odyssey amp's how do they compare to others

Interesting.
First of all, the marketing person in charge would be me. Second, some of the points of reviews are very well taken. On the one hand you have politics, and on the other (with personal reviews) you have ownership pride. Always look between the lines.
We have a total of over 1000 pcs sold, and the vast majority of customers are through the different web sites like this. We've been back ordered over 6-8 weeks for the past 8 months now. Of course, there's also a much higher % of our customers posting on the web as well, considering that this is much more a priority area to them than the "regular" customer who shops in stores.

Having said that, we can certainly back up everything with professional reviews as well. Now, as for the design, "Stehno" is absolutely correct in that it's actually the Symphonic Line RG 11 amp from Germany. I always make a point of the fact that this RG 11 is a SL, and that it used to be $ 3,400. We actually improve upon the PS and the case, and drop the price 70 %. That's why our customers are so nuts about the amp. It's all in the price / performance. We simply want to offer a great amp at a great price, period.

As for the manufacturing, the amps are build by a multi-million $ company near Syracuse. They operate under ISO 9000 compliance, and the reason why we do that is because their quality is outstanding. I'm very, very proud of all the quality and work that goes into these amps, and especially the price point that we're able to hit with the direct marketing. However, to imply that we're writing all the good press on our product is just a little shy of character assassination. Maybe in turn somebody should take a look at possible motives ??? We've seen this many times before, close to 20 reviews had to be removed (anything from 1 star to 5 star ratings) because of bogus reviews. People who never even seen the amp tried to bring it down for whatever reason. The same people also forget that they're playing with other's livelihoods as well. It's crazy.

Anyway, if in doubt, just email some of the posters. That simple. As for the used market; over 95 % of our amps are still in the original owners hands, and if a unit is on sale like here at audiogon, it usually sells within a week and for about 85 - 90 % of the new price. Indication enough ? Or maybe we buy all the used units off the market as well ??? I hope that this explanation helps to prevent further rumors.

Klaus @ Odyssey

First of all, I don't have any idea about any of these reviews, and it's an open access forum. I'm not really buying it, though. We only make sure that the reviews posted are from legitimate owners. After all, this is our livelihood, and just like hiflying, there are quite a few people (you can figure out yourself who they are) who want to see the amp being degraded. Multiple motives here. As for this individual here, let's see what was posted so far: implying that we write our own reviews, that people are paid off by us, that the product can't be all that good, but that it's a result of hype, it's a cheap garage build unit that's a knock-off, etc. etc.

No thanks, but I don't have time for this nonsense. We've had discussions like this before, and I'm not going deeper into this with people who obviously are trying to damage our reputation and business for whatever reasons. This is unpleasent at the best, and a legal situation at the worst. Especially by someone who's never even seen our amp and who doesn't have any idea how much we put into every unit to make sure that our customers get the best possible deal. Exactly the opposite of rip-offs.

As for the reviews, the 5 star rating is defined. 5 stars means exceeding expectations, which indeed is price related. Is the amp the best there is ? No, of course not. There are tons of amps out there that are at least as good in many respects. There are other great products that are extremely enjoyable and with which I could happily live ever after / just not for our price point. The price/performance is the main issue here, and that's why people go nuts. Would we still have the same results and feedback if the amp would be $ 4-5 k? No, of course not.

As for the 2 owner's of monos who found the amp merely "ordinary", I don't really buy that either unless I'd talk to them personally. After all, we have the money back guarantee, and if a customer isn't 100 % convinced, then, of course, we'll take the units back.
Why so many owners of other products don't take the time and write reviews ? Well, again, that's more an issue of the web - interest by internet - direct customers. The highest % of owner reviews are indeed from internet direct companies, and this can easily be traced.
As for 75 reviews being ridiculous, I don't know. I'm very, very proud of this fact, and obviously put a lot of blood and sweat into making sure that I have very satisfied customers, before and after the sale.

If anybody's in doubt here, please make sure to call me personally, and I'll take as much time as needed to set any record straight.

Thanks guys,
Klaus

Jetter,

No problem at all. My response wasn't directed at you at all. As for A/B compos, well, it's a very personal hobby after all. Even if somebody tries to be as fair and objective as possible, the whole listening environment, system setup and synergy, etc. might be in favor of one amp over the other in this particulat setup. No problem at all, since this is pretty much taken for granted.
There's a reason why there's ss and tubes, dynamic, ribbons, and Estats out there, and I'll never argue with somebody's personal taste. Hey, as a matter of fact, I'm actually selling tons of pre amps for several tube manufacturer if our customers want to run a tube pre. It's a no bullshit approach, of which I'm very proud of. Also, the factory direct marketing allows me this and gives me other areas of freedom as well. Personally, I love the discussion of comparing a variety of products within the umbrella of system synergy, and with my 14 years of experience in this business, I think that I have a pretty good background.

HOWEVER, if somebody blatantly tries to discredit my business, and ultimately also my life's work, then of course, I have to act somehow and set the record straight. Guys, think about if somebody's doing the same thing at your work - business place. It's not a pretty idea, and because this is a hobby industry, and as such very shaky in the first place, one can do real damage in a heartbeat because with the freedom of such great forums such as this also comes flipside in that it can easily be abused for alternative motivs or plain mean behavior.

Just my thoughts, and thanks for the support from you guys,
Klaus

I don't have time for this nonsense, but guess, I have to respond to some moronic statements again. Here is goes in short form:

- I really don't care as to what other companies do about attacks / bogus reviews, etc. against their company.

- However, as for us, I do have my fingers on the pulse on a daily basis. As for AR, we check every day, and try to keep it clean and honest at all times. I also know that we're not the only company doing so.

- This means that there aren't any bogus reviews. In the past couple of years, quite a few of these bogus reviews have been deleted. These were rated from 1 stars up to several 5 stars. How do I know if these 5 star reviews are real ? Well, for one, we pretty much have every owner in our database. Because we have the 20 year transferable warranty, and because there were relatively few units for sale over the last couple of years (less than 5 %), and because we only sell direct, we have a good handle on where each unit is.

- As for me asking not to say anything bad about us, what a crock. If there's a person that had bad experience with our products or with me, then by all means, go ahead. It's your right to voice it.

- However, by posting BS bogus in order to damage our business in any way, shape, or form, be it by posting a bogus review, spreading a rumor, making accusations (see in this thread above the remark that we've written all the reviews ourselves, etc). is indeed a pretty shttty way to deal with somebody's livelihood. Be it ours or any other manufacturer's. It's just wrong, and unfortunately, I see it everywhere.

- As for some of the previous (about 15 months ago) postings on AR, we've decided to go legal against one individual, due to the extent of the lies and the potential damage. Hehe, kind of surprise to find out who that person was, and where the motives came from. We finally accepted an apology instead of going forward with damages, (which is not that easy, believe me. Not easy, but possible) to get that unpleasant situation behind us. However, sometimes I'd recommend this legal route to other manufacturer as well, as this BS is out there way too much. Of course it's ok to disagree and to be cautious.

- Which brings me to MFB, or Joel. He openly insinuates that we have a bad reputation in this very thread. Also, looking at the last 4 weeks, he initiated several discussions about the Stratos amp. He overwhelmingly received positive responses, I've answered his questions, and several of my customers mailed me that they've personally emailed him to answer all of his questions. Well, after all of this, he openly attacks us with the issue of the removed reviews pretty much stating that we're unethical. Your guess is as good as mine here.

- I hope that for once and all, I explained the issue with the reviews. Yes, I'm proud of the 5 star ratings, of course, and I'll always try to have false reviews identified, as (and stated in the user policy of AR) reviewers will have to verify that they're indeed legitimate owners. BUT, what I'm really proud of is that our customers are happy with the amps and with my service. Yes, I'm having fun, but it's also my livelihood, true. If I'm awake, you can get ahold of me. I have the phone always forwarded, late at night or at the weekends. I want to be available for anybody as much as I can, and that seems to be appreciated. I also talk pretty much how I see it, torpedos be damned (however, I never bad mouth another company or product. there really isn't that much rip-off in the $ range that we're in) This is my opinion and my experience, but people seem to appreciate this very much as well, even if they might disagree. Ultimately, however, and keep in mind that I still make money, and as corny as this might sound, I truly believe that I offer a service to our customers. The way in which we were able to shave off 70 % off the Symphonic Line designs by improving the amps, and finally making this kind of performance available for this price range and a wider range of potential customers, is unique to my knowledge.

- The question then becomes if everybody is happy with the amps and / or my service. Well, out of every 100 amps shipped we receive a bit more than 2 amps back under our money back guarantee. Of course we don't hit a 100 %, and of course the Stratos isn't the best amp out there or suited for each and every system. that's why I take so much time talking to the customer, making sure that everything fits nicely, and that's why I also refused sales in the past. Having said that, hardly any of the people who sent back an amp had something really bad to say about the amp. In nearly every case, it just didn't fit the taste 100 %. Did I have to deal with customers from hell ? Hell yeah, but thankfully only a couple of them so far.

- Again, I want to make sure that this is understood before I get more moronic responses here, and that's why I state it again: no, I don't think that the Stratos is the single best amp out there. there are many amps that are better, no matter what. Just for what price ??? Is the Statos the perfect amp for the money in every system ? No, of course not. Synergy, synergy, synergy. However, I do swell with pride by saying that it's pretty darn good in most systems. Does a 5 star rating on AR mean that people think it's better than anything else ??? No, read the guidelines carefully and see what the rating is all about.

- So, here you have it. Repeating pretty much my answers from above responses in the very same thread because some people just couldn't get the point. I truly hope that this answers all the issues once and for all. And mfb, I really hope that you'll be happy with your system once you've settled on an amp that suits you. There are many good choices out there for you.

Later,

Klaus