Greetings!
This is crossposted to harmonic discord and audiocircle... I hope that's ok.
Well, I've recently joined the ranks of the Odyssey clan. Some of you may have seen the ad on audiogon last week... well I'm the lucky guy who picked up the pair of Stratos mono's and the Tempest. Since I was the first to contact the seller, I offered him less than he was asking if I were to pick them up in San Francisco (a 3 hour drive away). Jeff, the seller, countered and between the time that we made the deal (Friday) and when I showed up (Tuesday), Jeff had a number of other folks trying to get their mitts on them. One guy from San Jose told him he'd beat me there and give him *more* than he was asking. To Jeff's credit, he stuck by his word and held out for me. Kudo's to Jeff and his integrity as it could have meant a handful of bens back in his pocket otherwise. Very cool and exactly what I would have done had the shoe been on the other foot (chalk one up for Kharma). As far as that SJ boy, well if you're out there you can kiss my furry bottom, you bottom-fed, pan-fried loser! LOL!
When I first picked these up, I was floored... literally!
These things are tanks! Right under the Stratos logo should be etched the phrase "sheetmetal is for sissies."
Thanks to Klaus for spending time with me on the phone before the purchase. His reputation is well deserved and his customer service put me over the top on my decision. (Klaus, if you are reading this: I sent you an email about changing the registration, etc. I also wanted to get in the que for your extreme mono upgrade and Tempest HT bypass, etc. Didja get that?)
I'm building my setup from scratch with a strong emphasis on 2-channel listening but also to be integrated with a simple but solid 5 channel HT system. These are the first 3 components purchased towards that goal. Any recommendations on other components that synergize well with Odyssey is greatly appreciated. I prefer high quality, high value, bang-for-buck stuff on par with the Odyssey philosophy.
Also, who do you folks use to ship these toe-crushers back to Odyssey? Is one courier preferred over others based on cost and handling care?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and sorry for the long-winded intro,
Randog
Northern California Sierra Foothills
BTW, I notice a lot of far-out emoticons being used here that aren't listed. Where are those found?