clean sound,preformence,nice bass,great detail.

hehe.....um none

I have owned this unit for about one month now and I must say that this is one fine piece of gear. The sound out of the box is a little bright, but follow the dirrections in the manual and be patient. Eventually the soundstage will open up wide and the detail will knock your socks off not to mention how smooth the sound is. I think this amp will work with almost any pre niceley. Bass is tight and deep. Looks are fantastic and for a measley $95 dollars more you can get the 120,000 uF total capacitance upgrade. I sugguest you fork the cash.
It's hard to put into words all of the amps good points. If you are looking for a new amp to test drive, try this one you won't be dissapointed. At this price it's certainly worth your time to audition this wonderful amplifier.

clear, controlled sound for a great price.

Delivery time six weeks!

I had recently ( 4 months ago) purchased a pair of B & W cdm 9nt speakers. Needless to say I was estactic over the new sound. Very detailed. However, my adcom was providing a harsh sound, My ears were overloading with too much detail. I could only stand to listen to music in short intervals. Hence, I found out about the Stratos.
Right out of the box, the first thing I noticed, my bass was under control, something my adcom could never do, especially with my former Infinity kappa 6.1 speakers.
Clearity which had been present in my B&W's from day one was now tamed in a way that aloud the detail to flourish with out exhaustion to the listener. The presence ( sound stage ) is continually improving with each day. Percusion sounds are being transported past the listeners ear creating a 3 dimensional listening enviorment. During certain recordings, if you close your eyes you can feel the presence of the musicians. In closing, if your looking to put together a great sound sytem without getting financially out of control, you need to have the Odyssey Audio Stratos.

Similar Products Used:

adcom 555 mrk2, B & K 2200

Very clean amp, incredible detail

None.

This has got to be the bargain of the audio world. I have had the Stratos amp for about a year, and would highly reccomend it. I never shut it off, and after sufficient burn time (120,000uf cap model)this thing really opens up.

Recently I had an extended jam session with an old college buddy. After 4 hours of high volume, the amp wasn't even hot. In fact I had trouble detecting any change in temp from its normal idle state.

I listened to many high end amps before deciding on the Stratos. In my opinion, there is not one amp on the market under $5000 that can equal the performance of the Stratos.
Mono-blocking would be the only possible improvement.

This is one quality amp. Buy it.

Power, soundstage, openness, clarity, detail, speed, lack of solid state sound.

Waiting period form time of order.

I have acquired four Stratos monoblocks because I biamplify my Magneplanar 3.3R. I have used several other amplifiers with these speakers.
When I received the Stratos I was not prepared for the visual impact and the weight of the amplifiers. First they are very large and feel more solid than other amplifiers I have used. As everybody knows, size and weight are important if you are going to control vibrations and microvibrations in an audio product. Construction of the amplifier is definitely first class. Since I am curious, I opened the amplifiers and checked interna construction and comopnents. They are of high quality and very well assembled. The layout is clean and uncluttered. The toroidal transformers and filters are well placed. Routing of cables is excellent. There are small damping sheets on the top cover to avoid vibrations. I suggest increasing this and including some shielding that are available through some stores like Michael Percy. But his is something optional and nothing to worry about, given the solidity of the amplifier.
As with any high-end product of the Stratos pedigree, burning-in is going to take quite a while. One must be very patient and not jump to any conclusions before the amplifiers are burned-in. However, even cold form the box, they will sound extremely powerful and fast. Most of the bass the amplifier is capable of will be missing at this point and with some systems it will sound rather harsh and brilliant. I burned-in my amplifiers with the XLO test record. I set track 9 (burn-in) to run continuosly for 100 hours.
After this initial period, the amplifiers started to loosen-up. I was not prepared for what happened next.
The sound opened-up considerably. The speed increased even more. The soundstage is enormous. There are no walls. The speakers dissappear. There is an enormous amount of detail. Low level information is incredible and is present at any volume levels. No signs of congestion.
There is a lack of "solid state soud". The dynamics are huge. If you are not prepared to be startled by a sudden crescendo from a symphony orchestra you will jump out of your seat.
The amplifiers seem to mold themselves to the type of music being listened to. The sounstage, detail, etc. vary with the recordings, as it should be.
Voices are gorgeous, be it solos or choral pieces. In choral works you may be able to identify inidividual voices singing together. Singers have stature. In one recording (EMI's reissue of Mahler's Das Knaben Wunderhorn) I could clearly tell that both singers are standing up while the orchestra is seated.
I can go no and on, but you get the idea.
This is one product that beats the old "if it is of quality it should cost more". This is a quality product tha happens to be priced right for the market. As some audio magazines say, "this is a giant killer".
Finally, it has been a pleasure dealing with Klaus Bunge. He has been extremely helpful and a proper businessman.
Thanks Kalus and Rolf for this excellent product.

Similar Products Used:

Classé, Bedini, Parasound, Sunfire, Plinius, Mc Cormack

Midrange, clarity, fullness of sound, runs cool, built like a tank, 20 year warranty, Klaus

not enough people know about it

This amp is unbelievable!!! I can't believe the clarity, detail, midrange, the strength of the bottom end...what a gem!!! I switched to this amp from a Classe based on professional reviews and my hearing Symponic Line products in the past. The immediate difference was nothing short of fantastic. It was not dark and muddy, but rather clear and precise. I am able to listen to my music
(jazz,blues,popular,classical,country) with much more of an ability to just get into the message of the musician(s) than listening to the equipment. This amp is easily worth 3 times the price. I use it with an ARC tube preamp and they work together wonderfully. All I can tell you is get one if you can. You can spend a whole lot more (like I had been doing) and get a whole lot less. As stated in a recent issue of The Absolute Sound, "...this amp is a gift plain and simple".

Similar Products Used:

Eagle, Bedini, Adcom, Classe

Sound, build quality,customer service

None

I'm not going to ramble on how great this product is, (especially at this price point), It has pretty much all been said in previous reviews, and I completely agree. Instead, I want to talk about customer service. I have had my Stratos for about 8 months when I came home one night turned on my system & was getting crackling out of my left speaker, I began to trouble shoot, then my right speaker went, more trouble shooting, & I realized the problem had to be the amp.
I figured I would call Odyssey & leave a message for Klauss. It was midnight on saturday. Klauss answered the phone, which shocked me to begin with, he then proceeded to ask questions & concluded that it was simple blown fuses Due to a falty speaker cable. He walked me through the operation of changing them. He was extremely patient with somone who can barely turn a screwdriver. How many owners do you know would not only be willing to answer the phone at midnight on a Saturday but spend an hour walking me through the process of repairing the blown fuses.
Klaus, THANK YOU for not only providing a quality product at an affordable price, but caring about your customers.
If you are considering a high quality musical amp for under $3000 look no further than the Odyssey stratos. And if you have a question or a problem I have yet to find sombody better than Klauss to ask.

Similar Products Used:

Many

Musical, coherent, dynamic, and neutral sounding 2 channel amp. Lifelike sound reproduction of live recorded material. Powerful, transparent (not grainy), clear extended & airy treble, and deep tight bass. Expansive and realistic 3D soundstage. Excellent $ value. Excellent customer service - care of the owner Klaus Bunge - he is very honest, humorous, and a delightful person. Built like a German tank. This amp has soul!

6-8 week wait (amplifier built to order). An unrecognized brand - it's a "hidden audiophile jewel".

I received my Odyssey Stratos 2 channel amplifier with the 120,000 uF capacitor upgrade in October, 2001. I purchased the Stratos and an accompanying Audible Illusions M3A preamplifier after auditioning over a dozen $3K - $4K amp and preamp combinations (SS-SS, SS-Tube, & Tube-Tube) over a 1 1/2 year period. Up until the Odyssey & AI combination, there was simply no magic driving my full range Vandersteen 2CE signature speakers.

After hearing numerous glowing reviews about the Odyssey Stratos, I made a few calls to Klaus Bunge, Odyssey's owner to see what all the hype was about. No B.S. just a lot of straightfoward questions answered with straightforward answers. After talking with Klaus, I decided to trek to NYC and give a listen to the Odyssey amplifier at the May 2001 Stereophile Home Entertainment Show to help me make some final judgements. Even in a crowded, noisy room you could tell there was something special about this amplifier. I finally placed my order in August, 2001 after gaining spousal approval for yet another system upgrade.

I have had the Odyssey Stratos in my system for over two months now. I easily have over 300 hours of burn in and 120 hours of listening time logged on the new amplifier. My only regret is not buying this amplifier sooner than I did.

With 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms, the Stratos drives my Vandersteen 2CE signatures with effortless ease. The music sounds so real and magical that I often find my self doing a double-take to see if the musicians are really here in the room with me. The Stratos amp maintains a vice-like grip on the Vandy woofer extracting a deep, tuneful, and realistic bass response the I always knew these speakers were capable of delivering, but had only heard with much more powerful and expensive amplifiers.

The Odyssey stratos is a little "hard sounding" out of the box, however the midrange sounds quite nice. Bass is a little muddled and treble a tad etched and scratchy. After about 200 hours of music the bass response tightens up, treble and vocals have some air, and the stratos opens up a wide, realistic soundstage with quality redbook CD's or clean vinyl. My Vandy's just disappear in my listening room as the music emerges - now that's real music reproduction.

Folks, this is one damn fine sounding, well constructed amplifier. Vocal, large orchestra pieces, acoustic and amplified stringed instruments (acoustic bass in particular) sound oh so real and natural. The stratos plumbs your speakers deepest bass response with accuracy, tightness and palpability I have heard from no other amplifier near its price range ($1,000-$3,000). I have not heard another amplifier, save the Belles 150 Hot Rod, that has such a natural sounding midrange. Smooth, clear, and silky sounding vocals are a real strength in this product. The Odyssey just slams the Belles in bass response and its not even a close race.

Whether your primarly listen to jazz, rock, classical, folk, blues, or any other venue of music, the Odyssey Stratos just lets the music out. The Odyssey Stratos has ended my search this audiophile's "Holy Grail", a great sounding amplifier that costs around $1,000. It mates particularly well with a tube amplifier such as an Audible Illusions M3A, CAT, Rouge 66 or 99 magnum, or Joule Electra.

If you are in the market for a new amplifier, before you plunk down $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 or more you owe it to your ears and wallet to give the Odyssey Stratos a long, hard listen. Maybe you too will end your search for your audio "Holy Grail" as I did. Very highly recommended!

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McCormack DNA 125, Belles 150 Hot Rod, Classe 101 & 201, Rogue 88 & 120 magnums, Bryston 3bST and 4bST, and more.

everything, customer service Klaus

no

In March I went to the son & image in Montreal when I hear the Odyssey. Talked to Klaus and buy the stereo stratos at the show. 2 months later, I buy the monos as upgrade.
Amplifier is great, magnificent. Best buy I ever made.
When I compare to Bryston, the 4B has good bass too, but stratos is much better on voices, sound stages and music. Smooth, detail, dynamics, naturel voices and instruments. The stratos is the best amp I have in my system or my friend for amplifier under $ 5000. Very, very magnificent, and recomend to all. My preamp is now Tempest and speakers is Magnepan 3.6.
All work very good together, and I am happy with the music.

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Bryston 3 & 4, McIntosh

Incredible detail, very masculine look, beautiful build, great binding posts, huge, deep bass response, balanced inputs.

+ Odyssey is the Nordstrom's of the Audio world - great service

+ Comes with a fine test CD and a beautiful three-ring binder.

- The music on the test CD is rather plain, although the test sounds and sound effects are excellent

- It's much larger than I thought it would be. It's a large, black, masculine, monolith. ( Does it threaten my fragile, Caucasian, masculine identity in much the same manner as a Louis or an Ali? )

To start off with, I really wanted to be the person who broke the streak of perfect marks the Odyssey products have been receiving and, out of the box, it wasn't all that fine-sounding. It was pretty rough on fast transients and orchestral attacks. I would give it a 3.0 - 3.2. As you can see, after the long burn-in period, I have a much better appreciation of this product and music in general.

What's with the burn-in period? For those of you skeptical about such happenings with electronic gear, I can offer you this analogy. If you're in metal shop and you cut a 1/4" sheet of aluminum, that's the amp right out of the box. Next, you take it to the grinding wheel and make a nice, beveled edge; maybe, you take it to the whetstone and make it pretty smooth. That's the second phase. (I gave it a 4.0 - 4.5) Finally, you take it to the finishing wheel and put a fine, oval, shiny, oval bevel on it. That's the final stage. This amp really shines after those 50 or so hours of burn-in. I wouldn't have believed it myself.

What else can I add? The old, Judy Garland standard, "You made me love you. I didn't want to do it. I really couldn't help it..." keeps going around in my head. I do have a theory to explain the incredibly low price:

Conspiracy Theory:

Andrew Carnegie donated all libraries, art galleries and music halls for a hidden motive: he wanted to prevent the common man from drowning his life in gin. So, he teamed up with the WCTU and the result was prohibition.

Now, what does this have to do with Klaus Bunge? Well, Klaus Bunge, the CEO of Odyssey, shares a common surname with one of the richest families in the world, the Bunge's. They own half the Argentine and most of the grain elevators in Europe. Do I have to go on? ... Say it ain't so, Klaus!!

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Berning EA-2xxxx series, Monarchy SM-70 Pros, ATI - 15xx, Manley Stingray

Huge soundstage,great bass and control, extremely fast transients

Let me see......I'm still thinking !!!

There is very little that I can add about the performance of this great amp. Do yourself a favor... before spending lots of money, call Klaus or see if you can audition the Stratos somewhere. You won't regret it.

My System:
* CAL DX-1 CDP
* Rega Planar 25 w/ Grado Prestige Gold
* Monolithic Sound PS-1 Phono section
* Musical Design SP-2B preamp with Partial Signature & Platinum mods; using Svetlana 6N1P tubes.
* Odyssey Stratos w/ 120000 pF power supply
* Meadowlark Kestrels Hot Rods
* Cables:
Harmonic Technology ProSilway mk II, Tara Labs RSC Ref. Gen II, TMC Yellow Labels, and Belden 89259 biwired set a la Jon Risch (soon to be replaced by Zu Cables Julians Biwire)

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ATI-1502, Linn Intek