[gregtheis]

I recently purchased a customized Kismet stereo amp from Klaus Bunge. After a few weeks of break-in I am really impressed and happy with this amp. I own some really nice Nagra and Accuphase gear in a very high end main system. I've been obssessed with great audio gear for over 30 years. This is in a second system I recently put together. For the money I would say this is the best amp I've heard including many at the Axpona and other shows. It's also really well built. Klaus even biased it to match my home voltage exactly. Amazing overall sound. Very neutral, powerful, quiet and great imaging. Again their's better out there but you'd have to spend so much more. Kudos to Klaus for building a high end amp at mid-fi pricing!
Greg Theis

[Housteau]

I am curious to know exactly how your new amp stacks up to your others in your main system?  For me, that is the real test.  I often read of components being good for the money.  That is fine, but that also immediately tells me that it is compromised in some important way.  One really doesn't know how good something is until it is in your own system for evaluation.  Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to play at home with any +20K amplifiers and very few +15K ones.  I will say my custom Odyssey monos when biased correctly hold their ground easily against what I have known.

[klaus@odyssey]

Good point.  When we got the TAS product of the year awards for the Khartago and the Stratos monos,  I actually heard them in Jonathan Valin's systems myself...In both cases he had Soulution amps,   1 x $ 145 K monos and 1 x $  65K stereo.....and both times it was frighteningly close to a point where at a blind test (albeit you'd always pick out the Soulutions because of their sheer power advantages over the Odyssey)  you might get really confused...........IT WAS AWESOME  !!!!!

Also,  over the years that I have had my Hyper power supply Kismets,  I have had quite a few amps in my home...mostly from friends and also from customers who wanted to hear the difference....Soulutions, $$$ Moon's, 80 K Halcros,  ARC References...........and other than the ARC's,  the Kismets were easily the choice of everybody hearing them..........

I know where I stand with performance vs. price.....the problem is that most people don't get to completely understand as to what they have....case in point:  the amount of returning customers who sold their Odyssey's and tried something else is staggering.    But the biggest problem is that people might get jaded...  Seen and heard about Odyssey for a long time.so, it's not the new and shiny object anymore......