Got this Unit from Klaus couple of days ago

A_shah · « **on:** 21 Jun 2017, 04:16 am »

Got this unit from Klaus a couple of days ago , what I find interesting is these large" black capacitors" ? they have no markings on them , plus the extra fuses sent with the unit are Slo-Blow "10 amps. 250V "the trannie is 850Volt, I am curious about these large Black capacitors any guesses ?( most of Klaus's units seem to have Blue ones ) I have set this unit up fronted by Parasound(Halo) Integrated as a pre amp to power my Maggie 1.7i which are about 7 months old the maggies do have SR 20 fuses (made big difference in SQ ! )
Although I was told it would take 400- 600 for the amplifier to break, but right out of the box it sounds very good ! it's very quiet even when I put my ear next to the super tweeter of the Maggies I don't hear anything

Brettio · « **Reply #1 on:** 24 Jun 2017, 05:07 pm »

If you haven't gotten your answer yet, a quick telephone call to Klaus will answer your question. My experience has been that it's best to call in the evening.

When you get the answer please post it as I'm interested too.

klaus@odyssey · « **Reply #2 on:** 24 Jun 2017, 09:28 pm »

This our new Extreme...850 VA single big mama tranny rather than 2 x 400's as in the past..and the caps...man oh man, those caps....SL designed 35,000 uF ...our new reference pieces, and I'm stoked that Germany let us use these...made in Germany, quite expensive, but boy oh boy oh boy oh boy....

Jonathon Janusz · « **Reply #3 on:** 24 Jun 2017, 10:30 pm »

So... could this amp be built into a khartago case, or isn't there enough room for the caps and transformer?

A_shah · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 Jun 2017, 10:52 pm »

Quote from: klaus@odyssey on 24 Jun 2017, 09:28 pm

This our new Extreme...850 VA single big mama tranny rather than 2 x 400's as in the past..and the caps...man oh man, those caps....SL designed 35,000 uF ...our new reference pieces, and I'm stoked that Germany let us use these...made in Germany, quite expensive, but boy oh boy oh boy oh boy....

Thanks Klaus !
I know my amp. is one of kind Kismet . I suspected as such , I am glad they are not" black gate" caps , but seem very similar to a picture I found on the symphonic line brochure next to a Kraft 250 & Kraft 300. I am glad you used the a single 850 tranny instead of two as one single is" supposedly " better for "Timing & Rhythm" ? So far so good; no blown fuses ! very stable ! Sounds very transparent, already has a GR8 soundstage & depth, it is" very quick" and keeps up with my Dr. Hsu Subwoofer and it is only a few days old ! very happy with it ! Cheers !

klaus@odyssey · « **Reply #5 on:** 25 Jun 2017, 12:13 am »

Here's the story behind the improvements:

For quite some time I experimented with different power supplies for my own personal amps....and this was by far the best that I came up with....

So, a couple of guys wanted what i had, and I started making them....this is the very best that I could possibly do...however, at times you will blow an external fuse...as this ps is just massive. 850 W. / 200,000 uF per amp !!!!! In the past weeks I also did some revisions on the board to safeguard from the big PS...think in terms of a car: you don't want to take a car from 400 hp to over 600 hp without beefing up the transmission, etc....that's what I did.

So, yes, my own amps are now available, as I already made a couple of dozen of them, and since there will be more and more buzz about them....and yes, we can shoehorn it into a Khartago amp...Just barely, but it works !!!!!!!!!!!

Jonathon Janusz · « **Reply #6 on:** 25 Jun 2017, 12:39 am »

Klaus, how does this setup compare to the old extreme with the 2x400 tranformers, if all else is the same? I'm asking in regards to upgrade options if on already has the old extremes and is looking to upgrade.

rickmusicman · « **Reply #7 on:** 25 Jun 2017, 02:17 am »

Klaus,
Thanks for all your help on my amp order. I know I changed my mind on the upgrades, after looking at this amp I just had to! I appreciate your patience and building me the Kismet in a Khartago case. It will be great I know. Rick

JackD · « **Reply #8 on:** 25 Jun 2017, 03:52 am »

Rick

If you "gave in" and went with the Full Monty Kismet upgrade you will be beyond pleased. It and the Sachs preamp should be an epic pairing. Next up, speaker upgrade.

rickmusicman · « **Reply #9 on:** 25 Jun 2017, 04:17 am »

Actually, I requested the upgrade, Klaus thinks it's overkill with my Tekton Double Impact speakers, but he said the amp will be great. The Sachs preamp and the amp should sound great. No upgrade on the speakers, I just got them and like them a lot!

JackD · « **Reply #10 on:** 25 Jun 2017, 04:51 am »

Overkill is just another state of mind and if your mind thought you needed it then you are good. At least you will never run out of "reserve power."

Delta77 · « **Reply #11 on:** 28 Jun 2017, 12:46 am »

I have Tektons as well. Seas Pendragon & Cinema 18" sub. I have had my Candella / Stratos Extreme combo for almost 3 months, just about fully broken in. My OPPO 205 is around 1 month old. This is my first higher end stereo system. I love it !!! I went to LAAS 2017 , and after listening to lots and lots of very expensive rooms , I'm still loving my system !!! Klaus & Alex (odyssey) Eric (tekton) have very nice offerings.

geerock · « **Reply #12 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 04:11 am »

Ok..... I just ordered the same set of monos that A Shah has. After going back and forth trying to get a hold of each other, Klaus emailed me asking if I was still awake. Apparently, he got in at around 11pm and was getting ready to work through the night. When all was said and done I just felt comfortable enough with this guy to just say "do it". I went all in and now the waiting starts. I want to thank the Circle for giving me all the pre info in these amps and on the man himself. Seems like he's a hell of a guy, and the issues I have had driving my modded Maggie 3.7's I'm sure are at an end. Apparently this is his current high end piece and I'm excited to have a pair coming my way. I'll post up when I get them.

A_shah · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 08:18 am »

Quote from: geerock on 4 Jul 2017, 04:11 am

Ok..... I just ordered the same set of monos that A Shah has. After going back and forth trying to get a hold of each other, Klaus emailed me asking if I was still awake. Apparently, he got in at around 11pm and was getting ready to work through the night. When all was said and done I just felt comfortable enough with this guy to just say "do it". I went all in and now the waiting starts. I want to thank the Circle for giving me all the pre info in these amps and on the man himself. Seems like he's a hell of a guy, and the issues I have had driving my modded Maggie 3.7's I'm sure are at an end. Apparently this is his current high end piece and I'm excited to have a pair coming my way. I'll post up when I get them.

congratulations !
So far I like what I have, don't forget to order Groneberg cables , and IC with them just got them in last Thursday I had Mogami #3103 self terminated cables that are pretty neutral once broken in, they gave me pretty good Bass, they are low impedance, I was a bit concerned that Groneberg Quatro were high impedance (530ufd) cables but after 3 days in the system they seem to be very detailed, very good clarity , not sure of the Bass yet but than I have a subwoofer I am debating what tube pre-amplifier to get ? I am looking at don Sachs, Candela and Freya , so I will try out Freya first , if that does not work out will give Klaus a call he is GR8 to work with ! Cheers !

Delta77 · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 10:03 am »

I have the Candela with ,almost the same amp. My stratos extreme amp has symphonic line caps on board & the 850 volt trany (3 months old) .

Using a Shiit Gungnir (DAC), my system was too hot with My 95db Tektons (got too loud too fast, no low level listening). It sounded great just hard to hold a conversation. I had to almost yell at the wife for her to hear me.
So I had to buy a DAC with volume control.
I bought the Oppo 205 so I utilize the voltage output adjustability . Now I can listen at any volume from very low to OMG loud.(I want to do the Modwright upgrade on the Oppo someday.)

I don't see a lot of the other guys using the Candela. But I do really like the way my system sounds with the Candela!

I bypassed the Candela (for fun) , going from the Oppo strait into the Stratos amp (no preamp). The system did sound good ,real good, but lost a lot of that magic that I was loving (tubes?).
I pluged the Candela back in, and wham the magic was back.
I have rolled a couple different tubes in, RCA clear top & Gold Lions. Telefunkin are next.
But to tell the absolute truth , I also drool over the Don Sachs model preamp.
Buying from Klaus is a bit confusing at first, He gives great discounts for grouping his components together & I really don't think I could've done a whole lot better (for the $) on the preamp/amp combo!!

opnly bafld · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 01:23 pm »

Nice system Delta77.

geerock · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 09:03 pm »

Quote from: A_shah on 5 Jul 2017, 08:18 am

congratulations !
So far I like what I have, don't forget to order Groneberg cables , and IC with them just got them in last Thursday I had Mogami #3103 self terminated cables that are pretty neutral once broken in, they gave me pretty good Bass, they are low impedance, I was a bit concerned that Groneberg Quatro were high impedance (530ufd) cables but after 3 days in the system they seem to be very detailed, very good clarity , not sure of the Bass yet but than I have a subwoofer I am debating what tube pre-amplifier to get ? I am looking at don Sachs, Candela and Freya , so I will try out Freya first , if that does not work out will give Klaus a call he is GR8 to work with ! Cheers !

I came across a Musical Paradise MP D2 pre amp/ DAC that I've had for a few months. A great match of a tubed pre with SS amp. It uses both 6 and 12 volts tube arrays and the rectifier circuit is tube driven also and is switchable for 6 and 5 volt series rectifier. AND.....it has its caps connected with screw down connectors so you can roll caps along with tubes. So it's a tube and cap rollers delight. I have a set of 1961 Telefunken e88cc in there and some Mundorf Silver/ Oil caps. I run my cdp, sonus, and downloads thru this unit and it upsamples just about everything. DSD is just wonderful. The addition of the new Odyssey monos is going to complete my system which includes modded Maggie 3.7's. Tough to get this old buzzard excited about anything, but I'm sure looking forward to seeing the UPS man.

AlTran · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 11:54 pm »

A_Shah, congrats, great amp, great called, & enjoy it.

Geerock, congrats on the purchased. Before I go on about the Candela, let me make this very clear, this is IMHO ONLY. I've tried many preamps in the past, I have own a lot of tube gears, I do collect a bunch of exotic tubes that you won't find any info on Google. I've also listen to Muscial Paradise MP-301 which is 6.5 watts integrated SET tube, it is not only good but it is great for what it is. No doubt MP makes some special items & great prices. You now ordered a pair of mono blocks Odyssey, top of the line, the world class power amps, matching with great speakers, BUT sorry I suggest you give the Candela a try. BTW, I have no affiliation with Odyssey Audio. I just happened to be a big fan of Odyssey and most importantly Klaus keeps on offering better & better products.

A_shah · « **Reply #18 on:** 6 Jul 2017, 01:04 am »

Quote from: AlTran on 5 Jul 2017, 11:54 pm

A_Shah, congrats, great amp, great called, & enjoy it.

Geerock, congrats on the purchased. Before I go on about the Candela, let me make this very clear, this is IMHO ONLY. I've tried many preamp in the past, I have own a lot of tube gears, I do collect a bunch of exotic tubes that you won't find any info on Google. I've also listen to Muscial Paradise MP-301 which is 6.5 watts integrated SET tube, it is not only good but it is great for what it is. No doubt MP makes some special items & great prices. You now ordered a pair of mono blocks Odyssey, top of the line, the world class power amps, matching with great speakers, BUT sorry I suggest you give the Candela a try. BTW, I have no affiliation with Odyssey Audio. I just happened to be a big fan of Odyssey and most importantly Klaus keeps on offering better & better products.

I have half German family in Braunschweig , a town close to where Klaus comes from and often visited Germany over the years as a matter of fact I will be traveling their again either end of August or next May,2018 so their was also sentimental reason for doing business with Klaus, I will probably end up buying a Candela it is complimentary(Synergy) to the equipment that I have , but I just want to try out Schiit Freya right now I am using the pre-amp portion of my Parasound HINT (Halo) I am pretty satisfied with it , I tried using the new OPPO 203 UHD 4K which I have upgraded with Clone audio power supply (PSUPD) with it , but the DAC didn't cut it, so back to the Parasound , Odyssey amps to my ears seem to be pretty neutral sounding, and pick up the character of what is fed into it
Thanks for the tip ! I envy you getting the Kraft 250, if you change your mind and if the price is right I would not mind taking them off your hands the budget is there ! subject WAF. of course cheers !

geerock · « **Reply #19 on:** 6 Jul 2017, 01:21 am »

Quote from: AlTran on 5 Jul 2017, 11:54 pm

A_Shah, congrats, great amp, great called, & enjoy it.

Geerock, congrats on the purchased. Before I go on about the Candela, let me make this very clear, this is IMHO ONLY. I've tried many preamps in the past, I have own a lot of tube gears, I do collect a bunch of exotic tubes that you won't find any info on Google. I've also listen to Muscial Paradise MP-301 which is 6.5 watts integrated SET tube, it is not only good but it is great for what it is. No doubt MP makes some special items & great prices. You now ordered a pair of mono blocks Odyssey, top of the line, the world class power amps, matching with great speakers, BUT sorry I suggest you give the Candela a try. BTW, I have no affiliation with Odyssey Audio. I just happened to be a big fan of Odyssey and most importantly Klaus keeps on offering better & better products.

Altran,

I appreciate the insight on the Candela. And don't think that I havent thought about it. According to Klaus, the Candela is an EXACT replica of the Symphonic Line pre. But when I purchased the MP D2 and put in some NOS Telefunken tubes (I also have a bunch of special NOS laying around as I had Uncle in the radio / TV business many moons ago.) and Mundorf S/O caps, I was mesmerized by the changes in my system. Absolutely some of the finest sound I've had in this house....and I've gone through a bit of equipment in my time. I really want to hear what will happen when I marry these monos up with some DSD and high sample rate tunes through that MP pre. Already I've disconnected the built in DAC from my CDP and run direct to the MP DAC and there is no comparison. And BTW, I also had the 301, and it was nice, but can't hold a candle to the MP D2 with great tubes. Plus I bought it during Garry's holiday sale at 30% off. It is absolutely one of the best value buy pieces of equipment I've seen out there....... just like Odyssey. I'll probably try it for a while, and let my ears settle in; and then maybe I can get Klaus to give me a loaner on the Candela, or I'll try it under the 30 day return policy. Anyway, happy listening and all the best to you.