Athena 5.1 System (LS-50) - $299 Good deal?

iggee85 · 11-30-07, 11:14 AM

Found this on sale (Reg. Price 799.99) at Future Shop and was wondering if it was worth it or not:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...9&catid=14700#

4xLS-50
1xLS-C50
1xAS-P4100

Problem is I can't find any info on how the LS-50s perform. I know Athena's Micra package is well-reviewed, but can't find any reviews on the LS-50s. Anyone with experience with the LS series want to share?

hardrock_121 · 11-30-07, 11:21 AM

sorry dude noob here never heard about it.. :/

afrogt · 11-30-07, 12:02 PM

That's a great deal. The LS4100 powered subwoofer goes for $200 US by itself and the LS-50 is $99/pr. Canadians always seem to get charged more for consumer electronics despite the health of their dollar so that's really a bargain.

Its probably a little better (because of the 10" sub) than the Athena Micra system or equivalent to the old Energy Take 5 system which I own.

Good deal, get it. Buying each piece here in the States it would cost $500.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...ber=ATASP4100B
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS50
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLSC50

I own a bunch of Athena speakers and have been extremely happy with all of them.

negitoro7 · 12-02-07, 10:01 PM

Would I need to get a receiver in order to hook these up to a Xbox 360 or PC?

afrogt · 12-02-07, 10:41 PM

iggee85 · 12-03-07, 11:31 PM

So I bought the system and using an onkyo 505 they sound great.

But setting them up, I accidentally dropped one speaker from about 3 ft and I sort of caught half of it with my foot but the other half hit the floor.

I'm not too sure what the inside of a speaker looks like so I don't know if something might be dislodged inside. So even though it still sounds good is there anything I should do to check for unseen damage to the speaker?

estel_mm · 12-04-07, 12:03 AM

Does this speaker package come with speaker wire or do we need to get that on our own?

Tulpa · 12-04-07, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iggee85

So I bought the system and using an onkyo 505 they sound great.

But setting them up, I accidentally dropped one speaker from about 3 ft and I sort of caught half of it with my foot but the other half hit the floor.

I'm not too sure what the inside of a speaker looks like so I don't know if something might be dislodged inside. So even though it still sounds good is there anything I should do to check for unseen damage to the speaker?

It's probably okay if it still sounds good. Speakers are basically the driver, the box, and a few connectors. If something got dislodged, you'd probably know it when you heard it.

iggee85 · 12-04-07, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estel_mm

Does this speaker package come with speaker wire or do we need to get that on our own?

You have to buy your own (speaker and sub wire).

estel_mm · 12-04-07, 05:14 PM

thanks iggee85!

I guess my next question is, what sort of subwire do I get? I was thinking of getting the speaker wire at monoprice, so I would want to get a sub wire from there too, do you know if they have a subwire that is good for these speakers or where else I can get inexpensive but good subwire? Thanks again!

Marco.

JAgustin · 12-04-07, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estel_mm

thanks iggee85!

I guess my next question is, what sort of subwire do I get? I was thinking of getting the speaker wire at monoprice, so I would want to get a sub wire from there too, do you know if they have a subwire that is good for these speakers or where else I can get inexpensive but good subwire? Thanks again!

Marco.

I just ordered some cables from Monoprice yesterday. I've heard nothing but good things with this company and the prices are hard to beat! Regarding subwire, it's a Digital Coaxial RCA plug so my understanding is most of them are the same.

Joel

jspursfan · 12-04-07, 07:04 PM

Do we have to be in Canada to buy this? I don't see why we would. Am I missing something?

estel_mm · 12-04-07, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAgustin

I just ordered some cables from Monoprice yesterday. I've heard nothing but good things with this company and the prices are hard to beat! Regarding subwire, it's a Digital Coaxial RCA plug so my understanding is most of them are the same.

Joel

Ya, I ordered 3 HDMI cables from them, shipping was good and the cables look like they are good quality. I just wasnt sure what type of cable to get for the sub, so I guess its the Digital Coaxial RCA.
Thanks JAgustin.

estel_mm · 12-04-07, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jspursfan

Do we have to be in Canada to buy this? I don't see why we would. Am I missing something?

No, Im pretty sure MonoPrice ships everywhere.

*edit*

Ok well, just bought some cables, US and Canada only I think.

iggee85 · 12-05-07, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jspursfan

Do we have to be in Canada to buy this? I don't see why we would. Am I missing something?

The speaker system? Yes

The cables? No

estel_mm · 12-09-07, 06:09 PM

They are down to 240$ CAD for whoever is interested, the sale will last until tomorrow I think, its part of the Friends and Family sale:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN

iggee85 · 12-10-07, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estel_mm

They are down to 240$ CAD for whoever is interested, the sale will last until tomorrow I think, its part of the Friends and Family sale:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN

Did you get the system yet? Or are they shipping it to you?

If you do have it set up, I want to know what you think of it, IMO, they sound really good for movies and are pretty decent for music.

Prakashc · 12-10-07, 09:18 PM

Bought these speakers for a new hometheatre package with a Harman Kardon AVR 146 and they are amazing. The sub woofer is insanely powerful, the volume is set to 3 out of 10 and it plays loud and strong. The speakers have great mids and highs however, there is a long break in time on the speakers. At first they didn't sound very good until i broke them in for a couple of hours, the sound got better and better. This is my third home theatre system and I would recommend this system to anyone who's looking for a great home theater.
The system is well balanced in the sense, music and movies are amazing.

iggee85 · 12-11-07, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prakashc

Bought these speakers for a new hometheatre package with a Harman Kardon AVR 146 and they are amazing. The sub woofer is insanely powerful, the volume is set to 3 out of 10 and it plays loud and strong. The speakers have great mids and highs however, there is a long break in time on the speakers. At first they didn't sound very good until i broke them in for a couple of hours, the sound got better and better. This is my third home theatre system and I would recommend this system to anyone who's looking for a great home theater.
The system is well balanced in the sense, music and movies are amazing.

Hey are you the same Prak that wrote the review on the Future Shop site?

Prakashc · 12-11-07, 11:03 PM

Yeah man, I didnt really know if anyone knew what Athena was because there one of the manufactures that you see at some stores so I just left a futureshop review...

iggee85 · 12-12-07, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prakashc

Yeah man, I didnt really know if anyone knew what Athena was because there one of the manufactures that you see at some stores so I just left a futureshop review...

So this is my first real 5.1 HT system, how does this system sound to you? Since you've owned three systems, in comparison does this system sound dark, bright, detailed, etc?

I've only owned high end headphones and when I use headphones as a basis, this system definitely sounds warm to my ears. It has great mids and lows but the highs seem recessed in comparison.

It's still an excellent system for the price though. For HT, I don't think I could've gotten a better value. The sub is amazing considering that the whole system costs less than most higher-end subs out there. I love the bass it outputs in movies. For games and music it also performs admirably. Although I prefer it playing certain genres of music more than others (ie Jazz, Hip-Hop, Rock).

estel_mm · 12-12-07, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iggee85

Did you get the system yet? Or are they shipping it to you?

If you do have it set up, I want to know what you think of it, IMO, they sound really good for movies and are pretty decent for music.

Will do! Yes, its been shipped to me. Its actually ready to be picked up at the post office, gonna do that within the next few days. Will let you know.

Marco.

iggee85 · 12-12-07, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estel_mm

Will do! Yes, its been shipped to me. Its actually ready to be picked up at the post office, gonna do that within the next few days. Will let you know.

Marco.

Heh, did you get it at $240? I'm jealous of all those people who saved $60 even though they'll have to wait longer to get theirs.

Tulpa · 12-12-07, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prakashc

Bought these speakers for a new hometheatre package with a Harman Kardon AVR 146 and they are amazing. The sub woofer is insanely powerful, the volume is set to 3 out of 10 and it plays loud and strong. The speakers have great mids and highs however, there is a long break in time on the speakers. At first they didn't sound very good until i broke them in for a couple of hours, the sound got better and better. This is my third home theatre system and I would recommend this system to anyone who's looking for a great home theater.
The system is well balanced in the sense, music and movies are amazing.

That's good to hear. I'm considering a set of LS-50s for my surrounds.

Prakashc · 12-13-07, 12:33 AM

When I first unpacked the system and set it up, the speakers sounded somewhat tight, the break in time definitely made everything better... the sound is balanced/neutral, however, I find my self turning down the sub alot because the bass is overpowering at times.
The mids and highs are very detailed when watching movies and listening to music in comparison to some of the other systems I have heard/owned in the past, Onkyo, JVC, Samsung etc.
I recommend this system to anyone who is looking to get a 5.1 system.
I would actually recommend the Harman Kardon AVR 247 to go along with this system, if you have a larger room however, the 146 I have does the job very well.

estel_mm · 12-13-07, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iggee85

Heh, did you get it at $240? I'm jealous of all those people who saved $60 even though they'll have to wait longer to get theirs.

Yes I did, ordered them online for 299.99 but when I noticed the price change I called them up and got them to adjust the price to 240.00!

Awesome deal.

Prakashc,

can I ask where you got your speaker wire from? any reccomendations?

Prakashc · 12-14-07, 04:41 PM

I got the wire in bulk from a local home depot, I went with 12 gauge because thats the maximum gauge the speakers terminals can handle.
For the sub-woofer I went with the Monster Cable THX Subwoofer Wire
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...017137&catid=#

Everything sounds good with the setup I have so I recommend the 12 gauge wire and the THX sub cable.

KillaB · 12-20-07, 11:06 PM

What impedance are these speakers?

I'm planning on buying an Onkyo TX-SR805 and am trying to decide what speakers to pair with it.

I know they're only 100W and I should be getting something that can handle more power, but I'm still curious to know whether or not they're 8 ohms. Plus I want a 7.1 system anyway.

Prakashc · 12-26-07, 10:58 PM

8ohms

Jakeman02 · 12-26-07, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillaB

What impedance are these speakers?

I'm planning on buying an Onkyo TX-SR805 and am trying to decide what speakers to pair with it.

I know they're only 100W and I should be getting something that can handle more power, but I'm still curious to know whether or not they're 8 ohms. Plus I want a 7.1 system anyway.

I wouldn't let the wattage ratings sway you either way. They will probably never see 100W sent to them even during short peaks in movies. I'm not saying get them, just don't let the wattage ratings be the deciding factor.

11-30-07, 11:14 AM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
iggee85 Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 17	Athena 5.1 System (LS-50) - $299 Good deal? Found this on sale (Reg. Price 799.99) at Future Shop and was wondering if it was worth it or not: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...9&catid=14700# 4xLS-50 1xLS-C50 1xAS-P4100 Problem is I can't find any info on how the LS-50s perform. I know Athena's Micra package is well-reviewed, but can't find any reviews on the LS-50s. Anyone with experience with the LS series want to share? Last edited by iggee85; 11-30-07 at 11:24 AM.. Reason: Added link

11-30-07, 12:02 PM	#3 \| Link
afrogt AVS Special Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 8,101	That's a great deal. The LS4100 powered subwoofer goes for $200 US by itself and the LS-50 is $99/pr. Canadians always seem to get charged more for consumer electronics despite the health of their dollar so that's really a bargain. Its probably a little better (because of the 10" sub) than the Athena Micra system or equivalent to the old Energy Take 5 system which I own. Good deal, get it. Buying each piece here in the States it would cost $500. http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...ber=ATASP4100B http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS50 http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLSC50 I own a bunch of Athena speakers and have been extremely happy with all of them. Last edited by afrogt; 11-30-07 at 12:07 PM..

12-02-07, 10:41 PM	#5 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
afrogt AVS Special Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 8,101	Yes

12-04-07, 12:03 AM	#7 \| Link
estel_mm A friend. Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 20	Does this speaker package come with speaker wire or do we need to get that on our own? __________________ - Who are you? - A friend.

12-04-07, 05:14 PM	#10 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
estel_mm A friend. Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 20	thanks iggee85! I guess my next question is, what sort of subwire do I get? I was thinking of getting the speaker wire at monoprice, so I would want to get a sub wire from there too, do you know if they have a subwire that is good for these speakers or where else I can get inexpensive but good subwire? Thanks again! Marco. __________________ - Who are you? - A friend.

11-30-07, 11:21 AM	#2 \| Link
hardrock_121 Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 111	sorry dude noob here never heard about it.. :/

12-02-07, 10:01 PM	#4 \| Link
negitoro7 Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 36	Would I need to get a receiver in order to hook these up to a Xbox 360 or PC?

12-03-07, 11:31 PM	#6 \| Link
iggee85 Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 17	So I bought the system and using an onkyo 505 they sound great. But setting them up, I accidentally dropped one speaker from about 3 ft and I sort of caught half of it with my foot but the other half hit the floor. I'm not too sure what the inside of a speaker looks like so I don't know if something might be dislodged inside. So even though it still sounds good is there anything I should do to check for unseen damage to the speaker?

12-04-07, 07:04 PM	#12 \| Link
jspursfan New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 11	Do we have to be in Canada to buy this? I don't see why we would. Am I missing something?

12-09-07, 06:09 PM	#16 \| Link
estel_mm A friend. Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 20	They are down to 240$ CAD for whoever is interested, the sale will last until tomorrow I think, its part of the Friends and Family sale: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN __________________ - Who are you? - A friend.

12-10-07, 09:18 PM	#18 \| Link
Prakashc New Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 11	Athena LS-50 Bought these speakers for a new hometheatre package with a Harman Kardon AVR 146 and they are amazing. The sub woofer is insanely powerful, the volume is set to 3 out of 10 and it plays loud and strong. The speakers have great mids and highs however, there is a long break in time on the speakers. At first they didn't sound very good until i broke them in for a couple of hours, the sound got better and better. This is my third home theatre system and I would recommend this system to anyone who's looking for a great home theater. The system is well balanced in the sense, music and movies are amazing.

12-11-07, 11:03 PM	#20 \| Link
Prakashc New Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 11	Athena LS-50 Yeah man, I didnt really know if anyone knew what Athena was because there one of the manufactures that you see at some stores so I just left a futureshop review...

12-13-07, 12:33 AM	#25 \| Link
Prakashc New Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 11	Ls-50 When I first unpacked the system and set it up, the speakers sounded somewhat tight, the break in time definitely made everything better... the sound is balanced/neutral, however, I find my self turning down the sub alot because the bass is overpowering at times. The mids and highs are very detailed when watching movies and listening to music in comparison to some of the other systems I have heard/owned in the past, Onkyo, JVC, Samsung etc. I recommend this system to anyone who is looking to get a 5.1 system. I would actually recommend the Harman Kardon AVR 247 to go along with this system, if you have a larger room however, the 146 I have does the job very well.

12-14-07, 04:41 PM	#27 \| Link
Prakashc New Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 11	I got the wire in bulk from a local home depot, I went with 12 gauge because thats the maximum gauge the speakers terminals can handle. For the sub-woofer I went with the Monster Cable THX Subwoofer Wire http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...017137&catid=# Everything sounds good with the setup I have so I recommend the 12 gauge wire and the THX sub cable. Last edited by Prakashc; 12-15-07 at 08:41 PM..

12-20-07, 11:06 PM	#28 \| Link
KillaB Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 35	What impedance are these speakers? I'm planning on buying an Onkyo TX-SR805 and am trying to decide what speakers to pair with it. I know they're only 100W and I should be getting something that can handle more power, but I'm still curious to know whether or not they're 8 ohms. Plus I want a 7.1 system anyway.

12-26-07, 10:58 PM	#29 \| Link
Prakashc New Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 11	Athena 8ohms