Well I'm not too far from noob territory myself but I'll try to help anyway. Had both these speakers at home for a bit so here's my $.02.
The Athenas are more sensitive, so they'll sound louder at the same volume. There's definately a higher quantity of bass from the Athenas, though now that I've learned enough to be dangerous, it's probably not terribly accurate bass. I also had the M60s at the time and found the the AS-F2's midrange didn't sound as clear as the M60s or the M50s. At first the Athenas sounded better, more bass, louder, but the more I listened to the quality of the sound, the Axioms really begin to shine.
If you're not going to get a sub, want volume and are willing to sacrifice some quality and clarity, go with the Athenas. I wasn't happy with the clarity of the M50s myself. If you want accuracy and clarity, and real kick, you might think about factory outlet M22s or M3s and a sweet little sub like a HSU VTF or STF series. I've got M60s with a VTF-2 and couldn't be happier.
