KefKing

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Well, here goes...another fantastic review. I can't help it; its true, this is the original "giant killer." I just bought a used Stratos online. I bought it on a whim, and then began to regret it, as I felt like it wouldn't perform as well as my Forte Audio Model 3. The Forte is a 200 wpc solid-state amp produced by Threshold and designed by Nelson Pass himself. I had already resigned myself to listing the Odyssey on Audiogon and resolving to quit buying things on impulse. When the amp arrived, I reluctantly hooked it up and gave it a listen. As my teenage daughter would say, "OMG"!! This thing is among the sweetest-sounding solid-state amp I've ever heard. And I've heard, and owned, many. People who haven't heard the Odyssey will scoff, but the only SS amo I've heard that sounds as sweet as the Stratos is a $5,000 Plinius. The bass response is perhaps the most noticeable attribute of the Stratos' presentation, but more importantly, the soundstage is wide and deep. I mean really wide and deep. It is difficult to find a SS amp that can accurately produce piano, and this is one area where the Stratos really excels. I popped a Diana Krall CD in my trusty Arcam, and the goose-bumps popped up on my arm!! Talk about "being in the room" with the performance!! This thing accurately telegraphs piano notes like few other amps can. Only the very best (and expensive) tube-amps are noticably better. Another astonishing attribute is that mid-range "glare", which is present in almost every solid-state amp, is virtually absent!! Really, really nice. My hat is off to Klaus Bunge and the engineers at Odyssey for making such a fine amp available to the average joe. 5 stars and then some!

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nvinen

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1065.00 from Odyssey Audio

Summary:
Well, it's been about seven and a half years now and I'm still extremely pleased with the Stratos. Visitors frequently comment how good the amplifier sounds. It blew a fuse once - which is understandable when you consider I'm running it off a 240VAC to 120VAC step-down transformer. I replaced it and it worked fine after that.

When I replaced the fuse I had a chance to look inside. I'm impressed with the construction. The idea of using the case as the heat sink is brilliant. I doubt whether this amplifier will ever run into thermal issues, even if pushed to clipping. I build my own amplifiers now, and I know how difficult it would be to build something with the low distortion and high power the Stratos can deliver.

I have a feeling this amplifier will still be working when everything else I own has fallen apart...

Strengths:
Clean sound.
Heaps of power.
Solid construction.
Looks nice (in an unobtrusive way).
You can place equipment on top of it without worrying about overheating.

Weaknesses:
The only way to make it any better for most people would be to lower the price.

Similar Products Used:
Harman/Kardon, Panasonic, ESP, Philips.

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Maprik

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.14 of 5, 14.00 votes

Price Paid:  $900.00 from EBay

Summary:
Wilson's review is the most ridiculous piece of fiction I've read here. And instead of disappearing it's been posted multiple times.

I haven't heard the Harmon Kardon amp he refers to but I have listened to many very good amps in my 20 years as an audiophile and the Stratos is hands down the best bang for the buck that can be found in the audio world. Mate it with a beautiful tube pre (I use a Joule Electra LA-100MKIII) and you will be listening to 95% of what any system can do at any price. Odyssey could price this amp at $2500 and it would still sell easily. The 20 year warranty is amazing and just shows that this amp is built to last.

I hope Wilson is enjoying his HK!

Strengths:
Truly Neutral, clean, clear, what goes in is what comes out on the other end, only louder. Powerful bass.

Weaknesses:
Bland cosmetics. Could have housed this in Piano Black laquered case !!!
Super Heavy.

Similar Products Used:
Cary Audio SLAM 100 monoblocks
AES Superamp
PS Audio HCA-2
Quicksilver Silver 90 Monoblocks
Unison Research Unico
Primaluna Prologue 7 Monoblocks
Audio Research VT-60

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wfbal

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
2.71 of 5, 14.00 votes

Price Paid:  $750.00 from eBay

Summary:
I recently upgrade my audio system with new speakers (Vanderstreen 2CE), new CD player (Cambridge Audio 540C) and a new preamp (Audi Refinement pre-5). Only my power amp (an 25 year old Bryston 3B) remained.
I wanted to replace the Bryston because it did not seem to be able to drive my Vandersteen speakers as well as my old speakers. Music was lacking emotion and dynamics. Also, the Cambridge Audio 540C did introduce some brightness in the upper mids which I wanted to reduce.

I did read many good reviews on this amp and spoke to Klaus (very nice guy and terrific salesman by the way) who convince me to try the Stratos. so I bought a used Stratos with the cap upgrage off eBay.

I'm very please with the results but this products could be improved.

The outside build quality is very good however some corners were cut on the internals: connector to the transformar looks weak, Balanced connectors arn't really balanced and it's mechanical design is not what you expect from high-end audio equipment.
But, for me, the worst part is really the fact that you must keep this amp on all the time. In this age of global warming this is just not acceptable ( I know were are just talking about 100watts here, but it is now the equivalent of all the lighting in my house). Klaus says all amp need to warm up to deliver their best. My old Bryston sounded the same after a one hour than one day warm up, it does not appears to be the same for the stratos.
Also, this thing is really to big, open it and you'll fing out it is mainly filled with air!

On the posifive side, the magic is back, this amp is very musical and did bring back the emotion in the music. It drives my speakers effortlessly and seem to be very quiet and transparent. It did not solve my brightness problem, but it was to be expected ( I will try different Inter connect to adress this matter).
The 20 years warranty is very good (but not the best in the business: Bryston's)

So the positive largely outweight the negatives, this one is a keeper (for now).

Strengths:
Musicality, value, warranty.

Weaknesses:
Warm up period, internals build quality and size.

Similar Products Used:
Bryston 3B

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Steve K.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5, 12.00 votes

Price Paid:  $825.00 from Used

Summary:
I made a recent upgrade to both my amp and pre right before Christmas to take some time off and hopefully enjoy the purchases I had made.
I decided to go with the Stratos since I have been reading about it for about 6 years. My review reflects the Stratos Plus with the cap upgrade.

My system comprised of Thiel 2.2s, Forte Audio Model 40, EVS DAC 1a, and a budget Panasonic. Upon replacing the Musical Design D140 with the Stratos I noticed a huge difference in sound staging and punch. As it took 3 or 4 days to really see what the Stratos could do, I am now just enjoying the most awesome sound coming from the Thiels. Imaging, separation, and higher sound floor all were part of the vast improvements in my system.

I was satisfied with the Musical Design for a long time, it was never bright sounding and the resolution was fine for the 14 years or so I lived with the amp but, after all, how could all these posts be incorrect. Now, the music is wider and taller than before with a neutral timbre and tonality with a natural presentation. This amp matches well with a tube pre-amp as I have recently purchase an Audible Illusions Modulus 3 pre to go with the Stratos. Now, I find Norah Jones (Come Away with Me) simply seducing. She sounds like she is truly in my living room.

On a final note, I am not sure why someone would trash the Odyssey as the previous post suggests. For the money, one would be hard pressed to find an audio purchase that would rival this amp. Pro audio reviewers stated that the Stratos was slightly on the warm side of neutral but, IMO it has a very non-fatiguing, dimensional, musicality that will I sit back and enjoy without feeling that I am missing something as before this purchase. Long live Odyssey and Klaus B.

Strengths:
Soud stage, tonal reproduction, detail, punch, non-fatiguing, and just overall a giant killer in respect to price over value.

Weaknesses:
That I had not purchased this amp sooner!

Similar Products Used:
Classe', Musical Design