Galen,
Those look like Odyssey power amps from Klaus Bunge in Indiana… =)
Roger,
Good eyes! Yes, they are Kismet edition mono amps. I skipped the fancy Kismet chassis. I had to go WAY up in price to SimAudio MOON W-8 to better them. The Odyssey amps are a super deal for a well built amp.
They ran the C4s and never even got warm. True, I'm not a head banger but the C4s are a ported design that tend to be tough in the bass region where most of the spectral power resides.
Galen
Hi - A couple months ago I had my Stratos upgraded to an extreme version of the Kismet that Klaus calls the “My Amp”. It’s outstanding.
Galen,
I have the PS Audio BHK Stereo 250 driving Polk Audio SDA SRS-2 speakers
and have upgraded Odyssey Stratos amps for surround speakers (when I use them).
Probably will upgrade the Stratos to Kismet or higher Kismet but in the same cases
[they already have my name on them…=) ]
I have had the Iconoclast SPTPC speaker cables for a few months now and the silver plate layer
does have extended coherent harmonics which improve the clarity and soundstaging for all frequencies (bass, midrange, and treble).
I auditioned first two pairs of Iconopclast TPC Gen 2 4x4 XLRs and then tried the OFE which were better and many might have “happy ears” with those - IF they never hear the UPOCC Gen 2 4x4 XLRs (which I have in place now) in conjunction with the Iconoclast SPTPC speaker cables.
To my ears in my system (described in earlier posts) there is now a synergy providing superb detail, soundstaging, and musicality - music sounds natural and “live” to my ears.
I followed the development of Iconoclast from when I first heard about the project well over two years ago and the “white papers” you sent or I got via Bob showed the physics of proper cable design in my opinion, based on an undergraduate physics degree and a Master’s in nuclear engineering.
Then there were supposedly actual cables through Hanson Audio in Ohio and maybe one more - but they were just too expensive for my budget at that time. The transition from Belden to Blue Jeans Cable and the price reductions to a more reasonable level have made Iconoclast speaker cables and interconnects both highly competitive and also a tremendous value compared to other higher priced cables.
I got the UPOCC Gen 2 4x4 XLRs on a Thursday afternoon a week or two ago but could not put them in the system until after a Darrell Scott with Malcolm Holcombe concert that evening and barely ran a few cuts of Steve Davis Project “The Quality of Silence” SACD and the PS Audio “One” before a later than usual bedtime.
In the morning I put on the newer RCA Living Stereo “Scheherazade” SACD with Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
It sounded “exquisite” and I had to call Bob later and tell him using exactly that word. He started looking on the internet to find that and came across the older version on Amazon for $9.98! I talked him into also ordering the “Pictures at an Exhibition” SACD which showed below the “Scheherazade.”
I hope he receives and enjoys them both in his system.
You guys are still costing me a good bit of money, but UPOCC Gen 2 4x4 XLRs in conjunction with the Iconoclast SPTPC speaker cables are worth the price if you can swing it…
Enjoy the Music !!!
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Getting back to Iconoclast, I just wanted to share my experience with the speaker cables. Last year I purchased the TPC version and they worked great, they made a noticeable difference from my previous Belden cables. I also like their stiffness as they float nicely on their cable supports. Then I thought if these are so good, how would the silver coated SPTPC ones be? You know how that goes. So I got them and I like them even more. I understand that the design and the measurements are exactly the same but I can definitely hear more clarity and improved soundstage precision. Lesson learned for myself: just push through the pricing pain the first time around because you know you will end there eventually anyway…
THANKS guys,
I sure didn’t do the more expensive cables to just take your money, they have to work. The improved pricing, and more professional web site make sure you get the support you need.
My take is that ANY 1x4 RCA or 4x4 XLR will add edge detail and seem to cool off the high end doing so. The added soundstage gains with better detail are more what we naturally want to hear, not “more” of any given frequency, but better coherency that adds the image placement and separation. This frees your brain of brain trying add the missing placement information. You hear this straight away.
Good user responses, though, so customers can trial the right two cables.
Galen
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I am also pairing the Odyssey Kismet Mono-Blocks extreme version with Iconoclasts cables the system sounds amazing. If you have not done so already replace all the amp’s fuses with SR Blue Fuses and listen to how the amps further come alive.
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Roger, I did in fact order both SACD’s you recommended. I especially love the “Pictures at an Exhibition” SACD. The Scheherazade was a bit crazy for my taste but very well recorded. Both recordings are amazing when played through the Oppo. Last night I spent about 30-minutes with Klaus at Odyssey and ordered a pair of Kismet monoblocs in the Stratos cabinets. Many upgrades with WBT single ended and XLR terminals. I wished I could spare the change for the PS Audio amps but for the money these are an incredible value. Galen walked me through what to get. My next purchase will be the PS Audio DAC. I need to sell some cables first!! Sounds like you are keeping the UPOCC interconnects! I told you so…
Thank you for the tip on the fuses!
You nailed it. And, it would save a lot of shipping back and forth. But, I suppose the journey is part of the experience and getting there in the end, priceless. Glad you love the SPTPC speaker leads. They are indeed incredible.
I have changed out all my PSA gear with the exception of the P20 with Blue fuses and like the results.
Some have claimed differences with fuse direction but I haven’t played with that. Like cables, seems the biggest improvement was with the DAC, BHK pre, DMP, 300’s, in that order. A tweet worth is weight.
You should give it a try. Last year I had to replace a shorted SR blue fuse in my DS DAC Jr, for the next couple of weeks, I sensed something different I didn’t like, first I thought it was due to my experiments with some different placements of SR HFTs on my speakers, but that was not it, until it clicked, I checked the SR fuse, it was in the wrong direction! It was quite amazing actually, since I have a couple of SR blue fuses in the audio chain, just one fuse with an unfavorable direction! Also SR fuses need break-in time. BTW, my SR dealer told me that he received several calls of blown SR blue fuses, he recommended to use 1.2amp fuse instead of 1amp, that was what I did after consulting PS Audio.
My experience too has been that fuses (in my case IsoClean, Furutech and now Audio Magic) have been directional, and not subtly noticeable either. It was interesting that a fellow audio pen pal was trying out a fuse and “not quite liking it” a few months ago and I suggested he try reversing the fuse direction. . . and he was surprised to find he liked the fuse a lot more after the change. He hadn’t heard about the directionality of fuses but he will check then out each way now.
So which direction is yours running properly?
Replace the rail fuses as well for a huge improvement! The SR Blue are too expensive to use 4 there, so I just used the HiFi Tuning Supreme. I noticed as big of an improvement with the fuses as I heard going from the XLO speaker cable to the Iconoclast TPC.
–SSW
Simply try both directions and listen. Even the fuse makers can’t predict which you will prefer.
If you REPLACE the FUSE with a solid copper SHUNT, would that not be your benchmark? Not that you would leave a shunt there, but use the technique to determine the best case improvement as the fuse, any fuse, can’t “change” the data signal for the better since it is a passive element. A small piece of UPOCC wire (no directionality in the grain structure) would work for low level stages as an example.
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That’s the easy answer. But I’d like to hear how people have found them best. Build up some data to help make sense of things. So those that have them, please share…
It’s pretty darn easy to swap the direction and find out for yourself. Others experience may not be the same as yours. What if the internals of the fuse is in one direction but the writing on it isn’t consistent or vice versa? Could go either way…
The “best” direction of each fuse may well depend on the polarity of the plugs/transformer wiring on other equipment in your system. Anything with a half wave rectifier will mangle one side of the AC more than the other… You need to use your own ears on your own system…
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