When I changed from Emotiva 1L monoblocks to a Paradoind HINT there was a huge difference in sound quality. I have never heard the Odyssey but if you check audio circle there is a huge fan base and blog section.
Odyssey Stratos monoblocks with Elac Adante AS-61
I'm currently using Elac Adante AS-61 speakers with Emotiva XPA-200 (power) and USP-1 (pre).
I really like the sound of Elac speakers but I think they will make better sound if I upgrade the amps.
So, I started to search for affordable monoblock power amps and found Odyssey Stratos mono.
http://www.odysseyaudio.com/products-stratos-mono.html
I've found so many articles about how good they are, so I'm pretty sure that they will be a good match for the Elac speakers, but I wanted to ask first what others think before purchasing the amps.
Do you think replacing the current power amps with the Odyssey monoblocks will make huge difference?
If I choose to purchase a tube preamp in the future, what would you recommend? ($1500 or below, new or used)
Thanks in advance.
I really like the sound of Elac speakers but I think they will make better sound if I upgrade the amps.
So, I started to search for affordable monoblock power amps and found Odyssey Stratos mono.
http://www.odysseyaudio.com/products-stratos-mono.html
I've found so many articles about how good they are, so I'm pretty sure that they will be a good match for the Elac speakers, but I wanted to ask first what others think before purchasing the amps.
Do you think replacing the current power amps with the Odyssey monoblocks will make huge difference?
If I choose to purchase a tube preamp in the future, what would you recommend? ($1500 or below, new or used)
Thanks in advance.
20 responses Add your response
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I owned an Odyssey Stratos Extreme stereo amp for 5 years. To tell you the truth, I am sorry I sold it. It was one of the best sounding amp I ever had. It will blow away your Emotiva. The Odyssey amps are all completely hand made, no wave soldering on them. If you buy new, figure at least a 3-4 month wait. |
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Audio Alchemy DPA-1M Monoblocs
for sale at US Audio Mart for $1,500. Schiit Freya (4) 6NS7 tube preamp $699. Or you could buy the
Audio Alchemy DDP-1
with PS5 power supply upgrade (preamp and DAC) $2,500 new. Sometimes the
Audio Alchemy DDP-1
can be found used or demo for much less.
Audio Alchemy is a part of ELAC now, go to their site. The amps are ordinarily $4,000 for the pair new. ELAC has used these for DEMO at Audio Shows all the time. I have the
Audio Alchemy DDP-1/PS5 combo and it is one of the best deals in audio. The
Audio Alchemy DPA-1 Stereo Amp version is also for sale at $999 (half price) at Audio Advisor. Hope this helps. You couldn't find more for the cash then these tried and true items. I own both preamps. |
I had an Odyssey Stratos amp and 2 Odyssey preamps, the Tempest and Candela. I had buzzing and low level spurious noise from all three of them. I had sent them to Odyssey to fix and after many, many months and spending $$$$, I had to sell them at a huge loss!!! I know there are fans, but never again from me. Klaus was very slow to help and almost never answered emails. |
Over the last twenty years I have owned five different Odyssey amps and still own a Kismet. Never had a minutes trouble with any of them nor have I had a problem reaching Klaus by phone which he has made clear that he prefers. I have never found them to be a bad match for any speaker I have paired them with. Plus it's hard to beat a transferable 20 year warranty. |
During the vast majority of my time with Odyssey amps they have driven 2CE Sigs, 3A Sigs and for a while Treo's. At one point when Klaus sold through dealers Johnny R was a dealer. I bought my first Stratos from a dealer when Klaus went direct sales as it was his store sample. Odyssey and Belles were always my favorite Vandersteen amps. |
Thanks everyone for quick response. Actually, I've been considering Audio Alchemy DPA-1M monoblocks too since they are produced by the same manufacturer as the Elac speakers'. I'm pretty sure that they will make great sound with the Elac speakers, but I'm not 100% if spending $1750 on used ($4000 new) DPA-1Ms would be a better decision than spending $1600 ($2700 new) on used Odyssey Stratos monos. Here's an article I've found when I was doing research on the Audio Alchemy amps. I don't know what Ncore and UcD are, but it sounds like the DPA-1Ms are overpriced. https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/50ipq0/audio_alchemy_dpa1m_monoblock_power_amplifier/ What do you guys think? |
I can’t speak to the match with the Elac speakers but I recently purchased a used pair of the Odyssey Stratos Extreme mono’s here on Audiogon. I liked them so much I sent them back to Klaus to convert to Kismets. At their price point the Stratos are a steal. I have had much more expensive amps that weren’t nearly as good. |
Another thing to consider that is in favor of the Stratos Mono's is the known poor sensitivity of all Andrew Jones designs from TAD to Pioneer to Elac. They always tested out as being quite a bit less efficient than the specs claim. In this case the 61's are specked at 85 db but if tested would probably be closer to 82 or less. The Audio Alchemy uses the lower level Hypex UCD modules from several years ago which would in no way keep up with the current delivery available from the Stratos Mono's on a speaker that is demanding. |
@henryjudyI just mentioned Audio Alchemy due to the fact that everyone at the shows liked how they sounded with the Adantes. I use recapped Krell amplifiers myself with my Martin Logan Montis speakers. I have 3 of them. Krells are so muscular compared to most any amps. High Performance Stereo in Florida is a reseller and authorized by Krell to rebuild and fix these wonderful amps. $1,560 gets you a Krell KST-100 I have one), and would bring more than enough power and Class A sound that is to die for. |
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