TAS Stratos Monoblock review

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germay0653

TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« on: 4 Nov 2014, 12:44 pm »
Congratulations Klaus!

Another glowing review of your work.   :thumb:

You're gonna be very busy.

BobC

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #1 on: 5 Nov 2014, 08:42 pm »
Yes a nice review.  Makes me, a Stratos Mono Extreme owner feel very satisfied!

However I really wish JV would stop with the Soulution comparisons.  That is worthless to potential buyers who most likely have budget constraints.  I'd much rather see a comparison against other <$10k amps from McIntosh, Bryston, Pass, ARC, ....or other big name brands.

hoosiertom

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #2 on: 8 Nov 2014, 12:58 am »
Klaus,

Congratulations on the JV review in the latest issue of the absolute sound... Well deserved

Just another example of the true kick-ass products that you deliver...  :thumb:  :thumb:  :thumb:

My Stratos Mono Extremes and Candella preamp give me BOTH fantastic sound and the best bang for the buck....

Off topic.... what preamp did JV use in the review ?

All the best,
Tom Reichel  SE MI
« Last Edit: 10 Nov 2014, 10:48 pm by hoosiertom »

AlexG

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #3 on: 10 Nov 2014, 10:34 pm »
Great review by JV from TAS...Had my first Stratos amp back in 2001 and new then it was something special! After all the improvements and tweeks this amp (circuit) has gone through the years, it has matured into something very special indeed!!


My Stratos Mono Extremes and Candella preamp give me BOTH fantastic sound and the best bank for the buck....


The synergy between these two units is full of musicality and emotion, emotion and more emotion - call me impressed  :thumb:

Congrats Klaus!

Alex


JackD

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #4 on: 10 Nov 2014, 10:43 pm »
Alex

Got my first Stratos in 1999 from dealer demo stock.  Just received my fourth, a Kismet, last month.  All have been used with tube preamps.  Been an Odyssey amp in my house since 1999.

Eduardo AAVM

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #5 on: 11 Nov 2014, 07:15 am »
...and another one, one of my very early thoughts about Odyssey Audio, way back in 1999 was about why people on small to mid and even big budget still wastes money on other brands. I didn't get it then... and do not get it now.



JonnyFive

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #6 on: 11 Nov 2014, 01:44 pm »
Is there a link to the review, or is this not online?

Based on this thread I went to Odyssey's website for the first time.  Looks like some very impressive products at reasonable prices.  They have got to do something about that website though.  It took me a full minute and about 50 clicks to get that Kismet bar to stay dropped down so I could actually click on it.  :)

dva

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #7 on: 11 Nov 2014, 02:52 pm »
YES. I had this same problem, very frustrating!  :(

Probably easiest to scroll to the bottom of each page and use the "Choose a destination...." dropdown menu to navigate.

There do seem to be a lot of "Coming soon!" placeholder graphics as well, and a lot of missing spec and product dimension information (replaced with **). This is an area that needs immediate improvement,  and I'm saying this a a  potential Odyssey buyer....the products themselves look awesome!


firedog

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #8 on: 11 Nov 2014, 08:47 pm »
Like a lot of guys who run a small business with a minimal number of employees, Klaus spends his time making amps and running the business, and gives a lower priority to the web site. If you don't have time to do everything, something gets shortchanged. Buisnesses like his don't have dedicated web people.

Doublej

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #9 on: 12 Nov 2014, 02:10 am »
Took me two seconds. You guys weren't using tablets by any chance? I have had the why the $#%& won't the pulldown work on a number of websites when using an Android tablet.

Here's the direct linky for the monos.

http://odysseyaudio.com/products-stratos-mono.html

klaus@odyssey

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #10 on: 12 Nov 2014, 12:17 pm »
Tom...JV used the Soulution...we have had a 4, 5 hour listening session,  and man oh man oh man,  his system...WOW !!!  And the best thing is that the amps really, really felt at home with the multi gigabuck system.  It sounded fantastic.


DVA...yes, it is true that our site is wayyy  overdue.....I have to get with Eduardo,  but the problem is that I have never been as busy as in the last 6 months...so,  priorities...

JonnyFive

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #11 on: 12 Nov 2014, 02:04 pm »
Took me two seconds. You guys weren't using tablets by any chance? I have had the why the $#%& won't the pulldown work on a number of websites when using an Android tablet.

Here's the direct linky for the monos.

http://odysseyaudio.com/products-stratos-mono.html

It didn't work at all on my Android, so I fired up my laptop with Mozilla. There it worked, after about a minute and 50 clicks :)

worldcat

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #12 on: 13 Nov 2014, 11:00 pm »
SONICALLY what is the difference between the Stereo amp and the Mono's?

klaus@odyssey

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #13 on: 14 Nov 2014, 06:11 am »
Pretty much the same,  just MUCH, MUCH more of it.........in really simple terms,  and on an overall scale of all sonic signatures included,   if the monos are 100 %, then the corresponding stereo amp is about 30 - 45 % thereof....a massive difference all around........

lazydays

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #14 on: 27 Nov 2014, 07:01 am »
things I notice right away were speed. Transients are very fast right down to the deepest bass. Very close to live acoustic bass. Yet I also noticed linearity in the upper mids and highs. Channel separation becomes noticeable very soon after listening to them. You simply can't over drive them (believe me Klaus has tried to at my house). It's just real hard to tax them.

    A couple nights ago, I listened to Buddy Miles and Carlos Santana play on an LP. This LP is not made for the weak, and is well known for destroying speakers. Hard for an amp not to clip, and even harder on drivers. We cruised right thru it. Now my first Stratos SE would have played it OK, but not with the linearity I heard the other night. The only solid state amp to play it OK I've heard was an Accuphase, and the Stratos clearly was better. I have played the other copy I own thru a couple 40 watt tube amps (Sonic Frontiers and an Anthem) with Meadowlark speakers. The sound was nice, but seemed slow compared to the Stratos. The Meadowlarks are still one of my all time favorite speakers, and know that the current owner loves them.  I did play them for almost a year with the Stratos SE, and the sound made you almost come to tears. They are a high impedance speaker designed for tubes. I wish Klaus would give us something like them. The Accuphase cooked when a driver let go on a set of Synergistics speakers playing that same LP. Two things were wrong here. First was 4 ohm speakers with the Accuphase amp. They don't like low impedance loads. The second was the speakers were not over built like the ones I have now. Might add that there was a lot of Irish Whiskey in the room as well. This same LP had destroyed three amps, and at least six pairs of speakers prior, so I should have known better of course. I figured that my brother inlaw's Technics turntable couldn't track it.
gary

firedog

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #15 on: 1 Dec 2014, 03:39 pm »
Klaus -

Just read the review. Congrats. Your amps were not unfavorably compared to something costing 24 times as much! In other words, Valin basically said that unless you have the cash to buy some of the most expensive amps on the market, you will be getting close to that with the Stratos Monos.

Wonder what he would have written if he reviewed the Kismet Monos?

I still think you should get the Kismet Integrated out for review sometime. I bet you'd get another fantastic review along the same lines relating to other integrated solutions.

Eugene2

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #16 on: 2 Dec 2014, 02:41 am »
I have my Kismet Integrated in for an upgrade, mot sure what Klaus is doing to it...  He has been incognito for the last couple of weeks by phone or email.
Pre update we did a shootout with the new Nuprime IDA 16.  The Kismet was everyone's favorite, much more musical, sweeter, etc.  the guys listening were all musicians not audiophiles...  Felt the Nuprime sounded good but more clinical.  The Kismet will be fronting my almost all new system.  PS Audio PWT and DSD, Apple iMac powering jriver, Vapor Audio Joule with Dueland RS capacitors, Verastarr silver cabling and power conditioning by Alan Maher and PS Audio.  Next year I'll probably add Kismet mono amps, we'll see

marflao

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #17 on: 2 Dec 2014, 09:24 am »
Guys,

I know this get´s a bit offtopic but since you´ve already started the talk about the Kismet integrated ....I´ll need to ask something :-)

Is this Kismet integrated the Cyclops with the Kismet upgrades or a different one?

Thanks in advance.

ATB,
M.

Eugene2

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Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #18 on: 2 Dec 2014, 01:43 pm »
No, it's a Candela with a Kismet stereo amp with an external power plant.  http://odysseyaudio.com/products-kismet-hybrid-int-amp.html. The upgrade changes it to a dual mono design

marflao

Re: TAS Stratos Monoblock review
« Reply #19 on: 2 Dec 2014, 01:52 pm »
Ahh...I see....thanks for that.