[buckeyefanandy]

I have the Khartago Upgraded 2 channel amp and have been very pleased with its performance.  I have some friends that have asked what the other Odyssey gear sounds like farther up the food chain.

For instance is it better to go with Mono Khartagos or a Stereo Stratos Extreem?

The real question is what are the differances you have experienced as you got better Odyssey gear?

[WerTicus]

smaller bank balance!

oh, improvements, the usual no doubt, better sound

[djbnh]

buckeyefanandy,

I think much of what you ask is system dependent, and revolves around how the interaction of each component complements/detracts from the insertion of other components. A system with poor sources might not respond as well as one anticipated to the addition of better amplifiers, as the sources are the rate limiting step. I truly feel Klaus is the person to best answer your question, as he might have a better idea regarding what improvments may be heard with various gear.

However, I can offer some generalities regarding my own experience of moving from Statos w/cap upgrade to Extreme Monos. You get more - of everything. More control, more sense of effortlessness from the amps, more speed on attack/decay, more detail/soundstage/precision in placing voices/instruments, more realism, more enjoyment and sense of being involved with the music.

I think your question about Khatargo monos v. Stratos Extreme is a good one. Hopefully Klaus will be able to help you regarding what various upgrades might bring to you and your system. Furthermore, I  note "WesTicus" comment about "smaller bank balance", and I understand all of us need to live within our respective means. That being said, it's tough for me to fathom any other purveyor of audio gear that offers so much bang for your buck, not to mention top-shelf cutsomer service with such an earnestness to help and wealth of knowlege.

Happy New Year to Klaus and all those in the world of Odyssey gear.

[bunky]

Hey Andy,the Khartago monos with 150 WPC/100 amps of current are really excellent amplifiers and for the money nothing else comes even close. if you ask Klaus i am sure that he will confirm this. as djbnh alluded to in his comments ,if your source is up to the task and your loudspeakers can use the additional power and current you may be able to justify the added expense of buying the mono extremes. the mono extremes remind me of the Khartago monos on steroids. Chris B is using the Khartago monos with a gorgeous pair of oak finished Loreleis and a tubed preamp to great effect and if you pm him i am sure that he can confirm just how good the Khartago monos really are! for the price of another Khartago klaus will transform both amplifiers to monoblocks and match the capacitors to within less than one percent of each other which is a painstaking process but well worth it considering the sonic gains that will result. he does this service for free and you wont find this degree of customer service anywhere else that i am aware of.  if later on down the road you feel the need for his mono extremes klaus will be glad to take you to the highest level. i know because ive been there done that!thanks....WCW III

[Chris_B]

Andy,

As Bunky said, I am using the Khartago monos and they are great. When I first talked to Klaus, he told me to go for the K monos do to their high current delivery. He also told me that to get better results, you really have to go to the big mono extremes. The K monos are as good as if not slightly better than the stereo Stratos extremes. The K monos are just about the sweet spot for performance vs price.

What speakers do you have? That will be the biggest factor. If they are power hungry, then you will see a big difference in speed, dynamics and bass control with the K monos or equivalent. If you have very efficient speakers that don't need a lot of current, then the differences won't be as great.

I am going to talk with Klaus later this winter about upgrading to the mono extremes after I sell some equipment. It all gets better as you move up, just not as you keep going.

Hey Bunky, we still need to get together so I can hear your mono extremes and you can borrow the Europas.

Happy New Year everyone,

Chris

[djbnh]

If you have very efficient speakers that don't need a lot of current, then the differences won't be as great.

Please note that efficient speakers can also require lots of current. For example, my speakers have a sensitivity of 94db, but they absolutely thrive on the high current the Extreme Monos bring to the equation. YMMV.

[byteme]

If I recall, back when the Khartago was first being mentioned as an idea someone posed a similar question.  The word from the Man in Indy went something like this:

Khartago stereo
Stratos Stereo
Stratos Stereo Extreme
Khartago Monos
Stratos Monos
Stratos Mono Extremes

With each step up there were incrimental gains in bass managment, power delivery, soundstage, dynamics, speed and clarity.  Each of course has the wonderful Odyssey musicality but, that too increases as you move up the chain.

I distinctly remember him saying that the Mono Khartagos are a touch ahead of the Stereo Extreme.  I remember because at the time I had the Stereo Extreme.

The changes I noticed when going from Stereo Extreme to Mono Extremes was obvious and it got more noticable with time on the Monos.  The biggest thing I noticed was dynamics, bass control and soundstage growth.  Things seemed more dialed in.  These things were apparent as I said, but I also really noticed the seemingly endless power reserves and bass control when watching movies as well.  The monos run my Lorelies, obviously, and when I got them I noticed such a difference in the front soundstage that I recalibrated, no changes were needed to the settings, but that gives you an idea of how much impact/improvement the Monos had.

[Chris_B]

Agree.  I was just trying to give Andy some general concepts to relate to his situation.  Most speakers will benifit from increased current delivery.  I definitely noticed the improvement when I went to the K monos.

[Marbles]

If I recall, back when the Khartago was first being mentioned as an idea someone posed a similar question.  The word from the Man in Indy went something like this:

Khartago stereo
Stratos Stereo
Stratos Stereo Extreme
Khartago Monos
Stratos Monos
Stratos Mono Extremes

With each step up there were incrimental gains in bass managment, power delivery, soundstage, dynamics, speed and clarity.  Each of course has the wonderful Odyssey musicality but, that too increases as you move up the chain.

Then you can go Symphonic Line Kraft 250 and if you can find them for sale, the Kraft 400's.

[John151]

I have compared my HT-3 Plus (3 channel Stratos) to my Stereo Stratos, and the differences are subtle, and most notable on busy tracks and/or higher volumes.  This comparison was done on a pair of Maggies, which are one of the thirstiest speakes of all - the more power they are given, the better they sound. I actually found the limits of the HT-3, but never have for the Stereo Extreme.   I would say the benefits are tighter bass at all volume levels, and better detail at higher volumes.  For lower volumes, and efficent speakers, the differences I think would be minimal.  

I think the key is to do exactly what you have done:  get into the low end of the Klaustronics amp line to get that special Indy sound.  Then, upgrade the source, speakers, pre, cables,  and then look into more Indy power.

I started out with a Stratos Plus, and everyone said skip the Extreme upgrade and go straight to Monos, but I had to learn for myslef.  I recently pulled my Stratos out of my system in preperation for the mono conversion.  It was replaced by my NAD T762 receiver, which is known for having very good amps (for a receiver).  The difference was much more noticable than I expected.  While the NAD sounded clean and clear, I instantly missed that warm, 3-dimensional sound.

[bunky]

Hey guys, Klaus told me point blank that the Khartago monos would outperform the Stratos extreme and for $50.00 less due to thier higher current capability. i had no issues at all with the Khartago monos when i replaced them with the mono extremes.  i kept wondering that if these little monos sounded so phenominal that the mono extremes must really be something! well they are and then some but the caveat is that the rest of my gear was up to snuff to realise thier full potential. thanks....WCW III P.S i am now using a power conditioner for my source and preamplifier and the separation ,clarity and the amount of air around the musical notes is absolutely breathtaking, like a veil has been removed that i didnt even know existed before. i especialy notice this improvement with very good recordings. Happy New Year to everyone!

[denjo]

I have been reading this thread with keen and vested interest! How would the Stratos Dual mono stack against the Khartago monos?

[rosconey]

I have been reading this thread with keen and vested interest! How would the Stratos Dual mono stack against the Khartago monos?

i would think the khartago monos might be better because they can be extremed  but a dual mono cant

[Chris_B]

I have been reading this thread with keen and vested interest! How would the Stratos Dual mono stack against the Khartago monos?

They would be pretty close with a little edge to the Dual mono.  When I asked Klaus about the upgrade path from the K mono, he told me that Stratos Dual Mono would be a very small upgrade and that I would have to go to the Mono Extreme to get to a true noticable improvement.