sprocket Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Last year I attended the Rocky Mountian Audio Fest. This audio show is devoted to 2 channel audio reproduction and my intention at the show was to track down some tube equipment that I have not had the opportunity to listen to. At that time Rogue Audio was looking good to me. Anyway my big surprise was a solid state system by Odyssey Audio. This equipment was very tube-like in it's presentation. The Rogue equipment was ok but the Odyssey ended up much higher on my list . I've been wondering if anyone here has listened to the Odyssey amp and if you were as impressed as I was. I found this auction on e-bay .... http://cgi.ebay.com/Odyssey-Stratos-Designed-by-Symphonic-Line-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ5807363049QQcategoryZ39783QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and others on Audigon... http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1131756053 Here's the link to this years R.M. Audio Fest (highly recommended).... http://www.audiofest.net/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 why have your S/S sound like Tubes ...?? you know , Flubby, Tubby Bass, no Highs ....... whoops, forgot the great Mids that aside .... the Stratos is a Great Amp ... the builder, Klaus, is a fantastic fellow to deal with kind of a SS counterpart to our own MDenneen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 I guess we should ask the question, why should ANY amplifier with high fidelity aspirations, sound "Flubby, Tubby bass, no Highs..."? I make this comment regardless of tube or solid state configeratiions. Many less expensive lower powered solid state designs sound anaemic - as do many cheaper lower powered tube designs. Although I don't think that just because something is lower powered means it is necessarily not capable of hi-fi performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Any more, I am convinced that most folks have no interest in components that simply reproduce the program source accurately as it was produced (be it well or poorly done). Instead what most desire, even if they do not know it, is a SansAmp, whereby they can wave shape the response until it exhibits the characteristcs they desire, just as a muscian can emulate any amp or distortion or effect they may desire. And lest you write this off, if you have not actually worked with or used a SansAmp, you HAVE nevertheless heard them on countless recordings and live performances! They are amazing units! For home use check out the PSA. Dial in any tube sound you like. Literally. http://www.tech21nyc.com/sansamp_intro.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 edwinr hit it on the nose as far as I'm concerned. After exploring tubes I ended up going with a used Accuphase SS integrated (E406V). When new 5years back it was the top of the Accuphase integrated units. The quality SS beat out my mid level tubes easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 When entry level, merely a middle of the road amp entered you into the world of audio. For me there are just too many to listen to in a year or a decade to confirm exemplary performance. Find one or two inexpensive alternatives as realistic baselines; then venture out into a design that is out of your frame of reference. I just amp roll rather than tube roll. Me? I just have to try a NAIM SS integrated amp one of these years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Any more, I am convinced that most folks have no interest in components that simply reproduce the program source accurately as it was produced (be it well or poorly done). Instead what most desire, even if they do not know it, is a SansAmp, whereby they can wave shape the response until it exhibits the characteristcs they desire, just as a muscian can emulate any amp or distortion or effect they may desire. And lest you write this off, if you have not actually worked with or used a SansAmp, you HAVE nevertheless heard them on countless recordings and live performances! They are amazing units! For home use check out the PSA. Dial in any tube sound you like. Literally. http://www.tech21nyc.com/sansamp_intro.html I, indeed have a SansAmp, DraGon .... it is a convenient source .......Of Tube sound ....!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Flubby, Tubby Bass, no Highs ....... Good tube gear doesn't sound anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Any more, I am convinced that most folks have no interest in components that simply reproduce the program source accurately as it was produced (be it well or poorly done). Instead what most desire, even if they do not know it, is a SansAmp, whereby they can wave shape the response until it exhibits the characteristcs they desire, just as a muscian can emulate any amp or distortion or effect they may desire. And lest you write this off, if you have not actually worked with or used a SansAmp, you HAVE nevertheless heard them on countless recordings and live performances! They are amazing units! For home use check out the PSA. Dial in any tube sound you like. Literally. http://www.tech21nyc.com/sansamp_intro.html This is something I've been struggling with for a while... The whole original intent for home audio is strictly entertainment. It is also well known that the majority of recordings out there just plain suck (at least the majority of rock). So this begs the question, "Do I actually want to hear what was recorded?" If I had a perfect recording, then I would most certainly want to have the purest playback possible...but does that perfect recording exist (let alone the perfect playback system)? We're essentially forced to determine which sets of distortion we find most pleasing or least distracting (similar to how a guitar player chooses to distort the sound of his guitar). There is a lot of music I like and want to listen to, but can never find a good recording - but they are listenable on crappy systems (and thus enjoyable in those environments). But at the same time I feel there is great merit to being able to accurately reproduce a good recording...but when it comes down to it, this would require the standardization of the listening environment. Specific room sizes and geometries, dedicated listening positions and all that shnazz (heck, it could even get down to speaker and upstream equipment selection as well). But would it really account to a better sound and more enjoyment? I've heard a lot of great recordings in many different quality studios, yet they all sounded better when I brought them home and played them on my system....this would imply that the old phrase "garbage in = garbage out" isn't totally true.... Anyways, I'll stop for now because I'm way off topic and could go on for hours... Btw, I hold to the viewpoint that niether SS or Tube is better....both have their own limitations and it is up to the user to decide which makes the music more enjoyable. For me...I'm yet to hear a tube amp that does my music justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Any more, I am convinced that most folks have no interest in components that simply reproduce the program source accurately as it was produced (be it well or poorly done). Btw, I hold to the viewpoint that neither SS or Tube is better....both have their own limitations and it is up to the user to decide which makes the music more enjoyable. For me...I'm yet to hear a tube amp that does my music justice. I run both. Yeah, a few here (based on past comments) will be amazed to know that! As far as one topology being all that and the other not... NONSENSE! But I do get a kick out of so many trying to debate which topology is better when operated outside of their linear range. And therein lies the fundamental error! And since we do not have access and control over the necessary fundamental program components to actually make beneficial improvements, I suspect that unless you simply enjoy creating fun party effects, that the goal of reproducing an accurate representation of the (however flawed) program source is all we can aspire to! If you want to engineer, quit playing with the wrong set of tools and become an engineer! they might even let you wear the hat! Oh, or is that the wrong kind of engineer! Maybe, but correctly suited to many with this seemingly erroneous aspiration!![][][6] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shload Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 After searching for the same thing, I was told to give a Pure Class A amp a try. I have a pair of Forte Model 7 Amps, which sound very nice. This passed week I picked up a Krell KSA-50S amp, that has just a little more bottom and crispness, than does the Forte's. Both are very nice and around $1000.00 used. I had an Odyssey Khartago for awhile, but it just did not sound right in my setup. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Class A are some fine heaters! Seriously, just be aware up front of the additional heat load they present (I was literally able to close off the heating vents to the room during the winter! ...of course during the summer they were WIDE open for cooling!) and the nifty additional load they will present to your utility bill! Both Krell and Pass make some nice class A units! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shload Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Yes, the Forte's are not too bad, but the Krell sure can create some heat! Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 I dunno...as far as a transistorized amp sounding anything like a tube amp goes, I think some manufacturers have created a few SS amps that can come close to a tube-like sound. But none have ever achieved total valve tonality IMO. Carver, McIntosh, and Monarchy Audio have come close (real close), but nothing IMO can duplicate the sonority of a vacuum tube than a REAL, honest-to-goodness vacuum tube! Just my two cents...[:|] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Out of all the SS power amps I've owned over the years, my vintage '72 McIntosh MC250 clearly sounded the "tubiest"![H] Hell, it even looked similar to their tube amps...what more could I ask for?[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 This perceived goal of making a SS amp with the additional distortion characterisitcs of a tube amp is questionable at best! How about accurate reproduction without the additional distortion characterisitcs! I am really not interested in an effects generator! As mentioned earlier, if I want that, I will add a SansAmp! Wouldn't it be nice if the goal was a device, be it tube, SS or made of linguine, with a transfer function that showed no difference between the input and output! Of course I suspect that most here would hate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Wouldn't it be nice if the goal was a device, be it tube, SS or made of linguine I heard one of these amps when I was in Italy, called "The Wet Noodle." Although quite the rage among the locals, I found it flat and uninvolving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 The notion that Tube Amps are by definition better or worse than Solid State Amps is pure nonsense. A poor tube amp sounds every bit as bad as a its solid state equivalent. The same can be said for good tube amps vs. good solid state amps. In the final analysis there are only three kinds of amps: Good,Bad and Indifferent. I use a tube amp not because I dislike solid state amps but simply because the amp that sounded best to me for the re$ource$ I had available the last time I went amp shopping was a tube amp. Had I heard better for the same or fewer dollars in a solid state amplifier I would have purchased a solid state amp. In my opinion the only important issue when evaluating an amp is "How does it sound<to me> with my speakers?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 very well put lynm joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Now, now boys!!!!! Let's keep the '(un)common sense' stuff under control![][] ...We certainly don't want you going and starting a fad![6] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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