Its very simple.....those of us that trust ourself and listen on our own.....know the truth.....those that just speak of science as truth.....and don't listen......do not know the truth.....end of story. Everything else is just blah blah blah.
Trust your ears....you will know what works and does not work.
Do not trust what I say....or anyone else says.....only trust your own experience.
This is true self love....trusting yourself....loving and enjoying your own experience. No one knows better than you......when you allow yourself to trust.
We are amazing.
I am amazed at how much I have learned about audio and about life this last year......tons of new things.....digital amps, Music Purifiers, Inverter power, using plastic (no metal) for speaker clamps, Bybee Claifiers....etc. always more to explore and learn.....just as the soul learns to love more and more.....so the mind learns to open more and more to the possibilities.
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Its pretty simple......there are those that are open to the possibilities (infinite and aways changing and growing).....and those that think they already know how things are (finite...and stuck and stagnated). We all vacillate between the two poles but eventualy always move in the direction of expansion (happiness and love). Those that want to improve their stereo and have an open mind will try all kinds of things. Those that want to be right will keep doing the same thing over and over will see no improvement.
We create our own reality......moment to moment. The quality of your thoughts, words spoken, feelings felt and actions done create the next REAL moment for you. What do you want to create?.......better sound?,....more love, more joy?....or more righteousness and unhappiness?....your choice.....every second. Choose wisely grassshopper.
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If you are constantly attacking someone....then you are not loving that person....and therefore, you are not loving yourself....as we are all one. When you point your finger at someone......three are pointing back at you. It is all projection.
More and more....I see nothing but love. But.....I do state the truth of what I HEAR and also the truth of what I see in others behavior (based on my state of being...btw...you are NOT your behavior). What truth are you stating? Who is living in fantasy mode and who is living in reality (what we experience in the here and now). I am your dady.....I am giving you the love lecture.....my sweet children.....you are also my dady (and I am your child)....that is the way it works.....we all lift or lower each other. I lift you to the highest of the high.....for that is what you are.
Ralph, You have stated a couple or more times now on Audiogon that you can measure parts....here is your latest: "Actually, a lot of the things in the list above do have measurable effects. The trick is knowing what to measure." You have never given us an example of measuring something and changing to another part and finding a measurement difference and then that difference results in a change in sound. As far as I know.....there is no way to measure resistors, capacitors, diodes, solder, wire, jacks, damping, directionality of wire, etc. If you use a large inductive part in a sensitive place...like a feedback loop.....then of course, it would change the distortion measurement.....Who the heck would use a large inductive part there? No one.
So please show us your many measurement tests followed by listening tests that prove your statement.....Lots of people say things here....very few back them up......Please show us your examples to prove that you did tests on "lot of things".
My proof of what I say is in what people say about THE SOUND of my work and products. You will read nothing but raves.....and I have been modding and manufacturing since 1977. My Ultimate Attenuators using shunt attenuators (which I re-invented). were rated in Stereophile as Class A for 7 years. Check out Audioreview for reviews of my Millennium DAC......do a search....you will see MY PROOF.......and in audio, the only thing that matters....the only thing that is true.....is what something sounds like.....all else....including measurements....iare secondary.....believe it or not.
Your turn......please lift us up....if you love us......if you love yourself. I love you all for ever and ever..........YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LOVED.....all is good and always has been. Joy to the world, for we are magnificent!!!! Let earth receive our blessings!......Bless....B L E S S......Beautifully....Love...Every...Single....Soul
You can do it.......it is your destiny......embrace it.....embrace yourself....embrace everyone and everything and every second.....
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So, you are clearly stating that changing parts does not matter because you have no test results that show that they do? As long as the amp measures the way you want then it does not matter what part you use? You earlier stated that a LOT of what I said could be measured. Now you are stating that you just measure the amp and as long as it measures OK..it is. You just keep measuring it so it has no rf? You are clearly not measuring A LOT of what I said. You are measuring NONE of what I stated. You are just measuring the entire amp and that is it. You have no idea of what parts SOUND LIKE.
You have never tested parts for distortion because it is impossible and you and everyone knows that.....However, all parts SOUND different.....no matter how they measure. I am sure your amp sounds great and measures fine and has no rf or other noises......so what? All the parts inside still have a sound.....this is what you will not address. If you change the brand of surface mount resistors in your amp to another brand....it will change the sound of the amp....and it is not measurable....it will measure the same. This is what I do mostly. I don’t make things measure worse or have more rf......I change parts so the amp sounds better.....something you and all the ASR people do not know is true......is that.....ALL PARTS HAVE A SOUND........and also execution of parts and layout and damping, etc. is important. If you do not put the outside foil of a cap to the negative polarity....it will not sound as good. Do you do this to your capacitors on the output of your amp? If not....please determine the outside foil and oriented the way I suggest and listen. EVERYONE who has tried this agrees with my findings. Again, the amp will not measure differently. There is a thread that you can find on Audiocircle where people describe the sonic benifits of using better modified caps oriented in the correct direction......quite dramatic is their findings.
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Yes, I know you use Caddocks and Vcaps in your tube amps......this is good that you listened to two parts and found they work better than some others. However, that is where you stop. Caddock resistors do not measure better than other low inductance resistors....in fact, they do not sound nearly as good as parallel Nude Vishays.... I sometimes will use a power Caddock to get the basic value and then bypass it with a higher value nude Vishay because it sounds way better. Caddocks by themselvers sound "grey".....he he. There is NOTHING in the specs of a Caddock resistor that mentions low harmonic distortion.....just that it is a non inductive part....Right now my padding resistor on my tweeter is two parallel small Caddocks bypassed by a nude Vishay.......way better highs with the Vishay bypass resistor. You cannot measure better distortion because you use a Caddock resistor.....unless the resistor you used before is inductive.
Ralph.....you sure have a fear of radiation.....maybe make a faraday cage to live in. I have been modding class D amps for 20 years and no one has died of radiation poisoning.....or had birdies or whistles or whatever your fear is.
What I am always saying is the same thing......everything matters.......So, if you do not do listening tests to all your parts and execution then you are leaving a lot of transparency on the table. No one....including me.....listens to everything....there is just not time. That is why the first thing to do when tweaking is to eliminate everything that is not needed......like LEDs, output connectors, extra connections, extra fuses, steel bolts and plates holding transformers down, etc......all these things mess up the sound. Removing things is FREE. After removing everything not needed then spend time on better sounding parts and execution that will bring the most benefit.....then spend the rest of your life....he he.....tweaking and tweaking the rest. It is infinite....it never ends.
You can play at any level you want......you can do the ASR/Kuribo game where only measurements matter......or you can add the Ralph thing where only certain kinds of distortion matter (and Caddocks and V-caps in a tube amp)......or you can go crazy like me and try to play with as much of the circuit/execution as possible. There is no right or wrong. You determine who gets your vote by the way the finished product sounds TO YOU.......as that is the only thing that matters. Enjoy the ride.
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Let’s see......you use a custom Caddock resistor that you did extensive listening tests versus the latest parallel nude Vishay resistors? Really? How many brands of surface mount resistor did you listen to before using the ones in your class D amp? What other parts did you listen to? So, tell us your story of how you listened to everything including the op amps you use in the input. You have already stated that you thought op amps have no sound (are neutral). This has been refuted by hundreds of posts all over the net. Let us hear your story....if you think I am making up a story about you. I only can know what you reveal.....and by the way you state things......is what I reflect. So, give us some beef. What do you listen to? Every brand of solder, resistor, cap, wire, jack, etc?.....or just a Caddock resistor.....20 or more years ago.
Man, you are really hung up on radiation....again....get a faraday cage. Again, none of my customers of my modded class D amps for 20 years have ever had a problem....Your possible problem is that you have a new amp and you don’t want me to touch it because I would make it sound better (ny assumption....since I have always been able to make something sound better) and then you would have to answer to that......that could be a problem for you. ....not me or my customers. However, I doubt that anyone would want to send their $5400 amps to me to void the warrantee and lose resale value.......but maybe there is someone who is REALLY a hot rodder......maybe they want to find out what are the possiblilities that I could provide....but, I doubt it. You are safe.
Toroidal transformers do not need a steel bolt through the middle of them and a steel plate to run cool and safe.....and you know it. However, any conductive material (magnetic or not) around or though the transformer WRECKS the sound. Any of you that want to experiment and find out what this tweak does:......just remove the steel bolt and plate and raise the transformer off the chassis using a quarter inch piece of wood.....Listen and grin.....You can use a little Amazing Goop underneath the transformer to make sure it does not slide around......and if you need to put the hardware back to ship it or sell it.....no problem. Your ears will love the difference this "tweak" does. I have been doing this for over 30 years......and those that have tried it are ALL in agreement on its benefits. We all deserve this kind of attention by manufacturers....ones that know that everything makes a difference......Certainly at the lower price points we do not expect the Chinese companies, etc. to do tweaking.....but anything above $3K.....and sold direct.....I would hope so.
High end audio has no common knowledge....It is every man for himself. There is no proof that anything sounds a certain way. No double blind tests have ever been done on various amounts of measured distortion or distortion types...NEVER. The ASR people have NO PROOF that their numbers correlate to sound. It is just their opinion.....so their opinion has no weight as there are no listening tests to back up their opinion.....the only thing that is important is how something SOUNDS......YOUR OPINION is the only one that counts for your listening pleasure......trust your self....trust your ears....you know what you like....you know what "sounds best".....to YOU.
I respect and love everyone.....but I do tell my experience.....my truth about what things "sound like". I listen and experiment and am always learning. I assume very little....I am always growing in my direct knowledge because I try new things.....I try and stay open.....open mind....open heart
I wish you all the best sound possible and the best life possible by embracing each moment......each miraculous second.....with joy and love. There is nothing but God loving itself......and you are IT.
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Had to buy a router then the IFI Zenstream.....which I could not get working with my old Iphone 4S (it's a wonder it still works at all). So, bought an Iphone 11 and got it today and now the software works and I can start setting up the stereo. I should start listening by Monday and by the end of the week should have most mods done. Meanwhile I am working on my DIY speakers page on my website which should show itself maybe tomorrow night and then many updates all next week.
I will be making my own linear power supply for the Zenstream, as well.
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Yes, and Yes. Just tested that very combo tonight on the bench....played it through and old 15 inch woof to make sure it worked. Tomorrow I finish the custom power supply for the IFI and fire up the stereo and let er rip.
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For those interested in bi-amping using the GaN 1 and VTV digital amps and also making your own speakers......I just put up a page on my website to talk about all this and explain how to make your own speakers, etc.
http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Speaker_building_info.html
The info is preliminary.
Way, way more information and pics coming.....every day I will be adding more info.
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Did the first mod to the Peachtree.....OMG.....never heard such an improvement from just upgrading the AC power. Three more mods to try....should have it wrapped up by this weekend some time.
The VTV D300 has more power and should be better for maggies....VTV will be shipping again in 2 months.
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mr_bill
Yes, the mods should be done by this weekend and will be shown on my website. Yes, I have a VTV D300 here and will be doing the same mods to it. The more powerful module in the VTV amp would work better on Maggies.....but if you do not listen that loud then the GaN 1 might work fine.
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The GaN 1 only has coax input. So if you have a source that has usb only then you need a digital to digital converter to change it to coax. Your source would need volume control. You can use the volume control in a lot of programs like Roon, etc. Most computers do not have a coax out....so if using a computer or Ipad then you need a DtoD converter to get it to coax to drive the Gan1. The Hifi Rose streamer has usb input and coax output (volume controlled)....but then why would you want a computer if you are using this streamer?
The GaN1 is the DAC.....it changes PCM directly to PWM (class D analog switching). A normal DAC is not needed. Less is more. Basically, a digital amp is a power DAC.....a DAC that can drive your speakers. A regular DAC changes PCM to a low level analog signal but then it needs to be amped up by an amp to drive the speaker.
Most A2D’s do not have a digital volume control. You would still need to run the converter into a streamer that has volume control.
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Dude,
You are wrong. Class D almost always uses PWM. Please read this article and get informed:
Doing one more mod to the amp here and then will return it to the owner. All info will be on my website by the end of the week.
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The ego finds it easy to nitpick and cause a fuss and pretend to KNOW tthngs (I know, I have been there)......however, The SOUL wants everyone to be happy. It praises and celebrates every single second and every single person. I celebrate everyone.....I celebrate this and every moment.....for this moment is the most beautiful moment that has every existed in the entire history of the entire universe......it has always been so.....Thank you....I love you. There is only this moment....the past is gone....the future has not arrived......can you dig this moment? This most beautiful moment...........I hope you embrace it with all your passion......hugs and kisses for everyone.........Listening to "Where do the children play" right now.....lovely.
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I changed the caps to polypropylene. The small polyprop Wimas (not any other larger series) with my mods are more transparent that practically any capacitor in the world. Also, you need a small part as you do not want to radiate noise (this is one reason why orienting the outside foil to ground helps the sound).
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Here is my experience with the GaN 1:
1.Did not sound good stock.....very grainy, dry and harsh. Some of the problem is that you have to play it for at least an hour before it really performs.....this could be the turn on warmup of my streamer as well.....as I turn them on together using my inverter.......maybe the inverter has to warm up.
2. Covered the external fuse with copper foil.......noiticeably more musical and correct.....costs nothing. It has another fuse on the power supply inside so this external fuse is not needed.
3. Did the entire AC mod which removes the inlet/fuse holder and switch. Changed the inlet to a Furutech inlet and hardwired much better wire directly to the power supply...and did another mod to the power supply to reduce distortion. Now I was crying....it sounded so good. I thought to my self....."I could charge $500 for this mod alone and people would be amazed". But, this was just the beginning.
4. Removed the output connectors, stock output wire with inductors, and hardwired great wire directly out the back of the amp and soldered them to my speaker wires. This will be an option as I will be offering my plastic clamps as an output connector option (slightly less good sounding WBT Nextgens will be standard)......I NEVER use any kind of speaker connector. So glad I can offer that to people. Much more detail, dynamics and bass power.
5. Changed the digital input wire to my own custom wire and wired it directly from the input jack to the input pins on the board (bypassing two connnectors). More detail again. However, it had gotten slightly less juicy with the last two mods......so on we went.
6. Changed the output filter caps on the board to modified Wima polyprop caps....oriented so the outside foil goes to ground for best sound. OMG!!! Way more musical, detailed, real and bigger sounding.....more liquid yet more clear.....Now we have something special. The stock Kemet metalized Polyester are really not good. These same caps are also used the the EAS modules used in the Peachtree GaN 400 and the LSA Voyager. These amps would sound way better with those caps changed out.
For those ASR types.....none of these mods are measureable.....the amp will measure the same before and after the mods. But the sound......well, you judge.
Some info is on my website and I am now taking orders. This will blow your mind!
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Assume means......make and ass out of u and me.......usually it means make an ass out of oneself. When you assume.....you think you know something you really don't know.
The amp is protected by the fuse on the power supply....it is not soldered on.....a fuse in a holder, on the board.
Do you pick nits out of your navel? There are two modes in the universe....ONE IS LOVE.....praising and being of service......the other is EGO...or defending your position and making things wrong. Would you rather be RIGHT or LOVING? Your choice, every second. When you choose love.....everyone wins........when you choose ego....no one wins.
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The only problem there is ......is you thinking something is wrong.....with your self and therefore with others......You are amazing and totally loved.
Thank you for your LOVE.....whenever or wherever you feel and express it. You are beautiful......you are not broken.....nor is the universe......all is incredible.......60 trillion cells in your body.....all working together and making life......what a miracle you are!......What a miracle everyone is and every second is.....IN JOY AND LOVE........FOREVER.
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You only need one fuse in an amp to protect it.....It has a fuse on the power supply....you DO NOT need two fuses in a row.
The coil on the output wire is not needed. Atmasphere, Purifi, Hypex, Orchard, LSA, etc. do not use an extra coil on the output, they just use the coil and cap on the board. VTV uses the same type of module with no coil. EAS, the manufacturer does not recommend a coil on the output. Mbolek already modded his Peachtree and also eliminated the "not needed coil" on the output wire with positive sonic results.....please read his experience. Lots of manufacturers put things on their products they "think" they need......but actually wreck the sound. Marantz thinks they need to protect the secondaries of their power transformers in their CD players.....so they add 'extra fuses"......which ALL degrade the sound. They also put coupling caps on the output stages that they do not need........you know...."just in case someone sends 30 volts into the output stage of their player"....which is as likely to happend as you winning the biggest lotto on earth......meaning never.
The first main rule in tweaking is to eliminate everything not needed for sound....as every single thing has a sound......meaning it has distortion (not measureable....but sonically hearable)....LESS IS MORE!
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mbolek, I sure hope you don't charge people for work you do. Getting paid for hard work and knowledge is unamerican. When someone posts here about their thoughts on an amp it is because they want to. My paid ads on the amp will be on Audiogon soon. I don't do free mods in exchange for people posting positive comments. Certainly is helpful and kind when someone goes out of their way to describe in detail what something does......products, mods, whatever. Most people who I talk to say I charge way, way to little for my work.
I honestly CAN say that every mod I did made a significant sonic improvement.
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Just like any component, the GaN 1 needs to be tuned up. The feet and platform underneath the amp will make a tremendous difference. Adding damped weight on top could help (footer dependent). The choice of power cord can make all the difference in the world.....same with the choice of digital coax cable. Read what Audio Bacon says about different audio cables (especially coax cables). You really need to get your whole system off the grid using the Giandel 5000 pure sine wave watt inverter......you only need a single 100 amp hour LifePo4 battery with a GaN 1 (it idles at 18 watts). You will hear a whole nuther level of detail when you put a great inverter on your system (and your system will always sound the same....not better at night or whenever you turn something off).....and another jump comes from a great line filter like the Puritan when used after the inverter and also using a dedicated ground rod for your stereo and ground filtering is another step up. The GaN1 and VTV D300 (more power and possibly more grunt....will be testing the modded VTV D300 soon)....are so inexpensive you can use the money saved to really tweak your system.
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Yesterday, another person received their modded GaN1 and within a few hours of turning it on he sent me this email:
"Arrived, and already playing a bit…..AMAZING difference!! In stock form, I was actually finding the sound a bit lifeless (I have other streamers that feed both a GaN amp and one of your modded VTV Purifi amps, and they were much better than stock GAN-1).
Anyway, transparency galore, including some deeper bass definition. One of my guilty pleasure listens is a Viking/Pagan/Medieval band named Heilung. Lots of percussion, natural and artificial; chants/growls/singing; and lots of little Easter Egg sounds in the mix. The modded GAN-1 is already showing much more clarity around a bunch of their songs…. I know to listen for specific things and they are really great through this.
All of this is just thru a simple Pi-based streamer with digital output. Will eventually try out other streamers with better digital out, as well as getting the Holo Red DDC/streamer.
Looking forward to much more listening, but wanted to let you know all is great so far! "
These little modded amps kick some butt!
Who will be the first to build a 2 way speaker with two of these amps and the pure digital minidsp xover?........9.5 inch Satori woofer that goes below 30hz in a box and above it a $70 GRS planar on an open baffle.....crossed over at 500hz.....the whole thing equalized, room corrected and time aligned in the pure digital xover......wires running directly from my clamps on the amps to the drivers directly....no spades, no binding posts....no nothing.....just transparency like an electrostat.....but with super dynamics.....you could use two 9.5 inch Satori woofers in the same box it if you need to listen super loud or have a big room. This is what I want. $7K for the whole shebang including: xover with custom $500 power supply, two modded amps, three coax cables, speaker wire, drivers and wood........would sound like $100K....would blow your mind.
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I have not modded chrisld's Peachtree. So, much more to be had,
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Yes, I am. Please give me a call for more info.
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Yes, using the volume control in the Zen Stream and it sounds great at all volumes. The only way you would know if it affects the sound would be to use volume control in a lossless volume (like Leedh) and then run it into the Zen stream and put its volume to full and compare. Of course, you are adding extra stuff and cables to do the A/B.....few on this planet will attempt such a test. So, basically no one knows. The Zen Stream is preferred by some over the Bluesound and they both have a digital volume control. Some like the way more expensive Lumin products with Leedh volume control.....but what is making the difference in sound?
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I think mbolek in going over to the dark side....he he. The fact that he cannot hear the mods he did.....and thinks that all AC mods do nothing sonically.....well....he is pretty much alone here with the ASR people. The fact that he uses the word "snake" when describing what I do is really silly. There are thousands of posts on the internet describing mods to the AC power.....from dedicated lines, to power cords, to line conditioners, to AC jacks and plugs, to AC wiring inside equipment, upgrading fuses, etc. etc. to infiinity.....All of these posts claim they hear differences.....and these people are not snakes (many are manufacturers and noted designers). Two people who had my mods done described the differences here on this thread along with the guy with the VTV amp (very similar to the Peachtree) who did his own mods......the first mod he did was to the AC and he descirbed what he heard.....and he liked it.....again....he is not a snake.
Tomorrow I am damping the AC inlet on my modded VTV D300 and will also be damping the back panel that the upgraded WBT RCA jack is mounted to. I am sure I will hear a difference. This modded VTV is doing some things I have NEVER heard before. More burn in and mods to come.....this is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I will have some info on the Peachtree VTV differences in a day or so. The High powered Purifi and Hypex Nilai amps are both reported to sound great (they are not digital amps....they need a DAC)
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I have finally A/Bed the modded GaN 1 with the modded VTV D300......at first it was not close.....the VTV slaughtered the GaN 1.......but the GaN 1 needed burn in......it kept getting better and better......but today still sounded somewhat 2D and not quite real and micro detailed compared to the VTV.......I had done some new things to the VTV that I had not done to the GaN 1.....and it has a different power supply and a different input jack.......well, I discovered tonight what it mostly was and it is a very simple mod that I had done to the VTV......NOW, the modded GaN 1 is very close to the modded VTV. If you are one of those that has my modded GaN 1 and you have a little mechanical skill (very little).....I can walk you through doing the mod yourself (I will send you a pic)......you will be blown away with the difference.
Please don’t ask me what the difference is between a stock GaN 1 and a stock VTV D300......I only heard a stock GaN 1 a long time ago (and did not like it at all) and never listened to the VTV before I modded it. The GaN 1 lists for $2000 and the VTV lists for $1500 with free shipping and more power.......so, that one makes sense to me.....but the mod on the VTV is $175 more (I change the input jack to a WBT Nextgen and also add 15lbs. of weight inside the chassis on the VTV amp). I might be able to add some weight inside the GaN 1, as well...TBD. Right now I listen to the GaN 1 with 10lbs. of damped weight on top of the amp. It is best to have the weight on the bottom inside as it damps the bottom panel where the amp module and power supply are mounted. These amps are light so they do not couple to audiophile feet very well without added mass. I use the Mad Scientist best footers along with two different types of hardwood (maple on top of bamboo) and an inner tube with very little air so the whole shebang bounces at under 10hz. These modded digital amps are really transparent!......so simple.....no DAC, no preamp, no analog interconnects, no feedback......very, very little sonic distortion......and you can get an inexpensive Minidsp xover and use two of these amps and make a two way biamped, equalized, room corrected, time aligned super speaker for very little money....way cool!
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