Best Class D GaNFET Amp Comparison. Who to invite?

Mola, NAD and Bel Canto are not GaN based amps. And because it uses GaNs does not make it the best amp. Everything makes a difference. Then there are modded amps.....like my modded Peachtree GaN1 digital amp.....which is different from the analog Class D amps. Please, do some research.

Here is a list of really good Class D analog amps:

1. Modded VTV Purifi 700 dual mono with my mods (non GaN).

2. Modded Orchard Audio dual mono biggie with my mods.

3. Stock AGD amps

4. Stock Atmasphere amps.

5. Hypex Nilai dual mono amps with my mods (non GaN)

6. LSA Voyager or Peachtree GaN 400 with my mods.

All above $6K or less. For more money there are the following:

Bigger AGD, Merrill amps, ?

Then there are the digital Class D amps (PowerDACs) that do not need a separate DAC, Preamp or analog cables.....in this category you have:

Peachtree GaN 1 with my mods

VTV D300 with my mods

Lyngdorf integrated amps (non GaN

Technics integrated amps (getting rave reviews) $2700 and $10K  (little one is non GaN and biggie uses GaN).  Little one does use GaN in power supply.

And now you have the new Mark Levinson company (Daniel Hertz) with their digital amps that may be way out there......their integrated amps start at $8K. (not yet reviewed).  I bet he is using GaN....he does not say.

I think that regular class D is history......and that digital Class D (or power DACs) are the wave of the future. LESS IS MORE!

I was just abbreviating.....it is the newer high powered module from Purifi....the 1ET7040SA

The mods are mostly the same for all amps.  I will have more info on my site in a few days.   Basically, clean up the AC input path.....the output wire and output jack path, change the caps in the output filter or mod the existing ones.....Sometimes I change the input wire, mod op amps, damp things, remove not needed parts, raise the input impedance, change some input stage parts, etc.  

Here are my thoughts on what is being suggested:

This is a "fun only affair".  No clear information will be attained.  Because:

1. You will have some modded gear and others not modded......If you are not hearing a component at its tweakiest best.....then you are not hearing it fully.  Every amp that uses Purifi modules sounds different from every other amp with Purfi modules.....and then you add tweaking?  Now you have a whole bunch of different sounds.  If one person modified all of the amps the same way to the max then you would be at least hearing them all in a better way.

2. Every amp needs a different amount of burn in and especially WARM UP time.  I will never listen to the modded GaN 1 here unless it has been playing music for at least 1.5 hours.....sounds like shite before then.  This was the same with my modified IceEdge amps (what tweak 1 has).....they sounded thin and grainy for at least 2 hours.  So, are you going to have all amps playing music for a long time and not turn them off before the testing?  Hardly.  As the amp here has been playing music it has gotten even better.......so, it is still burning in!!!

3. All amps need a MATCHING or at least GREAT footers underneath them.....and underneath the feet needs to be a Great platform.  So, do you have super platforms and super feet for each component.  Did you try different feet and platforms to see what sounds best with each amp?  I have an air bladder (super deflated inner tube) on the bottom then a bamboo cutting board (Ikea) then a maple slab and then the best Mad Scientist footers (two balls up and one ball down)....Nice combo.....tweaked for years to get there.  Also adding damped weight on top of a component can do wonders to the sound.  Some amps will sound better without damped weight.

4. All amps need a Matching or at least Great power cord on them.  Are you going to have the same exact power cord on all the amps.....and without shutting them off?

5. All amps (and all your equipment) will sound better run off a super Inverter (Giandel 5000) then through any other kind of line conditioner or dedicated line.....you will hear more differences and really hear the amp with the great Giandel Inverter.  A Puritan line filter can be used after the Giandel for even better sound.  Also your ground for the stereo should be a separate ground on its own Ground rod with a GROUND filter like the one Puritan sells.

6. System would need to be super tweaky and pure....no cables on floor.....speakers way away from the back wall and side walls.  Room treatments.  You would want to use recordings that showed everything....not just some rock music.....you would want Chesky type recordings......natural instruments in natural space.....so you can really tell what amp makes it sound REAL.

Since no one has the above.....then the best way to really find out what something sounds like is to get one amp at a time and A/B it with your reference amp on your own system......and tweak the power cord, footers, etc. over some time.   Then get a second amp in and do the same and on and on.  After you have spend a couple of months really finding out the differences then compare the best ones......that is the time to then have a get together with maybe 5 (at the most) other people......then you can do the shoot out over 6 or more hours so you can hear each amp properly warmed up and being fed by the best power cords....etc.

But, if you just want to have fun.....then mass shootouts are fun.  Wine, beer, cool dudes, good music........However, if you really want to know something solid about the possibilities of things......then mass shootouts are NOT the way of knowledge.

No matter what you do.....you can enjoy it......enjoy and love the ride.....The ride goes on (forever)......We are the ones that decide whether we enjoy the ride.....or not.  I pray you all choose love and joy.....in more and more moments of your day.  Blessings.

We all have an opinion. I gave mine and you seem upset about it. When we resist the love that is in the now......we do not feel it. I meant no harm nor did I suggest that no one do what was suggested. I have exerienced most all the things I talked about and TO ME they are all relevant. What you believe is what you believe. There is no right or wrong here......just a sharing of truth.....our truth is our love....for each other.  I would never tell you to stop sharing your truth.  YOU are necessary....your truth is necessary......it is all of us.....no one is better or worse.....we are all needed to make the whole.  The universe would not be the same without YOU.......every YOU that exists.

If you do not have digital amps to compare then you have no idea of what the future holds. Why would you buy a DAC, a preamp, analog interconnects and a regular class D or other amp......when all of that can maybe be replaced by one component?......basically a Power DAC. A modded Peachtree GaN 1 or a modded VTV D300 are a must for this comparison. You would need a great streamer with coax out and great volume control, and you need a great coax cable. We have several people who have replaced their class AB, class D amps and DACs and preamps with these simple digital amps. The big Technics digital amp should also be in the mix...........but really what should be the main thing to find out is how good the digital amp is from Mark Levinson......(the Maria amps from Daniel Hertz). He has one that is $8K and is an integrated amp with volume control.......so $8K versus....a DAC, preamp, analog cables and class D amps.......so the Hertz is cheaper......but the GaN 1 and VTV are way, way cheaper than that. They are $2K with the mods!!!!!!!! Don’t live in the past, Find out what is possible before buying $5400 class D amps plus DAC plus preamp plus analog interconnects ($15K total) that may not sound any better than a $2K modded digital amp.......and if the $8K Hertz is way better than buy that instead of the $15K combo.

After you have saved a bunch of money with the digital amps you can then get even crazier by buying another digital amp and the minidsp xover and make your own 2 way bi-amped speaker. You can use two 9.5 inch Satori woofers in a box (ported or sealed....same woofer used in Qualio IQ speaker but two per box here for more impact) and on top you can use a stack of four 8 inch planar drivers from Parts Express (GRS PT6825-8)....mounted on an open baffle. Cross over around 500 hz and equalize the whole thing using the minidsp so it is plus and minus 2 db at your listening position. The four planars in series parallel would be in the high 90s for sensitivity......very dynamic! This bi-amped speaker with both amps and crossover and wires and everything would cost:

$4K for two amps, $1500 for drivers, $500 for the wood, etc. $500 for the xover and $350 for a great power supply for the xover, 3 coax digital cables (one going into the xover and two coming out)....maybe $1000, $500 for PCOCC 14 guage litz wire to wire it all up with.......and more for super power cords, footers, stands, etc. So, let’s say $10K for the whole shebang. This bi-amped super speaker/amp combo would probably kill most $100K systems in transparency and realism.....of course, it won’t be as dynamic as horns........but in every other way.....amazing......Who will be the first to try this? Remember.....there is no DAC, preamp, analog interconnects needed in this system. This would be all hardwired.....ie; speaker wires hardwired from amp directly to drivers.....NO speaker connectors. This is incredible!!!

The Gan 1 and VTV D300 can be as versatile as your imagination. Many streamers have multiiple inputs including phono. The Technics digital amps have analog inputs, phono inputs and volume. The Daniel Hertz amps have analog inputs and volume. However, many people (like myself) only listen to digital.....so having a simple digital system that is super transparent (and SUPER affordable) makes sense......you only need what you need.

PowerDACs (digital amps) have been around since the 90s (Tact Millenium). But, just like regular DACs they will keep improving. What really matters is how good are these digital amps right now......If they beat or equal $15K worth of gear for $2K then why would you want to spend more? Use the money saved to get off the grid (for way better sound) or bi-amp using two amps and make your own world class speaker for very, very little. As more people get the modified digital amps and the Daniel Hertz amp and A/B with "normal" stuff then we will know just how good digital amps are......until then....we are just making noise. So far, the feedback on the stock and modified Peachtree and VTV is SUPER GOOD.

Here are the people who will be resistant to the super transparent digital amps:

People with turntables who HATE the idea of digitizing their records.......people who HAVE to HAVE tube gear and love Tube sound. Digital amps will never sound like a tube.....and poeple who already have a ton of money and ego invested in their "normal" gear.......and dealers who will make very little money because they cannot sell you all those heavy expensive boxes and cables......and manufacturers who want to sell you their "normal expensive gear"........The idea of making a digital amp that is better and way cheaper than their 200lb. mono blocks and $150K DACs and $150K preamps freaks them out......if this technology turns out to really be superior to all that expensive stuff.....several companies are going to go out of business or have to switch to products that are cheaper. LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

I am the GaN 1 and VTV D300 modder....as well as modding VTV Purifi amps and Peachtree GaN 400 and LSA Voyager. Tweakaudio.com. Please contact me directly through my website info.  I will have a couple of pics on my site tonight that show the modded amp.

Another person got his modded GaN 1 yesterday and is thrilled. He said he would chime in and mention what he heard. Another modded GaN 1 ships today and another Monday. More feedback coming....and mostly coming on the GaN 1 thread.

This amp has been promised for 3 years.......is it really finally shipping? If I order one today......what exact day will I receive it?

This will need to be A/Bed with the new $11.5K AGD mono GaN amps, the Orchard dual mono stereo GaN amps with WBT jacks ($4.3K), the Atmasphere GaN amps ($6.1K), the VTV dual mono stereo high powered Purifi amps with my mods (less than $3K) and the Coda 5.5 class A/B amp ($6400) so see where it fits into the serious audio category. I really do hope it is finally available and that it is really something special. I am always rooting for the next best thing. However, it will be what it will be. I be happy....I hope you are too.