From the minds of Athena engineers comes the WS flat-panel speaker series--a versatile, stylish line designed for audiophiles on a budget. Each WS speaker shares a few common characteristics: high-quality injection-molded polypropylene cone woofers; 1-inch Teteron dome tweeters; crisp, clear, stunningly realistic sound; and a slim, richly designed speaker enclosure. The overall effect is powerful and attractive, making this a great system for anyone who wants to tease out the full audio potential of his or her flat-screen TVs.

The WS-60's flexible wall-mount bracket works vertically, horizontally, and as a base and includes several attachment points.

Though the WS-100 speakers serve as the system's foundation, it's the WS-60 and WS-15 speakers that define the system's versatility. The WS-60 is particularly compelling, as it not only functions as a right, left, or center channel speaker, but also offers an excellent bass response compared to most narrowly built speakers. The WS-60 employs a unique multi-transducer arrangement, with a pair of 3.5-inch injection-molded polypropylene woofers that deliver higher power handling (150 watts) and output levels. The four 3.5-inch polypropylene passive radiators, meanwhile, extend the bass response even lower than is normally possible with traditional enclosures. Passive radiators are precisely built, weighted drivers that "tune" the speaker enclosure--much like a tuned port--but produce no wind noise. The more radiators in the narrow enclosure, the lower the bass response.

The speaker's high-quality dual 3.5-inch polypropylene woofer cones with rubber surrounds provide a long excursion and low distortion.

The WS-60's standing wave filter (SWF) system, meanwhile, really sets the speaker apart. Traditionally, speakers with long, narrow enclosures produce excessive standing waves that reduce bass response and distort the critical midrange frequencies. But the WS-60's precisely placed SWF reduces standing waves in two ways: by dampening or absorbing the reflected sound within the enclosure, and by reflecting the remaining sounds at path-lengths that are far higher in frequency than is typical. The resulting bass response is deeper, cleaner, and more accurate than with other speakers. Add in such features as a high-strength aluminum housing and a medium-density fiberboard (MDF) baffle and you have a strong, low-distortion, resonance-free speaker.

Of course, low and mid frequencies are only part of the Athena equation, as the WS-60 also comes with Athena's legendary Teteron tweeter for dispersing loud, clear, and accurate highs. The tweeter's durable synthetic Teteron material is specially contoured to reduce distortion and fit into the custom-designed bezel, which amplifies and optimizes the tweeter's wide-ranging dispersion pattern. Teteron is also impervious to moisture, so it won't degrade over time, nor does it have any inherent ringing problems--unlike the tweeters built into many conventional home theater speakers. Plus, Athena uses the Teteron tweeter in all its Audition series models, making it easy to blend the WS-60 with other Athena speakers--including non-WS series models--without losing precious fidelity.

Setup is a breeze thanks to the WS-60's variety of mounting solutions. The speaker comes with a flexible wall-mounting bracket that functions in both horizontal (great for center channel use) and vertical alignments, with several attachment points. As an alternative, listeners can turn the bracket into a small footprint base, or, if that doesn't work, they can use the attached tabletop base for installation on a mantle, A/V furniture, or any other flat surface where higher stability is required.

Audio specifications range from a frequency response of 60 Hz to 20 kHz to a crossover point of 2.4 kHz to a sensitivity rating of 88 dB. Finally, the WS-60 boasts sturdy, easy-to-connect gold-plated spring clip terminals that work with most standard speaker wire. The speaker, which is magnetically shielded against video interference, measures 4.2 by 23.8 by 4 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a five-year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box
WS-60 speaker, wall-mounting bracket, attached tabletop base, user's manual.