|   Odyssey Stratos- Whoa Nellie! (and other first impressions) | KeithR
Mar 10, 2001 12:39 PM | | So i get home last night, and have this big heavy box in my living room...I open it up, and there is my Stratos, the unit is packaged very well, and i try to lift it out....very easy to do, because the side massive heat sinks make excellent grips!
I check it out, and must say it is the finest looking amp I have seen...the anodized silver faceplate is unbelievable, and so I check to make sure there are no physical damage to the unit. Lucky me, there wasnt :) I look to the back, and see more evidence of the unit's overall build quality. EXCELLENT binding posts and rca jacks---never seen on an amp <2k. And a nice sticker(plate?) with "For Keith Rochelli." Serial # is on a gold plate at the bottom right. I am thinkin, geez, this thing is unbelievable...i hope it sounds as good as it looks!
Before this, I had my Rotel 5 ch running a few cds, as I really wanted to A/B the two. So I setup the Stratos....the thing is like twice the size of the Rotel....absolutely MASSIVE. I felt as if i had a Krell or ML in the house...for 1k. Plug it in, and I am just grinning at the huge glowing logo on the front.
After setup, I put in a few cds...a little techno, classical, jazz, enya, etc. which i had been playing on the Rotel for awhile. I was amazed at the power and clarity of this amp....it absolutely runs over my Rotel (which i feel is excellent quality too). The bass was bigger (and cleaner i feel), mids were clearer. My only qualm, was a little harshness in the highs, but that is a breakin issue I am sure. Power seems to be no problem, and this thing obviously can fill a room 30 by 30 if it had too. After listening to music for a few hours, the harshness in the highs seemed to tame a bit...can't wait for it really to break in in a few days! I touched the unit, and it feels "lukewarm" as if it wasn't even breaking a sweat (and during this span, my roommate djd a set at very high decibel levels).
Anyways, this is definitely a keeper, and when I put it in my new system (as I want to distinguish the Stratos and ACIs during breakin), which has a CAL as the source, I am sure that it only gets better from here out....
Thank you Klaus, Alex, BeatleFred, etc. for helping me find this true value in audio! I will put in a full review in a few weeks... |
| re: Odyssey Stratos- Whoa Nellie! (and other first impressions) | Alex - the good one.
Mar 10, 2001 4:52 PM | | I'm glad now you're a happy camper at Camp Odyssey-Stratos. :-)
Want to see how the Stratos can handles complex harmonics?
Get the "Spain" CD by Michel Camilo & Tomatito. (Acoustic piano & acoustic Spanish guitar duets. Turbo-charged energy.)
"Oregon in Moscow" Live CD. (The pioneer world jazz group "Oregon", with full Orchestra.)
"Let's Call This" by Steve Khan. (jazz)
"Weaving My Ancestors' Voices." by Sheila Chandra.
(Her vocal abilities beats the pants off Diana Krell.
She can turn her vocals into a human percussion machine!
This CD shows a little bit of most of her styles. Kind of like a sampler.)
"Live at the Winterland." by Janis Joplin.
"Live at Leeds." by The Who.
"In Session- Albert King With Stevie Ray Vaughan." by Albert King.
"In The Ballroom Mood." by Anja Garbarek. (Norwegian world jazz pioneer Jan Garbarek's daughter. - a combination of styles from the 30's to today's electronica.)
"1412" by Vangelis.
"Solo Concert." by Ralph Towner.
"Folk Songs" by Jan Garbarek Group.
"Wildthings Run Fast." by Joni Mitchell. (HDCD reissue)
These few recordings will surely demo what the Stratos can handles well, for a pretty wide range of music.
Happy listening.
Alex - the good one. |
| Most excellent, Keith........ | Jetsons
Mar 10, 2001 5:05 PM | | So, not all amps sound exactly the same?:-)
Enjoy your new toy.
Jet |
| re: Odyssey Stratos- Whoa Nellie! (and other first impressions) | BeatleFred
Mar 10, 2001 8:05 PM | | Hi Keith:
Congratulations- I am glad to hear you are enjoying your new Stratos. Mine's Silver too. Is silver the one you wanted or did you have any other color faceplates in mind?
Where is the sticker with your name located? Thats a nice touch, I guess they just started that as it is not on mine (s/n 00-563) I bought mine in December 2000. How about yours, Alex? |
| re: Odyssey Stratos- Whoa Nellie! (and other first impressions) | KeithR
Mar 10, 2001 9:01 PM | | It is in the middle of the back plate on the top...definitely a nice touch. BTW, for some reason I thought the Odyssey light was blue? Mine is white...is this how yours is?
Silver is the one i wanted...seriously considered purple though...girlfriend persuaded me not too! |
| re: Odyssey Stratos- Whoa Nellie! (and other first impressions) | BeatleFred
Mar 10, 2001 10:14 PM | | Sounds like its located above where the power switch is. The light is white on mine. Maybe its blue on another color faceplate??
Actually I didnt realize when I first got it it was supposed to illuminate at all. Turns out, in a rush to get it to me before Christmas, it was overlooked to fasten the bulb brackets up onto the sides of the logo.
Not a big deal to do which I took care of but I have to shake my head at how such an obvious thing can be overlooked when its clearly visible that it illuminates- even in daylight. Wondering now if they forgot the namplate as well. (I sent you an email by the way). |
| re: Odyssey Stratos- Whoa Nellie! (and other first impressions) | Alex - the good one.
Mar 10, 2001 10:37 PM | | The lights on mine are just regular lights. Not blue.
I don't remember seeing the name plate on mine. Maybe it's a new touch. But I'll check next time when I have to rearrange stuff in my rack. It's very difficult to get to the back of the amps, since the whole rack weights close to 300 lbs.
I have the silver faceplates too.
Hey, Keith,
Wait until about 2.5 to 3 months. Then, you'll really be blown away by the Stratos magical music tours. :-)
Alex - the good one. |
| Odyssey Stratos...Alex, Keith, Beatlefred...HELP! | Paul
Mar 11, 2001 9:40 AM | | Congrats on your purchase Keith, I can't wait to order mine. I orginally was going to go with the NAD C370, but after reading reviews here and other places, decided to spend the money and go with the Stratos. Have to decide on silver or black.
My question is about the Odyssey Tempest pre-amp. Has anyone tried it out? Is it over-priced @ $895.00 or should I go the way of Creek or another? Also, does anyone know if this comes with a remote? I'm assuming not. I'm sold on the amp, but really need help on the pre.
Thanks,
Paul |
| Odyssey Stratos...Alex, Keith, Beatlefred...HELP! | Alex - the good one.
Mar 11, 2001 12:36 PM | | Excellent decision. :-)
You just cannot go wrong with the Odyssey Stratos.
Wait until you hear, and have this thing in your own hands.
You WILL keep this amp until the (20 years transferable) warrenty expires.
But please do get the $95. 120,000uF cap upgrade option. You WILL love it. Worth every single penny.
Why not call Klaus, with *ALL* your questions, about the kind of music, and system , your budgets, etc, and let him help you to decide?
Klaus is known to advice people *NOT TO BUY* his products, if there's another product that will works better!
He's more concerns about his customers getting the most out of his system, than, to make another quick sales.
He even answered many of my dumb questions. :P
He had adviced me to keep , and continue using a couple of my old gears, that he knew would works well with the Stratos, instead of trying to sell me more stuff.
No. The Tempest does not comes with a remote control.
The only person that I'm aware of using both the Stratos and Tempest is Dino. He posts here every now and then.
The best IC and speaker cables I've found that work best with the Stratos are the Groneberg IC (I have not try their speaker cables, but those who do love them.) between pre-power.
I use the very inexpensive Supra Ply 3.4/S speaker cables from Sweden. Works wonderfully too. But very hard to find in the US. But the manufacturer - Jenving Technology, is very easy to deal with, and have great customers' service too.
http://www.jenving.se/
Odyssey Audio carries the Groneberg too. Don't waste money on silver cables. Or expensive Voodoo Cable du Jour.
http://www.odysseyaudio.com/
Alex - the good one.
PS: BTW. I'm not dissing, or bashing NAD.
If somebody indeed can have no way to afford the Stratos. NAD is right behind my highly recommanded list. |
| Why not take the home trial offer from Odyssey on the Tempest? n | Alex - the good one.
Mar 11, 2001 12:40 PM | | . |
| I sent you an email (nt) | BeatleFred
Mar 11, 2001 3:56 PM | | |
| Odyssey Stratos...Alex, Keith, Beatlefred...HELP! | KeithR
Mar 11, 2001 8:02 PM | | I probably will wait until the remote version comes out...later this year according to Klaus. Although, i may try a passive first...the FT Audio Little Wonder probably...silver is beautiful by the way...I am using my Rotel Pre/Pro right now...but will run my CAL direct ot the amp in a week or so.
Email me with any questions! |
| Keith.. | BeatleFred
Mar 11, 2001 9:12 PM | | You mentioned in your Post to email w/ questions- I DID, havent heard back from you. |
| Keith.. | KeithR
Mar 12, 2001 5:33 AM | | I just did...sorry, don't have access to work email yet from home... |
| Re: Tempest for Paul | Dino
Mar 15, 2001 1:16 PM | | Paul,
I have the Stratos and Tempest for about 3 months now so here is my opinion on it. The major drawback on the Tempest is NO Remote Control. I usually listening to music late into the night so it's a pain in the butt to get up if you need to adjust the volume. Other than that, the performance is outstanding. As for the price, $895 is a little bit stiff for a preamp. However since I paid only $500 for my demo from a local dealer, I'm very satisfied :-).
Dino
PS: |
| Re: Tempest for Paul | Dino
Mar 15, 2001 1:17 PM | | Paul,
I have the Stratos and Tempest for about 3 months now so here is my opinion on it. The major drawback on the Tempest is NO Remote Control. I usually listening to music late into the night so it's a pain in the butt to get up if you need to adjust the volume. Other than that, the performance is outstanding. As for the price, $895 is a little bit stiff for a preamp. However since I paid only $500 for my demo from a local dealer, I'm very satisfied :-).
Dino |
| Pre-amp for Stratos | jsujo
Mar 12, 2001 2:41 PM | | I am considering different routes: a used Audio Research LS8, for 700 bucks, or just a plain ol passive ala Adcom slc...I am not sure about the sound differences,,,but i figured a passive one will allow the amp to shine on its own merits, and its way cheaper. I will only connect a Cd player so I dont need many inputs/outputs. The Tempest pre amp reminds of a David Belles pre amp with the separate power source and big wooden knobs. |
| re: Odyssey Stratos- Whoa Nellie! (and other first impressions) | Dino
Mar 15, 2001 10:48 AM | | Congratulation Keith,
I also have a Stratos since December and love this baby. I also did an A/B comparision with Rotel Amp and BW Nautilus 805 speakers at a friend's house. IOHO (In our humble opinion), Stratos kick butt over the Rotel. It make my friend want to sell his Rotel and get the Stratos.
Enjoy your new Amp |
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