@ricevs Give me a call when you are free. Some potentially exciting news for you about having a lot more ears on my modded amp.
LSA Voyager GAN Amplifier
Just got mine last week. After 24 hours of play all I can say is that this is not your father's class D amplifier. There is not one thing about its sound that reminds me of the class D gremlins that I do not like. The low end filled in and now has deep impact, the midrange is the love child of a beautiful tube and clean hybrid amp - just gorgeous. Highs are very clean and extended. Spatial cues are top notch. My system has had some damn good tube and solid state amps in it before and it has never sounded this good. I am blown away with the quality of sound coming from class D amplification at this price point.
This 300 wpc amplifier is a real winner.....
This 300 wpc amplifier is a real winner.....
Showing 50 responses by yyzsantabarbara
Peachtree Audio is proud to announce the GaN400. The GaN400 is a “class-D” stereo power amplifier that utilizes GaNFETs (Gallium Nitride Field-Effect Transistors), an 850-watt RMS regulated power supply, a fully balanced topology and a low global negative feedback design to achieve an astounding 400 watts-per-channel while achieving sound quality that is remarkably neutral, musical and faithful to the input signal. |
I don’t think the mods will be a huge factor but what the heck and try it out given the glowing posts here by Ric’s customers. The descriptions of the Voyager make me believe it sounds more like my CODA #8 than the AHB2. The AHB2 is a little clearer and not as warm (but smooth) as the CODA. Though the CODA #8 blows the AHB2 away with my Thiel CS3.7. It is a power spec thing with this speaker and amp. The AHB2 (mono) is my favorite sounding amp especially so with the CODA 07x preamp. I use the AHB2’s in another system. I need a 3rd amp for my RAAL SR1a and that is where I hope the Voyager fits in. My old amp was good but not as good as the AHB2 on the RAAL SR1a. I just don’t want a 3rd AHB2. I was thinking Purifi but the current implementations did not excite me. The Voyager hype has pulled me in. |
I decided today to try and get it shipped directly from Walter to Ric. I just started getting that going tonight. Not really about being first. More about not having to spend time setting up and tearing down and shipping. I have a 20 year old modded Sony SCD-1 SACD player and am still blown away by that. Ric told me he was actually in line to do those SCD-1 mods 20 years ago in the Bay Area, CA but did not have the time to do that business. We also talked about the mods he has done and that made me want to try it out. This Voyager amp is going to be my RAAL SR1a headphone amp (if it is good enough). I traded in my headphone amp for the Voyager. I will compare a CODA #8 amp, a Benchmark AHB2, and a Voyager 350 with my Thiel CS3.7 (hard to drive) and also my RAAL SR1a headphones (likes power). Everything will be connected to my CODA 07x preamp which has dual XLR outputs for 2 sets of amps. It is real easy to make Thiel CS3.7 comparisons. I will likely have 2 RAAL amp/speaker interface boxes by then to make the headphone amp comparisons even easier. |
This thread is extremely interesting to me as I am considering the new GaN amp from LSA, Audio-GD 2A monos, PSA M1200 monos and the Coda No. 8. Coming from a McIntosh C8 pre/dac with Wyred4Sound SX-1000R monos, driving Magico A5s. I’m looking for a bit more dimensionality and lushness in the mids and sparkle in the highs. The Wyreds are great...but I’m thinking that’s the weak link for me right now.I demoed the Magico A3 with Mark Levinson gear and I thought it was great match. I think the CODA #8 would be even better with the Magico A3. I have not heard the A5. The CODA would give you the sound characteristics that you are looking for. If the Voyager is like the CODA #8 then that would be something else at half the price. I should say that I tried the CODA #8 with a Topping pre90 preamp and it was not a good match. The CODA #8 is gorgeous with the matching CODA 07x preamp. The Topping pre90 ($599) is an excellent preamp and I use it in my living room system with AHB2. I think it was an impedance mismatch with the CODA #8. So system matching with the Voyager would also play a factor. |
I was not able to ship directly to Ric for the mods so I get the amp delivered to my home tomorrow.
I will send it to Ric next week.
I will put it on my Thiel CS3.7 and also the RAAL SR1a amp interface box. I should be able to play this 24 x 7 with the amp interface box. I do not want to hook up the headphones to the box overnight but think the amp will still be outputting current without the headphone connected. This interface box allows my Thiel CS3.7 and headphones to be connected to the box with a swatch to select output. I normally do not use the box this way but will do so to burn-in the amp quickly. I have a Benchmark AHB2 (for the RAAL) and CODA #8 (for the Thiel) in the same room, so I will compare against those 2. Only problem for my comparison is that the CODA and AHB2 have SpeakON connectors and my best speaker wire, Audience FrontRow, require SpeakON. I will instead be using my Audience Conductor SE speaker wire for the testing. One of the 2 sets of wires needed has not been used for a while. |
I am on my second CD playing through my modded Sony SCD-1 and I am impressed. My Sony is not ideal in this room because I do not use DSP with the Sony. I won't get into details, but my ROON server is down. I am trying to move that to my MacMini. Once I have that sorted out today I will have my best source ready to go. Saying all of that this amp sounds great on with my Sony. The sound was actually awful the first couple of songs but now we are rolling. I wont get into audiophile terms (still early yet). All I will say is that my head has been bobbing, my toes have been tapping like a madman. This amp seems fast, maybe that is why I am having this great time with the music. No fatigue so far. It also seems good with my 2 Ohm speaker. I felt some things were just not there with the 2 Ohm speaker and the Benchmark AHB2. Not so with the CODA #8 and Voyager. BTW - I forgot I am getting my KRELL K-300i back from KRELL tomorrow. That integrated sounds great on the Thiel CS3.7 (smooth and great bass). It will be a shootout with 3 amps. |
My previous post got me curious so I put in a stereo AHB2 with the Thiel CS3.7 and the CODA 07x preamp. As I said before the 07x has a bit of hiss (I am using the low gain setting on the AHB2). However, it is not noticeable from the seating position and even close up it is faint. I tried the Voyager and then the AHB2 playing the BEE GEES - Main Course album. At low volume the Voyager kind of sucks. The hiss dominates the sound. With the AHB2 it is beautiful. However, no one really listens at this low volume. My son went to sleep so I turned everything down. Disappointed in the Voyager in this regard, but I have headphones for situations like this. The CODA #8 is also not that great at low volumes due to the hiss. Maybe a bit better than the Voyager (going off memory). |
One observation so far when no music is playing with regards to speaker hiss: - Benchmark HPA4 + AHB2 = no hiss, nothing - CODA 07x + AHB2 = a bit of hiss could not hear from my sitting position - CODA 07x + CODA #8 = a bit of hiss that I can hear from sitting position if I focus on listening for it - CODA 07x + Voyager 350 (not modded) = same as CODA 07x + CODA #8 I am in a small room about 8 feet from the tweeters. |
If your speakers hit 2 Ohms and they need power to shine (like my Thiel CS3.7) do not use the AHB2 in stereo or mono. I have tried both and while it sounded very good there something missing. Listening to something with some power, such as Led Zep, left me thinking that something was missing. With the CODA #8 (and likely Voyager) there is more grunt with music like Zep. The AHB2 is still my fav sounding amp because of the best clarity, quietness, detail, and neutrality. I would not take a FREE mega bucks amp over this beauty. I am going to build a living room system around it (well already did, just need better speakers). CODA preamp + AHB2 = amazing. I got my MacMini installed with ROON. Could not get the ROON Core to work on it so slumming with regular ROON. I really hate MAC’s. I do have better ROON sound now because I am directly on my network instead of the PowerLine (subnet?) network I was using before. That setup almost tricked me into thinking me speaker drivers were damaged on George Harrisons 50th anniversary ATMP. |
With regards to hiss. This morning, I just switched to my Benchmark DAC3B from my Gustard X26 Pro. My streaming is duplicated using Sonore OpticalRendu (2 of them) from a single Ubiquiti Networks switch with 2 Fibre outputs. So an apples-to-apples switch from the Gustard to the DAC3B. With the DAC3B the hiss levels have gone down maybe by 50% compared to the Gustard on the Voyager. @aolmrd1241 I do not understand this hiss with the CODA. My dealer says that I should not have any. Other CODA users on A’gon have said the same thing. However, with my Thiel CS3.7 I have hiss. I am going to bring up my KEF LS50’s from downstairs today along with my super quiet Topping pre90 preamp and retest the hiss comments I made. This will replace the CODA 07x preamp and the Thiel CS3.7. The Topping pre90 replaced my Benchmark HPA4 preamp because it sounded the same and I only need a simpler and smaller preamp downstairs. @ricevs Last night I listened for 5 hours, until 2:30AM, with my RAAL SR1a headphones. I turned off the Mitch Barnet Convolution RAAL SR1a filter to make the sound the most fatiguing and ’naked’. Taking the RAAL-requisite SR1a Headphones To Another Level - Reviews - Audiophile Style I was very happy with the results. The sound was huge, non-fatiguing, with room for improvement with detail but this amp is a winner already on my RAAL SR1a just for being non-fatiguing and powerful with the RAAL. For comparison sake, on the RAAL SR1a without the Convolution filter, my Benchmark AHB2 is too bright and fatiguing with the HPA4 preamp, Topping pre90, and close to good with the CODA 07x. However, with Mitch’s filter the AHB2 was my favorite amp with the RAAL and CODA 07x. The fact that the Voyager already sounds so good without the filter makes me think this is going to be the best amp for the RAAL. Which is great because that is why it was purchased. Today, I will get the KRELL K-300i integrated back from service (replaced faceplate) and I will compare with the Voayger. The KRELL was also great without any DSP filter. BTW - I am likely going to sell this integrated (if I am smart). @cd44123 The AHB2 is my all-time fav amp and with the CODA 07x preamp I thought it was the best sound I have ever had in my office. However, the AHB2 lacks that slam or grunt with my Thiel CS3.7, which was a real shame. Now this is not a night and day difference with anything else I have had. I think that most people on A’gon would prefer my CODA 07x + CODA #8 combo or the KRELL K-300i for a more relaxed of pleasing sound. Some may not like the starkness of the AHB2 vs the warmth of the CODA and KRELL. The CODA and KRELL were also a much better 2 Ohm match for the Thiel. Really easy to hear that extra slam and grunt. *********************** I now have my Voyager setup again with my Thiel’s and will be listening all day while I work. This will be how I will keep it until I send the amp to Ric. I will use the KRELL as my headphone amp to see if I should not sell it and keep it in the future in my bedroom. The Voyager did not sound that great on one track this morning but I expected that from past experience with new gear. Only 12 hours so far. Here is an old photo of my room for context. I also have a Convolution filter from Mitch for my Thiels (ROON only). Office System - Virtual Systems (audiogon.com) |
@mapman That is not obvious given what I stated last night. Put in the AHB2 and no hiss with my CS3.7. Put the CODA #8 or Voyager in place and have hiss. All other upstream gear stayed the same. That is a pretty clear conclusion for me. I have now put on the KEF LS50 and replaced the Thiel CS3.7. The same hiss with the right speaker a little worse. This is promising since this tells me my Thiel is fine. I tried unplugging the CODA 07x and retrying. Same thing. I now put the super quiet Topping pre90 and took off the CODA 07x preamp, The Voyager stays along with the KEF LS50. The hiss level goes down a ton. Really need to put the ear to the speaker to hear anything. The RIGHT speaker is still a bit noisier (what the heck is that maybe the DAC). I replaced the 15 foot Benchmark XLR's between the preamp and amp with a second set of the same XLR. Same level of hiss. I am going to talk with Doug Dale on the CODA 07x. I had a loose wire from shipping that I fixed to get rid of a lot of gremlins I had with this preamp. Maybe something still wrong or maybe not. It sounds great and maybe this bit of hiss is normal at the gain levels I have set (default). ************************* NEW Voyager observation *************************** On my Thiel CS3.7, the Topping pre90 and Voyager sounds much better than the CODA #8 and Topping pre90. The Voyager sounds louder with the Topping, must be a gain thing. However, the impedance match must be better because it does not sound lifeless as with the CODA #8. So 2 different types of SS preamps sound good with the Voyager I am not saying this sounds better than the CODA 07x and Voyager or CODA #8. It sounds more like the AHB2 with more grunt. However, the Voyager is not as super clear as the AHB2 which I think most people prefer (the Voyager). Actually this $599 Topping preamp and Voyager sounds great. I am using the Benchmark DAC3B at the moment. Which is not a warm DAC. Wow, is my reaction to this combo. The Voyager seems to have the power needed by the Thiel CS3.7. Non-fatiguing combo too. Damn, I knew this Topping pre90 was great. This Voyager is also on a path to greatness for me. So nice with the RAAL and now really starting to sound great with the Thiel. I am on a BEE GEES bender at the moment but once that subsides I will start listening to my RUSH albums that I normally use to evaluate gear. |
BTW - I noticed the other day that one of the Stereophile reviewers is using the Topping pre90 with 2 Benchmark AHB2. Same as me in my living room. This guy, Kalman R., must know a ton more about audio gear than me. So do not let that $599 price fool you. Only problem with the Topping and Voyager combo is that the gain between the 2 is too much. Do not care since this is going to get discounted and moved downstairs soon. Listening to Moving Pictures by RUSH now with the Topping pre90 + Voyager + Thiel CS3.7 + DAC3B. The album I have heard more than anything else in my life. The Voyager sounds great with it. Maybe a little harshness over the CODA #8, which is also great on this album. The Voyager only has 20 hours on it. I would like to know from other Voyager owners. Does this amp feel fast to you. Man, I am bobbing my head and tapping my toes like mad. |
@veroguy If you are interested I will add one more comment. I was wrong to state that the Topping pre90 and Voyager play nice. In a narrow volume range it was great better than the CODA #8 and Topping pre90. However, there is an gain mismatch between the 2 and the volume is not that granular. There was an impedance mismatch between the CODA #8 and the Topping pre90. Looks like there is no free lunch with the Topping pre90. The Toppng pre90 does work nicely with the AHB2s. The CODA 07x is now back on the system and the Topping pre90 is going downstairs. I am also going to disconnect everything later today. Once I get my actual work done and see if this hiss issue, that is now bugging me, is related to the wires touching each other. I just realized that putting my KRELL K-300i with the Thiels should help me figure out this hiss issue. That should be delivered later today. I am starting to think that the Voyager sonically is a bit of a mix between the AHB2 and CODA #8. The AHB2 and CODA #8 are not that similar. One is warmer and the other is clearer with more detail. The Voyager seems in-between the 2. Though there is a lot more hours to put into the Voyager to say for certain. I love the AHB2 and the COIDA #8 Long term keepers. Do not want to say that yet about the Voyager but I cannot fault it for anything. It is sounding better quicker than most new gear I have recently bought. |
@viber6 I have not been emotionally drawn into Classical music. However, I have listened to the performance you listed and I must say it was very entertaining. I listen all the way through until 2:30AM when I was planning to go to sleep at 1:30AM. I listened with the CODA #8 and CODA 07x preamp. No hiss on this setup on the headphones unless I manually increase the GAIN on the preamp. So I set it to the default lowest level. I need to figure out why this low hiss is present with the Thiel. I will listen to this same performance on headphones tomorrow with the AHB2 mono and the Voyager. Though not the whole performance. @ricevs I will listen to your suggestions on the Thiel and Voyager tomorrow. ************************* DAC3B used tonight ************************ I was doing a lot of headphone listening tonight with the RAAL SR1a and both the CODA #8 and Voyager. The CODA #8 was a very rich and meaty sound on the RAAL. Listening to some Bobby Womack now on this setup and it is brilliant. This is the very best combo I have had with the RAAL and I have tried a lot of excellent gear with them. The Voyager did not sound as good on the headphones as the CODA #8. It was a bit drier on the RAAL vs the CODA #8’s juicier steak. However, even now with limited hours, it is the second or third best sound on the RAAL SR1a. I think it is better than the KRELL K-300i on the RAAL. FedEx did not deliver the KRELL today but I am going on memory. I think I am going to change up my plans with regards to amplification of my gear. I am going to use the CODA #8 on the RAAL and the Voyager on the Thiel CS3.7. Both driven by the CODA 07x preamp. The Voyager has more than enough power for the Thiel (and also RAAL) . I am already a fan of the Voyager and Thiel combo and it should get even better. |
@mapman @ricevs Both of you guys were correct about your interpretation of the hiss. I was wrong on that. This hiss issue is on the front of my mind so this morning I brought back up the AHB2 monos and connected it to the CODA 07x. However, this time I increased the GAIN to the max setting on the AHB2s. Low and behold hiss comes out of the Thiel speaker. Now this hiss sounds much better than from either the CODA #8 or Voyager. It is lower in volume and there is no RIGHT speaker additional noise. So that must mean the preamp, DAC, wires, are the culprit. My money is on the preamp being a little noisy. I wish I had the Benchmark HPA4 preamp in house still so I can have a nice baseline for my system. The Topping pre90 was supposed to be that replacement but it fails with the Voyager and CODA #8. I am going to contact CODA today to ask about my observations. There was some discussions in the past to send my unit in for service but a loose wire, fixed by me, seemed to have resolved the issues. Maybe not. @viber6 when my babysitter comes I will listen to the section of the Classical piece you referenced with the AHB2 monos and the Voyager. I can afford 14 minutes to do this. |
I decided to goof off from work some more and try out @viber6 ’s test. I played Concerto #3 which is 20 min long 3 times. Each time with a different amp into my RAAL SR1a headphones which draws a lot of power from an amp. 1) Benchmark AHB2 monos (lowest GAIN setting) + CODA 07x + Benchmark DAC3B + Audience FrontRow speaker cable + Benchmark 15 foot XLR from preamp to amp 2) CODA #8 + CODA 07x + BM DAC3B + Audience FrontRow speaker cable + Audience AU24SE 1 metre XLR from preamp to amp 3) Voyager + CODA 07x + Benchmark DAC3B + Audience Conductor SE speaker cable + Benchmark 15 foot XLR from preamp to amp I do not have experience with classical music nor violins to really pick up the nuances in the performance. I also did not have the concentration to listen for the SNIFF. I have many things on my mind. The Benchmark was the most realistic sound to me it was clear, detailed, and sharp. Sort of how I hear things. I have been to amateur orchestral performances and the AHB2 sounded like the real thing to me. Could be a little fatiguing to some people. My toes were NOT tapping that much to the music but I was not really familiar with it. The second listen done quickly, immediately after moving the Audience FrontRow speaker wires to the CODA #8. This sound was not as sharp but pretty close. I tried it as first with the same volume on the preamp as the AHB2 test. It was of course much louder and the blue power meters on the CODA#8 were dancing. Normally when I listen to the Thiel the CODA meters do not move, so not drawing huge amounts of power at my volume level. If I crank the volume the meters would fly. I was tapping my toes a lot this time, but I was now a little more familiar with the performance. The sound had a rounder aspect to it but with heft. I think this is what people say is a musical sound. I could listen to this for a long time without fatigue. I eventually lowered the volume to get closer to the AHB2 test level, to try and do an apple-to-apples comparison. I think the AHB2 sounded more real but the CODA #8 sounded beautiful. First world problems for me. The Voyager was next and it was not really up to the level of the AHB2 or the CODA #8. It was not as sharp nor was as rounded. When I say rounded I keep thinking this thing is juicy (the CODA #8). Hey, I never said I was an audiophile. So these are my descriptions. The Voyager is a little flat sounding. Not so great at the moment but I have only 40 hours on it now. I am now playing the same music on the Voyager and Thiel. It sounds better on the Thiel. It was not bad at all on the RAAL SR1a, it was that the other 2 were outstanding and I also had a $3K+ speaker cable on the other 2. The Voyager is using a more value oriented speaker cable. I hear differences in speaker cables that is why I have the FrontRow. The FrontRow does not fit the Voyager due to SpeakON terminations. I now have enough observations to talk with CODA on the 07x hiss. For the next few days, I will also keep playing the Thiels with the Voyager. The AHB2’s are going back down to not reappear. I like the Voyager and the Thiel combo and love the CODA #8 and RAAL combo. Once the Voyager is broken in I am going to see about keeping it with the Thiel. BTW - the biggest weakness in my system is my room and the RAAL does not have to deal with it. The RAAL is also very close to a 2 channel stereo sound, it does not sound like headphones. I put a few dollars into the RAAL system because it is incredible. |
I am now dead set on using the CODA 07x and CODA #8 with the RAAL because it is superb and I spend a lot of late nights listening on the RAAL. The Voyager now needs to step it up to work well with the Thiel. I was testing the Voyager with the Benchmark DAC3B because it is very neutral and does not seem to add anything to the signal. I wanted to just hear the amp. With the CODA 07x, DAC3B, and Voyager I thought the sound was good but could be better. Since the DAC3B was removed from the 07x due to the crackling and likely buzz issue I started using the colorful Gustard X26 Pro with the 07x and Voyager. Gustard is a warm DAC with detail and I believe a Class A output stage (whatever that means). Now the sound was transformed. I was working on a deadline problem while my ROON server was feeding me a playlist of Classic rock that was appearing for some reason. I knew all the songs and they sounded great. My feet were moving, I was distracted, my work was stretching out longer (I missed the deadline). I just loved, loved this sound I was now hearing. There is one issue still. I feel the imaging on the amp is shifted slightly to the LEFT speaker. I think this is a amp break-in issue (must be 50+ hours now) and will settle to my normal imaging matching the AHB2 and CODA #8. So happy with this amp now. Not so happy with the hiss, crackling, and buzz (could be a breakfast cereal). However, I am now only left with a bit of normal hiss and a missing DAC3B. Normal hiss for all preamps I know of except the Benchmark LA4 or HPA4. I wish I had the Benchmark HPA4. still Though I sold the HPA4 for $250 less than I bought it after more than a year of use. I would not replace the 07x. That stays long term, likely forever, but I wound not mind having such a quiet preamp in the mix, especially to bring back the DAC3B. |
@viber6 The AHB2 in stereo is not as loud as the mono. It is also supposed to be quieter, but I could not tell. The reason I got the mono for my Thiels, after a lot of research, including asking the designer, was because the stereo was missing that heft I look in some types of music. I listen to hard rock music occasionally, RUSH, Led Zep, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Moterhead, etc.. This type of music felt lacking with the single stereo. With the mono, the extra volume and additional power made that type of music better than the stereo version. The music that sounded great on the stereo also sounded great on the monos. The monos are worse in 2 Ohm range than the stereo. I used the monos for about a year. When I got a KRELL K-300i integrated, a CODA CSiB, and a D-Sonic M3a 800s to try on the Thiel and RAAL. l I knew that the AHB2 mono were not giving me the 2 Ohm juice that these speakers needed. The CODA #8 is the best I have heard the Thiels for all music. The KRELL was also excellent. The Voyager is today a keeper for me. I will get into that more in another post. I solved the hiss issue and that lead me to upping my appreciation of the Voyager. I actually love the sound from the Voyager now with the changes I made. Next post will describe once I get some more work work completed. |
So this HISS is a feature of the CODA 07x (a joke) just like all other preamps I have heard, except the Benchmark HPA4. I wish I did not sell it since I could use it in tandem with the CODA 07x. I will post part of my email conversation with CODA because I do not want to retype the investigation I did. Hi, An additional observation I have an additional data point that you may find interesting. I also have a Topping D90SE DAC. It is very similar sonically to the Benchmark DAC3B. I use is in my other system. I brought it up to my CODA system after the last email and replaced the Benchmark DAC3B on the XLR 07x input. This DAC had the same amount of hiss and the same crackling sound. I then took out the Topping and put back the Benchmark DAC3B on the RCA input. It also has the same hiss and cracking sound. Luckily one of my DACs, the Gustard X26 Pro does not have the crackling sound. My Topping D90se and Benchmark DAC3B have nothing wrong with them. So only the Gustard with the CODA 07x. Now is when things get interesting for the Voyager. |
I should add that for anyone considering getting the Voyager. My CODA 07x preamp does a great job of taming harshness. Not that the Voyager has any because when I added the Topping pre90 it did not seem to be harsh. Though the volume was messed up with that setup (too much gain). In my setup, with the CODA 07x, I have no fatigue or harshness. I am easily susceptible to listener fatigue if the gear is harsh. If I had the Benchmark HPA4 still in the house I could evaluate the Voyager in a more pure manner. |
Back to the story of the Voyager. I will cut to the chase and say this amp is sounding mighty fine now. I think it is at the same level of sound quality as the AHB2 and CODA #8. However, they do not sound the same. They all do their thing at a very high level of quality. On the Thiel: The AHB2 sounds just right to me, I wish it had more power for my Thiels. The CODA #8 is very pleasing, powerful, and detailed. The Voyager is the most exciting sound to me. It is an exciting, powerful, and detailed sound. I do not know why but with the Voyager I am tapping my toes and bobbing my head to almost everything (even the BEE GEES again this morning). I now love the sound from this amp. The CODA #8 is closer to the Luxman m900u amp sound to me. The Voyager is a bit more AHB2-ish. These 3 are staying long term. On the RAAL: The AHB2 is super clean and an incredible window to the music. I need to use the Accurate Sound filter to make the AHB2 work with the RAAL. The CODA #8 is an all round great performer with the RAAL. I do not need the Accurate Sound filter for this but use it anyway because the filter improves the sound. Last night I was listening to some Judas Priest with the CODA #8 and I had 0 fatigue and a great listen. Just love the CODA #8 with the RAAL. The Voyager was not at the level of the other 2 but I have not tried it with the Gustard X26 Pro DAC. I am not going to do that in the short term because I like what is going on now with the setup I have. I was apprehensive about using the CODA #8 with the RAAL due to cost, but what the heck, the sound is great. I will sell some gear to make me feel better about the costs. @viber6 I will give the SNIFF test later today when I get a babysitter. My son is going crazy in the next room watching some fire engine videos. @mapman the hiss is now no longer audible from my listening position, I need to get close to the speaker to hear it. With the Topping pre90 or Benchmark HPA4 connected to the AHB2 there is only silence, even with your ear right against the tweeter. |
@viber I have a lot on my plate now with work. However, I have the house to myself and tested out the SNIFF test at 0:08 of the first track. With the Gustard X26 Pro + Voyager + CODA 07x I could hear it. Now this is not my most revealing gear so if this combo can reproduce it all my other gear can too. The DAC3B and Topping D90se would easily let you hear it. I will add the AHB2 replacing the Voyager to the mix later today or on the weekend because I am now curious how much more detail I can hear on this SNIFF test. |
I tested this once with the Thiel. The RAAL is even more revealing and will be a breeze to hear it. I will be out for most of the day and likely tomorrow. However, I just figured out that if I add the RAAL SR1a amp interface box and even disconnect the headphones the amp will be sending a signal (or working). So now I will be able to play the Voyager 24 hours a day. I figured this out because when I tried the amp interface box on the CODA #8 the power meters on the front are dancing even without the headphones connected. I do not want to burn the headphones with continuous playback. |
I did the SNIFF test again with the RAAL SR1a, Gustard, and CODA #8. First of all it sounds amazing. I may not have the volume set at the same level as when I tested last time with the Voyager and Thiel. It may be actually a bit lower on the RAAL test. I could hear the 0:08 sniff much clearer. A little irritating to hear that sniff during the music. At 1:12 it was much louder and 4:35 was likely in-between the other 2 in terms of loudness. So to be thorough I moved the amp interface box to the Voyager so I can test the same thing with the RAAL and Voyager. I put CODA #8 to STANDBY and left the CODA 07x preamp at the same volume level as before. Now I am not sure if the gain is the same on the Voyager. The volume from the Voyager seemed a little lower. The Gustard DAC is still used. It is the only DAC I can use with this delicate flower of a CODA 07x preamp without me getting annoyed by the crackling and buzz. At 0:08 I do hear the sniff though it is not as prominent as with the CODA #8. At 1:12 it is not as loud as with the CODA #8. At 4:35 I could not hear it at this volume level. So the facts to me seem that the CODA #8 is more detailed than the Voyager. The #8 is a pretty fine piece of work and cost 2x more than the Voyager. The fact that the CODA is also more warmer is an interesting attribute. Warmth and detail in the same box. The CODA #16 is supposed to be their best amp. ******************* The RAAL also has the wings that can be adjusted to increase or lower the bass. Sounds like they copied the AKG K1000 you have. ******************** The CODA 07x preamp issue with my 2 neutral DACs has got me annoyed so I decided to split up my Benchmark AHB2 from my living room. I will move 1 to my office so that I can use the Topping pre90 with the Benchmark DAC3B and my Thiels. I have all the wiring in place to make this happen from when I owned the Benchmark HPA4 preamp. All I need to do would be to change the speaker wire from one amp to the other. Sometimes I want a neutral sound over the juicy CODA sound. The pre90 | DAC3B | AHB2 | Thiel CS3.7 will be great with well recorded music. This will also be the king of details because the other gear is no where as quiet as this stack. |
In our lab tests we have found that heavy-duty 40-amp SpeakON™ connectors consistently outperform spade lugs, pins, and banana plugs. The SpeakON™ connectors provide a reliable low-impedance connection that can withstand high-currents. Of the more traditional speaker connectors, we have found that locking banana plugs provide the next best connections. In contrast, spade lugs and pins often provide poor connections. Spring-type (non-locking) banana plugs almost always provide poor connections and should be avoided.This is Benchmarks comments on speaker connectors. Which matches what @ricevs is stating. I do agree with @ricevs that the FrontRow is a much better cable. It also has SpeakON terminations. So that is why I was not able to use it with my Voyager. I spoke with CODA about having 2 amps hooked up to the CODA 07x preamp at the same time via XLR. They said that is fine as long as one amp is turned off. Nevertheless, to satisfy this audience I have removed 1 amp from the 07x preamp. I also took my 15 foot Benchmark XLR that was used between the Voyager and Coda 07x and reattached it from the CODA 07x to the CODA #8. So now this is apples-to-apples. In this scenario, the CODA #8 does not look good. It sounds great but the SNIFF test is a big lose. At 0:08 I cannot even hear it at louder volume than I previously tested. Now my house is a little loud with life but nothing to preclude me from hearing the music. At 1:12 I do hear the sniff and it is not as loud as with the Voyager. At 4:35 I cannot hear the sniff. My ears hurt now from how loud I had to play this to hear at least one sniff. I now re-tried the Voyager. The Voyager now has more than 80 hours and has been jamming in the back ground without my headphones connected. I do know that current is flowing out of the amp. In all 3 cases I was able to hear the sniff. It was not as good as with the FrontRow and other interconnects I was using but it was audile at LOWER volume with my ears hurting. So a big win for the Voyager. I like an idiot adjusted the volume next when I went to connect the Benchmark AHB2 stereo amp replacing the CODA. In this case, I am not able to hear the first 2 sniffs but the volume is different. So I would say that it was at best the same as the CODA maybe even as good as the Voyager if I had the same volume. When I get home from playing some squash I will test out the AHB2 driven by the Topping D90se DAC without any preamp. |
I am back home after getting my butt kicked all over the squash court and with cleared up ears. I just played the CODA 07x + Gustard + Voyager + RAAL again at a not so loud level and heard all 3 sniffs. The house is a lot quieter now. I then played the CODA 07x + Gustard + AHB2+ RAAL at the same volume but low gain on the AHB2. Could not hear a the sniff. I then played the same but at high gain on the AHB2 with the CODA 07x volume unchanged. This time I heard the sniffs as easily as on the Voyager. I think the high gain on the AHB2 also matches better the volume when played with the Voyager. It was also NOT nosier at the higher gain. At least I could not hear any noise. For some giggles I tried the Topping D90Se that is now directly connected to the AHB2. I used the same speaker wire and connected the RAAL. There was a sight difference in the chain though. The 15 foot Benchmark XLR I used was my second pair that had not been used for a month or 2. My Sonore OpticalRendu on the Topping D90se did not have the Audiophile Linear Power supply as the Gustard setup. The Gustard also had the more expensive WyWire USB from the OpticalRednu to the DAC. Remember I have 2 OpticalRendus. Now that I think about it I should have just moved the USB from the Gustard to the Topping DAC. Anyways, I did not and the results were interesting. I was NOT able to hear the sniffs as easily as in the previous tests. I had to also increase the volume on the Topping DAC to hear the sniffs. I tried to estimate the volume to a similar level as the other tests with the COA 07x preamp. Maybe I did not waste my money buying the more expensive Audiophile LPS and the WyWire USB. WyWire are generally great wires. I am listening to the Voyager on my RAAL with about 85 hours and while it is really good, better than my previous Class D RAAL amp. I am not feeling the same magic with the AHB2 and CODA #8. It sounds a little flat on the RAAL. So to try something a little different with the RAAL and Voyager. I removed the ROON Convolution filter that was previously used with the AHB2 and CODA. It was essential with the AHB2. Without the filter the RAAL sounds much much better. I liked to try this again when I have 200 hours on the amp. A very promising result. I am going to post this result on the Head-fi.com RAAL thread. This is a revelation. |
I have posted above that I am using the Conductor SE cable for the tests with the RAAL after you said the FrontRow was the differentiating factor. I am also using a single set of XLR's between the 07x and the amp being tested, that would be the Voyager, AHB2, and Coda #8
The Optical streaming was the same when I tested using the CODA 07x preamp. I also now only have 1 amp connected to the 07x preamp at any given time. ************** APPLES-TO-APPLES COMPARISION ************** 1) MY FRONT ROW CABLE IS DISCONNECTED 2) I AM ONLY CHANGING 1 COMPOINENT, THE AMP ************************************************************************** I am not testing the Thiel because I do not want to move my amps around. The RAAL is more than enough to test for the sniff detail, likely the better option for this test. In summary The AHB2 at high gain and the Voyager were the same level of clarity on the SNIFF test. The high gain on the AHB2 sounded like the same volume level as the Voyager. I kept the CODA 07x preamp volume the same for both tests. The AHB2 has 3 gain settings, low, medium, high. I used the high setting after the low setting did not match the Voyager volume and also did not let me hear the sniff's. The CODA #8 was not resolving the sniffs with the Conductor at a much higher CODA 07x volume level than the AHB2 and Voyager. The CODA comes in a distant 3rd. So for the Voyager to be in the class of the AHB2 is pretty amazing. Do not get me wrong on the CODA. It is a magnificent sounding stack and likely the preferred for most A'gon posters. The AHB2 is still the king for me, but the Voyager is really sounding good now. The former, KING OF THE RAAL, will make an appearance today if FedEx can deliver. It is the KRELL K-300i integrated amp. I won't be able to do an APPLES-TO-APPLES comparison and will use the built-tin DAC on the K-300i. I will also use the Gustard with 15 foot Benchmark XLR to the KRELL. In both cases, this will be a disadvantage to the KRELL. |
The Voyager sounded flat with my RAAL but I had a Convolution filter running then. This filter is great with the AHB2 (actually required) and also good with the CODA. The Voyager was sounding flat with the filter. I turned off the filter and the sound took on more life and seemed comparable with the AHB2 and CODA with filter. The AHB2 without the filter is fatiguing. The CODA does not need the filter but improves slight with it. I spoke with RAAL-Requites Danny on this filter for their headphone and he was very impressed by it. I have the Voyager playing 24 hours a day and in 4 days I will be at 200 hours. I will do some listening with the Thiels then. Though I have always liked the Voyager with the Thiel, not so much with the RAAL, until now without the filter. |
I got the KRELL K-300i back today and playing some of the same songs as with the other amps. My plans of selling this integrated are now halted. It sounds like the CODA #8 but a little smoother and more bass. I am going to keep the KRELL with my Thiels. I am using the Topping D90se DAC at the moment, this is a great DAC with the warm KRELL. Is is better than the Voyager? It is not as fast sounding as the Voyager, less exciting, a much more relaxing sound, both have their place. That KRELL bass and smoothness is a winning combo. I have had the KRELL for about 10 months so it is nicely broken-in. |
You got that right. I have maybe 1 too many amps now. I also consider my RAAL the equal of my KEF LS50 and Thiel CS3.7. So I consider myself to have 3 systems. I think there is a nice range of sound in the house, smooth, relaxing, fast, powerful, clear. None of the amps can do each of them but the 4 amps I have can collectively do all of them. Definitely not buying any more gear. This was a 12 month buying spree after a very long time of holding off. |
The AHB2 is not bright. The RAAL is bright. The only person that liked the AHB2 with the RAAL is the designer in Serbia who used the AHB2 when creating the SR1a. His USA partner, who let me home demo the SR1a, told me the AHB2 was not good with the SR1a. I told him I had 2 of them and was intrigued by the designer using the AHB2. He was right. I bought a tube DAC just for the AHB2 and while it did help the AHB2 was not tolerable with the RAAL SR1a. I get fatigued very easily. RAAL-Requisite is coming out with a tube headphone amp specifically for the SR1a. I have home demoed the RAAL-Requisite HSA-1b headphone amp for the SR1a and it was much better than the AHB2 'naked', as were a bunch of 2 channel stereo amps. I believe you are in NY area. Next time there is a COVID free CanJam go and listen to the SR1a. They will have 3 stations where you are compare the SR1a on ROON with or without the Convolution filter, along with other attributes. The designer of the Convolution filter, Mitch Barnett from Accurate Sound, does some genius level work. His writing on AudiophileStyle.com gave me confidence to use his services for my Thiel and then the SR1a. I also read his DSP book before I engaged in any of this. BTW - I am loving the KRELL K-300i with the Topping D90se DAC. A warm amp with a neutral DAC. I am glad I decided to listen before I listed the KRELL for sale. I am going to do the SNIFF test on this, likely tomorrow. I expect it to fail like the CODA stack. On Friday I will have 200 hours on the Voyager. It is playing on the CODA stack 24 hours a day now going into the RAAL amp interface box. The Voyager amp is nice and warm. |
My CODA #8 and KRELL K-300i sound a bit more tube like to me than the Voyager. The Voyager so far sounds like it is in-between those 2 amps and the Benchmark AHB2. Detailed but not as smooth or soft. (not harsh either) I will have 200 hours by Friday on the Voyager. Last night I did some headphone listening when I was tired and working my job. The music from the Voyager got my energy up big time and sounded great (sans Convolution filter). I do not know what it is but the Voyager energizes me way more than any other amp I have had. Maybe just imagining this energy but I do notice my toes tapping away more with the Voyager. |
I have over 100 hours on the Voyager now. I started listening again this morning after I let it burn-in for a few days. It does not have the big balls bass of the KRELL K-300i, that I have in the room, but the Voyager is sounding great in it's own way. A little sharper sound than the KRELL whereas the KRELL is little rounder. There is also more decay in Cymbals now with the Voyager. As I said before I feel the amp sounds fast to me. I am really engaged with this amp. There is a hint of hardness still on top that is not there with the AHB2, KRELL, or CODA #8. However, given the rate at which this amp is getting better with burn-in, that may go away or maybe with @ricevs mods. Once I get the Voyager modded I should decide between the KRELL and Voyager. I could get better speaker cables if I sold off one of these units. |
I did some head-to-head comparison today with the KRELL and the Voyager with my favourite music. Today, I enjoyed the Voyager more than the KRELL even though the KRELL seemed more powerful. Surprisingly, the better bass on the KRELL worked against it because I noticed it was a bit too much for my small room. The room is treated and I use DSP on streaming. I could fix that but not interested in doing that now. |
I made some decisions on my amps last night. The Voyager beat my KRELL K-300i in a head-to-head shootout. I like the excitement factor of the Voyager over the very relaxed sound of the KRELL. However, the KRELL is just too good to sell, so I made it my primary headphone amp. In the past, I thought is was the very best RAAL SR1a headphone amp, a 10/10 on the RAAL. It is now tied with the CODA #8 on the RAAL, the Voyager is still not at that level with the RAAL SR1a. So I put the CODA #8 back with my Thiel’s and changed the input connection of the DACs from XLR to RCA into my CODA 07x preamp. The RCA seems to have lowered the hiss to whisper levels. Still not Benchmark level but good enough. The 07x sounds great but a bit of a PIA to use. It maybe good now. The CODA #8 sounds incredible now with the Thiel’s. There is power, detail, and very full sounding bass. Just the very best the Thiel’s have sounded, better than the Benchmark AHB2’s (9/10). The Voyager does not approach this level of sound yet. If the CODA #8 is a 10/10 the Voyager is 8/10. The KRELL was a 7.5/10 (for my music). It is now the CODA #8 and the Voyager for the final shootout to see which stays with the Thiel. Or I could state, does the CODA #8 ever come off the Thiel’s. |
@ricevs Yes the Conductor SE speaker cable. The FrontRow is on the sidelines until next week. I did try the FrontRow for 1 album and it is at another level of goodness. However, I reluctantly took it off and put in the Conductor cable for the past few hours. I will be burning in the Voyager on the RAAL interface box (I have 2 of these now) until Monday. After a few more hours the weekend starts and I will let the Voyager burn in non-stop. I won't be listening this weekend on this system. That should get me very close to 200 hours. |
I have about 200 hours on my Voyager now and it sounds very good. Though not as good as the CODA #8, which I am starting to think maybe a great amp. The hardness that I attributed to the Voyager many hours ago seems to have gone away now. However, compared to the CODA #8 it feels like it is be more restrained. It could be the difference in bass between the 2 amps. When I was burning in the Voyager the last few days I had the CODA #8 on the Thiels with the low end Audience Conductor SE speaker cables. The Voyager was running on the headphone system. I was busy with work the past few days and had ROON play random tracks. There where so many times where I just had to stop and listen with me thinking wow I never knew it sounded like that. I am not having that wow reaction with the Voyager. It sounds fast, detailed and killer but not at the same level as the CODA #8. The Benchmark AHB2 seems a little more focused or sharper than either the CODA #8, Voyager, or KRELL. I prefer that type of sound, but the AHB2 does not compare to the overall level of goodness on the Thiels as any of the 3 other amps. @ricevs Tell me when your mod queue is free and I will send you the Voyager. I am only 1 day shipping from you. |
@thosb I have the Thiel CS3.7 and it maybe similar power wise to your 2.3’s. The Voyager sounds very good on the 3.7. My Benchmark AHB2 does not have sufficient juice to power the 3.7’s. It sounds rather nice but when you compare it to more powerful 2 Ohm capable amps such as the Voyager, CODA #8, KRELL K-300i, D-Sonic M3a 800s (sold) I realized that the C3.7s needed more power in the 2 Ohm region to really come alive. Walter asked me to send him a note on how the Voyager sounded after about 200 hours on my 3.7’s. I have not done so but I can state here that it brings the CS3.7 to life. A big, expansive, and detailed sound. It could use a bit more power in the bass. The Voyager does not have as strong bass as the KRELL or CODA. Nor the crystal clear clarity of the AHB2 (but what does). However, it seems like a really good all-rounder and does everything rather well. The Voyager seems a little more detailed than the KRELL. However, I think the CODA does everything better than the Voyager. Not by much but enough for me to not want to change the Voyager for the CODA on the CS3.7. I am going to get the Voyager mods from @ricevs and let this amp get a lot more hours. I use my KRELL K-300i as my headphone amp now and the Voyager could slot in as my second headphone amp. BTW - The Voyager is still getting better sounding each day (more clarity and sharpness). I will continue to listen to the Voyager on my CS3.7’s until it gets sent out for mods. |
Tomorrow I will have someone that has decades of experience in the audio hardware (a vendor) and music business (recording studios) over to my place to listen to my headphone system. He is coming over to compare some amps. I will post his feelings on the LSA Voyager once we are done. I am now over 200 hours on the amp. |
My listening session with the another set of ears will happen tomorrow. However, today I am going back and forth with the CODA #8 and Voyager, an apples-to-apples comparison. I am playing the same CD’s on my 20 year old Sony SCD-1 SACD player (modified to Vacuum State Level 5+). This source does not have DSP and is ’naked’ in my small room. I also still love the sound of this player, especially with SACD’s. Today the Voyager sounded very clear now (more hours). I cannot complain that it is not as clear as the CODA. The sound was actually very good and non-fatiguing. The bass seemed a little shy but the music was very engaging and fast. Once a disk was done I switched the XLR, Audience Conductor SE, and power cord to the CODA #8 and played the same disk again. Now with CODA the bass is a bit too much in my room. It is giving me a bit of fatigue, but I am in a small room with wall treatments but that extra software digital DSP is beneficial for the CODA. Not a fault of the amp but the room. The CODA also has more decay on the drum cymbals. The drum whacks are harder and more powerful. Maybe the term is ’air’ but the CODA has something to it that makes the Voyager sound a little flatter in comparison. The Voyager is actually more enjoyable with the the ’naked’ SONY over the CODA #8 because of the stronger bass of the CODA giving me fatigue. The room needs to be tamed first. I felt this was also the same issue with the KRELL K-300i (btw - compared with the $15K Boulder 866 in Stereophile this month). With my main digital streaming sources (DACs) this bass boom is not an issue with the CODA #8 because I have a Convolution filter for my Thiel CS3.7. |
So my guest came over today for abut 3 hours and we did a deep dive into my gear. I am helping him setup some software for a show he is doing and what we did today with the demoing was related to the upcoming show. He is a musician, builds recording studios, build microphones, and a audio hardware vendor. We focused on Alison Krauss PAPER AIRPLANE because it was the first album that he recognized on my ROON. He is a personal friend of Alison so he knows her voice very well. He is also friends with some of the singers in the album so he knows how they should sound. He also built the recording studio mics that Alison uses, though I am not sure if it was used on the PAPER AIRPLANE album. So this guy was perfect person to evaluate my gear. We tested my gear out via ROON, with and without Convolution DSP. - Thiel CS3.7 + RAAL SR1a - Benchmark AHB2 mono | CODA #8 | KRELL K-300i | Voyager - Benchmark DAC3B | Gustard X26 Pro (both via ROON) - Sony SCD-1 Modified by Vacuum State Level 5+ (no ROON) He commented that his experience with Class D was not extensive other than some good subwoofers but he had never heard a good Class D on speakers. We learned a lot of things with our tests but I will only summarize what is important to this thread. He was easily able to hear things in the my music collection that I heard and a lot more because he had context of how the musicians (his friends) and instruments actually sounded. So I have a very high level of confidence in his observations. 1) He hated my Benchmark AHB2 monos though we only listened on the RAAL SR1a. He said the sound was not realistic and forced. I do not see it that way. I think it sounds the most realistic but I agree it is troublesome on the SR1a (much better on the Thiel which we did not try). 2) We then listened to the PAPER AIRPLANE via ROON on the Voyager. He was extremely impressed. He noticed it was detailed, non-fatiguing but also that it was reproducing the recording, he knew personally, as it was supposed to sound. The Voyager did sound great today to me too. I am at about 220 hours now. We did things with ROON software that made him comment that the sound became compressed and not realistic. Those things I did not notice before because I do not have his personal context to the music. 3) We then put on the CODA #8 and he was not as impressed as with the Voyager. He found it was not as detailed as the Voyager. The SINFF test I did earlier in the thread proved that to be true. He liked the CODA #8 but not as much as I do. He preferred the Voyager over the CODA. 4) We then tried the KRELL with the SRA1. I did not want to put it on the Thiel because of the hassles. He was shocked by the KRELL. He loved it and is thinking of buying one. He said that the Voyager was not as good as on the SR1a as on the Thiel (again something I also said previously) I am going to re-evaluate my usage of some software based on the comments I heard today. The Voyager was a home run as far as my guest was concerned. SO in the end the results in order of preference: 1) KRELL K-300i 2) Voyager 3) CODA #8 4) Very far behind Benchmark AHB2 (I like this one the best) BTW - we did most of the Voyager listening on the Thiel with my Sony SCD-1. I played him my highest quality SACD, Dark Side of the Moon. He was very impressed by the sound. He wanted to buy the SCD-1. It was interesting that he is a friend of the recording engineer on DSOTM, Alan Parsons, and Parsons lives very close to my house (I never knew). |
I spoke to @ricevs this afternoon and shipped my amp to him for delivery on Saturday. With regards to my demoing guest today. I am not sure if he will make the trek up to my place again. Today was a business meeting and we now have all the issues resolved. I will invite him up once the amp is returned buy I am not sure if he would be interested. The Voyager will not end up sounding like the KRELL. The KRELL has a very particular signature that is different from the Voyager. Neither one is better than the other. Just a matter of preference. As I mentioned in some other threads. The KRELL is buttery smooth, good detail, my most powerful amp on bass, and very relaxing. The Voyager will never sound like that. I use my Benchmark DAC3B with the KRELL. With the Voyager I use both my DACs. |
One thing I learned yesterday and now today with more listening is that when I add or remove things in my room I need to really test everything again. I created a thread a few months ago about adding a TV into my room in-between the Thiels. I ended up buying a sound absorption panel based on recommendations. The end result was that even with the panel, moving the TV in-between the speakers really messed up the sound. The TV was previously to my LEFT closer to me than the speakers, so some reflections. Today I have the TV still to the LEFT but now in front of me and with good distance from the speakers. The sound absorption panel that I bought is now propped up beside my CD storage rack (I just need a place to store it). This was likely giving some bad reflections in the past. However, today I removed my Convolution filter for the Thiels and the sound is not fatiguing as in the past without the filter and the prior arrangement. I got to do more listening but this is a good initial observation for me. |
@arafiq I was reading some of the posts I made here and it seems like I am going back and forth on the DSP that I am using. I was saying earlier that the DSP was needed with the CODA and not so much with the Voyager. Well to test this out I have been playing music that I consider my most fatiguing without the DSP enabled. I am using the CODA 07x and CODA #8. At this point I think the way my room is re-configured I can live WITHOUT the DSP on the Thiel’s because I an not getting fatigued. This also means the Voyager can be DSP less also because it has a little less bass power. One more thing I can do is re-measure my room with the microphone and specialty software to get new DSP files generated for my new configuration. On the RAAL SR1a headphones I have a feeling the subtle DSP that I was using is beneficial. I had a 3-4 hours listening session last night without DSP and had some fatigue issues with the bass heavy KRELL. When I added the DSP everything was good again. BTW - Now that I am keeping the KRELL I have 1 too many amps with the Voyager and CODA #8 and one will have to go. Send me a DM if you ever decide to get a preamp. |