[Mal P]

Hello there,

My locally made pre-amp (an Australian "ME14" model) is a really great sounding pre-amp and didn't cost a mint (I think it was $AU1400 including the remote control?) either! So I really believe on the value for money thing. I'd like to try some Odyssey gear, as it seems they offer high quality products at excellent prices, but one major convienience for me is the 12v trigger my pre-amp sends out via a little wire for turning on a power-amp... does anyone know if any of the Odyssey amps can be equipped to accept such a trigger and thus turn on and off when the pre-amp is turned on and off?

I was also wondering if there are any Aussie owners of these amps? I'd be very curious to know if there is still a local dealer for them and how much they cost? My speakers are the Dynaudio Confidence C1, and I'd probably look at the Khartago, as it seems to be quite some bang for the buck, but I could be convinced otherwise!

Oh, and one more thing - just a technical question, does anyone know if they use any global negative feedback? Not that it matters in the right implementation, just curious.

Thank you very much,
Mal

[Marbles]

You can build a high quality power strip that can turn on and off with this feature, or buy an inexpensive Monster strip with it built in.

I use the Monster HTS 1000  strip for my HT which uses Odyssey amps and it works very well.

You leave the amps in the ON position and the 12V signal togles the strip on and off.

[Eduardo AAVM]

Marbles can you provide information abour building that triggered power bar ?

[Marbles]

Marbles can you provide information abour building that triggered power bar ?

No, but I remember finding 12v trigers when I was looking to make one.

JoshK might be able to provide more info, we had several conversations about it.

As it turns out the Monster bar was pretty cheap and very good for what I was looking for.  For HT, I don't need the last ounce of performance.

If I needed it for 2 channel, I would go to a Wayne at Bolder or again talk to JoshK to see if it would fit in their homebrew powerbar/filter.

[Chris_B]

Just a question - why not just leave the amp on?  That is what Klaus does.  Sure it uses a little but I wonder how much that would cost per year compared to a power strip.  Also, some like to have their solid state amps "warmed" up first.

[mgalusha]

Chris B makes a good point, leave the Odyssey amps on all the time. They only draw about 35 watts of power at idle and you will be much happier with the sound as a result. The amps have such a massive amount of metal it takes nearly a full day for them to reach operating temperature. As the Odyssey amps are not servo controlled the bias won't be correct until they have come up to temperature.

I shut mine down if I'm going to be out of town for more than a couple of days or there is an electrical storm in the area but otherwise they stay on. After being shut down it really takes them at least 8 hours to start sounding right. At least to my ears.

Regards,

Mike G.

[Mal P]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the information! The Monster power board looks like it'll do the job - will it be ok for the amp to receive that direct rush of current with the on switch always 'open'?

I'm not too sure about leaving it on all the time - not only the power consumption, but leaving equipment on makes me feel a little dirty The Khartago should warm up quicker since it doesn't have as much heatsinking I'd hope?

Thanks,
Mal

[mgalusha]

Mal,

We certainly don't want you feeling dirty.

As for the power surge of turning the amp on via a power strip or via the switch on the amp, there is no difference. The power switch just disconnects one side of the mains. The inrush current will be the same either way. You are most likely correct as the Khartago has much less heatsink area than a Stratos and should warm up quicker but I'd bet it will still take an hour or two to come on song.

mike

[Mal P]

Excellent, mucho gracias! I will hunt down a power board with a constant 12v trigger input.

*takes a long hot shower - get rid of that dirt *

Sincerely,
Mal

[Musky_Don]

Hey Mal - Nice to see you on the Odyssey thread.  My basement project is just about finished.  The C2s are in place and sound great in the larger room.  Klaus performed a little surgery on a Tempest for me and now I find myself in posession of an extreme version.  Sounds good thus far, but I will reserve judgement till I receive my new cartridge - my current one has a few hundred too many hours on it - sounds like shit.  

My suggestion on the amps - leave them on.  Mine sound a bit better with a full charge.  Every now and then, I will notice something a bit off with the amps at full charge - I power them down till the lights are out (good opportunity for a stiff glass of scotch and the beginning of a nice cigar...).  I prefer the sound always on rather than off.

Cheers.   I'm going fishing for a few weeks.  Just buy the damn things.  Klaus will take them back if you don't like them.  You will.  Odyssey and Dyn work very well together.

Don

[william]

I have a Symphonic Line pre-amp that has tubes.  Should that be left on all of the time, too?  If so, wouldn't that reduce the lifespan of the tubes?  If not, would I then shut down the amps prior to turning on the pre-amp?  What may seem obvious to you is easily lost on me.  Thank you.

William