Odyssey a good match with Krell 400xi?

[Thomas Nezwek]

I am looking at used speakers on audiogon and was wondering
if the Odyssey or Vantage would work well with a Krell 400xi
integrated amp?

I heard the Odyssey 6 years ago with a huge Krell stack and it
haunts me to this day..

So which Martin Logan speaker up to $3000 used would mate
the best with a Krell 400xi??

Thanks!
Tom

 

[Craig]

The Odysseys are an excellent speaker and the used ones you find today are an incredible value. I recommend the Odysseys if you have the room for them. They are a very large speaker. The Vantages are much smaller and easier to drive but the Odysseys are hard to beat in sound when provided with quality amplification.

At one time my system consisted of the Odysseys powered with a Krell 300iL and it sounded very good. It had clean, tight bass and excellent detailed highs. That is characteristic of the Krell 300iL. The Krell 300iL is one of the most powerful integrated amps you'll find (200w @ 8 ohms/400w @ 4, etc) and the 400xL has a slightly more refined preamp section than the 300iL.

While the Krell 400xL is a great integrated amp you'll find that the Odysseys will only begin to reach their full potential with a more powerful and refined amp or better yet, biamp with tubes on the panels and SS for woofs. The best sound I ever heard from my Odysseys was when they were bi-amped with a Cary Rocket 88 tube amp on the panels and the Krell 300iL being used as the the preamp and to power the woofers. You can do that with the 400xL since it has preamp outputs.

You will want a very good source component and decent room acoustics when using the Krell with the Odysseys. This combination will be very revealing of the music that goes into it but that is probably true of any electrostat with a high resolution SS amp.

My room has much better acoustic treatments these days and I'm curious how the Odysseys would sound in my system today.

 

[Thomas Nezwek]

My room is 12.5" wide, 12 foot ceilings, and 30 long.
It's a loft and I sit 9 feet back from the speakers that I have now.

Will the Odysseys work for my room size? (I bet they will)

Are the Odysseys the best used speaker I can get in the Martin Logan
line for under $3000 used? I see Odysseys all the time for just under
$3000 used.

One more question.. 8 years ago I owned Aerius i but had to sell
them because they were too bright.. (Had Classe amp/preamp)
Are the Odysseys as bright as the Aerius?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[MOON]

The Odyssey's will work fine in your room. I have mine in a dedicated room 12x20 and they sound excellent.I owned the Aerius i's before the Odyssey's. I didn't find the Aerius i's bright at all. Maybe it was your room at the time. On a side note, going from the Aerius i's to the Odyssey's will put a smile on your face when you hear them.Also, you may want to increase the distance between the speakers and your seating position. I have the speakers 5 ft off the wall and seating position 12 ft back. With electrstactics you can throw the equalateral triangle thing out the window.

Buy the Odyssey's and enjoy!!!

 

[Craig]

Are the Odysseys as bright as the Aerius?
Tom

I have not found any electrostats to be inherently bright. However, they will definitely sound bright with all SS gear in a room with a lot of hard surfaces reflecting sound everywhere. I don't know what your room is like but you might want to evaluate that aspect of your system. The room has a major effect on the overall sound.

 

[sebrof2000]

Tom,

I've posted my impressions of the 400xi with Ascent i, you can search my moniker if you'd like.
It wasn't a good combo for me, too thin sounding. I used the 400xi on Magnepan 1.6s and liked it a lot, but not on the Logans.

Good luck - Mike

 

[Thomas Nezwek]

Thanks for all the replies. I have decided to buy a set of used
Odysseys with Dark Cherry Rails when they come available on
Audiogon. I very much dislike the new styling of the Summits
and Vantages. The Odyssey is very impressive looking and sounds
great to boot..

Anyone know how to tell when the panels are in need of replacement?
I know they start to sound rolled off in the highs when they age but
how do you tell when they need to be changed?

 

[spectral]

Thanks for all the replies. I have decided to buy a set of used
Odysseys with Dark Cherry Rails when they come available on
Audiogon. I very much dislike the new styling of the Summits
and Vantages. The Odyssey is very impressive looking and sounds
great to boot..

Check my system link for opinion on these speakers with top amplification...