I agree with Bob (Rsimms) that the Athena sounded very nice in the First Sound room at last year's RMAF. Clean, detailed and musically interesting. At the time, I thought the system sounded a tad lean but I didn't know whether that could have been due to the source (CDs) or the electronics which I had never heard before (First Sound linestage and AMR hybrid amps). Regardless, however, of what was causing what, the tonal balance in the First Sound room was more natural than what I heard at the Capital Audiofest.