Athena AS-P6000 800-Watt 12-inch Subwoofer, Black
By: Athena Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 13
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 On: 2007-08-23
Worked really great for 372 days, then it died.
At first I thought it might be a loose connection since it was buzzing, but no luck on that front. I even swapped to a different cable, reset the receiver setting, etc. but no luck. The auto-detect feature that turns it on when detecting a signal still works (light turns green), but no sound comes out no matter what the volume setting.
 On: 2007-08-12
I have a 7.1 all Athena Home Theater system (AS-F2.2 fronts, AS-F1.1 surrounds, AS-C1 center, AS-B1.1 surround backs, and AS-P6000 subwoofer).
Performance wise, I am happy with my system including the subwoofer
Why the 2 stars then?
The subwoofers amplifier failed about 2 weeks ago, 2 days before the expiration of the 1 year warranty.
I was able to reach an Athena Tech Support Rep by phone without being on hold. He was knowledgeable and pleasant, and referred me to an authorized repair shop in Florida (Simply Speakers), where they were also very responsive. I am still waiting for it but so far the experience dealing with both companies has been positive.
BUT... in the process Ive learnt that these amplifiers are prone to failure, and if that is the case, a 1 year warranty is too short. The standard warranty for the other Athena speakers is 5 years. Subwoofers from other brands have longer warranties Velodyne 24 months, Polk 36 months. Boston Acoustics 60 months. JBL 5 years.
I was lucky (if you can call that luck) that it failed before the warranty expired... That still meant spending $60 in shipping and handling, plus being without a subwoofer for what Id expect to be at least 30 days or more to allow for transit time and repair time.
So, Id rather be "luckier" and have a unit that does not fail.
If it had failed outside of the warranty period I would have purchased a replacement from one of the other brands mentioned above, instead of sending it for repair, because in such case it would cost $60 S&H to send it, plus another ~$60 S&H to ship it back, plus parts and labor... Its not worth it versus buying a new one.
by: mamertoguarion On: 2007-05-08
+s: The AS-P6000 product is fairly good, Bass response is very good, speaker is decent. Life on the AMP, that is another story. -s: Im waiting to see if they back up their product.
by: Anonymous On: 2007-03-21
My AS-P4000 amplifier fried 1 week before the 1 year warranty was over (thank god). The rest of the components carry a 5 year warranty but I was worried from the day I bought it.
I use the speaker-in inputs as opposed to the line-in because my receiver doesnt have a sub-out (O.K., I know, time for a new receiver). Anyway, I didnt push this thing very hard so was very surprised to discover it wasnt working one day.
I like and own other Athena speakers but probably wouldnt buy another of their subs. In any event, theyve been bought out by Klipsch (since Klipsch bought API who owns Athena).
by: pitcrew_11 On: 2007-02-10
Not impressed. Rarely used and only watched around 10 movies until the amplifier died. The sound was not great either. The subwoofer alone is cheap. Looked at it and laughed. The warranty on this is not good. Be advised. Find a good company with a good warranty. Stay away from this company.
by: dcyah31 On: 2006-12-25
Have used the Athena AS-P6000 subwoofer as part of a surround system that includes two WS-100s, two WS-15s and a WS-60 center speaker for about three months. The subwoofer makes the entire setup sound like a movie theater that can make you jump when watching scary movies. This setup also plays music well with very clear sound. Have found the subwoofer set at "4" provides more than enough power for normal listening.
by: maximushjn On: 2006-08-24
When I first plugged up the woofer and turned it on, I thought I had been "HAD".Boy was I wrong.This sub does the trick and more. It did not sound very good when I first started playing it but after a short but very important break in period, this things will rattle pictures off the walls.I look all over for a replacement sub after my 500.00 dollar Polk died after only 4 mild years. The Athena in my opion is worth every bit of the selling price.Trust me you will have to keep this thing turned down, because it does BOOM.
On: 2006-06-20
first off, this thing is huge, but to go along with its huge size is its huge sound. this thing gave me everything i was looking for. and the lows are awsome.this thing truly delivers and you wont be dissapointed
On: 2006-06-02
My living room is about 450 sq.ft so I chose to get the ASP6000 instead of the ASP4000. IMO, for a 100 dollars more, you are getting more power (200W RMS, 800W peak) and a much better amplifier (BASH Amp - BASH amps are also used in the SVS series subwoofers and are highly acclaimed).
I was initially worried if it would be suitable for music - especially when I read a review stating the sub lagging behind the treble speakers. I am relieved to say I noticed no such thing. The sub blends in very nicely with the other athena speakers.
I use the sub at 40% capacity when listening to music and lower for bassy movies (e.g. War of the worlds, U571). Any higher and my ears begin to hurt with the sound pressure in my apartment. IMO, thats a good thing - I have power to spare in case I go to a bigger room.
In summary, I recommend this sub. For the price, this is very good value. The improvement in sound quality and your listening pleasure makes it worth every penny.
On: 2006-03-28
Im very pleased with my purchase. I spent hours upon hours researching the best bang-for-the-buck subwoofer out there. I did not want a sub that would just add bass and drown out everything, nor did I want one that would distort and make my experience less. I can safely say this subwoofer has met and exceeded my expectations.
If you are wanting a subwoofer that will shake your house, and probably make the neighbors mad, then this is actually a really good sub to get. I am still amazed just how deep and loud it can get with certain soundtracks and songs, literally making things bounce off the walls in my house.
However, if the sub is adjusted properly you will get a very nice, tight bass that will blend perfectly with your system. I typically keep the sub around 40% during movies and I adjust output from my Onkyo processor as to how loud the subwoofer is.
Pros: Can be as loud or as soft as you want it. Nice crisp and tight bass that blends very well with both music and movies. Does wonders for Lord of the Rings and Star Wars!
Cons: It could really use a remote control interface.
5 stars!
On: 2006-03-27
Im very pleased with my purchase. I spent hours upon hours researching the best bang-for-the-buck subwoofer out there. I did not want a sub that would just add bass and drown out everything, nor did I want one that would distort and make my experience less. I can safely say this subwoofer has met and exceeded my expectations.
If you are wanting a subwoofer that will shake your house, and probably make the neighbors mad, then this is actually a really good sub to get. I am still amazed just how deep and loud it can get with certain soundtracks and songs, literally making things bounce off the walls in my house.
However, if the sub is adjusted properly you will get a very nice, tight bass that will blend perfectly with your system. I typically keep the sub around 40% during movies and I adjust output from my Onkyo processor as to how loud the subwoofer is.
Pros: Can be as loud or as soft as you want it. Nice crisp and tight bass that blends very well with both music and movies. Does wonders for Lord of the Rings and Star Wars!
Cons: It could really use a remote control interface.
5 stars!
Update: I have owned this sub for nearly two years and it has now failed. Much like the other folks on the Amazon reviews the amplifier has given up on me and it is no longer working. The subs of Athenas only have a 1 year warranty (something Im afraid I didnt look into very closely when I decided on this one) and I am SOL. Would I buy it again....since it failed, no. I will miss it tremendously though.
On: 2006-03-20
This product has my highest recommendation. I am running other Athena speakers from a Yamaha receiver. I like the sound of deep bass, but I find myself limiting it to about 40% of its rated capacity. Anything more and it sounds like a teenagers more-bass-than-car is driving by.
Power to spare, yet not sluggish at all--suitable for both music and movies. The only caveat is its size. This is not a subtle sub.
That being said, if you can handle the coffee-table size, I do not think that anyone but the most discriminating audiophile would be disappointed with this product for the money.
On: 2006-02-14
Background: I am not a hardcore audiophile, just a casual listener.
I cant dish out big bucks for the most uber mega audiogeek sub. So I ended up getting a refurbed Athena AS-P6000, and got a tremendous value.
For 5.1 HT, the bass is strong and tight, it doesnt drone or roll on or flab out. Not boomy. Very CLEAN sound, not just one horrible mess of bass. This unit is being used in a medium sized room, and it has way more power than I need. I have the level set between 3 & 4 (out of 10), and the sub level on the receiver between 5 and 10 (out of 19), depending on the source. I dare not make it much louder because of the neighbors (duplex house). It is very easy to lose self control because there is a lot of available power (200 w rms, 800 peak), and it still stays clean at higher levels.
There is a defeatable auto/on switch, and the auto mode is completely invisible, seamless.
I got this unit for an HT system originally intended to be 95% movies, 5% music. But music actually sounds good with the P6000, so my system has evolved to around 70% movies, 30% music. I dont notice any mismatch between the Athena and my speakers, but that may just be because Im using beginner-budget speakers to begin with. And I do believe Athena is categorized as a beginner-budget brand. All around Im happy.
Just be aware of the size. Its huge, its as big as a small nightstand. But 12" is a lot of speaker to build a cabinet around, so that is the tradeoff. For people with a smaller listening room or lots of furniture, keep in mind that your room placement may be limited.
For reference, the system Im using the P6000 with is a Panasonic SA-XR55 with JBL E80 mains (bi-wired), EC35 center, E10 surrounds. The Athena P6000 seems to match well, at least to my ears. YMMV.
On: 2006-02-10
Unlike the previous reviewer, I DID do my research before purchasing this subwoofer. I was in the market for a sub and at first got sucked into trying an MTX-SW2 12" sub. It did not have either the dynamic range I was looking for or satisfactory performance with music. So, I decided to take another look at Athena. I have two Athena AS-F2 mains, an Athena AS-C1 Center channel, and 2 Axiom Audio m2i bookshelves as surrounds driven by a Yamaha HTR-5790 receiver. I had avoided their subs previously because I had seen some comments that they were just not up to par. But then I saw that the P6000 was completely reworked and used a BASH amp and decided to give it a try. I have not been disappointed.
Setup is quite easy if you own Athena mains. Simply set the crossover to match the model of your front speakers. If you dont have Athenas, frequency is also listed on the same dial and is easy to read and calibrate to match the proper crossover point for your speakers. The volume knob is also clearly marked with numbers to let you know the current level. Neither of these was present on the MTX I purchased, so I appreciated the attention to detail.
The sound of the unit is excellent. I have found it to be a great match for music as well as movies. It is unintrusive when music is playing, but provides great depth and extension. Getting a sub to blend in music environments can be a real challenge, but this one blended for me immediately. I have used it in both Stereo and multi-channel SACD environments with great results. For movies, the sub has plenty or power and extension. I have the volume set to about 1/2, and it will provide the kind of bass you can feel hit your chest in adventure movies. More than enough bass to rattle the windows too! But its also articulate and accurate. Something I appreciate after the MTX.
Finally, the styling is really nice--Especially if you need to have the sub in a visible place to get the best sound. Its a nice contrast to the simple "black box" design of most subs.
So if you are looking for a quality sub that looks good and sounds great for music, movies, or both, I really recommend this product.
On: 2005-09-07
My fault for not doing enough research prior to buying the sub. I purchased the sub for my stereo system. My main speakers are rather small in size but totally efficent and fast. (Totem Mites) The sub was a mismatch. First of all, the sub is too large and massive to compliment the accuracy of the Totems. It simply cannot move in unison with the main speakers. A better match would be a smaller (8") sub that has faster response and tone. The Athena will hopefully be better suited to our home theather setup. I bought the Athena because I was taken by the low price compared to the size of the unit. I figured I could dial it down and adjust to my liking. There is simply not enough adjustment to get the system tuned correctly.
Bottom line. Poor call for stereo system. If I had it to do over again I would spend twice as much in order to get something that really matched the other components and I would not buy a 12" woofer just because it was inexpensive. I got what I paid for.
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