Price Paid:  $200.00 from 2nd owner

Summary:
I purchased this system from another forum member @ AVS. I had read great things and expected the same. The previous owner had them pretty much broken in when I got them but they have broken in even more in the 8 months that I've had them. Those that don't believe in speaker break i have never owned Athenas or Onix speakers. They do get much much better with time. I enjoy my music LOUD at times and with the efficiency of these Athenas, they will surprise you. They are a bright speaker, no one will deny that. You either love them or hate them, it's all up to your ears. My system did not include a sub so I purchased a Bic Acoustech H-100 from ebay and was absolutely blown away but that's another story. The Point 5's are a very clear and efficient speaker which will fit the bill for any budget home theater as well as music needs and do it better than any home theater in a box to date. The wall mounts that are included are a very nice design and come in handy. If I had spent $500 on this system I wouldn't be disappointed.

Strengths:
Efficient (Will play loud with little power)
Wall mounts (Included)
Very true sound above 60Hz.
Very nice quality for the price.

Weaknesses:
Siver face I could pass on but may be nice in your home.
Will need a sub for home theater.

Similar Products Used:
Bose 301 & POS Center(Don't shoot!)
Onix (From AV123)
Panasonic HTIB (I've learned my lesson)
Yamaha Bookshelf Speakers
Infinity Kappa 8.0 (Now these are speakers!)

Price Paid:  $199.00 from Bestbuy

Summary:
I'm running this with Panasonic SA-XR50 receiver and SVS 25-31CS subwoofer. The speakers sound very clear and are a bargain for $199! They even come with mounting brackets!

I plan on upgrading the front speaker to AS-F2 and the center to AS-C1.

Strengths:
Very clear sound, able to handle loud volume, come with mounting brackets.

Weaknesses:
Need a subwoofer for bass (obviously)

Price Paid:  $399.00 from Best Buy.com

Summary:
The Athena Technologies Point 5 system is one of the most excellent speaker systems in its price range. For the review below which states that they are bright and boxy, Athena Technologies recommends a break-in period of 100 hours. They will sound bright and boxy right out of the box. Once they are broken in they are a killer set speakers! The brightness calms down to a detailed and airy treble, a clear midrange and a decent mid-bass that makes them easy to blend in with a subwoofer (which this system needs due to the small 4" woofer). Once you have properly broekn in and calibrated them using your receiver's/processor's test tones or a Home theater set up DVD and a sound pressure meter, you will be treated with a dynamic, full bodied sound. The Point 5's are good with music as well as Home theater. There are many favorable reviews on the internet on these speakers by some pretty reputable reviewers (Home Theater magazine, Sound and Vision, GoodSound.com, AudioIdeas). They also sound better when your speaker settings are set to 'large' and Athena Technologies recommends the 'large' setting anyway. Sounded wrong to me at first given that they are small bookshelf sized speakers but they actually do sound bettter set to 'large'. I have cranked the volume up with no ill effects. Unless you have them set up in a vary large room, these speakers are quite capable of putting out fairly high sound levels. Definitely audition the Point 5s if you are looking for a budget priced but high quality music/home theater speaker system.

Strengths:
- Detailed and clear sound once they are broken in
- Good mid-bass which eases subwoofer set up
- Dynamic, full bodied sound (with a subwoofer) when properly set up
- tons of value for the $$$
- excellent build quality and gloss black/silver face plate finish

Weaknesses:
- Long break in period
- Need a subwoofer for lowest bass (obvious, no-brainer weakness given the speakers woofer size)

Similar Products Used:
Paradigms Titans and Atoms

Price Paid:  $299.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I thought I would try these out while waiting for my Magnepan MMG Ws to arrive.
Having tried many different speakers in a 5.1 set-up, I must say these are the weakest , i.e., bright and boxy. They don't look bad and at least you can hear something.

Strengths:
price, looks

Weaknesses:
Low resolution , bright and boxy

Similar Products Used:
JBL, KEF, Axiom

Price Paid:  $299.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
Being like alot of readers on this website, I buy things quite often that I really don't need. This was one of those purchases. On a recent trip to Best Buy, I saw this 5 speaker pack on closeout (I guess it is being replaced by the new smaller 5.1 system Athena has)for $299 and since I had read many good reviews in print, I decided to at least give it a try since I have a great Hsu sub. At first listen, I was ready to pack them in and take them back right away- they were thin and bright and sounded like so many of the cheaper 5 speaker systems out there. Having read comments here about the tweeter in the Audition series needing much break-in, which the owner's manual talks about as well, I set up Heart's "Barracuda" turned up and on repeat and left the house all day for work. About ten hours later, they sounded better, but still not great- so I thought I'd keep at it a while. After a week of doing this (40-50 hours)these became excellent little performers to the point that I am astonished at the sound even without a sub. I wouldn't dare use them without one, but they still make real music on their own. I have decided to at least keep them and sell some of the other speakers I have on e-bay. Astonishing for the size.

Strengths:
Clear highs, good midrange and unbelievable bass (down to around 70 Hz.)for their size. Athena even recommends you set your receiver on all "large" speakers. Good looks and easy to set up with the wall bracket mounts integrated.

Weaknesses:
You really have to break them in good, otherwise they really sound bad. I have never had any speakers change this much in performance during the break in period- my guess is the man made silk used in the tweeter takes a long time to break in compared to real silk.

Similar Products Used:
Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble, Polks, JBL, the list goes on and on...