Martin Logan Ascent i vs. Odyssey

Thanks for all the replies.

I did end up getting the Odysseys. They are pretty well broken in now, and I am very impressed with the transition to the mid-bass- a fuller sound vs. what I remember of the Ascents. I am still playing with room placement- sometimes the bass is great, sometimes a bit shy. Seems like if I back them closer to the wall the bass gets reinforced, but at some point the soundstage collapses a bit and the Martin Logan magic diminishes (not bad, but a noticeable change).

Bill

I had the Ascent and Odyssey too. Ascent was too weak in the bass. I didn't like the integration of the bass driver and stat on the odyssey. I ended up with the Wilson Sophia instead.

I have the Ascent I's and pair them with Velodyne SPL-1500Rs. The Rs are fantastic and blend seamlessly with the Ascents once set up properly. I do have an acoustically treated room which helps, but have never wished for a larger soundstage. Of course amp choice and Pre choice is going to have an effect on this as well. My room is 13.8 X 24.8 X 8ft and the soundstage is beyond the speakers width, and very 3 dimensional. Although I don't think I would gain anything from the Odysseys (primarly the Odyssesys really only improved the bass in my listening sessions), I do often wonder if a move up to Prodigy's are worth it. It seems like it would be with the better specs and larger Stat panel. Although the summits are phenomenal, I really enjoy the look of the older models. Completely subjective of course.

'so much more at peace with my large DIY oris horns and fostex f200a speakers and low power SET amps...Maybe you should look into avantgarde or DIY before upgrading your ascents.Just my 2cents worth Dont mean to offend'

I agree.

Are Panel speakers only for easy listening music or jazz? coz thats all I can hear from the rooms with panels at hi-fi shows. Not that this is a criticism just an observation.

I find them to work very well in HT applications. If placed correctly, They don't lack dynamics, which is really the main component for HT. Paired with a good Sub(s), MLs do very well in HT. But I would agree that their main strength is in music which emphasizes the mid and upper frequency ranges. Vocals/jazz/classical all sound very good on stats. don't worry, didn't take it as a criticism at all, as I would say that is a common conception about MLs