AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Odyssey Audio => Topic started by: mgalusha on 22 Jan 2003, 03:13 am
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My pair of xtreme mono's arrived today. One is new and the other my upgraded stereo unit.
They are replacing a pair of 100 DIY tube monoblocks. Immediate impressions are killer low end (as expected, especially in comparison to tubes) and greater image depth. Of course they are not broken in so things are not very smooth yet. Having owned Odyssey before I know it will be a while before they are at their best. Fortunately they have improved noticeably even in a few hours. :)
I had to take a peek inside to see the new goodies... so for all those who have not looked inside or are curious.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=159)
Note the dual power transformers. This appears to effectively double the available current to the amp in comparison to the standard mono's. 8)
Another picture (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=systems;system=1) of them in the rack.
Of course my wife's first question is "where are you going to put them?". :) I did have enough foresight to measure the rack before calling Klaus.
Speaking of Klaus, as always he was a pleasure to deal with and delivered the goods exactly when he said he would.
Mike
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Awesome, massive spectacular, hehe, thanks for the photo and happy listening, I have to wait yet for my own Stratos Mono xTreme amps, but the wait will be rewarded...
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Did you get the "XTreme" placque that Klaus was talking about?
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2003 5:15 pm
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Nope,
Can't do that, but I'll engrave a special placque on the back from now on.
And just one more question, does the blue LED for the front logo standard or did you ask klaus to install it special for you?
My extreme mono's amps should be arriving sometime early next month, can't wait!!!!
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Damn! I'm still waiting for mine. According to my last talk with Klaus, they should have been here already. I'm just jealous.
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Did you get the "XTreme" placque that Klaus was talking about?
And just one more question, does the blue LED for the front logo standard or did you ask klaus to install it special for you?
No plaque. I think mine shipped about the day Klaus posted that message. That's cool, just picking them up will let you know the are not the "old" amps. :) The additional transformer adds a bit of heft.
On the blue LED's. The amp I sent in for upgrading was built around July 2001 and had incandescent lamps for the front panel. Klaus called me (on a Sunday no less) and asked if I would like to have the old amp upgraded to match the current production amps. He charged $60 for that portion of the upgrade but it included new speaker connectors, new intenal cabling and the blue LED's and perhaps other items I'm not aware of. I thought it was worth it.
I believe the current versions have the blue LED's but Klaus could tell you for sure.
Mike
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drip drip drip (the sound of drool on my keyboard)
:cuss: me
:dance: you
maybe someday
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Mike,
Congratulations on your new Xtreme twins! :beer:
Can't wait to hear your impressions when they are fully broken in. Already started saving for a pair, so I can join the Xtreme Club.
Enjoy.
NB
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Very cool mike!! Congrats. So, would you like to set up a comparison/shootout w/my DM Stratos at some point :-)
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Again,
Mike, glad that you like them.
Now, :
1. Bill (Blackcat), your amps went out today, hehehe.
2. Stephen, yours went out today as well.
3. Bruce, yours are still on schedule for end of next week.
4. Eduardo, yours are also on schedule for early -mid February.
5. NB, yep, better save up.
Late,
Klaus
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Thanks Klaus, remember I want lamps instead of blue leds... also check your e-mail... thanks...
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Very sweet looking innards - damn Midwest/German hybrid beefy!
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Very cool mike!! Congrats. So, would you like to set up a comparison/shootout w/my DM Stratos at some point :-)
But of course. Even after two days it's amazing how much better they are than the stereo Stratos. Of course we could always hook all three of em up and biamp. :) The DM on top and the xtreme's feeding the bottom. The mind boggles.. :o
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hehehe,
wanna spend more $$$ :lol:
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Klaus, Last I heard from you, me and Mgalusha were likely next to hear from you regarding shipping our amps back for upgrades approx. " first of the year". I was under the impression that I would hear from you with a heads-up that you were ready for mine. Guess I misunderstood. Not a problem, but should I be packin the monos up this weekend? Is this done first-come-first-served? What is best guess re total time in your shop? Are there any extra tweaks available? Let me know please. Thanks. :)
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Yep,
Send them out. We're ready for you. As for extra tweaks, nope. The Extremes are already tweaked to the max. Have no idea as to what else we could do other than the full X-bucks whammy, but that's another 1K.
Anyway, go ahead,
Klaus
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Thanks Klaus. Will do. What's turn around time running lately?
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Less than a week.
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Gracias your Klausliness! :D
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You're welcomanchero !!!
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Exactly what are the Extremes ? The new dual mono stero? Mono blocks or a modified version of one of them? I must of missed their intro. As a lot of the Stratos specs don't blow you away I have not had that must interest in them but as I see many respected members loving them I'm starting to wonder. I'm nervous about the 180 watt spec as well as how it doesn't double into 4 ohms. How would the compare to my Cinepro 1K2? How about BAT VK500 ? Are they really that good or are we overdoing it here?
I really like the new Classe CAM200/350 can they be close to something like that? I realize they are much cheaper.
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You might want to read this.
http://www.harmonicdiscord.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8608
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Well, here we go again: there's the issue of plain ole' specs on one side, and then there's the performance on the other. Hmmm, specs by themself are about as meaningful as ....?????
180 W. not enough ????
Actually, it's more about the current capabilities, damping factor etc. anyway, and yes, the units are ridiculous as far as power, stability, and actual guts are concerned. Are they as good on paper than other amps ??? I'd like to drive them side by side with some extreme speakers of some of our customers, such as the Apogee Scintillas, and then let's see about power, baby.
(As for the doubling down on Wattage: welcome to the 70's)
Late
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Oh Forgot:
Anthony, please do some more research on the monos.
They are in fact IMPROVED !!! Symphonic Line RG 11 monos. Much improved, and these amps have reference status' in several versions all over Europe and parts of Asia, such as the stereo unit, monos, or the amp stage of their big, expensive integrated. All the same design, which is also our Stratos. Now, the Stratos has a much improved case, and a much, much better power supply. With the Xtremes, we simply went nuts, and the results were astonishingly good, especially on the (real) power and stability issue.
Now, as for the $$$, I don't think that you realize that the standard RG 11 mono version used to be $ 7,200. So, in fact we're not talking about 2 K here, but a pair of 7 K +, for which you just happen to pay only 2 K +. US manufacturing instead of Germany, reasonable margins on our side, and factory direct (still with 20 years warranty, and keep in mind that I'm doing SL here in the US for 15 years now !!!)
I'm sorry if you paid more for your amps.
Late,
Klaus
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Klaus,
We're all on the same side here, I didn't mean to come across as a skeptic. I agree fuly that nothing means as much as how it sound to you. Without this, specs are worthless. Basicaly I no little about most specs anyway. Also, you don't have to apoloigize as I paid $1250 for my Cinepro 1K2 new right before they raised the price to $2000 (and it is a fantastic amp, better than the standard Stratos imo) Anyway, I'm planning to move the Cinepro to sub duty (1000X1) and want to buy the best amplification possible for my mains (RM2's now, may trade up to 40's within a few months)
I've been looking into the Cary V12, BAT VK200/500, Classe 301,401, CAM 200/350, Sonic Frontiers Power 2, Innersound, Coda, PS HCA, PS Classic, Bel Canto 4 ch (to bridge), Spectron Musican, Parasound JC-1, Theta Dreadnaught to name a few. I don't have the $$ for many but have no problem going used.
As most of these amps are "fully balanced" (not just having XLR connections) is this a drawback for the Odyssey? Are the full specs printed anywhere? Are there two power cords and are they "captured"?
Honestly, It would be great if I prefer this amp to the others as I'd much rather give my $$ to you ascI've seen how much help you give your customers and how proud you are of your equipment
Anyway, it looks like your new amp is going on my "short" list`
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Hi AnthonyC, don't want to sound like an advertisement (maybe expected a bit in the Odyssey Circle) but I have the Stereo Stratos for 1 year now and like it better now than I did earlier. I have taken some more time getting things balanced between speaker-cables, interconnects, powercable and speaker-placement.
The amps you list look like a very impressive list. Most of these I would like to hear and I suspect I'd like most of them well enough to be very happy. What sets the Stratos apart for me is the level of support from Klaus personally but also the active user community adds a lot of value to me.
Good luck picking a new amp. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun making your selection. :D