Just got these and they are fantastic! Such pure, clear sound and huge presence (felt like there was a center channel to the music but there was none!). Got them on special for 500$ Canadian a pair, instea dof 800$. I do not regret the purchase. I added these to a Micra 6 setup (also from Athena) replacing the two front speakers and puttings those at surround back. Athena makes me proud to be Canadian.

I was looking at these for a long time. I already have the Athena AS-F2's and think they are excellent. There hasn't been any reviews about the 500B's anywhere and I was reluctant to put out the cash. Well I just happened to notice Audio Advisor had these on sale for $150 ea. I figured at this price, what the heck! All I can say is WOW! What an awsome speaker for $350ea let alone $150. Better than the F2's in EVERY way! Bass is deeper and smoother, silky highs, and oh...the midrange. I've heard and had a lot of stuff. These are the best speakers i've ever had. They play loud and will take everything my 120wpc can put out. 200wpc would be ideal for these. Go out and buy a pair now, you WILL not be disappointed. I just ordered another pair. One word of caution...make sure you BREAK THEM IN! Very important! I let they play at moderate volume whem i'm not home and this works well. These speakers sound better every time I play them. I have'nt been listening to music this much in a l

I just recieved my LS-500B's as well from audioadvisor, at that price (150 USD each) I took the plunge..waiting on my reciever. I am encouraged by your post Doug Z and can't wait to break them in! I will report back in a week.

I must digg your article so more folks can look at it, really helpful, I had a tough time finding the results searching on the web, thanks.- Thomas

excellent points and the details are more specific than somewhere else, thanks.- Mark

last week our class held a similar discussion on this subject and you show something we haven't covered yet, appreciate that.- Lora