I had the opportunity to go and visit Mr. Hinkley at his shop yesterday so I could hear a pair of Athenas. My points of reference for listening were from my past: PSB Stratus Silvers, Dunlavy SCIII, Gallo 3.1, Gallo 3.5 and my current Acoustic Zen Adagios. Let me just start out by saying the woodworking that he puts into each and every product is beyond words. These speakers are things of beauty. But of course, with everything audio, how did they sound? In a word "Amazing". I was stunned at how these speakers absolutely disappeared. And with the appologies from Mr Hinkley on using a $500 dac on the front end I could hardley believe the music coming from these magnificent works of art! I can only imagine what they would sound like using a state of the art dac, player or turntable. Oh wait.....I will be hearing it. You see, I placed an order for a pair of the Athenas and then drove home with a huge smile on my face. Now the difficult part: waiting two months for them to be made!
Mr Hinkley, a very big Thank You for taking the time with me at your shop on a Saturday. It was well worth the drive!
Randy Wilson