Athena 15391 AS-P4000 400-Watt 10-inch Subwoofer

by Athena

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 18 inches
• Shipping Weight: 33 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B0009WRUZ2
• Item model number: 15391
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,990 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Recognizing that a subwoofer can make or break a home theater system, Athena introduces its AS-P4000 10-inch powered model, which ushers in a new era of performance and value. The sub features Athena's exclusive SCT rotary control, which makes it incredibly easy to integrate the AS-P4000 with Athena surround speakers. Simply match the model number of your Athena front speakers with the markings on the sub's dial, turn up the volume, and enjoy. Even in small rooms, the sub's rich, powerful low-frequency reproduction draws out the full impact and realism of modern movie soundtracks.

The AS-P4000 features a down-firing 10-inch woofer with dual ports and a built-in 400-watt amplifier. The down-firing woofer allows for flexible room placement and the highest possible efficiency, while the dual vents work together to improve performance and reduce unwanted vent noise. And because the woofer faces down, it's safe from both prying hands and curious paws. More importantly, the injection-molded woofer cone is comprised of a composite, multi-laminate material designed to stay rigid during the most extreme excursion. At the same time, it's light enough to enable fast movement, ensuring an accurate and tight bass response.

In addition, the volume control is conveniently located on the front of the unit, making it quick and easy to adjust the volume. Other features include an auto on/off system that senses signals from the receiver and activates the sub accordingly, a bypass circuit that leaves the sub on at all times or turns it off completely, and a frequency response of 23 to 120 Hz. The AS-P4000 sports a black finish and measures 11.5 by 17.5 by 18 inches (W x H x D). The woofer is also backed by a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box
Subwoofer, user's manual.

Product Description

The AS-P4000 is a 400 watt 10â down firing subwoofer with dual ports. Down firing allows for more flexible room placement and the highest possible efficiency, while the dual vents work together to improve performance and reduce unwanted vent noise. Having the woofer facing down also keeps it safe from prying hands, and paws for that matter. The AS-P4000 features athenaâs exclusive SCT control. This is the all important frequency adjustment, and ours is the easiest in the industry. athena has thoughtfully marked the frequency control with all of the model numbers for our speakers. Simply match the control to the model number of speaker you have in the front channels, and you have successfully set up the subwoofer. The volume control is conveniently located on the front also, so volume adjustment is quick and effortless. Other convenience features include an Auto-On / Auto-Off system that senses signals from the receiver and turns the subwoofer on and off as required. If you wish, you can also bypass the auto on circuit and leave the subwoofer on at all times, or turn it off completely. Room size recommendation is anything up to approximately 400 sq. feet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blows My Old Sub Completely Out of the Water!, February 8, 2006

By 

PaleGreen1 (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Athena 15391 AS-P4000 400-Watt 10-inch Subwoofer (Electronics)

I built my own subwoofer in college using a Cerwin-Vega 12" driver. It is massive and requires an amplifier to power it (a passive sub). I've been pretty happy with it for almost 15 years, but I always wondered what a good sub would sound like in comparison. (I'd tried cheaper subs from Sony and Yamaha and they didn't sound as good as mine.) When I saw the Athena AS-P4000 on sale, I had to try it. And let me just say that I should keep my day job. This thing makes my old sub sound like it's not even turned on! And that is with the volume on the new sub turned to 3 (out of 10). It is really amazing. I'm waiting until it's "broken in" to start tweaking levels and calibrating it with the rest of my home theater system, but at this point, I'm thoroughly impressed. I'm also very satisfied with the quality of the materials and the workmanship. It feels very solid and well-built. A fine sub in my book!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Price Performance Ratio - 5/5 Just Performance 4/5, August 2, 2006

By 

Jamshed J. Khan "Jimmy Khan" (Herndon, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Athena 15391 AS-P4000 400-Watt 10-inch Subwoofer (Electronics)

I wont waste your time reiterating everything written below but Ill mention some details that were glazed over.

There are MANY MANY MANY types of subs (even HT subs) I have 2 subs in my HT room costing in the multiple thousands, I custom made them myself for my specific application.

I have a ported sub (ported at 24Hz) which is crossover limited to 20-51hz, and a sealed 15 inch sub running 800 RMS watts that takes care of 50-78 hz.

What the above setup renders me is lots of great thunder and explosive bass, but also EXTREMELY tight bass with gunfire and music scenes in movies like Matrix (gunfire) and Ray (music).

Now enter the P4000, I needed a sub for my dads HT room and I picked up one of these. For the price as people have stated it is amazing, I did a frequency sweep and it came down to 25Hz that's an amazing low frequency response to get.

As we went up the frequency I cut it off at 85 hz even at that frequency it was getting too boomy for my taste but for most since your satellites or bookshelves will not play below 80 hz you need something to get up to that range.

So my recommendation is to get a set of bookshelf speakers that will play down to at least 80 hz, and then have this P4000 cover 25-80, don't go above 80 your just losing SQ after that.

For the price though it is amazing.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Performance vs. Price = Top Notch, July 6, 2006

By 

S. Rys (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Athena 15391 AS-P4000 400-Watt 10-inch Subwoofer (Electronics)

I always find it interesting when I read reviews of products on Amazon that are so vastly different from one another. It makes it difficult to figure out who's right and who's wrong, or why there is such a difference of opinion on a specific product. I've read all the reviews here and there are more similarities among the reviews than contradictions. So, let me add to the reviews, and as a reader, you can make your own assessment, based on the frequency of user's feedback on these points.

1. The quality of the build of the subwoofer is very, very good. Looks a lot better in real life than in the picture. For instance, the volume knob on the front of the subwoofer "feels" expensive. Nice glide to it, very stable. The finish is good with a lot of attention to detail in the suspension legs, the corner work, the back panel, etc. It's actually attractive!

2. The sound quality is also extremely good. I'm not into the "thump" of a subwoofer for the physical effect only, it has to reproduce low frequencies with a lot of nuance to compliment music. It's a showoff with 5.1 DVD soundtracks, but it's actually the first subwoofer that makes my music sound better. To be fair, I spent a lot of time tweaking all the volume and crossover levels, but I have other subs that are only suited for movie soundtracks. And they cost 2 to 3 times as much.

3. It did take a while to set it up properly with my 5.1 receiver. I had to tweak the LFE level and the sub level on the receiver, and the crossover and volume control of the subwoofer itself. But once set(it took me close to an hour), you have an impressive sound for both movies and music. Incorrect settings can really produce unflattering effects. When I first connected it and turned it on, I was terrified that I had made a bad purchase. An hour later, I was patting myself on the back.

4. Don't let my subject line fool you. You aren't going to be giving up a lot of performance for the price. It's a great buy, with great performance. I have a Polk sub that cost more than double what I paid for this sub, and while good, it isn't ALL that much better than this sub. In addition, this sub sports a very industrial high tech look, which is a plus for folks who care about their room esthetics.

5. If you are interested in buying something that is a "quality" product, but have a self imposed spending limit, this is a very smart buy. You'll get the best of both worlds. You'll get a great performing speaker for a very reasonable (and downright cheap!!!) price.