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Anyone Compared Odyssey/PS Audio amps?

Greetings,
I own PS Audio HCA-2 currently; I've seen at least one person who switched to an Odyssey amp. Wondering if anyone else would care to share impressions of their comparison between the two?

My initial thought is that it would be very difficult for a traditional amp to handle the bass the way the PS Audio digital amps do. Comments welcome!

Thanks,
Doug Schroeder
douglas_schroeder

Showing 2 responses by phd

phd
1,277 posts
 
I have a different twist here. I sold my Odyssey Stratos for the HCA-2. The improvements over the Stratos are:

1. Much larger soundstage.
2. Better midbass.
3. Tighter more well defined lower bass.

A persons preference on one amp over the other will depend on a few factors. The type of speakers and preamp used. Whether or not the HCA-2 is used in balanced mode since the HCA-2 is a true balanced design, the Odyssey is not. Finally a couple of Odyssey Stratos reviewers on audioreview.com prefered the HCA-2 over the Stratos, personally I think they are both great amps but in different ways.
phd
1,277 posts
 
Further time spent with the PS audio HCA-2 has confirmed my belief that the HCA-2 is the superior amp over the Stratos, can't speak for the Stratos mono blocks, never owned them.

Both the Stratos & HCA-2 are equally as transparent but that is where the similarities end. The HCA-2 has much better imaging where as the Stratos, the image wonders. Again the HCA-2 has the much larger soundstage with better bass slam that is more well defined & details are more fleshed out. The HCA-2 fills the room with music, beyond the speakers & walls, providing an all-involving & enjoyable listening experience. If I would of never compared the two, I would still be a happy camper with the Stratos.
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