ATI vs. Odyssey Stratos

Early B.
Early B. Posts: 7,900
edited September 2008 in Electronics
I sold my Odyssey Stratos amp and bought criverjr's ATI 1502 amp to power my front speakers (Rega Naos). I also bought another ATI for my rear speakers. I didn't have any reason to change out amps -- I just wanted to try something different. Anyway, as most of you know, the Odyssey is a very highly regarded amp. Both the Odyssey and the ATI are rated at 150 wpc. The Odyssey is HUGE, whereas the ATI has a "small" rectangular shape (a bit taller with half the depth). I prefer the smaller amp because it conserves cabinet space. I've got both ATI amps resting where the big-**** Odyssey used to reside. The ATI amp can also be bridged for 450 wpc.

OK, so I hooked up the ATI and popped in my demo DVD. At first, I wasn't overly impressed with ATI's dynamic ability relative to the Odyssey. I felt the ATI could do better, so I changed out the speaker connections. The ATI doesn't accept spades, so I only had one-half of the spade tightened into each connector. I found a couple of pair of banana plugs and attached the spades to the bananas. Then I popped in the demo DVD again and BAM!!!! Oh, how sweet it is. Both the Odyssey and ATI appear to be equally powerful, but the ATI is so much more realistic than the Odyssey. While the Odyssey seemed to over emphasize certain sounds, the ATI delivers sound in such a well-rounded, life-like manner. Great detail, man, and it ain't even broken in yet.

I'd love to try this amp on music with a 2-channel system someday. I'll bet if you paired this puppy with a tube pre, you'd be in sonic heaven. So, once again, I have "upgraded" my system by purchasing a less expensive amp. I certainly did not expect the ATI to best the Odyssey, which is an awesome amp as well. I'll say it again -- price don't mean a damn thing in the hifi audio world. Because of this, I highly recommend the ATI 1502 amp. For $350 - $400 on the used market, it's hard to beat. IMO, it'll probably destroy the usual suspects at this price point -- Parasound, Rotel, Outlaw -- I've had them all and I'd choose the ATI without hesitation.
HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

"God grooves with tubes."
Post edited by Early B. on
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Comments

  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited May 2005
    Outlaw -- I've had them all and I'd choose the ATI without hesitation.
    You do know that ATI builds amps for Outlaw?
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited May 2005
    You do know that ATI builds amps for Outlaw?
    I've heard that before. My experience with Outlaw has been with their monoblocks. Wish I could A/B the 1502 with a couple of mono's, but going by memory alone, I'd still choose the 1502. My Odyssey replaced the monos on my 2-channel system a while back and IMO, the Odyssey sounded much better.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • stereo55
    stereo55 Posts: 418
    edited May 2005
    If anyones interested ... Onecall has the ATI 1502 on sale for $450 (every now and then a rare $399) . 7 year warranty and transferable .

    Great deal imo . LINKY
    SDA-2B's ~ Pair SDA-CRS's ~ ,*** Main listening: Maggies MG1 ~ Polk SDA 2B's ~ Monitor 10's , 3-pairs (2 pairs moded into SDA's w/SDA-2B/CRS cross-overs) , * DCM TF600's * Mission M71/M72 *** Main brdrm FRT: RTiA-5's /Presence RTi-4 / LSI-704 Cntr / Rear FXI3's ~~~ Assorted Main listening rm : , 2- Heathkit W-5M /tube mono blocks (Parasound P/HP-850)* * 2- Altec Lansing 1590b's/mono blocks (Yamaha C-45) * CM Labs 35D * Dynaco ST-70 ~ Occasionally ~* Yamaha CR-820/A-760 ,* Sansui AU-317/AU-217 * Carver 900 rec *2-Dynaco ST 120* 1 Hafler DH-220* Marantz 1040 ... more
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  • I-SIG
    I-SIG Posts: 2,243
    edited May 2005
    I've mentioned it before, but SDA-aholics beware:

    ATI's are NON-common ground.

    Get or build and AI-1 interconnect before use.

    Wes
    Link: http://polkarmy.com/forums

    Sony 75" Bravia 4K | Polk Audio SDA-SRS's (w/RDO's & Vampire Posts) + SVS PC+ 25-31 | AudioQuest Granite (mids) + BWA Silver (highs) | Cary Audio CAD-200 | Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR's | Rotel Michi P5 | Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR's | Cambridge Audio azur 840C--Wadia 170i + iPod jammed w/ lossless audio--Oppo 970 | Pure|AV PF31d
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  • W WALDECKER
    W WALDECKER Posts: 900
    edited May 2005
    odyssey amplifiers tend to be very revealing of upstream components and it is possible that you prefer the sound of the ati amps over the odyssey because of this. but everyone hears differently so it could just be a matter of personal taste. thank you for your comparison.
    Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
    .Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.2xhmpsuownoj.jpg
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited July 2008
    Hey Early B:

    I found this thread of yours from the past. How do you think your new XPA-2 sounds compared to the Odyssey Stratos and ATI you previously owned?'

    Thanks,

    Mike
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 20,003
    edited July 2008
    Nice bump Mike.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited July 2008
    SolidSqual wrote: »
    Hey Early B:

    I found this thread of yours from the past. How do you think your new XPA-2 sounds compared to the Odyssey Stratos and ATI you previously owned?'

    Thanks,

    Mike

    Geez. You're dug up an ancient relic. In all fairness, my Odyssey amp was an original Odyssey and not the Stratos of today.

    OK, with that said, I can't really comment on a comparison between the Odyssey and the XPA-2 because the Odyssey was in my system several years ago - different room, different equipment, blah, blah, blah....

    Ask me again in a couple of days what I think of the XPA-2. My "new" pre arrives tomorrow. I'm currently running the XPA-2 through a pre/pro, so I haven't really "heard" it yet. But I will say that I have never been more excited about an amp. Lately, I've been finger poppin' and head bobbin' like crazy. The amp grabs hold of the music and throws it at you like a pie in the face, and you're just standing there mesmerized and licking your lips.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited July 2008
    Damn, I wish you could tell me more. I'm thinking of buying the XPA-2 instead of an Odyssey equivalent. After purchasing my monos from Klaus, I don't really want to go back. His customer service is raved about, but I was given a preamp without a cover for a month, two mono amps that had balanced connections that created incredible ground loop noise and no boxes or manuals. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Khartago I bought from Trey and those monos were proving to be excellent (minus the XLR connections), but the poor customer attention just began to fester and then made me want to just piss off. Then he had the audacity to guilt trip me about selling them on audiogon . . . how I stole a sale from him. Jesus I think I have some pent up audio aggression.
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  • Steve Mac
    Steve Mac Posts: 1
    edited September 2008
    SolidSqual wrote: »
    ... His customer service is raved about, but I was given a preamp without a cover for a month, two mono amps that had balanced connections that created incredible ground loop noise and no boxes or manuals. D...Jesus I think I have some pent up audio aggression.

    Hi, first post on this forum...I'm from Indy too.
    I noticed this post and realized I had worked through a problem that you have(or had). I own 4 monoblocks and one stereo stratos amp. I am very, very happy with these amps...but I had issues with the "courtesy" balanced inputs too. Initially I discovered that they were not wired(pin1,2,3) the same as most American gear. After working through this I also bridged the negative terminal to the ground pin at the stratos' balanced input jack, which got rid of low level noise which in my case was because the system is extremely efficient(>105dB). In effect, only the positive terminal is used on the balanced input, and the negative terminal floats...which can act as a nice antenna. But if your speakers are <100dB...you'll probably hear none of this.

    So, I had two issues:
    1) balanced inputs not wired properly for my app
    2) negative terminal not grounded

    These were both quick fixes...yeah it caused a little grief along the
    way...but I think if you check into these suggestions you will be real happy.
    I know I was. ;) Good luck!

    Regards, Steve
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