Used Odysseys

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slashfan

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Hello everyone,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a pair of used Odysseys, and was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping ease my mind that it is a reasonable purchase.

They have a "chip" out of the bottom-front corner of the woofer cab, which sucks, but I guess I could live with as it wouldn't affect the sound. There's a couple of other dings (very very small) which I could live with as well.

My friend and I (he has Ascent i) went down to listen to them, and we thought they sounded OK. They did not have as much bass as we expected - compared to his Ascents, but that could definitely have been due to room placement as it was not set up the best.

What concerns me, is that it appears that at some point in time, there was pressure put on the front panels of both speakers. At the top of the panels, they are curved - as expected. At the bottom, they appear to be pushed in "ever so slightly". Not really noticeable though, until you look for it. Of course, now that I know it's there, I can't stop seeing it. This is more pronounced on the left speaker, but I think the right speaker is also afflicted. (probably from being transported face-down??)

I was wondering if this would affect the speakers imaging abilities? If not, I think I can live with them being like that. It was hard to tell with the demo - as they definitely needed to be tweaked for the room we were listening in.

The dealer wants $3000 for the pair - and is willing to give me 6 months to pay for them with no interest (which would allow me to buy an amp and processor in the meantime!). Does that sound like a decent price for these?

If it matters, it will be a 60/40 music/HT setup and I will certainly bet getting the right equipment to drive them. I love the sound of my friend's MLs, and can't wait to get some of my own!

Best regards, and thanks for your advice!
 
If the panels are bothering you, don't worry you can have them replaced. People do that all of the time. Call Martin Logan and ask how much new panels go for (probably between $600-$1000).

You can install them yourself, it's really no that big of a deal. Also, you can look at installing new woofers.

Erik
 
I would pass on them for $3000.00 with damage like that. The Acent I sound damn near as good and you can find a mint pair for under $2000.00
 
I would pass on them for $3000.00 with damage like that. The Acent I sound damn near as good and you can find a mint pair for under $2000.00

My friend told me the same thing last night. I guess I'm so excited after speaker shopping this weekend I was ready to ignore his advice.

Hearing it from another sure helps - thank you.
 
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I have Odysseys... but I don't think I would get this pair. I wouldn't waste my time getting new panels for them... I would look for another pair. Re: bass - the Odysseys have a whole bunch more bass than the Ascents. My brother has Ascents - I have Odysseys. There is no reason to purchase damaged speakers when you could get a pair of Odysseys without a scratch for this price... or darn near it.
 
Ascent vs Odysses

I must admit I have never heard the Odysses (please don't hang me) I currently also have the Ascents and love them. They do seem to be a bargain at around 2 G's for a minty pair. At any rate, happy hunting, that next to listening seems to be the most fun.

Doug - out
 
If you really want a bargain get a used set of Quest or Request for under $1500 AND BLOW BOTH OF THEM AWAY WITH SOME TWEAKS !
 
I must admit I have never heard the Odysses (please don't hang me) I currently also have the Ascents and love them. They do seem to be a bargain at around 2 G's for a minty pair. At any rate, happy hunting, that next to listening seems to be the most fun.

Doug - out

No hanging.... :) I like the Ascents too... In fact - if bass is an issue with the ascents - a sub can always handle the low end for you. In any case - both speakers are awsome...If you can get a pair of ascents for 2g - and you have 3 g to spend --- you are really close to an ascent/descent combo... which can give you the best of both worlds... given that your name is 'Slashfan'....I am assuming you would be playing Velvet Revolver or Guns 'n Roses on them?
 
I have Oydessey's as well and love them. They do have good bass as others have stated. I agree fully with the other members to pass on that damaged set. Don't let your excitment interfer with what that little voice is telling you, pass on them. Other ML's will come along.
 
I did it

Well, good decision or not, I'm now the proud owner of a pair of Odysseys.

I went back to check them out again, and I think I may have been way too picky. Yes, there's still the chip on the bottom corner of the cab, and a couple of dings... but the speaker was not as flat as I remembered. I really had to look hard to see it, and now I can't even say I was really seeing it. Optical illusion?

For the first demo, they had the speakers in their "home theater" room. I asked them to set them up in their 2 channel "listening room" for this demo. I also asked them to hook it up to a better amp as I was pretty sure the first one did not have enough power. This time, the bass was there, the sound was tight, and the imaging was great. "Great deal" or no, I was impressed and after a little negotiating, ended up buying them. Besides, my wife was there and she really liked them too. I'm definitely blessed by not having to put up with the WAF.

Thanks for everyone's input - perhaps I should have waited, maybe I'll kick myself when I see a better deal come along tomorrow - but I think I'll be more than happy with the purchase.

And yes... Velvet Revolver & Guns and Roses will be played a lot. One of the CDs I used for the demo was the first Snakepit album. While their singer is definitely not my favorite, you can really hear every nuance of Slash's Marshall on MLs.

I can't wait to rediscover all my favorite music!
 
I say if you enjoyed them and you'll fine with the price then it's a good deal! ENJOY THEM LIKE I DO MINE! :music:
 
Congrats.... I love my Odysseys as well. Have fun and enjoy. The room you put them in will determine the bass output... Since they are used - make sure the spikes are included - get some nice speaker cable... What will you be driving them with?
 
Congrats.... I love my Odysseys as well. Have fun and enjoy. The room you put them in will determine the bass output... Since they are used - make sure the spikes are included - get some nice speaker cable... What will you be driving them with?

Thanks guys, I'm sure I'll enjoy them. It had no spikes. That was one of the things I made sure they included, as I've heard (on this forum, I think) it helps with bass and treble.

I'm planning on getting a Sunfire Cinema Grand amp, at least for now. From what I understand, it should have plenty of power and runs cool. Not sure on which pre/pro to get yet though. My freind's Anthem sounds great, so I may look for one of them. He's going to let me borrow his Outlaw pre/pro until I get my own.

I thought it was funny this morning - my wife, who went with me yesterday for the final listen and doesn't really care about anything technology-wise, said "I can't wait until you hook them up so I can listen to Pink Floyd". I'd say she must have been impressed. If she's happy, I'm happy.
 
Hey slashfan, congratulations and welcome to the club! :rocker:

I'm sure you'll be really happy with them once we get them setup and tweaked.

C.A.P is the guy that got me hooked on the ML+Sunfire combination - I think it's a great choice.

The other amplifier I always wanted to try was the Anthem AMP2 special edition. It's a hybrid tube/SS amplifier with lots of power, but it's only 2 channel.
 
Bob Carver never did me wrong. The Sunfire was great in all my systems.

I'm glad they worked out. Sometimes we can be a bit picky on cosmetics. They always can be fixed. I am happy for you and enjoy them !
 
Thanks guys, I'm sure I'll enjoy them. It had no spikes. That was one of the things I made sure they included, as I've heard (on this forum, I think) it helps with bass and treble.

I'm planning on getting a Sunfire Cinema Grand amp, at least for now. From what I understand, it should have plenty of power and runs cool. Not sure on which pre/pro to get yet though. My freind's Anthem sounds great, so I may look for one of them. He's going to let me borrow his Outlaw pre/pro until I get my own.

I thought it was funny this morning - my wife, who went with me yesterday for the final listen and doesn't really care about anything technology-wise, said "I can't wait until you hook them up so I can listen to Pink Floyd". I'd say she must have been impressed. If she's happy, I'm happy.

I have the Signature edition of that amp... we will have practically the identical setup...
 
Slash,
Congratulations on the Aquisition of your Odyssey's.
I'm sure they'll bring you many hours of musical enjoyment.:music:
 
Congradulation, sure you will enjoy them as much as I do mine.

Cheers
 
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