[Chops]

i dont do home theatre, only music.

I currently use ( and dont laugh !! ) the Bic dv-84 and 64 towers respectively, as they have a VERY GOOD tweeter ( a nice very good quality Vifa ) i know the scanspeak is better, buut compared to  the cerwin vegas im using at times, those BIC's sound 5X better in the upper midrange and high freq, and a much better room filling sound, when I sit on the couch, and close my eyes...... there IS a speaker directly in front of me and thats nbo joke, while the speakers are about 10 feet away, about 10 feet apart. and the vegas, cant even compare.
i am happy with thise BIC's, and we will see how much improvement the odyssey amps can make to them, I may not even need new speakers, I will see........
nice speakers,  they are not even broken in yet, as they are still a bit bright, but have become better over the past few months while listening through the emotiva xpa 1 mono block's

i am NOT counting out the odyssey speakers, but the price is quite expensive for a redneck like me.

You already said the BIC's are several steps above the Cerwin Vega's. You say that because the mids and highs sound better, and they image and sound stage better. The old Polk LS-90's you had were most likely a few steps up in performance from the BIC's because of their better parts quality and refinement. My NHT 2.9's are quite a few HUGE steps above those Polk LS-90's.

With that being said, last week when I was talking to Klaus on the phone, I asked him how he thought my NHT's compared to the Kismet's and without any hesitation he said it was no contest. He said the Kismet's would smoke my NHT's in every way, which I honestly believe to a degree, and my speakers are certainly no slouch. As far as the Kismet's, they are even more refined and have a far superior sound stage and imaging. Even the bass is probably right up there with my NHT's. The only place that I can think of where my NHT's would better the Kismet's is all out slam and volume with its side firing 10" woofers which are quite capable of reaching down into the high teens in my room, (around 18-20Hz at high-ish volume levels).

[reillyzing]

I'd like to know the retail price of the Kismet floorstanding speakers, so I have an idea how much a used pair might cost.

[bunky]

I used to own the Lorelei and they were great. think of the Kismet as the Lorelei on steroids 

[stereo5]

My Kismets in The Santa Rosewood veneer went for 3500.00 new.

[reillyzing]

My Kismets in The Santa Rosewood veneer went for 3500.00 new.

Thanks!

[mresseguie]

Unfortunately, Odyssey Audio is not included in the Axpona exhibitors list. I had hoped for a chance to  audition the Kismet floor standing speakers next month while I am at Axpona. (Sigh.)

[jimdgoulding]

Self imposed member-in-exile Satfrat owns Lorilei's and has extensively modified everything in the chain that preceeds them but them.  They must be good!   

[loki1957]

Unfortunately, Odyssey Audio is not included in the Axpona exhibitors list. I had hoped for a chance to  audition the Kismet floor standing speakers next month while I am at Axpona. (Sigh.)

If you live in the Chicago area I'm in Milwaukee and have a pair of Lorelei Kisments you're more than welcome to hear.

[mresseguie]

Loki,

Thank you. That's very generous of you to offer that. 

I'm way out in Oregon. Axpona will be my first ever audio fest. I'm hoping to absorb as much as possible during my three days there.

[klaus@odyssey]

As you guys know,  I'm usually very much hands off here in my own circle,  BUT :::::  >>>  I just have to write this, note this, what the hell,  hype this...

It's 7 am,  and I just finished a 9 hours !!!  listening session...main reason is that I finally took some time for myself, hehehe,  and that I got in a pair of upgraded Duetta Sigs,  which I always wanted.....for those of you who don't know,  I'm somewhat of a speaker hog,  and I also just finished a pair of Kismet Reference floorstanders,  so,  wanted to refresh my memory as how the Kismets and the Loreleis really, truly stack up against the other pairs that I currently have...now,  as for the speakers,  I also have the Apogees now, a pair of 1.7's,  a pair of Cabasse eyeballs w/ 6 subs and a 2 piece reference Jadis x-over (my big fun system), big Symphonic Line s, and a pair of Egglestone Andra 2's....yup,  quite a bit.  Listening through my TNT / Symphonic Line RG 8 / SL reference CDP, and either a SL RG 3 ref, or mostly through a Candela with the new 2 piece Suspiro phono stage (which is to die for...the more i listen to it,  the more I LOVE it)...amps are either a SL Kraft or a pair of Kismet monos,  and all cables are Groneberg Quattro....ok,  this is the system.

Now,  there is absolutely, definitely, 100 % certainty that the Andras are simply the best speakers of the bunch...by a mile.  However,  I really don't feel that any of them is less than very good.....Yes, articulation, definition, insane stability at high SPL's, dynamics,  etc.....the bigger speakers especially do a great job.......

BUT,  and here is a big but,  and man,  I'm smiling my ass off the last couple of hours,  neither the Loreleis nor the Kismet's are really that far behind.  No,  not as good overall,  but for me,  with my taste and my listening,  I always go back to both the Loreleis and the Kismets......you see,  when it comes to pure emotions,  goosebumps, a true connection to the music,  the "turn of the light, close your eyes, and get lost" feeling,  it is soooooo much more intense than any of the other speakers that I have,  it's not even funny......AND,  while the Andra's probably have some of the best depths ever, and the Duetta's are so incredibly "airy",  the overall three-dimensionality of both, the Loreleis and the Kismets are truly in a class of their own.......shockingly so.
For example,  on Stevie Ray's Tin Pan Alley, which I have listened to well over 1000 times (no joke), there is that fantastic movement of the guitar 10 seconds or so  before his voice in.  The picking of the strings and the horizontal AND vertical movement of the guitar itself is incredibly well recorded and audible....just a fantastic track to check differences in dimensional reproduction, especially since we talk inches here.......with the Andras you have this intense pick,  and all of the pairs show you more or less the horizontal movement,  but only the Lor's and the Kismets truly paint a picture of "gyrating" or "oval" movements....incredible.......then again,  that's what ScanSpeak drivers do so very well !!!!!!


So yes, my loudspeakers are truly awesome,  and yes, there are many other speakers on the market,  but boy oh boy,  nothing like it in terms of emotion, sound staging, and non-fatiguing tonality in this price class,  that's for sure. (and, of course, I am cheating here, since the Loreleis as SL's are well over $ 14,000 / pr in Europe, and the Kismet's are ridiculously similar to a very well regarded pair of $ 38,000 speakers....by happenstance, not by design)   I just had to put this down, because even though I know both speakers inside out,  "re-discovering" them again tonight was a revelation !!!!

As to which of my 2 speakers are better ???  Well,  the Kismet's of course.  You can't beat the Beryllium,  but they are very similar,  and in smaller rooms,  I'd probably take the Loreleis....(and your walls will cease to exist)....


Late,  gotta go to bed,  Irina is ready to kill me,

Klaus




( guys, get the Pete Townsend / Ronnie Lane  LP  "Rough Mix"...you can get it used for cheap.  Very nice recording)

[jackmonster]

Klaus,
Please bring the Kismets to Chicago Axpona so we can hear them and meet you!

[mresseguie]

Axpona is calling you, Klaus.

[Chops]

Hello Klaus!

Great little write-up there comparing the Lorelei and Kismet to the other bigger contenders out there. All well known, well respected loudspeakers.

I can certainly agree with what you say about all the other speakers as I have heard all of them, although older models and some different models throughout their lines. The only ones I never heard are the Cabasse and of course the Lorelei and Kismet.

This all dates back to the mid-to-late 90's and up to around 2002, but I've heard just about everything in the Maggie lineup, everything in the Apogee lineup, and a couple in the Eggleston lineup. My favorites out of those were the Maggie MG20.1 and the original Eggleston Andra, the Andra being my top choice.

I would love to eventually purchase a pair of Lorelei's or Kismet's as I know I'd be completely happy with them except for when it comes to playing my pipe organ albums, or watching movies. For that kind of material, even at low volumes, you need a fair amount of cone area moving a fair amount of air to reproduce that bass down to and below 20Hz. Even with a lot of electronic pop music, there's significant bass content, and even though the Lorelei and Kismet can reach down that deep, I find it hard to believe that they can convey the bass weight and impact (Sarah McLachlan comes to mind) of drums and such like my NHT 2.9's can, or other larger loudspeakers for that matter. And I don't want to resort back to running separate subwoofers again. 

If I had the funds and could find a mint pair, I'd definitely go for a pair of Eggleston Andra's. I used to love listening to those speakers all the time.

[klaus@odyssey]

Yes, I'd love to,  but with Axpona,  it looks as if there are no good options left for a while,  unfortunately....we'll see this week........but I'll definitely do DC  again.

[klaus@odyssey]

Yup,  Capital Audiofest, and talked with GIK and looks like we'll be doing California / Newport as well ......