Anyone heard the Odyssey monos vs Plinius amps?

Interesting question. I own the Stratos Mono's. I haven't heard the Plinius amps. I tried to find some in my area and was unsuccessful. The two bits of advice I can give you are: 1: The Stratos mono's definitely improve on the Stratos Stereo amp in all areas. 2: Make sure you hear a pair broken in. They do not sound the same new as they do broken in. The morph from new to broken in is monumental. I would compare them to a more open sounding Classe amp or a Moon. I tried the B&K, the PS Audio, Alchemist and Aragon. It handily beat all but the PS HCA and it had a more see through clarity than the HCA. It could also drive loads that the HCA couldn't. I speaking of Electrostatics. It made the Electrostatics that I have sound like it was a full range speaker; with lesser amps they lack bass. The amp is an especially good mate with tube pre's and Electrocampaniet.

Keep the Plinius

......and regret it for the rest of your life! The Stratos monos, if bought through a dealer, will cost 3X as your Plinius! As far as performance comparison between them, that's up to you to find out. In my opinion, the Stratos are untouchables! I have a Threshold Stasis 500 amp designed by Nelson Pass himself, it does not not get close to the performance of the Stratos, go figure!

Keep the Plinius!!!!!

I had the Plinius sa-100 in my system as a demo for a week and it sounded very good. I also have owned new mcintosh equipment (MA-6500 integrated, and the mc202 amp), and also demo'd a Classe 201 amp. I ended up purchasing a pair of Stratos monoblocks new from Klaus at Odyssey audio. Overall, the monoblocks are every bit as good as any of the equipment mentioned above. These amps are smooth sounding, enough power for demanding speakers, convenience of the monoblock design, and 1/2 the price of anything mentioned above. I also got the 120,000 uF total capacitance option along with the custom faceplate. Each of my amps came with a personal plate indicating the amps were made for "my name". Nice touch. If I didn't purcahse these amps, I would have purchased the Classe CAM monoblocks.

Dannylw,

How many hours were on the PS HCA-2?

What power cord was used with it?

The HCA-2 changes dramatically during break-in and doesn't really sing until 200 hours. It is also very power cord dependent.

If you heard the HCA-2 with less than 200 hours and with less than a really good power cord, you haven't heard the HCA-2.

ADDENDUM TO MY POST: I am sorry that I neglected to add the ff: My brother had a Plinius SA-250 MKII which is the basis of my comparison. Of course, The MK IV could be different. But IMO, the Stratos Monoblocks sounds much better on my system than Plinius SA-250 MKII or the Stasis S500.

Klaus has also announced a new "Signature" edition for the monoblock with increased current and capacitance, and improved parts. You can check out the thread at: http://www.harmonicdiscord.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8608
You could get the new monoblocks for about $2600-2700 shipped.

I have heard your Plinius amp and I have the Stratos dual mono (single chassis equivalent of monoblocks), but they were in very different systems. I'm inclined to say that I'd love to have your amp, but would not pay 4X for it. That's a lot of music and the rest of my system doesn't warrant it!!

Where are you located? Perhaps you could find someone willing to bring over their Stratos. Harmonicdiscord.com has a pretty active Odyssey forum - you might be able to find someone there to help you out.

Also, give Klaus a call. He's a good guy and will give an honest opinion on your situation.

Good luck!
Beez

In answer to Fiddler regarding the HCA-2. I saw dramatic changes in the first two weeks of operation and none after that. In actual playing time. I think I had about 150-200hrs on the amp when I sent it back. I thought the amp was very good. In my system I used the stock power cord. And the stock power cord sounds better on the Odyssey amps than does the Odyssey power cord. I have dedicated lines for my audio system.

In answer to Fiddler regarding the HCA-2. I saw dramatic changes in the first two weeks of operation and none after that. In actual playing time. I think I had about 150-200hrs on the amp when I sent it back. I thought the amp was very good. In my system I used the stock power cord. And the stock power cord sounds better on the Odyssey amps than does the Odyssey power cord. I have dedicated lines for my audio system.

My decision went to the Odyssey. The Odyssey sounded better than the HCA with each using its own supplied cord. Big Point-the HCA-2 would not drive my speakers full range on passages that heavy transient bass and transient highs occured concurrently.