Everything positive that has been said about this amp has already been said. I would just be repeating so for the record its all true in my experience. I have used tubes in my main system (top, bottom, bi-amp and full range and mono) for at least 15-17 years. My pre and amp gear has included in no particular order: Rogue Cronus Magnum and 150 mono-blocks, VTL mono-blocks, Music Reference pre and power amps, Counterpoint preamps, Sonic Frontier etc so on. Lately I found myself getting away from tubes, not the sound but the playing around with them including biasing and replacement. About 7 months ago I listened to some gear SS manufactured by CARY and others and found that the divide between tubes and SS gear has greatly closed or is non existent in some cases - IMO. Gone was the high end sharpness or flat presentations. While that still exists its not the standard SS sound anymore. I decided to sell all my remaining tube preamps / amps and replace with SS gear. I heard a Odyssey amp mono block set up at a audio meeting and was super impressed with what I heard. No glare, good soundstage, solid bass and detailed upper when it was there.

I bought a Stratos Dual Mono from Odyssey and met Klaus over the phone. Upstanding man of his word who exudes passion for his gear! Ended up paring the DM Stratos with a couple of different pre-amps before I found the right sound I was looking for. A Classe CP-30 and 60 (OK but not exactly enough detail and wanted some different functions it did not offer), Usher 303 and 306 ( good with the 303 having a bit too much detail that fatigued and the 306 very good but wanted remote control function). Tried my old stand by tube pre-amp Music Reference RM5miii modified (did not want to get into tube again). Finally found a CARY CPA-1 dual mono preamp which is the same as current SLP-100 which did the trick. Very listenable over long periods of time, excellent inner detail, layering of instruments front to back or choral, solid bass either guitar, drum or orchestral, non-glaring with great upper register distinction. ( cymbals hit hard, brushed or tapped bloom and float away). Stings just hover above in the state of detail that ones hears at a live venue. Jazz and acoustical music sound like it should. Female voices if a good recoding like Nora Jones, Karen Alyson or Jacuinqa (sp) "Lush Life SACD just hang in front of me etched in space. There is really nothing I can fault.

The DM Stratos I am using is 185 watts per-side, with dual everything: dual torrid transformers bigger than my out stretched hand (don't know the size) , power on switches and IEC plugs and it weighs 89 lbs! Build quality is outstanding with the 3/8' face plate and machined top. It was cleaver to make the chassis part of the cooling but even driven at 90 db for half an hour does not make it objectionably hot. Mine has the up-graded German wiring and more filtering.

Over all this amp is bargain. Numerous professional reviews have put it though its paces some comparing it to Classe and Levinson in the review. All favorable. I would add that at any price it sounds like it belongs in the company of many highly rated , high end gear comparisons.

The list of my gear is at the end of this report so you can see my reference.

Roksan Xerxes table/Grado Sig arm and Grado Reference cartridge MM.
Linn LP12 lingo table/ Rega RB600 with JA Mitchell weight/ Micro Benz MC,
Music Fidelity X-LPS step up MM and MC transformer,
CARY CPA-1 preamp,
I-Merge s2000 servers (using external DACs),
Marantz cd 8005 with internal DAC and digital inputs,
Mogami cable and Audio Quest Diamond Back inter and
Von Schweikert speakers VR-5, VR1 and 2.

All I can say is WOW!!!I've owned approximately 30 different amps,both tube and SS over the years and this Dual Mono Odyssey is far and away the best value I've ever encountered,by far! I'll just echo the two previous reviews and ad that,with a quality tube preamp (BAT in my case) I cant imagine a much better sounding amplification setup for home stereo use.I currently own 4 highly reputable SS amps and since my purchase of the Odyssey,the other three have been kept pretty much on standby...BTW,all that's been said here and other places about Klaus' character is true in my experience as well.Extremely knowledgeable,very kind,and more than willing to talk amps for as long as most would care to.

Wider soundstage, real sounding bass, very fluid liquid midrange sounds almost tubelike, treble, highs controlled and no more graininess in the top end. Klaus Bunge on your side he is very honest and highly passionate about his product, 20 year warranty

Nothing , except be patient on the break in time it will be well worth it!! Not enough people know about this amp..

I have had great sucess with the Odyssey Stratos. I have enjoyed the sound of this fantastic stereo power amp for over 2 years. In those years I have come to enjoy talking to Klaus Bunge. He is the maestro of this great amp.Not only he is always available to talk audio with you but he goes out of his way to really please you. I recently spoke to him about updating my Stratos for the DUAL MONO version. We had told me about the Dual Mono for a few years. In all that time he never presured me to upgrade. I remember him telling me I will hear about 80-100% improvement over the Stratos if you upgrade to the DUAL MONO. I was perplexed at what he said, because I thought the Stratos was a killer amp. Please see all the positive reviews about this amp on this website. other people can't all be wrong.. I decided to take the plunge and purchased the DUAL MONO.I sent in my Stratos and he basically made my old amp into the Dual Mono. He upgraded my boards and transformers, etc. Much to my surprise It only took less than 3 weeks to get my new amp. Klaus has warned me that this amp like all of these Odyssey amps take considerable time to open up. So being familiar with his amps I hooked up the amp to my Audio Research LS 3 preamp and my Ah Njoe Tjoeb 4000 Cd player and waited 1 week to describe the new sound. I have to be perfectly honest Klaus knows what he is talking about. Sound improvement all across the board. The improvement is not SUBTLE. The scary thing about this break in time it sounds great after a few hours. I called Klaus to let him know how pleased I was in the improvement and he said if you are happy now wait until it fully breaks in. Just like he predicted it as if there is a time clock in this amp. The longer I wait and listen the more details I hear everytime I put in a familiar cd. Much more deep and articulate bass notes. The double bass on Patricia Barber's Companion and Cafe Blue cd's are surreal. The heartbeat on the beginning of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon sound supernatural. As far as the midrange goes vocals seem to be right there in your listening room, Diana Krall's voice never sounded so real and lifelike. Same goes for piano notes there is now the proper amount of decay when the artist hits the keys. At the treble level the electric guitars, brass especially saxes sound so real and live same goes for cymbals. I can now really distinguish between types of acoustic guitars. What I am trying to tell you when you use this amp with a great source and feed it through a proper preamp, you will experience musical nirvana. Not taking anything away from the Stratos previously but the difference in the Dual Mono and Stratos is night and day!! It has been a long time since I tap my feet and really get emotional with my cd's. I thank Klaus for bring this great amp to market. I do not know how he does this so cheaply. I am happy I didn't have to remortgage my house to enjoy music again. This is a no brainer purchase for anyone who wants to experience sound the way it was meant to be heard. I would highly take Klaus' advice and plug this amp directly into your wall outlet. I tried it through a PS Audio Ultimate 300 and it sounded okay. The minute I ran the two plugs (remember it is a dual mono design separate plugs for each channel)into the wall outlet can you say WOW!. I would also highly recommend to get rid of the crappy wall outlets and replace them with Hubbell 5362 outlets or something equivalent. If you can fork up the extra dough get a electrician to run separate AC lines to the outlets make sure to use a good quality 10 gauge wire it will clean up the sound immensely. You have to try it and you will hear a big difference. Even if you do not do the later the sound that comes out using the Dual Mono's in your system will be money well spent. I can honestly say that his amp is a keeper. Don't believe me check out Audiogon.com and see how often a Dual Mono amp from Odyssey goes up for sale and how quickly it sells. That my friends is a testament to its outstanding sound, durability and strength this product has to offer.

Similar Products Used:

Krell, Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, Carver

Music presentation, dynamic, built quality

Nothing really I can find at this price range.

In short, the performance of Odyssey dual mono (DM) is incredible. I have auditioned several amps before purchasing this one. I am living in the state of Indiana, and my home is around one hour driving distance from Indy. So, due to the location advantage, I have more opportunities to contact Odyssey. My amp upgrade journey started around 6 years ago. At the time, Odyssey still used their dealers to sell amps. I compared the Stratos to several SS amps with similar price, e.g., Rotel and Adcom. I found Stratos outperforms the others. However, I wanted a tube amp for music listening. After auditioning a dozen of amps, my amp search ended at Audio Research VT100 MKII which is a highly regarded $5,000 tube amp. The VT100 has become my reference for several years. Last year (2002), I wanted to build a home theater, and I simply do not want to use my VT100 for HT. I started amp search again, and want am amp can perform HT as well as music. Since I am a music fan, I focus more on music than HT. Again, I auditioned several SS amps, and found that most mid-price amps, e.g., Rotel, B&K, and Parasound, can not satisfy my music listening although they are good for HT. I am an AudioReview frequency viewers and found this web has been very helpful. After searching the web, the Odyssey pops into my sight, and I read every single Odyssey review. Based on the web review and my previous experience, I decided to give Odyssey a try, and my DM arrived a couple of months ago. Music: This amp is natural. I auditioned the 3 channel Stratos (HT3) before Dual Mono (DM). For music presentation, the HT3 is better than the other mid-price SS amps, e.g., Rotel, Adcom, B&K, and Parasound. HT3 is more musical, and the other SS amps mentioned above sounds more artificial, or electrical. However, I still want a better amp. After talking to Klaus, I decided to upgrade the HT3 to DM. The DM is more than another step higher than HT3. Without a doubt, it is very clean, dynamic, and musical from top to bottom. Comparing to my reference ARC VT100 MKII tube amp, my experience is similar to Tyson. DM is a bit short on high and mid frequency on transparency. But, the DM bass definition is more solid. When I pair my VT 100 MKII to Thiel, some CDs sound a little too bright. However, these CDs do not sound bright when Thiel is driven by DM. As many Thiel users already said, Thiel requires a lot of current to drive. DM delivers good ample current, but VT 100 MKII is a little short on it. When I pair DM to Rogers 3/5as, the speakers simply disappear. The mid and high frequencies are so beautiful. With the 3/5 tiny monitors, we cannot expect ample bass too much. HT: For HT, DM is dynamic as well as accuracy. Many HT fans want 300 + watts amps. DM is 180 watts into 8 ohms but it is nothing short of dynamics. It can drive my Thiel and Paradigm to the ear bleeding level, and I do not see I need 300 + watts amp for my HT. I enjoy every movement on the DVDs I watched with DM. I also ordered a Mono Block to cover my center channel. So, the front 3 channels are seamless. When I listened to the Eagles and James Taylor, I felt I am involved in the concerts. The DM is an amp for music as well as movie. It is very musical and dynamic. For MSRP $1800, DM is a no brainer. I cannot find any competitor on the amp market under $4,000 to against DM. Some mid-price amps have a lot of power for HT but lack of music presentation. A lot of HT fans discuss how to find a HT amp without sacrificing music enjoyment. I think the DM is the solution. Don’t give me wrong. ARC VT100 MKII (MSRP $5,000) is a still a high praised amp for its transparency in mid and high, but for HT, I justify it. I am lucky to find Odyssey DM. It was also a pleasure to deal with Klaus. As many users said, Klaus’ service is first rate. He really takes care of customers. When I got my amp in the beginning, the amp had some defects. He provided first rate service to me. For the performance, service, and 20 years warranty, I can confidently recommend the DM to any audio fan without any reservation. James Tang Associated equipment: CD and DAC: Rotel 975, MSB Link II, and Monarchy DIP Pre-amp: Audio Research LS15, Rotel RSP1066 Amp: Audio Research VT100 MK II Speaker: Paradigm Studio 40 v2, Thiel CS2.3, Roger 3/5a, HSU TN1220 sub Cable: Harmonic Technology Pro Silway II, Acoustic Zen Satori, Synergistic Research Master AC Coupling, DIY Belden 89259. AC conditioner: RGPC 400s, PS Audio 300, and DIY AC conditioner. Music: Beethoven 9 Symphonies, by John Eliot Gardiner, ACHIV Beethoven Violin Sonatas, Perlman and Ashkenazy, DECCA Brahms, German requiem, by John Eliot Gardiner, Philips Dvorak, Cello concerto, by Rostropovich and Karajan, DGG Faure Requiem, Sir Marriner, Philips Handel, Messiah, by Pinnock, ARCHIV DVD/Movie: Eagles, James Taylor, Gladiator, T2, Titanic, Matrix, Shrek

Similar Products Used:

ARC, Rotel, Adcom, B&K, Parasound

+Herniation build quality +improved high treble +greater delicacy +same great bass +improved soundstage +quality service from Klaus +Klaus gave up chain smoking

-I have a problem with grounding in the left channel

I experienced an epiphany of sorts with my dual Stratos. I listened to it for about two hours when I noticed, ‘toondar and lighting’, as Ingemar Johannsen used to say, emanating from my amp. This was followed by the dreaded smell of urethane (epoxy) permeating my listening area. I was pretty sure that this was not a design feature of the amp, so I called Klaus and set up a date for it to be repaired. I mentioned the smell to Klaus, who replied, “Darn, darn.” Both he and I thought it was the left channel power transformer, since he had problems with a batch of these a while back. Two weeks later, I met Klaus at a Starbucks to pick it up. He said it wasn’t the transformer, but a pair of bypass resistors that had flamed, so it wasn’t a serious problem. He replaced the transformers with those from his current vendor and added some of his newer upgrades. I did pay for the transformers, since the old ones might have failed in situ at some future date. Klaus mentioned that my old version was about 10% off spec, but this rework was right on, so he wanted to hear what I thought about it. To be very honest, it’s very difficult to hear such small differences in such an excellent piece of gear. In truth, I didn’t hear much for the first twenty hours of use, when I started hearing the true, ‘holographic’ imaging that’s ascribed to the monos. I listen to a lot of FM on my McIntosh 78 tuner and, I swear, it sounds like I’m in the studio. If I'd noticed any hint of slight upper end thinness of the stereo Stratos, they were now corrected by the dual monos. These just gave violins the correct weight and measure. As with the stereo version, the dual monos are quite revealing, they do not color the sound in any way. All those people who find the stereo Stratos holographic (myself included), wait until you hear the dual monos. These amps will also give you gobs more detail than you heard before. Another thing about the Stratos amps is that they sound great with a wide range of speakers. I have have used them with six different speaker systems, twelve different cables, four different pre-amps (both tube and SS) and varied sources. I liked all of the combinations. I just prefer certain combinations better than others. Recently, I built an Aspen AKSA 55 as a reference point for an inexpensive, high-end amp. IMHO, the AKSA in dual mono is close, but can't generate that holographic image the Stratos can. The Stratos may not best a Chord or a Lamm, but it's a heckuva buy. A final note: this particular incarnation of the dual monos runs about 15 degrees cooler than the ‘old’ transformer version. I also have to recant something that I mentioned in another post: Klaus no longer chain smokes.

Similar Products Used:

Monarchy SM - 70 Pros, Van Alstine Omega Star, Proceed, Sherbourne, Berning EA-2100, Aspen AKSA 55

Clean, clear, extended highs that's great on cymballs, triangles as well as female voices. Full, rich and clean, unsmeared midrange. Dynamic and rhythmic bass that's taut and fast. Overall, a fabulously musical sounding addition to my system. Of course, last but not least, the man who needs no introduction....Klaus Bunge and the company behind the product.

Warmer than HT3 and stereo stratos (understandable because essentially all the innards are double). Long burn-in.

After having enjoyed my HT3 for nearly a year, I jumped on the chance to have it upgraded to dual-mono and never looked back. As great as the regular HT3 or stereo stratos is, I think it only hinted at the extraordinary prowess of the dual-mono. The DM Stratos (mine comes w/ upgraded Symphonic Line caps)is more meaty and fleshy on the midrange with greater coherence, continuity and fluidity from top to bottom. The presence factor is more pronounced yet relaxed and effortless and refined in its presentation. In addition, it's able to more accurately recreate the atmospheric mood of the recording venue. Soundstaging and imaging is more solid, dimensional, convincing and invites you to close your eyes and just let the music wash over you and like a suave lover seranading sweat nothings into your ears and before you know it steals your heart. From cool and sultry jazz to to heavy hot salsa music and everything in between and beyond, the emotional connection is undeniable. Compare to the Stratos, it is of higher resolution, capable of greater subtlety, yet more dynamically capable and composed. All in all, it is in every way a better amplier which leads to greater musical satisfaction. For all those who hasn't experience a regular HT3 or Stratos, you won't be disappointed. However, if you have the itch, the dual-mono or mono will get you to the next higher plane where you won't look back. Music/HT System: Sony DVP-7000S, smART DI/O, Denon AVP8000 pre/pro, Stratos Mono, Denon 8200 (center & surround)B&W ASW800, Matrix HTM, EFE T22. Sony 53" XBR RPTV, Pioneer LD player, Sony DirecTV, JVC SVHS VCR. Cabling: Acoustic Zen Matrix Ref int.(L,R), AZ MC2 Digital int., Harmonic Tech Pro Silway MK II (rear surround), Miller sound (C), JPS Superconductor+ Bi-wire spkr cable(main). XLO Signatures and Reference int. (mixer). PS Audio Mini Lab PC, Virtual Dynamic P3 PC. Others: Monster HTS 5000, 2000. PS Audio: HC Ultimate Outlet, Juice Bar, Power Port. Nordost isolation cones, Black Diamond Racing Cones #IV, Vibrapods, various other isolation feet. Osiris 24" spkr stand, component stands, Lovan Jazz stand, VTI shelf. Statmat, PWB devices, weights on top of sub and CD player and others.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, B&K, ATI, Hafler, Carver.

Well the time has come for me to put down my impressions of the Odyssey Stratos dual mono. First, let me say that this is the 3rd Odyssey amp that I have owned, the other 2 being the stereo stratos with the cap upgrade, and the 3 channel stratos, with all 3 channels having the cap upgrade as well. Those 2 amps I still own, and use in my Home Theater system. In fact, it was my satisfaction with the performance of those amps (and reading the reviews of the mono block stratos amps) that convinced me to give the new dual monoblock design a try. First, a little background - I have 2 systems, a 2 channel setup in my living room, and a home theater setup in a dedicate HT room. The 2 channel setup has morphed from an all nOrh setup (2 nOrh subs, a pair of 9.0's, a pair of nOrh multiamps to bi-amp the 9.0's, a nOrh ACA, and a nOrh cd-1 cd player, with pure silver sound wiring used for all interconnects and speaker wire). Recently my 2 channel setup has been transformed. I sold the subs, moved the 9.0's to marble enclosures and moved them to the HT setup, sold the multiamps and the ACA preamp. In their place I got a pair of VMPS RM-40's, the dual mono stratos, an Audible Illusions Modulus 3a tubed preamp (with Siemens NOS tubes in the driver stage), upgraded all my wiring from PSS silver wire to Bolder Cables Type 2 interconnects and speaker wire. In addition, I got a Bolder modded smArt DIO D/A converter, an ACME power outlet, and a Jon Risch based power filter strip with bybee purifiers installed (all from Bolder Cables as well). I feel I have gone from a very good setup to one that is (dare I say) world class. So, now that that is out of the way, a bit more background is in order. I've owned and/or extensively demo'd many, many amps, including Brystons, Aragons, Ayres (less time with this one than I would have liked), Counterpoints, nOrh's (multiamps and LeAmps), Mark Levinson (mostly lengthy in-store demo's), Audio Research (VT-100), Classe (again, in store demo's). I've also done a few direct amp "shootouts" with some audio friends (most pertinently the Stereo Stratos against the Aragon 8008ST). Mostly this review will reference the 8008ST, the Stereo Stratos, and the Bryston 3b-ST (which I owned for several years). Let me first dispatch with the 3b-ST - it is not in

Sound: + excellent speed and detail + full, extended bass + excellent reproduction of complex passages + crystal clear highs Build: + same great case and build quality; much more than you'd expect in this price range Klaus: + he's a WI Badger like me

- so heavy (75 lbs) that one must wear a truss to lift it up. - runs slightly hotter than the stereo version

I purchased the Stratos stereo earlier in the year and decided, if a little is good, then more should be better. In so doing, I met with Klaus at the local coffee shop, where Klaus also let me in on products yet to announced. The discussion alone was worth the upgrade amount. The first thing that I noticed was that it is a true dual, i.e., it needs uses two power cords. Synopsis: It's more of the same great product, if you liked the stereo, you'll love the dual. It provides you with a good deal more detail and a great deal more dynamics, while still shining on soft passages. It puts a 'black space' around each instrument or singer more so than the stereo version. In comparison to two Monarchys running in balanced mode, I'd have to give the overall edge to the Stratos, but the detail in the Monarchys is pretty spectacular. You'll have no regrets purchasing this puppy. Avoid buyer's remorse; go for it.

Similar Products Used:

Monarchy SM-70s, Van Alstine OmegaStar product line, ATI 150x