 Plinius
Odeon Multichannel Amplifier
Hunh!
Thunk.
Hunh!
Thunk.
Hunh!
Thunk.
I was rolling the Plinius Odeon multichannel power
amplifier in its wooden packing case, end-over-end up the stairs to my second-story home
theater. I'm not a puny guy. I've lifted a few weights in my time (although my most
practiced exercise probably remains the 12-ounce curl), but I was scarcely man enough to
transport the six-channel behemoth up the staircase. I was not looking forward to lifting
the thing onto my amp rack when I got it in position.
As I rolled the crate up the penultimate riser I glanced
down to the box that stated its shipping weight. Jimminy, what did it weigh anyhow?
162 pounds!
I goggled so hard I nearly pulled a Sisyphus as the crate
rolled back a few inches before I woke up and gave a final thrust with my thighs,
manhandling the Plinius onto the landing. This better be worth it, I muttered
through gritted teeth.
Contend, ye powers of heav’n and earth to fit a bed
for this huge birth
First, let's get the obvious out of the way: the Odeon is
big -- really big.
And heavy. Stripped of its packing materials, it still
weighs in at 125 pounds.
It's even beautiful, in a heavy-metal, Harley Davidson sort
of way. Its two-piece chassis is a work of metalcrafting art. It's made from 10mm aluminum
plate that's rolled by a special Plinius-built machine which is part blast-furnace and
part hydraulic jack. It has the art moderne sensibility of a classic diner or 1930s
cinema palace -- equal parts industrial streamlining and functional efficiency.
Did I mention that it's heavy?
That's because of its massive power supply, of course --
four huge honking transformers connected in parallel, capable of driving up to six
channels delivering 200W each.
Actually, that's what my sample had, but that isn't your
only option. The Odeon can accommodate your needs with everything from two channels to
twelve. There are two different amplifier modules available: one is a stereo module
delivering two channels of 100W amplification (put six of 'em in an Odeon and you have 12
x 100W); the other module delivers a single channel rated at 200W.
Actually, the best way to think of the Odeon is as a
framework capable of delivering up to 1200W. You can go with six channels of 200W each, 12
channels at 100W, or any combination thereof. That's a conservative rating,
by the way: the 200W modules will deliver 2000Wpc short term into 1 ohm; the 100W
modules will output 1000Wpc short term into 1 ohm.
The modules are pretty slick. The 200W versions come
complete with a set of rugged five-way binding posts and input options with both RCA
connectors (single-ended) and XLRs (balanced). The modules are based upon the design
pioneered by Plinius' righteously rugged and sweet-sounding SA-102, and contain additional
power filtration in addition to the basic audio circuitry.
In front of the amp modules, however -- right behind the
Odeon's faceplate, in fact -- lie the main circuit boards that contain the amp's control
circuitry and the initial round of power-supply filtering. These boards do the heavy
lifting, containing the main DC rectification, preliminary regulation circuitry, filter
capacitors, and micro-controller section. Underneath them are the Odeon's four hulkish
toroidal transformers and soft-start circuitry. Each individual module also performs
additional input and housekeeping power regulation, and supplies another round of filter
capacitance. That's right, the AC is filtered, treated, stored, and filtered again -- and,
as a result, the amp's power supply is absolutely unflappable.
Anon out of the earth a fabric huge / Rose like an
exhalation
This is reflected in the amp's ability to control any
speaker load -- certainly any I was able to throw at it, including asking it to biamplify
a pair of Magnepan 3.6/Rs for stereo playback of some of my most challenging reference
discs.
The Maggies had more guts and slam than I had ever heard
from them. Telarc's new SACD of Hovanhess' nature-inspired compositions -- Mysterious
Mountain; Hymn to Glacier Peak; Mount St. Helens; Storm on Mount Wildcat [Telarc SACD
60604] -- ought to be a torture test for any component. The music ranges from
gorgeously pure invocations of intensely personal moments played by solo instruments or
small groups to huge orchestral explosions of sound. Few products could be expected to get
it all right.
In fact, few do, but the Odeon is one of them. It has a
sweet, distinctly un-hi-fi personality, and the quiet moments on the disc were
rendered with aching purity and quiet authority. When the orchestra ratcheted up the
intensity, the Odeon showed what it was really made of. Without apparent effort (the great
ones never let you see them sweat), it simply delivered the goods -- in this case, the
sheer unlimited assault of 110 players going full-throttle.
Surprisingly, the most impressive part of all this wasn't
the Odeon's control of the heavy stuff -- heck, having bullied the beast up my stairs to
30' above sea level, I reckoned it ought to sound big'n'brawny. What knocked my
socks off was how the Odeon never sounded like a big amplifier. Sure, I couldn't
make it whimper with stupid-loud speaker levels or complex reactive loads, but its most
impressive feat was that it never sounded as big as it was.
Whether playing solo acoustic guitar (such as Kaki King's Everybody
Loves You [Velour VEL-0302 CD]) or solo cello (Nathaniel Rosen's recording of the
Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello [John Marks Records 6/7]), the Odeon never
sounded big or awkward -- it was quick, delicate, and sweet.
Sweet as in colored? No, sweet as in lovely. The Odeon is
one bad boy that has a remarkably gentle personality. Except when it needs to get
ugly. Then, it's glorious.
The frame and huge foundation of the earth / Shaked like
a coward
Of course, as much as I enjoyed the Odeon as the aerobic
heart of a demanding stereo system, you expect a multichannel amplifier to be used in a
multichannel music and home-theater setup. I retained the Maggie 3.6es (but no longer
passively biamped them) and added a center-channel, two surrounds, and a back surround and
went to the movies.
As I sat in my comfortable armchair, the Odeon helped my
system transport me to exotic locale after exotic locale. Hey, it was a wet, depressing
spring in Brooklyn, I was glad for the escape!
Escape is what I want from a home-theater system, but all
too frequently reality intrudes. The center-channel will crap out during explosions -- or
I'll notice the surrounds laboring to match the output of the main loudspeakers. That was
never the case with the Odeon.
In fact, I never would have even noticed I had it in my
system, except that I never had to be remotely aware that it was. That seeming paradox is
the highest praise I can offer -- I continually forgot about the gear that brought me my
home-theater experience, focusing only on the experience itself.
Once again, I don't mean only that the Odeon delivered all
the whiz-bang action of XXX. All the action set-pieces were delivered intact. Ditto
the thrash-metal score, the whirrs, clicks, and purrs of all the cool gadgets? Yep, them
too. But what was truly impressive about the Odeon was the way it disappeared in the quiet
dialogue and long silences of Far From Heaven and The Hours (yes, I'm on a
Julianne Moore kick). This is something big 'uns don't always do -- and something the
Odeon does superbly.
The universe sleeps, resting a huge ear on its paw with
mites of stars
Sadly for those of us living only a few steps ahead of the
bill collectors, the Plinius Odeon multichannel amplifier doesn't come cheap. It couldn't,
really -- its mass, its immense power-filtration capabilities, its modular flexibility,
its seven-year warranty (that's confidence!), and its meticulous construction put it far
out of "budget-priced" territory. On the other hand, given its build quality, it
sure isn't extravagantly priced either. It's only a tad more expensive than five Musical
Fidelity M250s, which don't quite match its apparently effortless power -- or delicate
purity, for that matter.
There may be finer multichannel amplifiers in existence,
but if there are, I have yet to run across them. Factor in the convenience and flexibility
inherent in the Odeon's modular design and, I suspect, it will prove deucedly hard to top.
Which, for the record, means yes, it was definitely
worth it.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhometheater.com
Plinius Odeon Multichannel
Amplifier
Price: $9995 USD (six-module version); $9395 (five-module version).
Warranty: Seven years parts and labor.
Audible Technologies Limited
PO Box 1836
23 Walkers Road
Longburn
Manawatu
New Zealand
Phone: +64 6 354 8583
Fax: +64 6 354 8586
E-mail: info@pliniusaudio.com
Website: www.pliniusaudio.com
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