the extremes are a step up over the standard-no doubt.
its all about synergy, i cant wait till my pre is ready(also odyssey)-ALSO BE PREPARED FOR A LONG BREAKIN PERIOD,i liked my extremes from day 1, a audiophile friend didnt-he thought it had a hot topend and loose bass, when he heard again about 2 months latter he thought it was a different system (first words out of his mouth-what the f@#! )-tube like smooothness.
my standard monos are about 4 weeks old now, starting to hear bass sounds i didnt know existed,decay in notes can be heard now without trying its so clear- glad i decided to use class a, a/b amp not a digital one for bass duties.
i'm more impressed with what i hear at low levels-music(class a)than what they do when cranked for movies.