Soundstage, Imaging, smooth overall sound. Detailed. Tight bass. NON-FATIGUING! Good build. Port is at bottom for easy placement against wall.

None (just mate with a sub for HT. For music only you won't need the sub.) Splitting hairs here, but perhaps dual binding posts for bi-wiring?

These are the type of speakers that you liken to a good pair of jeans. They never call attention to themselves and just get out of the way to let all kinds of music/HT play. It has a silky presentation that adds the detail, but without the fatigue. The soundstage, imaging, transparancy is all first-rate. They really dissapear into the background. Bass is tight for what it offers. You can get away without a sub, of course, but for double HT duty, then a sub becomes a must. The aesthetics are great as they are small and slim (HIGH WAF). They also never lose their detail at low volumes, which is key for co-existing with the significant other. ;=) It has it's port at the bottom so they can be placed against the wall--a GREAT feature for those that live in confined spaces (i.e. apts). Workmanship is also of a very high quality. There really is nothing to criticize. For you bass-heads, the bass can't be any lower for its size as it's a very small floorstander with the imaging of a first-rate monitor. If you need that last octave for thump in a floorstander, then you won't find it here. But, IMHO, owning other MONSTER speakers in my home, I can tell you I won't miss ANYTHING in the sonic spectrum--especially when you combine with a tight sub for the HT.

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Most all the big, famous B&M and internet speaker products going into the tens of thousands price range.

Soundstage / crisp clear highs / no listening fatigue / excellent cabinet / for the money it's hard to beat! Odyssey's customer service..second to none!

Lacks the bass of the Lorelei's, but what do you expect for more than $1000 less.

I had the chance to audition these speakers in my home when my Lorelei speakers were not ready for shipment. Klaus...the owner of Odyssey advised that these were his personal speakers and though his wife would not like the fact that their stereo would be down for awhile...he did not want me to go without my Stratos/Tempest setup any longer. A week later Klaus arrived at my home and began putting together my dream system (minus the Lorelei's) Klaus advised that the Nightingale's were already broken in but it would take a month or so to have a true feeling of the Stratos/Tempest combo. The Nightingale's were very impressive. I've auditioned many speakers and these beautiful little speakers held their own against many of them. The cabinet quality of the Nightingale's was the first thing that caught my eye...the wood Odyssey uses in making their speakers are top of the line. The finish is beautiful. The sounstage and voice separation were excellent. The bass packed a surprising punch for a speaker of this size and weight. I also noticed that I had no listener fatigue with these speakers. In my opinion details are paramount in choosing a speaker and the Nightingale's have that in spades. While playing a live recording you feel as if your in the front row. Now if you want to be in the front row and feel the bass hitting you in the chest experience the Lorelei's...they are outstanding but, they also cost a grand more out of your pocket book. I would advise these speakers to a audiophile with a smaller listening space. They would be perfect for an apartment. I reconstructed my basement...so, I needed a full range speaker with a little more punch..hence the Lorelei's. Please give Klaus a call before you make any high-end decisions. Klaus is very easy to talk with and only wants to meet your home audio dreams. Customer service with Odyssey is second to none. If you don't believe me read all of the reviews of Odyssey's highly acclaimed Statos amp. Odyssey has to be doing something right and I believe they meet the ultimate goal of anyone who has spent many hours reviewing this web site....pure listening enjoyment. Well done Klaus! My dream system is: Odyssey Stratos / Tempest / Lorelei's Cary Audio CD 303-200 Sansui TU 717 Groneberg Quatro cables

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too many to list

Clarity, seperation, soundstage, lack of fatigue, dynamic range.

Bass is clear and defined, especially when the cd is well recorded. Ocasionally I prefer a little more.

Upon deciding to audition the Odyssey Nightingales, I traveled (60 miles) to my nearest Audio Store that carried a wide variety of speakers, so that I would have something to compare the Nightingales to. My system includes the Odyssey Stratos amp and Oddyssey Tempest pre-amp, about 6 months old, and with which I am extremely pleased. My speakers were NHT Super 2's, and as good as they were, they were now the weakest part of my system. The Nightingales arrived, and the first thing I noticed was the clarity and seperation. Each instrument is seprate and well defined, and seems to have a shape, or depth. The voices sound clear and seperate. Excellent. The next thing was that for the lack of listener fatigue. For the 3 months these speakers have resided here, I have not once had the experience of listener fatigue. Lastly, since I do other things while listening to music, the next experience I had was looking up in the direction of the speakers in amazement at the performance and soundstage. The music extends nicely outside the speaker area. The speakers disappear. The performance of the musicians is what is heard. At the audio store, the closest speaker in comparison to the Nightingales was $3500, with the salesperson suggesting that I fill the bottom of the speaker with sand. I am an enthusiast, not an audiophile, and have no intention of shopping for sand to put in my $3500 speaker. (I suppose if I lived near a beach, I wouldn't have to shop. But who knows waht happened to that sand.) I recommend these speakers if your budget does not permit you to spend about twice the price. So why am I exchanging them? For the Odyssey Lorelei of course, which I expect to be like the Nightingales only more, and at less than twice the price.

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NHT Super 2

Price to value ratio. Good WAF (slim profile, quality finish). Natural clean presentation with good dynamics and excellent imaging. Big soundstage. No ear fatigue.

No deep bass.

I have been in the process of assembling the best audio system that I can afford for the past two years. I have been reading audiophile publications and studying sites like this one for input. I have had the Odyssey Stratos amplifier for a year now and have been auditioning speakers to mate with the Stratos. In the end, I chose the Odyssey Nightingale. The first thing I noticed about the Nightingales was how dynamic they were. While I auditioned a couple of other speakers that were slightly more dynamic, they were also a lot more expensive ($4500 and $6000 Thiels). The Nightingales also excel in soundstaging and imaging. They even beat several two-way monitors I auditioned. They throw a wide soundstage (beyond the width of the speakers) with well defined images and good separation of instruments and vocalists. The depth of the soundstage is good but my system is not optimal in that area because of room limitations. Nevertheless the depth I perceived was as good as other more expensive speakers in the same set-up. The mids are open and detailed and present the best vocals I've heard in this price range. The deciding factor for me was in the upper frequencies. The Nightingales are very detailed and clean but remain smooth without any harshness. I bought a B*se system on some bad advice a few years ago and it cost me $2000 to learn about ear fatigue and one-noted, muddy bass. Because of that bad experience, I was very sensitive to harshness in the upper frequencies while auditioning speakers. The Nightingales are very "polite" to upper frequencies without stifling the detail and dynamics. These speakers do not go very deep, as one would expect (small enclosures, small midbass drivers). But they are fast and tight. They provide good punch at higher volumes. Overall, I find these speakers to be transparent, smooth and clean, with good dynamics and excellant soundstaging and imaging.

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Auditioned Thiel, Paradigm, Axiom, Infinity, Klipsch, B&W, Magnapans, stuff up to $6000, too many to remember all.