Stratos with High Sensitivity Horns

corwin99 · « **on:** 9 Feb 2005, 11:47 pm »

Anyone use the Stratos/Mono/Stereo/Extreme and so on with High Sensitivity Horn type speakers like the Avantgardes? Just wondering if they sound good with these types of speakers... been looking around for some new speakers, and high sensitivity would be much more flexible for plugging in some low powered tubes if my mood suits it.

jackman · « **Reply #1 on:** 10 Feb 2005, 12:51 am »

Like many things, this may come down to personal preference, but I would never team up a high powered SS amp (even Odyssey), no matter how refined with ultra high efficiency horn speakers. Those speakers sound really good with low power SET, and some people seem to like them with digital amp.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can find a speaker that sounds great with low powered SETor tubes and SS. Since you already have the high powered amps, why not just get speakers that work well with them? There are lots of people on this site who have teamed up Odyssey amps with speakers from several manufacturers with great results. Finding a one size fits all solution involves compromises that are likely to give you poor results. If you love tubes, you may want to think about a second system that uses tubes.

J

gongos · « **Reply #2 on:** 10 Feb 2005, 01:21 am »

That's like putting an MX Missle in a 22.

pfradale · « **Reply #3 on:** 10 Feb 2005, 01:36 am »

My system, the Lambda horn with TD15 woofers, is fairly high sensitivity. It's been some years since I built them, but iirc they were 95dB+.

I run them with mono extremes, a tempest pre, and a sony scd-1 for source.

They sound simply awesome. I've had very critical listeners over to audition them and have never had a negative comment.

While I have not heard the speakers you mentioned, I can say that high-sensitivity horns can indeed work well with high power ss amps. Mind, the Unities are special horns.

KarlDL · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Feb 2005, 02:14 am »

Can't speal to 100dB+ sensitivities, but my Silverline Sonata IIs are at 95dB and synergize well with my pair of Stratos Extremes.

I am, both in my home system and professionally in a (broadcast) studio setting, a headroom fanatic, based on hard measured data on real-world audio signals. One never can go wrong with a seemingly-overpowered and good-sounding amp, be it SS or "valves". I like headroom factors of 20dB+, which is, in power terms, 100x. So, if the speakers need 1W RMS drive on real audio, you need an amp capable of at least 100W to avoid clipping distortion on transient audio peaks.

Much of the carping over amplifier performance has to do with how the amps behave when overdriven. Rather than find the amp that tolerates overdrive the best, I do the amp that won't be overdriven in my application! Hence, I'm skeptical about all but the most outrageous SETs (e.g., 833A-based), but look favorably on the more sane Williamson-topology "valve" amps, when used with 95dB+ efficient speakers.

I would expect Khartago Monos to be very friendly with horns.

jackman · « **Reply #5 on:** 12 Feb 2005, 02:52 am »

Your experience is very different than mine. I don't doubt there are several efficient speakers that will sound great with the Stratos or other Odyssey amps but I would never use horns with the Odyssey amps. There are several speakers that sound better than horns with the Odyssey amps and several amps that sound better than the Odyssey (tube amps, and not hybrid ones, I'm talking tubes like SET, etc.) with horns.

Have you ever heard horns with SET or good tubes? It's a sound that many people like. I'm not saying it's better than SS because I don't feel it is, but many people like it. Klaus always speaks about synergy. Getting components that sound good together. SET and low efficiency speakers are a bad combo. Most high powered SS and horns is also usually a bad combo. The Stratos has enough power to drive moderate to low efficiency speakers and probably sounds good with some high efficiency speakers but I would not team it up with horns. It's your money, that's just my opinion.

J

mcrespo71 · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Feb 2005, 08:19 am »

Why????? Just buy a cheaper SET amp.

JLM · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Feb 2005, 12:15 pm »

Horns and SETs synergize well. The lack of bass, high damping, high efficiency, and forward presentation that horns provide complement the typical warm sounding, low power, and weak/undampened bass that SETs offer. The horn/tube combination has been used for decades.

Agree with the need for 20 dB of headroom, but if average listening levels are around 80 dB (about what most audiophiles do), you only need to reach 100 dB (less than 1 wpc with the Avantgardes). Typicaly solid state is at its best as it approaches rated output, which this combination would rarely if ever reach.

Boots · « **Reply #8 on:** 12 Feb 2005, 06:25 pm »

I disagree with anyone telling someone that high powered amps don't go with very sensitive speakers. When some one gives this advice, they don't really know what they are talking about because high-power amps gives a certain quality to the sound that goes very well with even, yes, very sensitive speakers.

I for one, am running a 400wpc amp with 104db Klipsch speakers, and the sound is so stunning it makes anyone who hears it so stunned with how awesome it sounds. A lower powered amp just didn't give the same quality to the music as the high-powered amp! You can only experience this to have an understanding to it.

I highly recommend a power amp with sensitive speakers, it's not a wrong thing to do at all and the gains are more positive than not.

Boots · « **Reply #9 on:** 12 Feb 2005, 06:38 pm »

I agree that horns and Odyssey don't really go well together, I have tried that and Odyssey sounds good on it but horns need a little more warmer sound than the Odyssey gives it to keep the horns civil. I am running a different amp for my Klipsch speakers, but running an Odyssey amp with my Wharfedale Opus 3 speakers and the Odyssey goes great with the Wharfedale.

TjMV3 · « **Reply #10 on:** 13 Feb 2005, 11:15 pm »

It sure seems like the Wharfedale Opus 2 & 3 are a good match for the Odyssey amps. I've spoken with someone else who has the Opus 2 and he auditioned a friends Odyssey amp. He was very pleased with the results.

I have the Opus 2 also, and I'm currently saving for the Odyssey Mono Extremes and the Tempest Extreme. From what I understand, this combo goes very, very well with the Opus 2.

corwin99 · « **Reply #11 on:** 14 Feb 2005, 05:32 pm »

I've been listening to some Proacs and Dynaudios that I really Liked, but am still not sure... I haven't heard any of them on Odyssey gear. Maybe I should open a high end audio shop since there aren't any around here