Contemplating Odyssey

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Spirit

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Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #20 on: 19 Sep 2006, 01:01 am »
Hey Bunky:
How do you like SE monos?
What makes them so "Special"?

bunky

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #21 on: 19 Sep 2006, 01:44 am »
Hey Bunky:
How do you like SE monos?
What makes them so "Special"?

Hey Spirit,i Adore my mono extreme SEs. the SEs are a Highly refined version of an already world class pair of monoblocks. non standard parts include Hexfred bridge rectifiers. Nichicon Muse ES capacitors etc.... i had Klaus wire them with Groneberg TS premium cable because thats what i use for my loudspeakers and IC cables. the reason i put "special order"in my posts is because they are not a standard item but if you ask nicely and pony up the extra bucks Klaus and company can build anything you want. thanks....WCW III

lazydays

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Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #22 on: 19 Sep 2006, 05:20 pm »
I have an Extreme Stratos for sale. I'm selling it because it's too big for my rack. Best SS amp I've heard.

Yes, I was JUST looking at it on Agon, But I havent got the cash burning a hole in my pocket just yet. believe me, theres a hole there already. Just no cash  :lol:

On another note is that a custom made nametag on the back? If so thats pretty cool, Especuially since my speakers have been custom made for me also :)

My two amps and the new preamp all came with name tags on them. I too thought it was a nice touch as well as very classy.
gary

bunky

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #23 on: 19 Sep 2006, 11:58 pm »
I have an Extreme Stratos for sale. I'm selling it because it's too big for my rack. Best SS amp I've heard.

Yes, I was JUST looking at it on Agon, But I havent got the cash burning a hole in my pocket just yet. believe me, theres a hole there already. Just no cash  :lol:

On another note is that a custom made nametag on the back? If so thats pretty cool, Especuially since my speakers have been custom made for me also :)

My two amps and the new preamp all came with name tags on them. I too thought it was a nice touch as well as very classy.
gary
I agree Gary,it is also nice to own Gear that is not made in a factory in a cookie cutter fashion.this equipment is handmade to order one at a time by people who really care about the sound and build quality. by the way how many hours do you have on your new Candela and would you please share some more of your impressions of it. thanks....WCW III

lazydays

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Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #24 on: 20 Sep 2006, 06:06 pm »
I have an Extreme Stratos for sale. I'm selling it because it's too big for my rack. Best SS amp I've heard.

Yes, I was JUST looking at it on Agon, But I havent got the cash burning a hole in my pocket just yet. believe me, theres a hole there already. Just no cash  :lol:

On another note is that a custom made nametag on the back? If so thats pretty cool, Especuially since my speakers have been custom made for me also :)

My two amps and the new preamp all came with name tags on them. I too thought it was a nice touch as well as very classy.
gary
I agree Gary,it is also nice to own Gear that is not made in a factory in a cookie cutter fashion.this equipment is handmade to order one at a time by people who really care about the sound and build quality. by the way how many hours do you have on your new Candela and would you please share some more of your impressions of it. thanks....WCW III

well it's got about 25 hours on it now (actually maybe closer to 35 hours). The sound stage is pretty much there right now. It's much wider and deeper than even 15 hours ago. Things seem to be moving a little closer than when I first got it. Yet the back end is also moving deeper into the picture. Things are growing by the hour here.
**Strings are somewhat warmer and even clearer than before. Been trying to get time to listen to some serious cello, but keep forgeting. Have not listened to Ray Brown in awhile, so will not say anything about the upright bass here.
**trumpets seem like they're about eight feet in front of me at the edge of the stage. They're very fast like they should be.
**Tenor Sax is about right, but the deep end of the window is a touch short. The sax has now moved to the front of the stage where it belongs (listening to Coletrane's "Love Supreme."). Speed is about right, but the bottom of the scale is slightly short. Now this may seem as a diatribe, but it's not. It's getting there, but already see it's gonna take a few more hours. Reason I picked this tune is that I've heard it hundreds of times live being played by the best out there. The speed is already there with immaculate timing, but want another octave and a half in the register (so Alex don't get mad!)
**Garrison's bass is about 99%!! Position is near perfect, but could be slightly tighter (he used metal strings).
I suspect that some of this is in the tube amp being a little soft. Mono blocs are in place right now, but not hooked up (I hurt my back moving them, and want to move them one more time)
**Elvin Jones! What more can I say here! I told you guys once before the drums were about right; no there got better. Very tight with NO  RUMBLE! Brass is so real I looked over in the corner to actually watch his right hand going thru those glancing blows to give the drums that fluidity most drummers never gain. Might add here that I can pick up the distance between cymbals. Try that on your Krell.
**Piano, maybe a touch heavy on this recording, but it's dead on otherwise (right now I feel like I'm six feet in front of John Coletrane!!!!). I listened to Lyn Aryrall live a couple times live and in person, and this preamp does keyboards as close to perfect as it gets. Want to play some Red Garland LP's I have hidden away just to see if it can keep up with him. More on the keyboards in the very near future, as I have a plan.
gary

Haoleb

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #25 on: 21 Sep 2006, 12:39 am »
After doing some more of browsing the internet (8 hour workday with nothing for me to do currently) I have decided to add Mute switches to my Bottlehead Foreplay, This way I can keep the Khartago's on 24/7. Hope our power bill doesnt go up too much!

When they get here i'll have to post my impressions, and then sit back and wait for the oh so long burn-in process to get going. Im very excited about it :) Currently with my system I dont have any complaints, So when Klaus said that it would be a night and day difference between my NAD and the Mono Khartago's, with cap upgrade no less. I was sold. Since I have so much time to entertain myself at work I have been reading every tidbit of information I can find on anything Odyssey and It seems like everyone is pretty pleased with Khartago's but that they could possibly use some more power and oomph. Im thinking that with going to mono's this will just completely wash those types of comments away.  The NAD C370 i have is supposed to have 70 amps peak current, and i have never quite reached its limits power wise as far as I can tell, although im quite sure ive been close a time or two. Mainly with the soundtrack to the original Pirates of the caribbean. But with from what I can tell, another 30 amps peak current and 200,000uf more in filter capcitance I think im going for a ride!

AlexG

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Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #26 on: 21 Sep 2006, 02:55 am »
Gary,

I am with you all the way...I have to say you are very precise as you describe your impressions (notes) coming from the Candela with your current setup...right on... :thumb:

Quote
The speed is already there with immaculate timing, but want another octave and a half in the register (so Alex don't get mad!)

...mad  :D  are you kidding me...the other way around Gary...I fully respect your comments and thank you for your honesty. You are truly tasting the extension that the Candela has to offer...it is just amazing and as Klaus indicated before "is that good! Also, it will get better and better with time as you mentioned...

Now, regarding ... wanting another octave and and a half..., you self answered your wish  :)

Quote
I suspect that some of this is in the tube amp being a little soft. Mono blocs are in place right now, but not hooked up

By the way, thanks for your comments  :wink:

Alex


chgww

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Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #27 on: 21 Sep 2006, 06:21 am »
When they get here i'll have to post my impressions, and then sit back and wait for the oh so long burn-in process to get going. Im very excited about it :) Currently with my system I dont have any complaints, So when Klaus said that it would be a night and day difference between my NAD and the Mono Khartago's, with cap upgrade no less. I was sold. Since I have so much time to entertain myself at work I have been reading every tidbit of information I can find on anything Odyssey and It seems like everyone is pretty pleased with Khartago's but that they could possibly use some more power and oomph. Im thinking that with going to mono's this will just completely wash those types of comments away.

Haoleb,

Do you have information about comparing NAD C37x and the basic Khartago?  I am using C372 and would really like to know how much improvement one could expect if upgrading to the Khartago.

Thanks a lot.



Haoleb

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #28 on: 22 Sep 2006, 06:49 pm »
When they get here i'll have to post my impressions, and then sit back and wait for the oh so long burn-in process to get going. Im very excited about it :) Currently with my system I dont have any complaints, So when Klaus said that it would be a night and day difference between my NAD and the Mono Khartago's, with cap upgrade no less. I was sold. Since I have so much time to entertain myself at work I have been reading every tidbit of information I can find on anything Odyssey and It seems like everyone is pretty pleased with Khartago's but that they could possibly use some more power and oomph. Im thinking that with going to mono's this will just completely wash those types of comments away.

Haoleb,

Do you have information about comparing NAD C37x and the basic Khartago?  I am using C372 and would really like to know how much improvement one could expect if upgrading to the Khartago.

Thanks a lot.




Not yet, but once I get the amps I will definetly post up a review. I dont know how the C370 compares to the 372, besides more power. But im sure theyre quite similar.

Haoleb

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #29 on: 17 Oct 2006, 08:44 am »
Got my Khartago's today!

First, These are very well built and thought out. They are definetly the best built peice of gear that I own. First impression out of the box was wow, these are big! I cant even imagine how people who get the Stratos must react since the Khartago is the SMALL version! Finally an amp with a real set of binding posts! One of my real gripes with my NAD C370 was the posts. They arent very good. Infact im still waiting on a replacement set that I ordered in JUNE.

Well after enduring an entire workday with two big odyssey boxes sitting on my desk calling to me I finally got home and then had to rebuild my rack to make room, and redo the wiring. So fast forward an hour or two later. Flip the switches. Mmm Click. Click. on goes the mono's! Now i know that they are supposed to change considerably with break-in but man, Klaus you werent kidding when you said it would be a night and day difference from the NAD..   aa First disc i threw in was the soundtrack to the original pirates of the carribean, One of the most demanding cd's I own. Now im not much of a classical  music kind of guy but this is one of the few, that I really enjoy. There is alot of stuff going on with this cd and alot of low frequency stuff going on which seems to suck some serious juice. I must say that as hyped as people who write initial impressions of new gear go, This aint hyped at all but it was completely changed. I have listened to some of the tracks on this cd at least a hundred times and not only was i simiply noticing things i had never heard, things just sounded different. Not just like smoother highs or more controlled bass but everything was sharper and as goofy as audiophile comparisons can be its trulyt like bringing a blurry picture into focus AND cleaning the fingerprints off the lens!

Granted the NAD is no slouch of an amplifier, But the khartago's are really in a whole different class. Im definetly looking forward to letting the system play all day to come home and heard the differences in the coming days Unfortuantly we have some storms coming through tonight so i will be unplugging everything until that passes. But I just wanted to say thanks to Odyssey for such an outstanding value in their product and everyone here who reccomended them because it has definetly been the most worthwhile upgrade Ive had since ive been into audio besides speakers. I'll be updating my website in the next couple days with some pics and reports on the beasts!

bunky

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #30 on: 17 Oct 2006, 10:02 am »
Got my Khartago's today!

First, These are very well built and thought out. They are definetly the best built peice of gear that I own. First impression out of the box was wow, these are big! I cant even imagine how people who get the Stratos must react since the Khartago is the SMALL version! Finally an amp with a real set of binding posts! One of my real gripes with my NAD C370 was the posts. They arent very good. Infact im still waiting on a replacement set that I ordered in JUNE.

Well after enduring an entire workday with two big odyssey boxes sitting on my desk calling to me I finally got home and then had to rebuild my rack to make room, and redo the wiring. So fast forward an hour or two later. Flip the switches. Mmm Click. Click. on goes the mono's! Now i know that they are supposed to change considerably with break-in but man, Klaus you werent kidding when you said it would be a night and day difference from the NAD..   aa First disc i threw in was the soundtrack to the original pirates of the carribean, One of the most demanding cd's I own. Now im not much of a classical  music kind of guy but this is one of the few, that I really enjoy. There is alot of stuff going on with this cd and alot of low frequency stuff going on which seems to suck some serious juice. I must say that as hyped as people who write initial impressions of new gear go, This aint hyped at all but it was completely changed. I have listened to some of the tracks on this cd at least a hundred times and not only was i simiply noticing things i had never heard, things just sounded different. Not just like smoother highs or more controlled bass but everything was sharper and as goofy as audiophile comparisons can be its trulyt like bringing a blurry picture into focus AND cleaning the fingerprints off the lens!

Granted the NAD is no slouch of an amplifier, But the khartago's are really in a whole different class. Im definetly looking forward to letting the system play all day to come home and heard the differences in the coming days Unfortuantly we have some storms coming through tonight so i will be unplugging everything until that passes. But I just wanted to say thanks to Odyssey for such an outstanding value in their product and everyone here who reccomended them because it has definetly been the most worthwhile upgrade Ive had since ive been into audio besides speakers. I'll be updating my website in the next couple days with some pics and reports on the beasts!
congrat's, the  first time i listened to my Khartago mono's they slaughtered my 200 wpc Rotel RB 1080 power amplifier. your little monoblocks are one of the best kept secrets in high end audio.keep them powered up at all times.it took mine six weeks of playing nonstop to completely settle in.Enjoy....WCW III

Soundbitten

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Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #31 on: 17 Oct 2006, 04:32 pm »
I had so much faith in the Odyssey Stratos sounding better that sold my Parasound HCA-100 before it arrived .

Haoleb

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #32 on: 19 Oct 2006, 04:42 am »
Well after having some more time with these little gems, And having had them turned on and playing music since tuesday morning I think im getting to know these amps a little better. And perhaps they are starting to shine. Yesterday i thought they were a little shy on the bass but today it seems like its really filled in. Just my imagination? I dunno but I like it :)

One thing I have noticed is that they do run hotter than I thought they would. They have plenty of breathing room but seem to get about as hot as my nad did when it was cranking although im not pushing them. By no means am I concerned about it because it doesnt come close to burns on my hand, and the rear of the amp is only room temperature but above the heatsinks it is a bit warmer. Im going to take a guess and say that its just because they are biased into class A more than other amps, specifically my NAD. The input voltage currently is 1v less than what they were biased to run on, But most of the time it does stay within +-1v of the 122 we biased them for.

But getting back to the sound of these amps, which afterall IS the best part.Lastnight I had more time to listen to them and it seemed like the soundstage width was about the same as the NAD, however it was much more precise and i suppose focused would be a good way to describe it. Everything just has a certain speed and finesse it didnt have before. I have to say though that the one single instrument that Ive heard the best improvements with my last two upgrades has been the piano. Although when I got my rega cdp the difference to what i previously had was.. astonishing. The same thing has happened again with the khartago's. Its just such a soft and smooth sound, with such clean and pure tones instead of trying to guess if the guy is playing a casio or a baby grand.

I really could go on forever trying to analyze things to infinity but im not one of those people. These things simply make music! Pretty darn good too. I wish i had better equipment to compare them aginst so that other people who are considering them can have a better judge of character for these amps. I really dont know how the stereo khartago compares to my Mono's with cap upgrade but i think that all the things that have been looked at as areas that could have been improved in reviews is well taken care of because i havent noticed any of those faults, If you can even call them that.

Ive also been impressed with how my speakers respond to better electronics. Its actually quite a shame that most people who buy them dont ever get to hear them with the good stuff.

carusoracer

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #33 on: 19 Oct 2006, 01:16 pm »
One caveat regarding heat from your amp would be to check the grounds on your IC's.
 On my Stratos Extreme (different case) the only time that amp breaks a sweat is when I run play loudly for an extended period aa. The moment that you turn it down (when the wife comes home) :lol:it is only slightly warm to the touch.
 I had a loose ground on my IC and one channel of the Amp ran extremely hot. Once I had sourced the problem it was back to being only slightly warm...YMMV

Haoleb

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #34 on: 19 Oct 2006, 11:11 pm »
Thanks for the tip, I would have never thought that it would make a difference since alot of them are tied to chassis ground. Not the case here I guess. I did take the cover off to behold the innards before I even hooked them up just cuz' I like to see how things are made, And because I have electronics experience so at least I know what im looking at.... Unlike my father who gazed under the hood to say, What do these D battery things do?  After I said Dont touch those!

When they just sit idle they are only slightly warm, only when playing music do they heat up a little. I had just expected them to be only slightly warm to the touch (like they are idling) when cranking it too.

bunky

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #35 on: 19 Oct 2006, 11:42 pm »
The Khartago uses internal heat sinks exactly like its German brother the Symphonic Line RG 11 power amplifier.the top of the case will get alot warmer than the Stratos which uses large external  cooling fins on either side of the case.the aluminum cover tranfers whatever heat that does not escape from the cooling vents on top of the Khartago from the internal heat sinks up and away from the internal components so dont get excited if the are fairly warm to the touch. Enjoy....WCW III  :rock:

undertow

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Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #36 on: 26 Oct 2006, 11:40 pm »
Yeah my khartagos got warm, and can get hotter if in a cabinet type rack. The stratos and the extremes in my system stay room temp. and even Cold at most times, I would never know they are on by touch even when driven, so its just a way the heatsinks work.

Steve Vol

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  • Posts: 33
Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #37 on: 27 Oct 2006, 12:28 am »
Well, after meeting Klaus and listening to his setup and talking to him, I made the plunge and ordered a set of the Stratos Monoblock Extremes at the RMAF.  Can't wait to receive them.   :drool:  Thanks for listening to all my questions and being a great help Klaus.  What a great guy.  The amps will be mated with a set of Salk HT3's.   Ought to sound really great.  Only problem, - waiting 4-5 weeks to get them.   :cry:

Hey Klaus, how much extra $$ for a rush job?

Just kidding, look forward to receiving the amps.

Steve

Haoleb

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #38 on: 27 Oct 2006, 12:30 am »
Well, after meeting Klaus and listening to his setup and talking to him, I made the plunge and ordered a set of the Stratos Monoblock Extremes at the RMAF.  Can't wait to receive them.   :drool:  Thanks for listening to all my questions and being a great help Klaus.  What a great guy.  The amps will be mated with a set of Salk HT3's.   Ought to sound really great.  Only problem, - waiting 4-5 weeks to get them.   :cry:

Hey Klaus, how much extra $$ for a rush job?

Just kidding, look forward to receiving the amps.

Steve

I do believe your in for a treat  :thumb: Start marking the days on your calendar!

BikeWNC

Re: Contemplating Odyssey
« Reply #39 on: 27 Oct 2006, 12:59 am »
The amps will be mated with a set of Salk HT3's.   Ought to sound really great.  Only problem, - waiting 4-5 weeks to get them.   :cry:

I'd really like to know what you think of the Extremes with the HT3 speakers.  Please make sure to post your impressions after you get them.

Andy