Odyssey's with New Panels or Summit X?

[LaserMark4]

A long time ML owner with a 5.2 dedicated listening/theater room-- a small but intimate 13' x 18' room (Aeon i, Theater i, Aerius i). The sound has been fantastic over the years with HSU/RSL subs adding the floor. We finally decided to fully renovate the space top to bottom to an all ML speaker 7.2.2., including all new cabling (over 1000' of Canare 4S11- 11ga twisted / sub cable so far), dedicated high capacity/conditioned power circuits, Epson 5050UB projector on a 120" screen, and the whole room on smart control by voice. It's been a really fun project with a lot of learning curves (personally doing 75% of the effort and install). The equipment stack sits in a large rack in the adjacent mechanical room.

So we are going to upgrade the mains up front and move the Aeon i's to the rear (the Aerius i's move upstairs). I have plenty of amp power (Emotiva/NAD) and currently bi-amp all speakers with separate channels. I can bi-amp all 7 speakers with about 450w+ / channel at 4 ohm full driven.

The dilemma.... I'm thinking Prodigy's might overpower the room. Go with ML Odyssey's with new panels or a Summit X (which is the better of the two)? Thoughts? Other choices?

 

[Robert D]

I use Prodigy speakers for my room and it is 20x20x9. They do not in any way overpower this room I can tell you. Ive not heard the other 2 speakers so I cannot compare. From what I hear though, finding a set of Prodigy speakers isnt too easy now. I like mine a lot. Bought new panels for them.

 

[LaserMark4]

I use Prodigy speakers for my room and it is 20x20x9. They do not in any way overpower this room I can tell you. I've not heard the other 2 speakers so I cannot compare. From what I hear though, finding a set of Prodigy speakers isn't too easy now. I like mine a lot. Bought new panels for them.

The Prodigy's have been on the top of my list since they launched. One interesting comparison between the Summits and Prodigy is obviously the fact that the woofer amps are on board with the Summits (2 x 200 @ 8 ohm). I some ways, the Prodigy has more potential I would think with being able to apply a lot more watts to the two woofers with a supplied amp.... hence the bass might be fuller/richer/deeper. But then again the Summits have newer electricals. Wonder if anyone out there has done such a comparison?

Also, when you upgraded your panels, do the replacements provide an update to the latest panel technology??

 

[Robert D]

The Prodigy's have been on the top of my list since they launched. One interesting comparison between the Summits and Prodigy is obviously the fact that the woofer amps are on board with the Summits (2 x 200 @ 8 ohm). I some ways, the Prodigy has more potential I would think with being able to apply a lot more watts to the two woofers with a supplied amp.... hence the bass might be fuller/richer/deeper. But then again the Summits have newer electricals. Wonder if anyone out there has done such a comparison?

Also, when you upgraded your panels, do the replacements provide an update to the latest panel technology??

Yeah, you could bi amp the speakers. I do not. I just use a single Aragon 2 channel amp for them.

The panel grids are the same design, so not microperf. They didnt want to alter the sound because the electronics inside arent set up for that. ML did tell me that the coating they apply to the mylar is the updated one and has more longevity if I remember right. It performs better they say. Im not sure if the mylar is different. Just know that the mesh panels are like the original. They look the same as the original. They sound wonderful. I think I paid $2800 for them, That price is from about 1 year ago. The backup then was about 14 weeks. So it takes awhile to get them in. The shipping was included in the price if I remember right, and they come in real nice boxes.

 

[roberto]

I have a power point file where you can see the Prodigy VS the Summit. This power point presentation was made by Martin Logan. Write to me at [email protected] and I will send to you this presentation.

 

[webley455]

Hi,

I have had the Odyssey's since they first came out as front speakers. Got new panels 4 years ago and it made a big difference. Then a pair of ex demo Summit X came up for sale and bought them for a very good price. To me they are a lot better than the Odyssey. Easier room integration. Less fussy placement. More control over their base speakers. Running them with a Nord One MK2 SE NC500 amp up to 700W into 4 Ohms without any issues and an REL Stentor 3 sub connected via the high level input for a bit extra base. The Summits also do not need as much space. My room is smaller than any of the ones above. The Odyssey's are the rears now.

 

[MOON]

I agree with the above post. I had Odyssey's for years and bought a set of Summits with brand new panels last fall. The Summits are a big step up soundwise. Skip the Odyssey's and definitely go for the Summit X.

Because of the smaller holes in the stator panel, a Summit or Summit X puts out the same amount of sound as the larger Prodigy panel. My friend who also has Odyssey's was surprised at the difference between the Odyssey and Summit.

My room is a similar size at 12 X 20ft. I was lucky enough to get a set with silver frames which I was after.

 

[LaserMark4]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses and input. Definitely food for thought and to keep researching. It does sound like the new technologies and specs for the Summit X has placed it a cut above.

 

[LaserMark4]

I agree with the above post. I had Odyssey's for years and bought a set of Summits with brand new panels last fall. The Summits are a big step up soundwise. Skip the Odyssey's and definitely go for the Summit X.

Because of the smaller holes in the stator panel, a Summit or Summit X puts out the same amount of sound as the larger Prodigy panel. My friend who also has Odyssey's was surprised at the difference between the Odyssey and Summit.

My room is a similar size at 12 X 20ft. I was lucky enough to get a set with silver frames which I was after.View attachment 22283

That's a beautiful theater/listening room!! Kudos!

 

[LaserMark4]

I agree with the above post. I had Odyssey's for years and bought a set of Summits with brand new panels last fall. The Summits are a big step up soundwise. Skip the Odyssey's and definitely go for the Summit X.

Because of the smaller holes in the stator panel, a Summit or Summit X puts out the same amount of sound as the larger Prodigy panel. My friend who also has Odyssey's was surprised at the difference between the Odyssey and Summit.

My room is a similar size at 12 X 20ft. I was lucky enough to get a set with silver frames which I was after.View attachment 22283

Just curious what your "cubed" acoustic treatment panels are on the front wall.... I assume absorbers, right? Cool looking! Have they been effective?

 

[roberto]

The micro-perf stat panels, the holes are smaller, making to exposed the diaphragm about 40% more to the air than the old tech. So it has much better frequency extension on both lows and highs, and much better sensitivity. You can drive the Summits with only a 20W/channel power amp and you will get clean sound.

 

[MOON]

Thanks for the comment on the room. The cubed acoustic treatment is from a company called Vicoustic and these are diffusers called their DC2 model. So instead of the rear wave hitting the back wall and bounching back to the stator is is dispersed in every direction into the room.

The diffusers made a big difference sound wise. They are easy to install with 3m command strips. It took maybe 15 minutes.
https://vicoustic.com/hifi-and-home-cinema

 

[LaserMark4]

Thanks for the comment on the room. The cubed acoustic treatment is from a company called Vicoustic and these are diffusers called their DC2 model. So instead of the rear wave hitting the back wall and bounching back to the stator is is dispersed in every direction into the room.

The diffusers made a big difference sound wise. They are easy to install with 3m command strips. It took maybe 15 minutes.
https://vicoustic.com/hifi-and-home-cinema

Excellent- those look like they will have some great applications at the right points in the room. I have been putting off the room acoustic rabbit hole and thrown just all my time to the front end construction, smart room/voice control technology, cabling, components, etc. But I know the acoustics eventually will prove to be a KEY issue and one I am excited to learn more in depth.... and then execute some hopefully solid treatments. A lot of pieces and parts to the HT/listening puzzle, right? Here's a pic at the start of our wiring (I'll post a couple of the final layouts). The final count of speaker and new power circuits wires is 4.5 football fields in length- ha.

 

[Robert D]

Excellent- those look like they will have some great applications at the right points in the room. I have been putting off the room acoustic rabbit hole and thrown just all my time to the front end construction, smart room/voice control technology, cabling, components, etc. But I know the acoustics eventually will prove to be a KEY issue and one I am excited to learn more in depth.... and then execute some hopefully solid treatments. A lot of pieces and parts to the HT/listening puzzle, right? Here's a pic at the start of our wiring (I'll post a couple of the final layouts). The final count of speaker and new power circuits wires is 4.5 football fields in length- ha.

Never thought of doing that with the floor. So you're just building a new floor rather than run cables through the walls and ceiling? I guess the only downside is you are losing about 2 inches ceiling height? If the ceiling is 9 foot or higher it wouldn't be a huge deal. Sure makes things easier.

 

[LaserMark4]

Actually, this is just the front "stage"-- it bumps up only 5" on either side for the mains and then 12" in the center to gain a bit of height for the center speaker (Theater i). This is a full HT renovation in our existing home. We only had to cut away an 18" drywall strip down low in one wall of the room to run all the cabling and power coming from an adjacent furnace/equipment room. The mini "stage" was great for the ton of wiring we fed across the front (dual speaker, LFE sub, speaker sub, ethernet, power, etc.) There also is a 12" lifted platform for a couple of chairs in the back of the room for better viewing over the front chairs. The rear raised platform has also been a great hidden cavern for wiring as it also is adjacent to the equipment rack in the adjacent room. We kept the projector screen (120" diag) fairly low at eye level which we find better viewing, so the center could not be perfectly at seating height. But the adjustment stand on the Theater speaker allows a nice up tilt focus and we found over the years it does not have a big bearing either way.

 

[Robert D]

Actually, this is just the front "stage"-- it bumps up only 5" on either side for the mains and then 12" in the center to gain a bit of height for the center speaker (Theater i). This is a full HT renovation in our existing home. We only had to cut away an 18" drywall strip down low in one wall of the room to run all the cabling and power coming from an adjacent furnace/equipment room. The mini "stage" was great for the ton of wiring we fed across the front (dual speaker, LFE sub, speaker sub, ethernet, power, etc.) There also is a 12" lifted platform for a couple of chairs in the back of the room for better viewing over the front chairs. The rear raised platform has also been a great hidden cavern for wiring as it also is adjacent to the equipment rack in the adjacent room. We kept the projector screen (120" diag) fairly low at eye level which we find better viewing, so the center could not be perfectly at seating height. But the adjustment stand on the Theater speaker allows a nice up tilt focus and we found over the years it does not have a big bearing either way.

You're doing a lot of the things I want to do. I love having a raised platform for seats in the rear. Another thing I might do is install butt shakers in the seating. You could run the cables now.

My plan is to build a new home when this crazy pricing has died down. For now I've got a decent home theater but its in my family room and only a 77 inch OLED.

 

[LaserMark4]

Well.... the search is over for new mains up front and I finally pulled the trigger! We came across a package deal that we just couldn't pass up.

As I previously posted, we've had Aeon i and Aerius i's (with a Theater i) for quite a few years in a dedicated 5.1 theater/listening room. We are about 70% completed in creating a totally new 7.1 theater.

I ran across one-owner baby boomers who last month upgraded to a beautiful new set of Masterpiece 15's, Illusions, and a BalancedForce 212. So they bundled their "old" Odysseys, a Descent sub, and a Cinema all as a package for just under $3k. They are in flawless and pristine condition and sound beautifully.

So the Aerius i's are coming upstairs along with the Descent and Cinema (and Scripts) to give us a new ML family room. We added a 2nd HSU twin (15") to the theater to join the new Odysseys up front.

I think we're about to enter ML Nirvana-

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice along the way here. Excited to show some pictures one of these days soon of the finished set ups.

 

[wink]

Congrats!