Give that voice some medication.
I listened to the big floorstanding Athenas and thought they were pretty good for the money. BUT after hearing the transparency and detail of the Axiom M60, there is no comparison. I did NOT do a side-by-side; those are just my impressions.
It is a physics problem. The Athenas are quite a bit bigger form factor than the Axiom counterparts. Big enough to generate a increased sense of bass, but still insufficient to produce the "real" bass that you get from a subwoofer. You simply cannot get enough bass for satisfying HT without a sub, regardless of speaker placement or box size.
Littleb's comment is telling also; I think BB is trying to sell this line pretty hard, and I think their motives are not necessarily pure (gasp!).
M22 plus a good sub is a formula that many, many people are absolutely delighted with for both HT and music. The other thing to keep in mind is that having a matched set of speakers makes good sense, and the Athena surrounds are simply not up the design standards of the Axiom QS series.
I'd keep the Axiom order. After they arrive, you could always audition the Athenas next to them to make sure. But I would bet you'll keep the Axioms.
