@maw8c Any update on your impressions of the amp?
Anyone hear the Class D Audio Mini GaN 5 amp yet?
Looks intriguing but not much out there on it yet so wondering if anyone here has had a chance to hear it or, even better, had a chance to compare it to other amps. Thinking of taking a flier on this amp given the tech and price, but we all know implementation is everything so looking for some real-world impressions before ponying up any dough. Also, please let’s not make this yet another measurement debate — I’m purely interested in sonic impressions here so take your measurement comments elsewhere. Thanks.
Showing 12 responses by soix
@maw8c Congrats! Once the amp is fully burned in and you’re acclimated to it you might consider talking to Ric Schultz at Electronic Visionary Systems about mods he’s developed for your amp. He upgrades/reworks key parts that can bring these amps to an even higher level of performance for relatively small cost for the improvement you get. There’s more info on his website if you might be interested at some point. I was seriously considering the GaN5 as well as I’m sure once modded it could be a pretty special amp on the relative cheap, but I decided to have my McCormack amp upgraded instead and although I know it’ll be a great amp I still wonder if I made the right choice. Anyway, enjoy the new amp and if you would please report back with your thoughts as the amp settles in. |
When it comes to a straight wire with gain there is an end. It is the point where you can no longer tell the difference when there is an improvement. It is hard to swallow for audiophiles but we are effectively there.Rrrriiiiiiight. Anyway...thanks for your thoughts Ric. Makes sense. If Bruno put GaNs in the Purifi, then we would know exactly whatGaNs bring to the table.THAT is exactly what I was wondering/hoping for. Seems a little unlikely near term given your take on Bruno’s thoughts on GaNs, but guess we’ll just have to wait and see how that plays out. Should be interesting to say the least. |
Yeah, agreed (BTW Ric, still have your wonderful original Millennium DAC). Back before I had enough experience with various gear to know how to listen, what to listen for, and my own tastes/biases I used to overweight the importance of measurements too. I thought my original post as written would dissuade the lesser noob numbers crowd from polluting the discussion, but they’re a pervasive lot and obviously tough to shake. Oh well, maybe a topic for another day. While we’re here though Ric, any general thoughts on GaN vs. Purify amps at this stage? My guess is, as with Class A vs. A/B amps (and pretty much everything in audio), there are trade offs and overall implementation matters as much or more than anything else, but I’d be interested in your thoughts and maybe which may have more potential for whatever reason(s). I know you’ve got some interesting mods for the VTV amps that are also high on my radar, which is actually one of the reasons I started this thread in the first place. Maybe we can salvage something useful outta this thing after all. 🤞 |
Only hoopla to those that don’t understand itI understand it fine thanks, which is precisely why I didn’t want this to devolve into yet another endless argument about how good or bad this or that measurement is and how important measurements are or aren’t (aka hoopla) rather how the thing actually sounds. Capiche? |