Odyssey Khartago ES or PS Audio Stellar S300?


I wonder if anybody listen side by side to Odyssey Khartago ES and PS Audio Stellar S300. They are close pricewise and both have good reviews. I’m looking for what we’re all looking for – transparency, details, controlled bass, separation of instruments, musicality… I use Mac C22 as preamp and Focal Electras BE 1028. Your expertise will be very much appreciated.


vad58

Showing 1 response by auxinput

The Odyssey will be more engaging and have better texture in the mids/highs (like has already been mentioned).  Be aware that Odyssey has a completely manual turn-on switch (no remote trigger turn-on input).  This is really just a convenience item, unless it bothers you.   Another thing to know is that Klaus likes to use really small 400VA transformers (even if they are stacked).  This means that Odyssey will not have the deep bass muscle/fullness that other amps may have due to transformer size.  Even though Klaus can load 120,000uf, the ultimate power of the amp itself is still really driven by the size of the transformer.  This doesn't mean that Odyssey isn't an excellent amp (it's really very good).  The PS Audio -may- have better low/deep bass due to Class D operation, but it only pushes 140 watts into 8 ohms, so it is not a power beast either. 

I have heard the PS Audio S300 amps and they are quite good for a Class D amp.  They aren't really "flat" sounding like other amps.  Their Class A input stage is really nice.  But I still think the Odyssey will be a better sounding result in the long run.