Great sounding amp, plenty of power to drive low impedence speakers, great build quality

None

I have had this amp in my system for 3 months, and it immediately made a big sonic difference. This was using a 50 disk CD changer, and Denon receiver as a preamp. I upgraded interconnects and speaker wire and this made an even bigger difference. Now I have added a DIP, DAC and a passive preamp and the sound is unbelievable (only received two days ago, so breakin is underway, but it is excellent already)! The Stratos has made listening to music an event! My System: Odyssey Stratos Bolder-modified Mensa ART DI/O DAC w/ power upgrade FT Audio LW-1 passive preamp Magnepan MMG's ACI Force Subwoofer PSS Quartet Interconnects PSS Octet Speaker cable Bolder Digital Coax cables Sound Professionals glass optical cable HT Denon 2801 Gallo Nucleus Micros as surrounds KEF 95C Center Channel speaker Philips DVD924 to PSS Quartets cable to PSS Octets

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Denon receiver

Midrange transparency, power and ease. Build quality, warranty, customer service. It’s a great amp at $1300, but it’s far from perfect. It deserves an audition from anyone looking in this price range, a fantastic starter amp that can last through many upgrades.

Top end extension and clarity, bass control, harmonically thin, lacking in essential harmonic and reverberant information, which lessens the ambiance information and cues to hall/venue size. It imaged very well in 3D out into the room but depth was lacking, distant images where too thin and too far down in level compared to most other amps.

As others have also found, the Odyssey amp proved a pleasantly “cool” sounding amp with a most impressive rendition of vocals, male and especially female. This amp set a personal standard for midrange transparency anywhere nears its price, a character of very high importance to me, a trait which let me easily live with its minor, though apparent, shortcomings for quite some time. Top-end is quite extended, being more honest and smoother then any amp at or below its price range I can think of, but ultimately not nearly as detailed or extended as the Musical Fidelity A3cr or especially the PS Audio HCA-2 amp, the latter of which proved a markedly superior amp in my system in nearly every regard. Bass was deep and weighty, fairly articulate but far from perfect, with the right associated gear it is a fast sounding amp overall with good PRAT. Onto some negatives, the presentation was a bit harmonically thin and it offered the shallowest soundstage among its many in home competitors, with distant images objectionably light. This amp was also the most forgiving of the many I’ve tried recently; it seemed to minimize and even greatly obscure differences between DACs, CD players and different cables I also tried it with, difference that the HCA-2, for example, easily revealed, for better or worse. In terms of power, bass performance, presence, smoothness, soundstaging the HCA-2 eats it alive. The PS Audio amp was just a lot more fun to listen to! The Stratos, even with its flaws, had a redeeming quality that made it hard to let go. “Neutral” and “accurate” or not, it simply lets go of the music with impressive ease; you can totally forget about the amp or the gear and just get enamored with the music, music that is both believable and mesmerizing. With the more polite Musical Fidelity, notes seemed slightly stuck to the speakers at times, whereas they where floating a few inches off them with the Stratos. The overall tonality and transparency of the Odyssey I slightly preferred in my system to the MF, but critical listening resolved more flaws in the Stratos technically, yet, again, overall it balanced better to my personal and musical tastes, so I found it, by a slight margin, superior, unlike my friend below that I loaned this amp to for a week who found the MF amp overall the better match to his system and tastes (mp006ltk). By its forgiving and easy going nature I can understand why so many positive reviews exist here, but the perfect rating here is quite misleading. There are many “better” amps, granted, many of which are a fair bit more expensive, but in the case of the new digital amplifiers I've been playing with in particular, a little more money can get one a whole lot more sound! Associated gear used for reference: Von Schweikert VR3 full range speakers (w/ upgrades) PS Audio HCA-2 amp Musical Fidelity A3cr preamp Theta Basic Transport Musical Fidelity A3 24 dac PS Audio Lab II and DIY belden power cables DIY Silver cables and interconnects w/ WBT connectors Marsh/Monster 2500 Power conditioner. Some of the music used to demo included all or most albums from the following artists/groups, among others: Pearl Jam, Chili Peppers, Clapton, Diana Krall, Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man, Portishead, Radiohead, Goldfrapp, Morcheeba, Massive Attack, Tricky, Lamb, Hooverphonic, Dido, Gershwin, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sinatra, Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson, Pink Floyd, Gorillaz, a few dozen operas, various classical compositions, and the list goes on, and on, and on…. I also had the pleasure of trying 5 different preamps, 4 different dacs, 3 transports and a handful of cables with this amp, as well as being able to shoot it out directly, in-home, against more then a half dozen other amps, along with in store demo’s of countless others for reference for a more objective and fair review.

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Lots! PS Audio HCA-2, Musical Fidelity A3cr, McCormack DNA1, Parasound JC-1's, Chiro C-500, Parasound 2200mkII, Adcom 545, various Classe, B&K, Rotel, Bryston, Krell, Spectral and McIntosh amps, and p

Excelent midrange and vocal clarity. Great Value! Makes my top ten but unfortunately not close to the top.

Bass isn't quite as tight as it could be and the highs arn't natural sounding. Can be harsh with the wrong equipment mixed in.

The outside build quakity is excelens and so it the internals, however for an amp of this size and quality a few minor corners were cut. Mains off of the power connector to the transformar looks like double 20 guage runs. Balanced connectinos arn't really balanced. Only 4 output devices per channel. With music the Highs were a little unnatural sounding when compared to better amps. The midrange is very fluid and smooth but a bad dac can really make this amp sound rough. The bass has great extention but isn't quite as tight as I would expect. It almost exhibits digital jitterm, that I didn't have with my reference amp. "well within the same price range" Still an Excelent showing and will be rated as such.

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Everything Musical Fidelity, NAD Silver, Spectral, Classe, Krell, McCormack, McIntosh. The Bel Canto 200.2 ,Levinson 331, and TaCt 2150 are my next test drives.

built like a tank! first rate warranty! great customer service! Five stars are not enough to rate the Stratos!

Breakin period...after two months WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought my Stratos from Odyssey approximately 7 months ago and I cannot begin to tell you what a value for the buck this product really is. I began my search as many of you have...numerous auditions and many hours reviewing products on this web site. After a two year search I decided to give Klaus a call at Odyssey Audio and find out what all of the fuss was about. Klaus...the owner of Odyssey is a first rate German who knows his stereo equipment. I decided to order the Stratos/Tempest combo. without ever hearing them in action based on my conversation with Klaus. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made ...besides marrying my wife of course. Klaus delivered my stereo and even loaned me his personal Nightingale speakers until my Lorelei's were finished. I'm not going to tell you all of the details about the Stratos because all you have to do is read all of the other rave reviews listed on Audio Review about this amp. All I can say is this...for the money I promise you dollar for dollar you cannot get a better amp anywhere!!!! Save yourself alot of time and call Klaus..you will not regret you decision. My dream system: Stratos Tempest Lorelei Speakers Cary Audio CD303-200 Sansui TU717 Tuner Groneberg cables

soundstage, bass response, detail, service

The wait -- at the time I ordered (late 2001), there was a manufacturing slowdown and a backlog of orders. The wait was about ten weeks, which I understand has since been resolved.

Prior to purchasing the Stratos, I had been using my Pioneer receiver (Elite VSX-27) to drive my Martin Logan Aerius speakers. I was happy with the sound for home theater applications, but suspected I could see an improvement on the music side with a dedicated amp for stereo listening. After adding the Stratos to my system (Arcam CD72 for digital, modified VPI Jr./Plus for analog, Coincident interconnects, Dynaco PAS-4 preamp, Groneberg speaker cables) and a few weeks of break-in, the difference was dramatic! The Martin Logans sound bloomed with the Stratos (with the capacitor upgrade). The bass response was much deeper, tighter and better defined. The Aerius has frequently been accused of being a bit bass-shy but the Stratos made for a *huge* improvement. The other most noticeable improvement was in the depth of the soundstage. It brought a whole new dimension to the MLs, almost like listening to a different speaker. There was great improvement in detail, and vocals (one of the strengths of the MLs to my ears) sounded much more alive. The Stratos seems to be a unique value in the marketplace, offering big dollar sound for a very reasonable price. In addition, you get terrific service from Klaus Bunge. He's always been extremely helpful and cheerful, as you'll see mentioned in most of the other reviews of the Odyssey line. It's the one component in my setup that I don't feel I'll eventually upgrade (outside of possibly converting to a monoblock if I upgrade my front speakers, or add Odyssey's 3-channel amp to take advantage of multi-channel SACD and DVD-Audio).

Great bass. Excellent soundstaging. Smoothe fatigue free highs. Great looks for an amp with a lighted display.

Abso;utely none

I must admit after 2 years of listening to the stratos, I have never had one inclination of trading this amp for another product. This is how strongly I feel about the sound of this amp. I used to change audio products frequently. I also had tube amps which always sounded a bit hazy. I don't miss having to hastle with the high cost of tubes and having them go on you. You don't need to be running back home to see if you left them on because some of these amps ate up tubes rather quickly. You can leave the odyssey on for 20 years according to Klaus and I haven't turned mine off in the 2 years I've owned it! The sound quality is tube like with smoothe extended highs. The bass is extremely tight with great impact. The soundstaging is huge and this is really where this amp excels. I have tried many preamps including tubes and passives and I believe I just found a perfect synergistic match in a new company called BVaudio. It is solid state and really shows how revealing the amp really is. The amp is also a looker and I cannot commend Klaus enough on helping you out in any way possible concerning your audio questions. I am ordering new cables with balanced outputs so I'll see if this makes even a greater difference in the sound. The monos are supposed to a step above the stratos and maybe someday I will move up to those , but for now I couldn't be happier!

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Quicksilver monos. Sim audio integrated Conrad Johnson, etc..

Build quality, price, customer service, audio quality

wait,

Well, I have been wanting to buy this amp for the past 2 years! I finally got around to buying it and I have used it over the past 3+ months with the power constantly on. This is the best amp I have ever used. For the price and shopping around the Stratos beats the competition. It is a very beautiful and solidly made piece of equipment. Klaus is an awesome guy to work with too! As for the sound. After letting the amp burn in for about a month my wife and immediately noticed the music being more life-like. It seems to "jump" out at ya. This trait is also apparent in HT. I used to listen to music 70% and Ht 30%, but due to my house layout now I'm more into HT. The Stratos really opened up everything I put through it. Nothing has struck me as sharp or tinny. The bass feels right to me in my setup. I love the fact that even at fairly high volume levels the Stratos doesn't distort. You can clearly distinguish between the vocals and the accompanying instrumentals. I've even noticed some extra breathing on some tracks that wasn't so obvious before. So much more detail.

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Sony STR-DA777ES

Makes music! Detailed without being overly analytical Neutral but dynamic enough to sound realistic Price/performance ratio Upgrade path to other Stratos models (Dual Mono, Paired Mono, Super Mono (new)) protects your investment. 20 year warranty Klaus Bunge is a great guy to do business with.

The Stratos' cabinet is large and will not fit in many standard cabinets. I don't really care as mine is sitting on the floor.

I found out about the Odyssey Stratos when i was looking for a power-amp to use in combination with my SR7000 to improve music-listening. I was a bit put-off by the direct-sales model as I am not even on the same continent as Odyssey (I am in the Netherlands). Looking into people's experiences with the Stratos and Odyssey the company convinced me that this was a risk worth taking. I am sure my buying experience is the same as for any Odyssey customer and being on a different continent does not make any difference. Good experience all around. If you're in the market for an amplifier in the 1000..2500 Euro/USD band you should consider one of the various models available. (Mine is the Stereo with Cap upgrade) Even if you're looking for a real high-end amp, you should have a listen if not to the amp, than at least to Klaus on the phone.

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Marantz SR7000 receiver (my previous solution) Auditioned: - AMC 2130 - Rotel RB1070 - Rotel RB1080 - NAD 218 THX

Will deliver you ultra high end performance at any price, period!

Like all other things very near and dear to me, wish I had another Stratos safely tucked away in my closet.

First of all, the model year is 2002 but as the drop down box does not offer that option, I wanted to make that clear before writting the review. I wish there was more I could add to the accolades already posted about the Stratos by others. Safe to say, my fever to upgrade amplifiers has been completly qwelled by Klaus and his product for the next 20 years, if not more. A superb amp, worthy of its pedigree from Germany. Blue blooded all the way, this amp will leave you wanting to have long, endless listening sessions through the night. And the beautiful brushed aluminum finish with its gorgeous backlit logo in a bluish three dimensional haze will sure to appeal to tube glowing affectionados. To compare this unit to my former amps would not be fair to the Stratos as I have never owned any component in this league. All I can say is 89 reviews do not lie and the product and the dealings with its designer, Klaus Bunge of Odyssey, speak for itself. Klaus, thank-you for bringing high end to most of us that have other priorities in real life as well and for delivering us a product that I am proud to have my name inscribed on in gold in the back.

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Soundcraftsmen MOSFET Pro-Power 4, NAD C270.

Tremendous soundstage, bass and mid bass extension, ability to control any speakers, warm and non-analytical sounding. They barely run warm.

None found.

I had the chance to review the Stratos 2 channel in my systems and wrote a review for this also, apologies for the incorrect price for the stratos below. I like the Stratos so much that I almost immediately ordered the Monoblocks from Klaus. I told him I'd wait a while to write a review, but I'm so impressed with these that I wanted to write the review earlier. Right out of the box, these sounded great. I have had them running in my system almost nonstop since I received the over a week ago, so they have a fair amount of break-in time. I'm just simply astounded at the value these amps provide. You literally can't touch these guys anywhere near this price range, and lucky if you can do it at 4 times the price. They absolutely grab hold of my Thiel 2.3s and do exactly what they want to do. Several other amps I tried completely lacked the authority that the Thiels demand. Bass extension, mids, treble, soundstage, transparency, and musicality all come to mind when listening to these amps. I can close my eyes and swear I'm right there in row 5 of the Fleetwood MAC "The Dance" concert. I don't think there are quite enough words to praise these amps enough, along with the support and help from Klaus. They folks at Odyssey did this right. And by the way Klaus, I like the Blue LEDs in the front lighting situation better than the white lights (The new amps have Blue LEDs in the little window lighted window). Awesome AMPS!!!!! Associated equipment: Audio Research LS-12 Preamp Muse Model Nine CD Player Assemblage DAC 3 D/A Converter Kimber D-60 Digital interconnect Tice PIIIC HP Power Conditioner Kimber Select KS1111 interconnects Kimber Select KS3033 Speaker Cables Virtual Dynamics Power 3 power cables Thiel 2.3 Speakers.

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Levinson, Sim, Ayre, Bryston, Mccormack