Looking to upgrade From my Odyssey Mono extremes


Hey guys,

I currently have odyssey mono extreme's and while I do enjoy them, They seem to me to be a bit on the bright side with my current setup.

So with that, I am looking to upgrade.

I had my sights set on Mcintosh MC352, but I was wondering how it would compare.

Also, Looking at other brands, and Tubes as well. A used pair of neo 250's look to be roughly in the same price range as well.

any first hand experience would be appreciated!

Thanks!
johnzm
Heard the Odyssey at RMAF. Very impressive. Probably would elsewhere for a solution.
Source, cables, sound damping. Could be a bright room?
What type of music do you listen to and how loud?
What is the room like as well?
Could it be your speakers? I had the Rocket 750 sigs, admittedly a much different design, but I found them bright verging on hard. I replaced them with North Eskas, and retained my Odyssey amp, and was happier, with less tired ears. Could the av123 house sound tend to the bright? John

Definitely look at some other part of your system, and/or incoming power.

Given what you have on hand now, I'd say look for better speakers.... Possibly cabling too. or try another DAC. Additionally, tubes in the Dodd pre.

One of those areas or maybe two should fix the issue pretty much. The room is always a main part too.

Getting another amp, without improving upon the level of speakerage you have now seems like a more sideways step to me.

If you've got to go grab an amp that's better sounding than the Odyssey, either add a pair of Dodd mono block EL34 amps, or get yourself a Butler TDB 2250.

the Dodd mono blocks are sweeter sounding, using only a TDBH 5150 (150wpc), not the 250wpc like the TDB 2250, the Butler sounds better to me and has more control and better bass.... the 250wpc version ought to be way better, and allow you to throw some $$$ towards your speakers as it sells new for $3K.

before pulling the trigger on anything, like all have said here, the brightness probably isn't the amps fault.

Got dedicated ckts? Checked for ground loops? use a power cond? how's that cabling situation, pc's & ic's? What are the speakers sitting on and how are they isolated? Got a good rack?

it all adds up.

Good luck.
10-22-09: Jeffb28451
If by "glass ceiling", you mean you're going to have to go into seriously diminishing returns, you're right.
Actually, I think the "Glass Ceiling" is the top upgrade/mod option that Klaus offers for the Odyssey Extremes. It's not listed on the website, but I have seen it referred to in reviews and posts on forums.