New to Odyssey, what should I expect?

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Sonance84

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New to Odyssey, what should I expect?
« on: 9 May 2018, 03:01 am »
I'm selling my Manley 75 wpc tube amp and switching back to class a/ab solid-state. Odyssey has really caught my eye, but I haven't heard any of their amps, nor will I be able to audition before buying. I'm interested in the sound qualities of their amps, i.e. resolution, bass (all areas), midrange, soundstage.

The amps that I'm leaning towards are Stratos Extreme mono or Khartago Extreme mono blocks...or any version thereof. I've heard of Stratos and Kismet in Khartago chassis, or Kismet in Stratos chassis, things like that. I do like the Khartago chassis being smaller, but I don't mind the larger chassis, I have the room for them on my rack.

My system is passively bi-amped; my main speakers have separate class a/ab mono plate amps for their 12" woofers and the 6.5" midrange and 1" tweeters are fed an 80 Hz high-pass filtered signal, which is reproduced by my tube amp. I'll be keeping the system the same, just replacing the tube amp with the Odyssey's. So, they'll only have to reproduce 80 Hz and up basically.

I would like the extra power for future, hard to power, speakers I may come across. My current speakers can handle 200 watts easily, are 91/db and 5 ohms nominal (almost resistive load).

I'd appreciate any opinions/comments about these amps or differences I might expect coming from a tube amp. Thanks!

firedog

Re: New to Odyssey, what should I expect?
« Reply #1 on: 9 May 2018, 04:02 am »
I would get the Stratos if you can afford it. The Stratos is a nicer case and I think will dissipate heat better, but this shouldn't be an issue anyway. There is also the Kismet in Khartago option, which might be your best bang for the buck. You should definitely have a phone conversation with Klaus. He won't try to upsell you, he'll try to help you figure out what makes the most sense for you.

I agree with your tendency to go for more power. Typically the amps sound good new, and improve during  a long burn in. I'd say the sound is clean but slightly warm. I don't think you will have an issue coming from a tube amp unless you like a very tubey sound. They drive speakers very well, so that shouldn't be an issue.

TJHUB

Re: New to Odyssey, what should I expect?
« Reply #2 on: 9 May 2018, 11:55 am »
I would get the Stratos if you can afford it. The Stratos is a nicer case and I think will dissipate heat better, but this shouldn't be an issue anyway. There is also the Kismet in Khartago option, which might be your best bang for the buck. You should definitely have a phone conversation with Klaus. He won't try to upsell you, he'll try to help you figure out what makes the most sense for you.

I agree with your tendency to go for more power. Typically the amps sound good new, and improve during  a long burn in. I'd say the sound is clean but slightly warm. I don't think you will have an issue coming from a tube amp unless you like a very tubey sound. They drive speakers very well, so that shouldn't be an issue.

I agree with most all of this.  The Stratos cases are MUCH better because the heatsinks are the sides of the case and very large.  The Khartago cases are steel covers over smaller heatsinks inside.  That said, I’m not sure it’s of any issue if properly ventilated.

The sound of my Stratos monos had a clear, sweet treble, rich, tuneful midrange, and good midbass, with decent bass definition.  Detail was never lacking to me, and the imaging was as good as anything I’ve heard.  Solid state amps don’t give that front to back fake imaging tubes do, but I had a great sense of depth and dimension. 

Sonance84

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Re: New to Odyssey, what should I expect?
« Reply #3 on: 9 May 2018, 06:21 pm »
They seem very promising, I want to hear a pair.

I've noticed is that there always seems to be a used pair or two for sale, possibly many more, at any given time. Reviews always seem to be positive though. 

One thing I don't like is thin or lean sounding amps, I want them to have some balls. From what I've read, the Odyssey's deliver this. However, I do appreciate bass definition, and would like amps that have a good grip on the drivers when called upon. I do listen to a lot of music with deep articulate bass. As I mentioned above, my 12" woofers have their own 200 wpc mono amps, so the Odyssey's will only have to produce 80 Hz and above. I have been on the hunt for a set of full range speakers though, so I'd like whatever amp I choose to be up to the challenge in the future.

FullRangeMan

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Re: New to Odyssey, what should I expect?
« Reply #4 on: 9 May 2018, 11:03 pm »
I agree with most all of this.  The Stratos cases are MUCH better because the heatsinks are the sides of the case and very large.  The Khartago cases are steel covers over smaller heatsinks inside.  That said, I’m not sure it’s of any issue if properly ventilated.
I like integrated amps as the Cyclops, SMT the Cyclops and Khartago could have the same chassis being smaller to allow external heatsinks as in this mockup image:


AlTran

Re: New to Odyssey, what should I expect?
« Reply #5 on: 9 May 2018, 11:04 pm »
Sonance84, if you are in Southern California, then I suggest you come to the Show @ Newport this coming June 1-3. Which part of the country are you located? Many Odyssey owners all over the places. There's no place better than my own place to listen to Odyssey gears.