Spiff is right. The Odyssey is a fine piece of equipment. I've had mine for about four years and it has never skipped a beat. It is of very high quality and has no problem driving my inefficient Maggies and it looks pretty cool too. Sound wise, it is very clean and seems to have a very low noise floor.
You are also right about the "breakin". IMO, it is a very silly notion. I've never noticed any difference from the time I plugged it in to this day. If you can over look the BS about breakin, you won't be dissapointed in the Odyssey. It is not necessary to leave it on 27/7.
BTW, I think all of those other amps you mentioned would be fine choices as well. Its' just that I have expeirence with the Odyssey and I know how well built it is. And as goofy as the breakin sounds, Klaus (the creator) is always available by phone. In fact, amazingly everytime I've called he has answered the phone himself and if he wasn't available he has called back quickly. He never tries to push his products on you and he has given me very straight advice. He has a lot of very satisfied customers and his customer service rivals that of Axiom (IMO). To me, that alone is a huge factor in choosing a product. I hope I don't sound like a shill for Odyssey. I'm just very satisfied with the product and service.
Good luck with your search!
