Halo or Odyssey

I've only heard the Halo's briefly in a store, so I can't comment. I did do an extended side by side comparison of the Odyssey Stratos(cap upgrade) vs. my trusty old Hafler DH200 in my system. Frankly, the Hafler bettered it. No real differences at normal volumes, but when pushed the Odyssey let the woofers break free whereas the Hafler kept complete control. I think there are better options than the Odyssey especially if you like to listen at loud SPL's. They're not bad, though.

BTW, I was using B&W speakers/B&K pre-amp at the time.

I replaced a Haffler 220 amp with a Stratos in a friend's system (McIntosh 2200 preamp, B&W Matrix 805 speakers). The difference was remarkable - more detail, more control, more solid bass, better imaging. I guess my experience was different from Hammergjh's.

Peter was using a better pre-amp than me. I'm not familiar w/ the Matrix 805's. I was using the B&W CDM9 speakers. That might explain the differences.

Thanks for your reponses. Although I can audition the Halo's, doing so with the Statos is not an option. The one thing I don't want to give up is the nice warm Mosfet sound the Hafler has provided for many years. I also upgraded the 220 with 40Kuf caps a few years back, so the control that you refer to is even more evident with the VMPS's. Lots of watts is not really an issue to achieve fairly high SPL's because the speakers are quite efficient. 1 watt can produce 96dB @1 meter. Again, than for your input.

The Odyssey is smooth as silk but it hasn't any mosfet warmth; it doesn't have any mosfet "fog" or "mist" (Sam Tellig) either because it is very clear sounding.

Hafler gives great bang for the buck. The 9505 retails for 2K new but is discounted as low as $1400. Check out the very impressive slew rate (Halo also has a high rate).

If memory serves me, Slew rates are voltage and bandwidth variable. Although important, I would NEVER buy an amp based on a slew rate, or any other spec for that matter.

Hafler isnt what it used to be. Which is a shame, because they offered a great product. I blame it on the Rockford Group, but that is another thread.

IMO, the DH220 is a winner. Though the Odyssey is too and would be my pick.

Thanks for your repsonses. Decision made! Spoke with Klaus and knew Odyssey was the right choice. Was about to order one. Instead - Stratos w/120uf upgrade on the way, thanks too Audiogon classified.