Athena Micra or Point 5? (1 Viewer)

[ray tubach]

I'm shopping for a 5.1 speaker system for a small HT (14.5'W x 18.5'L x 9'H). I am considering a smaller setup, something around the size of the Athena Micra 6 or the Point 5 system w/ a sub.

I see a lot of good reviews and awards for the Micra but not so many, recently, for the Pt. Five. Is this because the Micra is a new product or is it an improvement over the Point 5?

A quick internet search brings up a comparable price for them if using the Athena 300 sub with the PT. 5's, or about $100 more if using the Athena 400 sub. Without considering cost to be a factor between them, I'm wondering which of these you would choose.

Or if you have a better suggestion than either of these for around the same price ($500), I'm really open to suggestions. I have already accepted that I'll be using the Pioneer 1014 for a receiever.

 

[Dale B]

Hi Ray. Just went through the exact same thing. I had both systems at the same time. I had the 300 sub not the 400. For music the point 5 system was better, but for movies I find the micra 6 to be better. Also one thing to think about is looks. To me, the micras look a whole lot better with their smaller size.Also I think the center channel, although smaller in the micra system sounds better. By the way, I really never cared for the looks of the point 5 system. The micras sound pretty good for music, by the way. Best buy had the micras for 299 on line but were sold out as of sat.

 

[gene c]

I have no experience with the Micra 6 but I do own the Point 5 (with an Onkyo or Dayton sub) and I have to say they sound real good to me. Got the 5 piece set as an open box for $125 at BB. Didn't like the grey grills so recovered them in black. Look great with the grills off too. Don't much care for plastic enclosures but these sound pretty good. But since Dale owned both at the same time, his opinion should have more weight to it.

 

[ray tubach]

Wow, that's interesting. I know the Micra 6 is the sub/sat "golden child" right now, but I never thought it would outperform the Point 5 and a good sub, especially with movies. If anything, I would have suspected it would be the other way around. Oh well, that just goes to show ya, you gotta listen to the stuff... Anyway, thanks for the replies.

But wait a minute, as long as I got your attention,
in your opinion, do you think there is anything else in this, or the next higher, price range ($500-$1000 MSRP) that is as good? I was reading up on the Fluance SX-HTB5 speaker system (adding a sub, of course), the Hsu Ventriloquist 12, Klipsch Quintets, and maybe some JBL's. Any suggestions?

 

[Edward_M]

Hey gene, how was the Point 5 MK II when you paired it with the Dayton TM II sub? Did it blend well?

 

[gene c]

Only had them hooked with the Daytons for a short time but the Point 5's go pretty deep for what they are so they seemed to blend well. And I set the cross-over on the subs pretty low (I like to feel them, not hear them). But I've had them paired with the Onkyo mostly. I cross them over at 100hz just to be safe, but I've run them full range (at low volume) and they sound pretty good even without a sub. Very smooth mid-range and clear highs.

 

[Edward_M]

So in the absence of getting a better deal on the ASP300 would you suggest that I buy the Dayton TM II as the sub for this? Sorry for the stupid question. I am convinced enough that the TM II is a very good sub based on what I've read all over the HT forums. Are there any low budget subs that I should look at to pair with my Point 5 MK II set? My budget is $150 and below. Thankee!!!

 

[gene c]

I have two Dayton subs and aside from the fact that they also have plastic enclosures (and a plastic driver), I am very happy with them. Can't be beat for $99 (on sale). But then again, I'm far, far from a sub expert. The JBL 150 (around $150-$200) gets some mention around here, and so does an 8" Sony ($75?). But on a budget, I'd stick with Dayton. Wasn't crazy about the Athena P300 but only heard it at BB when priced @ $399.

 

[LuckyB]

I'm thinking about upgrading my old speakers to Micra6 and AS-B1s as main speakers running 7.1 with my new Pioneer 1014. My budget is under $500.
Any inputs would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Raj_asaurus]

I would go for neither. Go to jr.com and search for HC6 its a sub/sat combo for 299 that comes in a piano black lacquer finish. The set got awesome reviews and they look AWESOME.

 

[LuckyB]

Please give me some good review links on this product.
The only one I found was at reviews.cnet.com

 

[AngeloEug]

As a previous owner of the ARHC6's and current owner of the Micra6's I opted to stay with the Athena based purely on sonics alone. I ran only the fronts, the rears are handled by my "old" surrounds and I judged purely 2 channel music. Listening to the Athena's full range is what sold me. I listened to both systems back to back on the same material and I just liked the Athenas better. They could hold their own in terms of the upper and mid-bass sections vs. the AR's. I noticed some breaking-up during transitional bass guitar plucking between the ARs and my sub but both systems have many more pros vs cons. I think for the price bracket and quality either system is very very difficult to beat. If you were weighing your decision on aesthetics the AR's have the Athena's beat hands down...not even in the same class. I have some close-up pics from when I owned the set and they are, excuse the language, damn gorgeous!

But, they wouldn't fit exactly into my media niche without serious modification to the rack or the wall and so I kept the athenas and listened to them over and over and found that I LIKED the athena's performance over the AR's...some may feel differently. I was fortunate enough to have had both systems at home for the comparison.

I hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask, I just recently sold them to another HTF'er locally and he likes the AR's as well.

HTH

 

[David A. Frattaroli]

Guess I'm late to the party but I thought I'd chime in. I just picked up a new set of Athena Point 5 Mk IIs for $175 and ordered a Hsu STF-1 to go with it. I'll post back when they've been delivered and tested.