In reply to:
You simply cannot get enough bass for satisfying HT without a sub, regardless of speaker placement or box size.
Good point on the sub. It really is a must for HT.
I find most speakers generally sound pretty decent until you get to compare them side by side. I listen to my old system and think it still sounds pretty good for bookshelf speakers. Then I listen to my M22's and this just reminds me how much better the axioms are. I haven't heard the Athenas but I would bet they are not as good the M22's. I have heard a set of NHT bookshelves which sounded pretty clear and detailed. Then we tried the Axiom's, just that much cleaner. Well worth the money.
