Rating: 
Hot: Audiophiles bold enough to get off the well-trodden routes will occasionally find treasures hidden from mainstream consciousness. Odeon Audio, for example, is one of them. German, with bare-bones exposure outside certain circles, and no English version of its website – but obviously well in business for years, thanks to a line of medium-range and esoteric (and oddly-shaped) loudspeakers. The Orfeo is Odeon’s entry-level model and only standmount design. Small they may be compared with their siblings, but they hardly sound that way. Once placement is spot-on, the rewards include a well-balanced and neutral presentation, with a tight and authoritative bass, and airy upper regions. The “horn” mounted tweeter is more than a novelty item, the whole package affording the listener some remarkable insights into recordings. They’re great with dynamics and mate particularly well with tube amps, but will show up anything lesser than them in the chain.
Cold: Bass extension somewhat limited, and the lack of grilles means care needs to be exercised – keep them away from prying fingers. Care also needed with placement.
Encore: They may be entry level for the company, but are certainly not budget products. These are well-made and presented boxes, offering a level of musical insight that is surprising at the price – we wonder why Odeon has yet to garner more attention and acclaim.
Specs: Two-way, standmount reflex design with 28mm soft-dome tweeter and 170mm mid-bass driver crossing over at 2.2kHz / Frequency range: 46Hz-21kHz / Sensitivity: 90dB / Nominal resistance: 8 ohms / 1 pair of terminals / Dimensions: 39 x 29.5 x 31cm (h/w/d), 1.25kg / Finish: Various options
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