Home > Consumer Reviews > Athena LS-100B Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Black Ash)

I got in the LS-100's a few weeks ago and I have to say that these are really good for the money if you need a pair of attractive-looking speakers for a small to medium sized room. It turns out that Klipsch is jettisoning the Athena line so they will only be available as a clearance item for a short time from Amazon (through Audio Advisor) but they will continue to pop up used on Ebay, Craiglist or Audiogon, I'm sure. Anyway, the LS series replaces the very popular AS line that Best Buy used to carry. Driver quality is very good and though they don't have the build quality of some mini's out there that cost $500+, they look and sound just fine. Running them full-range the bass is OK, but may seem a bit bloated if placed too close to a wall or a corner due to the rear port. If you're not planning to use a subwoofer with them, they'll do, just experiment with positioning to get the amount of bass you want.

I set the Athena's up in my 12 X 17 foot living room and ran them full range first and they did quite well on their own with the exception of the bass which though ample was fairly loose and indistinct. With the sub and the Athena's set to 'small' on my Dolby Digital Sherwood they sounded much better and tightened up some. The upper range was very clear. Bright but not harsh with enough mid-bass to give the sound some body. Vocals did seem a little on the warm side of neutral and they lack a bit in the 'presence' region, so drums, guitar and horns come off somewhat subdued. Good if you want a non-fatiguing speaker, bad if you like a more forward presentation of these instruments.

For 100 dollars I'd say you can't go wrong with these. They're smooth, airy, clear and refined sound is very easy to live with and they image nicely. Of course their are other ultra-budget speakers out there from Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, Insignia, BIC, etc. you may like better. I find the Athenas to be unobtrusive and their attractive curved shape is a refreshing breakaway from some of the clunkier-looking standard-fare black bookshelves out there. Athenas also have that Canadian 'Audio Products International' pedigree so you know you're buying a quality speaker.

It's very unfortunate that Klipsch bought out API speakers. API use to own Athena, Energy, and Mirage. Klipsch has now ended the Athena line of speakers which probably was the best bang for the buck.

I have Athena Audition F2.2, B2.2, and a C1.2 for my 5.1 system. I wanted to upgrade my system to a 7.1 due to getting Blu Ray. I couldn't find anymore Audition series speakers anymore so I decided to get the LS-100 series. These are probably built as well as the Audition line speakers and sound great.

Athena LS-100B Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Black Ash)
Musical and accurate very neutral sound no bloating bass or screaming highs. Excellent value for the money they perform like more expensive speakers.

Excellent speakers,bought to complete my Athena setup. They were a little smaller than what I expected though.