Axiom M2i vs Athena F2 (1 Viewer)

[Pete T]

Want to upgrade my system. Have ~15 year old Infinity RS3001 2 way speakers. Recently picked up a Panasonic xr25 and my Dayton subwoof arrived yesterday [excitement!]

Don Lindich of multimediaanswers dotcom steered me away from baby Magnepans (I lack the power, and more so if I go to 5.1) and strongly urged me to get Axiom M2i speakers. Well, I'm less than thrilled about buying without auditioning. However, at BB, I was very impressed with the Athena F2s. Also, a flyer arrived with a 10% discount coupon for this weekend at BB.

Can anyone compare the F2 to the M2i for me?
I presume the F2 will have a fuller sound, as it is much larger. Right?

Will the F2s sound balanced as 2.1 with my Dayton, or are smaller bookshelf speakers more suitable for the 2.1 setup?

Will the F2s (eventually) match well with B1s on the rear sides, if I go to 5.1?

[And then there's that pesky center: maybe a couple of B1s also, side by side?]

Thanks to all for your opinions.
Pete

 

[Adam.Heckman]

All I can say, is that the F2s are power hungry. To get the best sound out of them, they have to be DRIVEN.

I have no experience with the other set of speakers. But BB has a very generous return policy if you find out that the Athenas don't live up to expectations.

I am very happy with my B2 and DIY Tempest sub. Athena is great 'bang for your buck' speakers. Good luck and post back with what you do and how it turns out!

 

[Chuck_W]

It seems that my local Best Buy (and the Best Buy website) are no longer carrying the AS-F2s.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Being very efficient, the F2 will work better with your receiver, they really don't need lots of high-current power. The added bass capability is nice to have, they will play cleaner louder even when set to "small" on the receiver.

Here's a review with comments on their high efficiency:

http://www.athenaspeakers.com/awardI...le%20final.pdf

 

[Adam.Heckman]

Yup, F2's aren't at their website anymore.

However, the sunday circular hear has the b1s for 100 a pair. Not a bad price.

 

[john seitz]

Most likely I'm a day late...


but I have the F2's with a panny digital unit (xr50) in a 5.1 setup with mirage book shelfs in the back and the athena center; no sub just use the nice double pair if 8's

And they are powered just fine!

ohhh and my buddy who is an audio snob even likes them (he has sonus farber stuff)

 

[Barry_B_B]

Right on time!

Looks like the house is finally coming , looking for a stereo pair I can expand later to 5.1. Currently have an older Yamaha receiver (55w), would this be enough to do the F2 justice until I could upgrade power? I would be running them off the B channel for music alone and would prefer to run them without the sub.

 

[Joey_V]

F2 is what I would choose. No questions.

 

[Muhammed]

The Athena's are a bargain for the price. They're designed by same company that makes Energy and Mirage.

 

[Muhammed]

BestBuy.com has the AS-F1s at a super low price. Not as good as the F2s but for the price you can't really complain. If you don't like them, return them. If you're already listened to the F2s and have your heart set on them you could probably get them from Audio Advisor. I'm not advertising for them, I just know they sell them too.