It’s been almost seven years since I drove to Ferndale, Washington and picked up this pair of Daedalus Athena speakers at Lou Hinckley’s workshop. Since setting up Lou’s beautiful speakers in my living room, I’ve changed literally every other component in my system, and the Athenas have always let me hear the smallest nuances in these changes. I am asking $5500 plus shipping.
So what do you get with these speakers, besides a gorgeous hardwood cabinet – American walnut in my case – that will look beautiful in any room?
You get a speaker that is exquisitely balanced, with a seamless, organic presentation. Tone is natural and dense. There is an immediacy to the presentation that brings musicians “into the room,” partly because these speakers are very efficient – 95 decibels – and easy to drive with their steady 6 to 7 ohm load. Almost any amplifier will drive them. I first used a Shindo Monbrison/Cortese combination, which puts out 10 glorious watts of singled ended tube tone, and was never wanting for power. Most recently, I’ve been using a Crayon CFA 1.2 integrated solid state amp (63 watts into 8 ohms), and the Athenas have transparently displayed the high resolution and huge, light-filled soundstage of this amp. I’ve also heard these same speakers with low-wattage solid state (First Watt) and high-wattage solid state (Modwright) and they take everything in stride, revealing the personality of whatever amp you choose as a partner.
You also get a speaker that fills a room with a large, live sound, in part because they do the power zone (100hz to 400hz) so well. This mid to upper bass range is presented very evenly and robustly. You also get excellent tight, low bass response. In my living room, which leaks quite a bit of bass with lots of windows and openings to other rooms, I measured solid bass down to 32hz (down just a few decibels) and usable output at 25hz. The speakers do this despite a modest height and footprint. The aperiodic port increases efficiency and makes the speaker sound more like a sealed enclosure. The Athenas are also easy to set up and place, though they will reward careful setup with excellent imaging and tonal balance.
This pair of Athenas have been upgraded with almost all of Lou’s various improvements over the years. Thus, they include the v.2 all-poly crossover, new bass drivers, trim rings, and associated crossover changes, and upgraded wiring. Also included in your purchase will be Soundocity outriggers, which are beautifully built and ensure a stable foundation. The outriggers also allow for micro-adjustments to your listening position and work well on uneven floors, if that is an issue.
The speakers are in perfect working condition and there are no dings or scratches to the beautiful finish. I rate these as a solid 8/10, primarily because the walnut finish is slightly lighter in one speaker, mostly on one side that was facing a window. That should go unnoticed in most rooms and from most vantage points. As the photographs demonstrate, you will be hard pressed to see this.
These can be picked up in Seattle or I can ship with the original shipping boxes. I have been the only owner of these speakers.
