I've also been to BB, and I looked at the salesman and bluntly asked him what the best speaker in the store is? He replied that the Athenas were by far the best. So, I listened to them and I listened to the Yamaha NS line up, along with the JBL n38s. To my ears the Yamaha NS-555 sounded better. I wasn't that impressed with the Athenas. I ended up returning the Yamahas a couple weeks later, the old ear fatigue issue. So, I ordered the m22s. It is my belief that the Athenas cannot touch these. This isn't even a competition. Once I heard my m22s I came to the decision that bass is overrated.
