinny" is the AWESOME treble offered by the Athena 1" Teteron tweeter, which even this model seems to share with every bigger Athena speaker (Amazons description says 0.5" Tweeter, the Athena website says 1"). Of course, once the woofers settle and start thumpin like they should, the "tinniness" would not be pronounced at all. In fact, I noticed quite a bit of improvement in the bass dept. within the first couple of CDs played.
But the first thing you notice, esp if you are upgrading from something generic, is the incredible Sensitivity of these little things. The satellites are rated at 89dB, while the Center is 91dB, quite an achievement for speakers this small. My old speakers were the Onkyo SKS-HT240 6.1 system, which, even though are pretty good, are not quite sensitive - I was getting the same loudness at 18-20 on the Athenas that took the Onkyos 26-28 to achieve. Could make a big difference in Amp longevity, heat build-up, even electricity bills etc.
I had ordered a pair of Athena Audition Series As-B1.2s too from Amazon and they arrived a week before these did. I am breaking those in too, and I am accomplishing the concurrent breaking in of 7 speakers by interchanging the ASs and the S.5s as Front speakers, and playing them in Stereo thru my AV Receiver (I have even turned off my Subwoofer, and set the Speaker Settings on the receiver to Large, to let them work thru their full dynamic range), and I am playing a variety of music, from Genesis to Korn. For the center speaker, I turned up its level pretty high compared to the others, and played a few DVD-Audio Discs and 5.1 Concert DVDs that I have.
Now the most important consideration. Sound. Rest assured, the sound is not "tinny", just high on treble. And the bass response keeps on improving with each passing hour of playing. However, do not be under the illusion that this system can EVER get by without a subwoofer -- YOU WILL NEED ONE. I know it sucks that you need to spend almost the same money as the other 5 speakers to buy a single speaker to handle a measly 60Hz or so out of a 20,000Hz aural spectrum, but them 60 are pretty important Hertzes, so its a worthwhile investment. I do not feel you need to buy the Athenas expensive ASP series - I can think of a lot of competent subs in the $100-$180 range (Velo VX10, Mirage Nano, Dayton 10" or 12", Yamaha SW215 etc. etc.), and Amazon itself has lots of good options, just makes sure they are from a reputable SPEAKER manufacturer who are honest with Specs. They should be able to handle sound as low as 25Hz and have at least 8" Woofer. (I have a Dayton 10" 100W got from PartsExpress for $115 shipped, which works pretty well mated to the Athenas. If you have a bigger budget and need a bigger thump, I am quite sure you can definitely do better. For the thump I needed, I am very happy with the Dayton.)
Technology has progressed so much that weenie satellites combined with a sub can produce seriously big sound... But this is the first time Im hearing this kind of bass and sonics coming from speakers this small WITHOUT the aid of a subwoofer. I am VERY IMPRESSED. With the receiver set to output Stereo and the Speakers set to large and driving just two of the S.5s, the sound is awesome... very good deep Hi-Fi sound. Once I added the subwoofer to the mix and made it 2.1 and leaning back on the sofa 12 feet away, I had to tell myself that I was not listening to $600/pr Tower speakers... the Daytons match well, providing just enough lower-end assistance that the little Athenas cannot Reach... but the Athenas shoulder the majority of the sound Duties and are a SMASHING SUCCESS AT THAT.
Once I connected the full Point5 system, and played them back without a subwoofer (5.0), they were quite impressive, the fronts and the Center holding up quite well, even though the lack of a Subwoofer is quite noticeable. Let me reiterate, the strong treble put out by these speakers make a subwoofer even more necessary. Turn the sub on and make it 5.1, and damn, I am in Hog heaven. This system can do pretty well at 5.0 when playing back most music, however, to catch the lower frequencies of DVDs, no way around it -- get a Sub.
Comparing with the AS-B1.2s: The ASs are the most basic Speakers in the Audition Series. They both do sound different and the AS-B1s definitely put out better bass than the smaller S.5s -- minus a subwoofer, the S.5s definitely sound "tinnier" Because of that, and even adding a subwoofer, the AS-B1.2s are noticeably better, but I am in no way suggesting that the S.5s put out inferior sound. The S.5s are great, the AS-B1 is greater, thats all.
LONG-TERM INVESTMENT:-
In conclusion, BUY THESE. BUY EM BLIND. ESPECIALLY if these are going to be your first HT speakers. At the price Amazon is offering it, it is the best HT Speaker bargain out there. And in the long term, I can assure you, this will be the best speaker Investment youve ever made in your life. Also, invest $150 or so on a decent subwoofer along with this, and you get a highly COMPETENT 5.1 system for $350, which, unlike lots of inferior speakers that will be forced out into the bedroom or even the back porch once you trade up, this one has all potential to stay on in the Main Home theater/Living room forever. Once you can afford better or want to move into 7.1 surround, put all your upgrade money into a pair of higher end Bookshelf speakers or Floorstanding speakers, and move the front S.5s to rear Surround. These S.5s and even the C.5 to a certain extent, are more than competent enough to stand up as Surround speakers against anything thats out there.
Theyre that good.
On: 2005-10-05
These are phenomenal speakers. They sound as good as any Bose setup Ive heard.
When you get them out of the box, they may sound a bit tinny. The cones in these speakers need to be broken in before they reach their proper sound. Leave the speakers playing music with a wide frequency range while you are at work for a day or two. Give them at least two days before you decide you are unsatisfied with them.
To the user that complained that these speakers are no longer supported by the manufacturer: they have stopped production of these units. If you receive a defective unit from Amazon, Amazon will handle your issue where Athena will not.
On: 2005-09-29
I recently got this set of 5 speaker on sale + free shipping. This is a great product. Ship on time and in brand new condition. Im happy for what I got. I have been doing four hour of research on this speaker from athena. And finally, I decide to take my chance to buy it. Overall, the speakers very good in material and design sound, and appearance. I bought this one over the micra 6 because of the size factor. I believe this is bigger than micra 6. But, it is offer larger driver and tweeter. That is reason why i bought over small one. I dont have the problem with size. But this speaker is small enough, and produce great sound. Highly recommended before it all sold out.
On: 2005-09-08
I have owned these speakers for a little over a year now. The sound these speakers produce is surprisngly warm and lifelike from what is a relatively small speaker. This is no doubt to the fantastic build quality of these speakers. From the piano lacquer case to the stylish silver front these are beautiful speakers in my opinion. They are very heavy for their size and extremely sturdy. One of the binding posts broke on mine (caused by me, not a design flaw), and Athena technologies shipped me out a complete new binding post and hardware, no questions asked. Excellent customer service. You can not beat these speakers at this price.
On: 2005-08-31
In reading other reviews of these speakers I decided that these would be the best for me. I am using them in a rather large living room and the satellite speakers just didnt seem to pump out enough good quality sound. I cannot begin to describe how great these speakers sound. Dont be fooled by the price. Also, follow the break-in procedures as described in the manual, you wont believe the difference in the sound after the break-in period. If youre looking for high quality sound and the best price these are the speakers for you.
On: 2005-08-26
The speakers are only a slightly bigger than the Micra6 and have a typically richer sound (associated with larger speakers). Since this is an old model, I expect Athena to stop manufacturing this soon (Which probably might explain the rock bottom prices- and makes this the right time to buy one.).
They look pretty nice from the front and not so nice from the side (Unorthodox design of silver faceplate and black box). I watched The Ghost and the darkness with these, and boy, was it amazing! (The break in period is a bit long.. It took roughly a month for my speakers to start sounding to its full potential)
Go ahead, grab these if you are planning to build a sub $500-800 home theater.
Essential extras- JVC 302B/402B Panasonic XR-55/70,A decent subwoofer
 On: 2005-07-06
I purchased these speakers from a e-retailer, and Athena Technologies refused to service them. Their customer support couldnt be any worse. Now I am stuck with a worthless defective speaker!
On: 2005-05-03
Judging by the super-low price of these speakers, my performance expectations were not extremely high. I just needed a small system for the bedroom. Upon hook-up I was extremely surprised at how great these Athenas sounded. Im using a mid-level Yamaha receiver, and a small Energy Subwoofer with them. The sound is very natural and lifelike at high or low volume levels. My neighbor swears by his Bose system. I dragged him over and made him listen to the Athenas, and he was also blown away. When I pointed out that my system was less than HALF the price of his, he nearly had a stroke. Ive heard a bunch of home theater systems, and I cant imagine a better sounding system for anywhere near the price... Buy with confidence. These are great!
On: 2005-01-28
I did a LOT of research when it came time to replace my Bose Accoustimass 6 speakers. Not wanting to make the same mistake again (spending too much money on inferior products), I eventually settled on these Athena speakers after weeks of research. I am so glad I did. I matched these up to a Vellodyne CHT10 sub. But, before hooking up the sub, I tested out the Athenas on their own and was blown away over how much better these sounded than the Bose with its feeble bass module. Far better audio range, very tight, great sound stage. Adding in the sub was the icing on the cake. In addition to the great price, these speakers come with a really nice integrated wall mounting system, good wiring system and really sharp looks. As a bonus, Athena uses the same tweeter design on their high-end speakers, so it will be easy to blend these with upgraded Athenas down the road. IMHO, you would have to spend a LOT more money to beat these speakers.
On: 2004-12-02
these are great, especially when paired with an athena subwoofer asp 300 or 400.
crisp bright sound, phenon w/ music, movies, games. my receiver is harmon kardon avr330
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