Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?

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A_shah

Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #40 on: 1 Sep 2019, 06:32 am »
The Quicksilver is warmer, but also more detailed. It is an extremely good sounding linestage, especially for the price.  If you have a dealer near you, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen.  I listened to preamps 5 times as expensive and did not think they sounded as good as the Quicksilver. I have not found anything better that combines with my Khartago amp.  A marriage made in heaven.


I own Quicksilver mono 60 & and a Quicksilver headphone amp , including Mike Sanders QS Silver IC but I use Don  Sach's DS 2 for a pre-amp ! the QuickSilver amps perform  way above their price point. and Am very satisfied with them I do own a" high current" (850 Transformer  & "Expensive "35 K" Symphonic Capacitors ") Odyssey Kismet amp with all the belles and whistles that Klaus made for me  (March of 2017) I was using it with my Magnipan 1.7i which I sold last year now for a year the unit sits in a rack , I love the unit but now  I have very efficient horn like  speakers Daedalus Poseidon  , so I have decided to sell the Kismet probably will but it up for sale in the next few days I dont think a Odyssey kismet unit should be just sitting in a rack probably not good for the caps . Yes I truly love QuickSilver products and have compared to units that cost 4X as much. So I don't think you will go wrong with a QS line stage !

Asghar

mdiehl

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #41 on: 2 Sep 2019, 03:46 pm »
Yes, that is the one.  On another note, I once tried an Audio Note OTO SE integrated amplifier with phono stage and it didn't even come close to the Khartago + Quicksilver combination in this system.  And the Khartago + Quicksilver combination is less than half the price of the Audio Note.

You will need a phono stage with the Quicksilver Linestage.  I use a Parasound Zphono (on sale from an online audio vendor with very good reputation) with very, very good results.  Have so far not had the desire to upgrade and put more money in good speakers.  Again, the synergy of these pieces is really great.

erniek

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #42 on: 9 Sep 2019, 10:03 pm »
One has to consider the price point of the Candela to most others and determine how much better sound are you getting overall compared to the Candela. I have the Candela and have thought many times of upgrading but I can find nothing in its sound to cause me to do so. If I want an upgrade I would step up the Odyssey line to a Stratos or Kismet where i believe would give me a better overall upgrade.

theopaul

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #43 on: 9 Sep 2019, 11:20 pm »
lots of great comments on this thread. I had a Audio Research LS15 pre and ARC PH5 phono when I upgraded my old amp to a pair of Odyssey fully upgraded to the max Kismets. I love this combo but I am probably less picky than many of you.

klaus@odyssey

Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #44 on: 29 Sep 2019, 09:15 am »
well,  synergy,  synergy, synergy...all of our amps LOVE tube preamps,  and so far,  I haven't experienced a mismatch yet...however,  the shades of tubes,  of course,  is tremendeous and such with tube rolling somewhat of a chameleon that you can adjust to your own preference....great tube preamp with shitty tubes = mediocre,  while mediocre preamp with great tubes gets you pretty darn close to the former...ahhh,  the joys of tube rolling....that's one reason why we have 12 AU 7's,  which is the easiest one to get..of course the Candela is a very good pre,  especially at the price point,  but again,  the amps will play nice with all of them....and can't argue with all of the ones mentioned in this thread.......

as for the amps,  no worries...especially if you have high efficiency speakers...if you like tubes,  then that's what you should have...no argument here...for heaven's sake,  if there wouldn't be stark personal differences,  then digital amps wouldn't exist...........

MONKEYWICKEDMONKEY

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #45 on: 29 Sep 2019, 05:17 pm »
well,  synergy,  synergy, synergy...all of our amps LOVE tube preamps,  and so far,  I haven't experienced a mismatch yet...however,  the shades of tubes,  of course,  is tremendeous and such with tube rolling somewhat of a chameleon that you can adjust to your own preference....great tube preamp with shitty tubes = mediocre,  while mediocre preamp with great tubes gets you pretty darn close to the former...ahhh,  the joys of tube rolling....that's one reason why we have 12 AU 7's,  which is the easiest one to get..of course the Candela is a very good pre,  especially at the price point,  but again,  the amps will play nice with all of them....and can't argue with all of the ones mentioned in this thread.......

as for the amps,  no worries...especially if you have high efficiency speakers...if you like tubes,  then that's what you should have...no argument here...for heaven's sake,  if there wouldn't be stark personal differences,  then digital amps wouldn't exist...........

Is there or might there be a Kismet Tube Preamp? Above the Candela but below the Symphonic Line?

Loki57

Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #46 on: 29 Sep 2019, 06:44 pm »
I talked to Klaus a few years back about a kismet pre. There were no plans at that time. But who knows.

hazmania

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #47 on: 7 Oct 2019, 04:14 am »
I have an Audio Research 16 preamp I owned prior to my Stratos Mono Extremes. Have not considered any changes in years which says a lot for a fidgety tinkerer like me. Bought Groneberg speaker wire on Kalus's recommendation (he uses it for his internal wiring) and that made a big difference too.

Zyphryx

Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #48 on: 21 Oct 2019, 10:11 am »
PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium into the Kismet/Khartago monos.

MONKEYWICKEDMONKEY

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #49 on: 22 Nov 2019, 05:34 pm »
Yes, that is the one.  On another note, I once tried an Audio Note OTO SE integrated amplifier with phono stage and it didn't even come close to the Khartago + Quicksilver combination in this system.  And the Khartago + Quicksilver combination is less than half the price of the Audio Note.

You will need a phono stage with the Quicksilver Linestage.  I use a Parasound Zphono (on sale from an online audio vendor with very good reputation) with very, very good results.  Have so far not had the desire to upgrade and put more money in good speakers.  Again, the synergy of these pieces is really great.

Do you find the Quicksilver has too much gain? Its got 18db vs the Candela 14db. What's the sensitivity of the speakers you are powering?

hondo

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #50 on: 24 Nov 2019, 03:29 am »
I am using a Modwright 36.5 DM preamp with my Kismet mono amps.  The 36.5 DM has tube rectification.  This provides great flexibility is shaping the preamp sound by tube rolling the rectifier tube.  Recently moved from RCA 5U4g wire hanger rectifier tubes to Western Electric 422a's. 

Last month I was looking for a second preamp for a second system and purchased a second 36.5 DM.  It was my best option for a preamp with a tube rectifier.

spacedghost

Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #51 on: 30 Nov 2019, 09:13 pm »
Dodd Audio Pre with my Khartago extremes for 10+ years and couldn’t be happier.

brad1138

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #52 on: 18 Feb 2022, 05:54 am »
The Quicksilver is warmer, but also more detailed. It is an extremely good sounding linestage, especially for the price.  If you have a dealer near you, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen.  I listened to preamps 5 times as expensive and did not think they sounded as good as the Quicksilver. I have not found anything better that combines with my Khartago amp.  A marriage made in heaven.

I owned a QuickSilver Line Stage a few years back, but sold it, I always regretted that. It was also before I picked up my current Kismet amp, Candela and Moabs. I really love the Odyssey combo, but last week I found a good deal on a 2016 QSLS from it's original owner. I just got it in today, but I haven't had time to hook it up. I am very pleased to see the love for it and it's pairing with Odyssey amps here. I am really looking forward to getting it hooked up, this weekend most likely.

theopaul

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #53 on: 20 Feb 2022, 06:00 pm »
I had Klaus upgrade my Kismet monoblocks to his max. At the same time I bought a factory refreshed ARC Ref 2 MkII, I also have an ARC Ph5 phono amp. This combination works great for me, but maybe my ears are not as picky as some of yours. I love my Kismets, have had them for about 3 years. The upgrades that Klaus did last year really made a huge difference.

brad1138

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #54 on: 21 Feb 2022, 12:27 am »
I got some time to listen to the QS and although it is a very fine preamp, really no match for the Candela. Here is part of a review I did on them.

"Sound: The QS has a more traditional "tube" sound, soft and mellow. The Candela does not, it is dynamic and not "mellow" at all. The QS is very listenable, pleasing and "non-fatiguing". Voices are nice and smooth. Sound stage is great and 3 dimensional, it "might" be a bit more 3 dimensional then the Candela, but it is really too early in my listening to make that call. They both have similar levels of "tube noise". Just barely audible from the listening position do to [my] Moabs being 95+ dB efficient.

I listened to the QS for a while, really getting pulled in and enjoying it, then I switched back to my Candela...

Instrument separation and prominence is markedly better in the Candela, bass is deeper and more defined. Everything and it's location has a more tangible feel to it (to varying degrees). A more energetic listening experience overall. It is a bit brighter, or I should say, the QS is less bright. My aging ears appreciate the added brightness. And I really like the substantially improved bass extension. The softness of the QS does help my sibilance sensitivity, but not a big difference either way.

I have a pair of Mullard CV4024 tube on order for the QS, but I don't anticipate them making a big enough difference to sway my opinion that the Odyssey is the better preamp for me. This comparison really gave me a better appreciation for it."





As an audiophile, the drive to continually tinker is strong. I need to just enjoy more :)

« Last Edit: 21 Feb 2022, 03:28 pm by brad1138 »

brad1138

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #55 on: 21 Feb 2022, 03:30 pm »
I had Klaus upgrade my Kismet monoblocks to his max. At the same time I bought a factory refreshed ARC Ref 2 MkII, I also have an ARC Ph5 phono amp. This combination works great for me, but maybe my ears are not as picky as some of yours. I love my Kismets, have had them for about 3 years. The upgrades that Klaus did last year really made a huge difference.

I am not sure what upgrades are available for my Kismet amp. I should check into that.

lazydays

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #56 on: 21 Feb 2022, 08:37 pm »
Do you find the Quicksilver has too much gain? Its got 18db vs the Candela 14db. What's the sensitivity of the speakers you are powering?

I use a Quicksilver line stage with two Stratos mono blocs. I find the gain to be very similar to the Odyssey preamp. Sound is similar, but ever so slightly more detailed with the Odyssey. I've also used a Conrad Johnson and one other, and never saw a gain issue. The CJ was a different kind of sound, but also very warm. The other was just to see how it sounded, and wasn't in the system an hour. I did run the amps in with a solid state B&K, and was surprised at the sound quality. Yet lackluster.
gary

SteveFord

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #57 on: 21 Feb 2022, 09:29 pm »
lazydays,
Do you remember which conrad-johnson preamp you tried?

Bob2

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #58 on: 22 Feb 2022, 12:40 am »
The Erhard Audio Aretha works well with my Stratos Extreme++++

https://www.erhard-audio.com/Aretha.html

lazydays

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Re: Tube pre amps with Odyssey amps ?
« Reply #59 on: 22 Feb 2022, 10:32 pm »
lazydays,
Do you remember which conrad-johnson preamp you tried?

A PV10al that had just came from the factory after a complete rebuild. Has no phono stage, but best of all a tape loop. I will never buy another preamp without a tape loop again!!!!!
gary

P.S. I cannot believe what these guys are getting for the somewhat lowly PV10 on Ebay! I have about $330 in it, and bought from a woman in CA that got tired of waiting for it's return. She went out and bought a new one four times better. I got it in the original CJ box unopened. Not in the running with a Sonic Frontiers preamp, but usable.
glt