I demoed the Whisper at Legacy with my Odyssey Dual Mono, and liked it just fine (though perhaps not as fine as the huge MacIntosh Bill D. had them set up with). Good chance of you enjoying them too, and even a set of monoblocks (used) should come in under budget (a stereo unit, way under). My impression is that resale is good with Odyssey too.
The Whispers sound very nice! I've had my eye on them, but so far shied away because of price, relative complexity of set up, and size. Worth pointing out though, re Blindjim's comment, that Bill D. swears the Whispers work in small rooms, and close to boundaries. I also listened to the Focus SE, and the quality of their lows made me think they might work less well in a smaller room than the Whisper. Regardless of the sonics though, one is committing to a large visual presence with the Whisper. Could be worth the sacrifice, though! :)
Enjoy, Lexan.
John
The Whispers sound very nice! I've had my eye on them, but so far shied away because of price, relative complexity of set up, and size. Worth pointing out though, re Blindjim's comment, that Bill D. swears the Whispers work in small rooms, and close to boundaries. I also listened to the Focus SE, and the quality of their lows made me think they might work less well in a smaller room than the Whisper. Regardless of the sonics though, one is committing to a large visual presence with the Whisper. Could be worth the sacrifice, though! :)
Enjoy, Lexan.
John