Classe 201 -vs- Odyssey Stratos

Socrates, isn't the Stratos supposed to have more bass than Classe? That's what the soundstage! review said:
"Weighty bass," "smooth and grain-free treble," and "a distinct lack of the upper-midrange glare often found in affordable solid-state products"; "what you have on your recordings is what you will get from your speakers -- provided they're up to the task."
stratos review

No need to be confused, just have an open mind! Time moves on, as does technology. I owned the Stratos for a long time and it bettered a lot of competition in my home, from well regarded Musical Fidelity to McCormack amps and many in between, hence the previous praise. I would suggest it to anyone for audition looking in the price range, but to believe that it is the "best" amp available is surely an argument that defeats itself!

I recently picked up a PS Audio HCA-2 and also have the Bel Canto digital amp in my home currently, both of which have impressed me like no others, especially the HCA-2. That said this is my opinion, one which I am at full liberty to change at anytime and for any reason. Gimme a break! I go through about an amp a month in home and hear many at dealers at all prices. Believe me, I don't post reviews to make you or other people feel secure about your purchase, or to boost my or anyone else’s ego, and if that's what you're looking for you should stick to mindless reviews on www.audioreview.com. I never boast about a product because I own it, but I will praise the product that I keep and give the reasons that I've kept it, relative to its competition, and I would never judge any product without having directly compared it to a similar product. Also, please realize that I do this all for myself, I don't review gear for other people (except my close audiophile friends via email), I sure as heck don't get paid for it (but I would welcome donations)! I have nothing at stake here but my time. I am a full blown audiophile, I'll admit that, and I'm having a lot of fun. My living room looks like a dealer’s showroom most of the time, with enough equipment lying around to build multiple systems. I enjoy reading, sharing and debating ideas with other audiophiles. I fully believe that if a reviewer cannot list both positive and negative aspects about every piece of gear that they audition then they either lack experience, perspective or credibility. I personally prefer to read honesty in a review, even when brutal, rather then sugar coated BS!

It's really sad that so few people are willing to actually say something less then glowing about a product online, hesitant to say anything negative as clearly, seemingly without exception, whenever one does speak their mind the owners of the product come out in droves to stone the messenger! It’s a lot of fun fending off tactless personal attack as well, let me tell you….

Cdc:

The bass weight of the Stratos was very impressive, its speed and articulation of inner detail, however, is lacking next to the big Classe monoblocks and the HCA-2.

BTW, the claim that "Your name is all over the place singing the praises of Odyssey more than any other poster on ANY site" is more then a bit blow out of proportion, you know that, right? I post 80%% of the time on this site, ocassionally on Audioasylum (I just don't like the board format there and find it a PITA to read), but NO OTHER audio boards. I've made only a handful of replies about this amp here, in NO WAY am I or have I been the head Cheerleader for this product, (that position would clearly be given to the owner of Odyssey Audio). You may wish to refine your research methods in the future....

YOU SAID:

"It's really sad that so few people are willing to actually say something less then glowing about a product online, hesitant to say anything negative as clearly, seemingly without exception, whenever one does speak their mind the owners of the product come out in droves to stone the messenger! It’s a lot of fun fending off tactless personal attack as well, let me tell you…."

MY REPLY:

Plenty of people say "less than glowing things" about products online. My point was that YOU have had very positive things to say about odyssey. My point is that you seem to have taken the approach of taking a rather negative view of the Odyssey amp (using words and phrases like "trounce" and "sell the Odyssey and buy some music"). AND dont assume that my response to your post was a "tactless personal attack"! I dont care enough about your review to attack. I simply wanted to comment that your posts in the past were glowing, and now that you have moved on to your new flavor of the month, your tone has changed. All I'm trying to say is that I'm sick of people reviewing positivly simply because they own it, and your name kept coming up where ever I did a search for Odyssey.

Mhubbard, please actually read my responses written on this topic, and also please refrain from putting words into my mouth, it’s quite rude.

If a person can't tell the difference between his classic amp and another amp, especially a more expensive one, why on earth should he keep it?! How is "sell the Odyssey, buy some music" a negative response? That's ridiculous! Seems like sound advice to me, and could be applied to any piece of gear in the same situation. Why does it offend you so much personally that another amp can be superior to the Odyssey that you cherish? Remember, it's just a hobby, and a largely aesthetic hobby where the only opinion that matters is your own....

Look at reviews for extremely popular or "hot" items with overwhelmingly positive reviews for examples (such as the Odyssey amps) of where you'll see any dissenting views attacked. Folks can speak their minds with older and less popular items, but say anything bad about a bandwagon product and the topics always get personal. It even happens professionally very often. Look at the review for the Thiel 1.6’s and Meadowlarks recently in Stereophile. They where given a less then perfect reviews and the authors where viciously attacked by die-hard owners. I really don’t think I’m making the phenomenon up, nor do I think that I’m the only person smart enough to figure it out, either....