Call me Mr. Science because I do not care about opinions either.
Peachtree GaN 1 Beta
Before I start my post here is my current system for reference:
Auarlic Aries G1 --> Denafrips Terminator or SW1X DAC --> Audio GD HE1 XLR preamp or Sachs preamp --> various tube amps --> Cube Nenuphar Mini's w/ a pair of REL S510 subs. Cables and power conditioning commensurate with the rest of the system.
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As warmer months approach I have been looking for a cool running amp to replace my Line Magnetic LM-518 and other tube amps for a few months as they run pretty hot.
I've been interested in the GaN FET amps and just purchased a used LSA Voyager 350 Gan FET amp which I should receive in a few days. I've tried class D amps before and while they checked a lot of boxes I just didn't feel drawn in. However, I like to explore so I figured I'd try the GanFET and since the amp has zero feedback and my speakers seem to prefer amps with little or no feedback I figured it be worth checking out.
Today, Peachtree Audio sent out an email inviting users to a beta of their new Gan 1 amp. Here are some excerpts from their email:
What is the GaN 1? |
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In basic terms it is a 200 Watts-Per-Channel (WPC) Power Amplifier designed to be the sole interface between your digital audio device with a variable output, like a Bluesound NODE, and your speakers. The GaN 1 is a simple, pure and cost-effective audio solution: connect the GaN 1 to a streamer and a pair of speakers and you have an amazing Hi-Fi system. That's it...no DAC, no preamp and no input switching. The signal path from the music to your speakers is remarkably short and free of artifacts. Want to hear the intricate details in your music that have always been there, but you couldn't quite make them all out before? Then the GaN 1 is for you!
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Showing 50 responses by yyzsantabarbara
It is 3AM no and I got kicked off my ROON server. I force the server to shutdown automatically so that I have to go to sleep. I had a great listen with the SR1a headphones. My intuition about synergy of the GAN1 + SR1a was correct. Let me first answer @ricevs question
vs
I know a lot about gear for the SR1a earphones. The earphones are magic, and I spent a lot of time in the past 2 years figuring out the proper 2-channel amp to sound the best with the uber detail and hot treble of the SR1a. I had 9 to 10 amps go through the house. The best combo was the following:
This setup was the very best of all the combos I tried. I spent that $11K for an amp just for the SR1a. The KRELL was incredible with the SR1a, a warm and buttery smooth sounding amp. However, when the RAAL VM-1a headphone amp came out it blew all of that expensive gear out of the water, and I sold almost all my gear except the Musetec 005 DAC and the Benchmark pre and amp. I rated the VM-1a a 10/10 in sound quality and the KRELL + CODA combo 8/10. I thought it was 10/10 prior to me hearing the VM-1a. The SR1a is hot on top and can get fatiguing, such as with the LSA Voyager 350 GAN. The only 2 amps that were really good with the SR1a were the CODA #8, Parasound A21+, and the KRELL 175XD. Everything else was too fatiguing. So, this was an important factor in my observation of the GAN1. When I listened earlier with the LS50 Meta, I thought it was a laid-back sound. I started to think maybe it was rolled off on the top end (that is with the current break-in). That was not the best sonic signature for my KEF LS50 Meta but for the SR1a it had great promise. Listening to the SR1a and GAN1 was incredible. It tamed the hot SR1a and the sound was as good as the KRELL + CODA setup. That is some $30K in gear. However, it was not close to the VM-1a, but nothing is so that is not a big deal. The other day I was listening to the Pretenders "Brass in Pocket" and heard some guitar track that I never heard before with the tube VM-1a amp and my Benchmark DAC3B. With the GAN1 I was not able to hear this. I also listened to a lot of 70’s music tonight, at first, music that could be fatiguing (and I played it loud). Judas Priest, Zeppelin, April Wine, Rush, AC/DC. No fatigue at all. Then some Bee Gees, Al Green, Michael Kiwanuka to hear some nice vocals, these were also non-fatiguing and a real fun listen. So as of now I love this amp with the SR1a. A home run in every respect. I actually preferred the leaner sound of the GAN1 over the lusher sound of the KRELL and CODA pairing on the SR1a. That is just my personal preference. I would rate the GAN1 as an 8.5/10 with the SR1a. That is pretty incredible in my eyes to be the best 2-channel amp for my SR1a. My opinion is that the top end is definitely rolled off. I have too much experience with the SR1a to know how the sonic signature is interacting with the SR1a. I also get fatigued easily with bad sound. The fact that I did not with the GAN1 make me believe it is rolled off. I have a DSP Convolution filter specifically made for the SR1a. It was coincidently created by Mitch Barnett, the guy who also did some DSP work for my 2-channel. The SR1a filter is available for anyone to buy. I do not use the DSP for the SR1a or my 2-channel anymore. The SR1a Convolution filter tames the top end of the SR1a with certain amps. I would never use it with the KRELL or CODA but with the Benchmark AHB2 it was needed (until recently but that is another story). The Convolution filter seemed to do the same thing that the GAN1 amp is doing (that laid-back sound).
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I know some digital cables should not be too long. What is the max length suggested for SPDIF cables. I have a great location to put the GAN1 amp (for headphone use) and I would get a lot less grief from the wife if I could hide my 2 streamer units in the TV cabinet. Then have a 10-foot SPDIF cable to the GAN1 running under a carpet. Maybe not audiophile but musicphile also works for me. A 10-foot SPDIF cable a good or bad idea?
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@ricevs I saw some of your posts on this and decided today to see what the fuss was all about. I guess I will get delivery next week. I am going to compare this to the following: - Benchmark LA4 preamp - Benchmark AHB2 monos - Musetec 005 DAC + opticalRendu streamer - Benchmark DAC3B + opticalRendu streamer - Audience FrontRow speaker cable - KEF LS50 Meta - KEF KC62 sub (will not use with Peachtree) - 12 x 11 x 9 room This is my office system, and it is not going anywhere since it sounds amazing. i also have 4 sources connected to my preamp. All 4 are used daily. Which the Peachtree cannot support. However, if this thing is as good as what I have in the office, I may change my Livingroom speaker choice and go with option #2, Yamaha NS5000. I need to get a SPDIF cable now and maybe some speaker cables if my old Audience Conductor SE are not long enough (somewhere in storage).
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@ricevs Not interested in building a speaker. I am going to be doing a second job in Jan 2023 and have no time for anything but work and music. What do you think I should get to stream to the GAN1? Sonore - Sonicorbiter ultraDigital I would like to get the above since I could connect the USB output of my opticalRendu to the input of the ultraDigital and then SPDIF to the GAN1. However, I am not sure if I would be able to adjust the volume via my computer. When I owned the KRELL K-300i integrated amp with built-in RJ45 streaming I was able to change the volume using my ROON client on the DAC of the K-300i. Now KRELL did a great job of adding that feature to the ROON READY feature set of the K-300i. I do not think PT has any such ROON READY support. My OpticalRendu does have ROON READY support and so volume adjustment may work. Actually, as I type this, I recall a setting for FIXED vs DEVICE VOLUME on the ROON ENDPOINT settings section of ROON. I am going to talk with Sonore tomorrow and see if the ultraDigital will work in my setup using ROON and the opticalRendu. My fibre optical streaming setup is excellent I would like to leverage that to compare the existing gear with the GAN1.
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I have a USB optimized front end, the Sonore opticalRendu fed by a EtherRegen. I am going to use the just purchased Sonore UltraDigital and use it with the oR and eR combo. This is all Fibre Optical and my best streaming setup. I have 2 other opticalRendu but no FMC (like the eR) in front of those 2. I spoke by email with 3 principles of Sonore UltraDigital . They responded this way: 1) No problem it will work with ROON DEVICE VOLUME setting. Many people use as I am thinking of doing. 2) It will have dropouts with ROON DEVICE VOLUME use FIXED instead 3) It will work. So not the clearest feedback but I bought the UltraDigital today anyways and will test this out against my reference office system (only ROON streaming). Cost of the contender: - Peachtree GAN1 $1399 - UltraDigital $499 - WyWire ’Silver’ SPDIF $299 on sale and it will be BNC to RCA terminated - EtherRegen $600ish with wall wort PS (as recommended) - Sonore OpticalRendu ROON Only version $999 + $750 for Sonore LPS + $250 USB cable This is $4800 worth of gear and nothing I would consider a weak link. It should be an apples-to-apples comparison for the most part. I will use ROON as my streaming client and control volume from that (hopefully works).
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@ricevs I will send you my GAN1 amp after I check it out for a week or 2. I am expecting delivery of the GAN1 before the end of this year. You can take your time with it since it will take 3 months from time of order of my speakers to delvery.
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@dolfan It could be ignorance on my part. I saw the blurb on Peachtree web site that said they have a new batch being built for Dec 2022. I will give them a call to see if they can put some SpeakON speaker termination for me. That way I can do a real apples-to-apples comparison with my Benchmark gear. I will use the GAN1 amp for my KEF Blade 2 Meta (ordering in Feb 2023) until I get funds for a more powerful amp for the Blades. I was wondering what to do with the GAN1 amp afterwards. I realized that the GAN1 has the protentional to be a great headphone amp for my RAAL SR1a earphones. I want to get a headphone amp for the bedroom and the GAN1 could be a perfect low box count solution. I bought some very short used Audience AU24 SX speaker cables a few minutes ago for that purpose. As a frame of reference, the best 2 channel gear I had on the RAAL SR1a earphones cost over $20K and I sold all of them since it was not as good as my RAAL VM-1a amp. The VM-1a only works on the SR1a and not speakers so it has some advantages in design. So, I now have 2 comparisons to do with the GAN1. 1) Benchmark stack vs GAN1. I will have to downgrade my speaker cable for this comparison to Audience Conducter SE unless Peachtree can do SpeakON termination for me. 2) CODA 07x preamp | KRELL DUO175XD amp | Musetec 005 DAC | Audience FrontRow speaker cable vs GAN1. I still remember how this sounded since I listened for hours each night for over a year. I will use the just purchased Audience AU24 SX speaker cable which is one notch below the FrontRow so it should be a close approximation.
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@dolfan I do not know much about digital cables, but I do know when some companies do cables right. The 2 companies I trust are Audience and WyWires. I have not spent too much time trying other cables and have just stuck with these 2 because they work for me. Saying all of this I just went to the WyWire web site and ordered the Silver cable. These cables are 40% off the price you see on the web site. S/PDIF Digital Audio Cable Litespd – WyWires I asked Alex to make me a BNC to RCA wire to eliminate an adapter. Hopefully, that was a good choice.
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I am thinking of using the GAN1 amp in my office and moving my Benchmark gear to the Livingroom so I can buy my Livingroom speaker faster (save on amp costs). By doing this I would lose the ability to listen to my tuner on a very high-quality local station for 3 hours each morning, however, I could use my headphones for that with the separate headphone amp (built-in pre). The second thing that I would lose is the integration of my sub (via my preamp), a KEF KC62 sub and KEF LS50 Meta speakers. Can anyone recommend some way to integrate these 2 with the GAN1. I do not want to use the Bluesound Node. I like my Fibre streaming using my Sonore OpticalRendu and want to work with this streamer. |
@donnylovely Thanks I think this is likely what I need,
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@kitsap2 This video will describe my 2 headphones. I have 2 of the older RAAL amp interface boxes ($700) to the SR1a earphones. My older amp interface box will not work with the circumoral CA-1a headphone, but I have 2 other dedicated headphone amps in the house for that one. I say all of this while not being a fan of regular headphones. The SR1a do not sound like headphones and the reviewer below did not like them for that reason. I will be using the GAN1 with 1 of my existing RAAL amp interface boxes. I am now reading that the tone of the GAN1 amp is slightly warm, this is great for the SR1a. The SR1a earphones are my very best setup and I know three 2-channel people that sold their 2-channel system, including someone with Magico, because the SR1a was comparable or better. The GAN1 will be compared against the following amps I have used with the SR1a. I know for sure that it will not be as good as the dedicated RAAL VM-1a amp because the amp interface box is not needed there. However, 2 of the amps listed below got me real close to the VM-1a (the 2 KRELL’s)
I will also be using very short Audience AU24SX speaker cables which I bought specifically for this GAN1 + SR1a test. I also have a longer WyWire "Silver" speaker cable to test the GAN1 with my KEF LS50 Meta’s. However, the LS50 test is not that useful to me since I will not be able to integrate my KEF KC62 sub with the GAN1 given my current streaming gear (Sonore opticalRendu). The best preamp for these amps and the SR1a was the CODA 07x preamp. I no longer have that preamp. The Musetec 005 DAC, a warm-ish and smooth DAC was perfect on the amps above and the 07x. The GAN1 has no preamp and no extra DAC and no interconnects. My very best SR1a 2-channel setup cost close to $30K while the GAN1 setup will be $4800. You asked a simple question and look what I rambled on about :)
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I have not received my GAN1 unit yet but I did receive all the extra streaming parts I listed in a prior post:
I am posting this because I was worried it would not work and it was also a bit tricky getting this to work. It is working now and sounds really nice on my Musetec 005 (via i2s) and Benchmark DAC3B (via SPDIF). I am using ROON’s volume control and set my Benchmark preamp to a high volume level. Step 1: Connect all the wires. The UltraDigital is powered by the USB cable from the OpticalRendu. This is likely the weakest point in my setup. Step 2: Since the Rendu is ROON READY, go to the ROON Client and select the DEVCE SETUP. There is a bug in ROON that does not enable the SAVE button, so change the MQA setting to enable the SAVE button. Press SAVE, then reset the MQA to whatever was set before, then SAVE again. Step 3: Log onto the Sonore management web site running on your local Sonore web server. It is on the Rendu. it is running at this address, http://www.sonicorbiter.com/ Step 4: Select MANAGE for your Rendu. I have 3 OpticalRendu’s and have renamed them to help identify the endpoint. Step 5: Click SETTINGS Step 6: Click ROON READY SETTINGS and change the VOLUME CONTROL to SOFTWARE. Save changes. Step 7: The volume icon on the lower right of the ROON Client will now allow you to change volume. Changing the volume is actually done well. It sounds damn fine with my current gear. Benchmark LA4 preamp + Benchmark AHB2 monos + 2 DACs
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I got my GAN1 amp today and set it up with the gear described in my prior post. All is working great. I decided to use my best USB cable too. The unit is FOB so it is not fair to comment too much, but I am seriously impressed by this unit. The sound is excellent. It sounds clean like my AHB2 amp and also like the LSA Voyager 350 GAN (after EVS mods, GAN1 better than stock LSA Voyager). The digital conversion is really good. There may be something to going DAC-less It is a shame that I cannot integrate my KEF KC62 sub-woofer with my existing streaming setup and my KEF LS50 Meta. I have no plans to use any other streaming technology, so I am stuck. I like my Sonore OpticalRendu’s. The GAN1 is a bit of a laid-back sound and thus should be great with my RAAL SR1a earphones. This is going to sound great with the SR1a and so simple. I am going to put this in my Family room where there is no music at the moment. I also bought a used CODA #16 amp today so I now have 3 amps I will compare later in 2023, Benchmark AHB2 monos, GAN1, and CODA #16 with KEF Blade 2 Meta. I also have 2 tuners that get at least 3 - 4hours of workout M-F in my office so the GAN1 does not help there.
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@donnylovely Yes, I think you mentioned it previously on this thread. I did some research on this and now I forgot what the heck I learned. I will re-visit that later today. I did get in a second set of Audience AU24 SX speaker cables today, though it is very short (2 feet). I now have 2 sets of speaker cables to try and integrate the sub. I think that is all I need to do that. I am using some WyWire "Silver" speaker cables on the GAN1 + KEF LS50 Meta, at the moment. These were very boomy with my AHB2 but not so with the GAN1. Likely needs more break in to get that bad boomy sound. My Audience AU24 SX cables and Audience FrontRow (only for AHB2) are not boomy at all with the AHB2. |
The amp has opened up a lot and now the bass is comparable to my AHB2. That is using the WyWire speaker cables that are exaggerating the bass. The GAN1 is now doing the same thing (that is good). I still think the GAN1 is still a little more laid back over my AHB2 system on my KEF LS50. A lot of people may prefer that sound. If I did not have my AHB2 system, that I love, I could see myself living with the GAN1 as the system in my office. However, now that I have 2 great tuners, and that is a huge part of my listening routine, I will not use the GAN1 in my office with the LS50 Meta. It will go with my RAAL SR1a headphones. I am going to be listening to this amp like that going forward. I have not listened at low volume or with a variety of music, I will do that with my SR1a headphones, which are an even better speaker than the LS50 Meta and see how it compares to the 9 or 10 other SR1a 2-channel amps I previously had in the house. I will put it back with the LS50 after I have a few 100 hours on it.
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@ricevs Ric, the amp is on the way for Wednesday delivery. I also sent you my RAAL SR1a earphone and RAAL adapter box for you to hear. I also have the second-best headphone cable for the earphone in the box. I do not connect speakers (option available) to the adapter box just the earphones. I hope you enjoy it; at minimum you hear something totally different. That is 2-channel sound without room acoustics to worry about.
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@ricevs If you want the amp, I can send it up to you. If you get back to me before 4PM I can send it today. However, I am going to stick with the SR1a for the GAN1 and not my 2-channel gear. I am going to setup the fibre steaming in my family room tonight and I am not going to move that stuff back up to the office to test 2-channel. ************************************************* One thing I did not mention in my rambling post from 3AM was the 3 amps that worked well with the SR1, the CODA #8, Parasound A21+, and KRELL DUO 175XD, all had the benefit for being connected to the CODA 07x preamp. This preamp is definitely warm and considered tube-like. I also had the smooth Musetec 005 in that chain. So that setup was geared towards warmth and smoothness. The GAN1 is sort of naked compared to the other amps.
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Well, my GAN1 is now gone for 1 or 2 months while Ric does his thing. I won’t be acclimated to it when I get it back. It won’t be a apples-to-apples comparison because I know it will be better than stock from the mods. However, the rolled off quality maybe still be there if it does not disappear after more burn-in. Ric could also address that with his mods. @ricevs You should post your thoughts on the sound and the changes you hear with your mods to have a timeline or history. I am not sure what to want with these mods because I loved the way it sounded on my SR1a last night. Whatever, the case it will be a fun exercise to see the outcome. |
Let me give Ric a bit of support on these comments by saying that I had the brand-new stock LSA Voyager 350 GAN amp. It was pretty good as stock and I heard it for the first 200 hours with my Thiel CS3.7 (sold), KEF LS50 non-meta, and RAAL SR1a. I was comparing it with the CODA #8 amp (sold) and the Benchmark AHB2 monos (or maybe stereo). The stock Voyager did not have as much power as the CODA #8 nor was it as clean sounding on top as the AHB2. It was sort of in the middle of both those 2 amps. When I got the Voyager back from Ric about a month later, the clarity of the Voyager approached the AHB2 (that was shocking). No amp I have heard comes close to the AHB2 in terms of clarity with that beautiful smoothness, so this was a real surprise. Maybe the only other amp is the CODA #16 which I bought last week and not delivered yet. That clarity was one reason I got the #16, as was the more power compared to the AHB2. I want a lot of power for my Livingroom speaker. The Voyager and gear mentioned was in my office. I sold the modded Voyager because it lacked power to match the CODA #8. I was also concerned about the modded Voyager not having a power switch (we agreed to remove it). My CODA 07x preamp (sold) also did not have a power switch and for safety and the extra power reasons I kept the CODA #8 over the modded Voyager. My experience with the Voyager mods leads me to believe that the GAN1 will come back to me in a month or 2 sounding way better than stock. I do not have time to listen for total break-in this time of the GAN1 because I am going to be very busy for the next few months. I will let Ric figure that out.
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One thing I know is that using the word science does not make a statement scientific. Just as Tony the Tiger says, the voices in my head also say that the mods are gggGREAT! I finished setting up my Fibre optical streaming in my Family room where I have a Gravity chair. My back health and musical enjoyment are going to me at the max when I get the GAN1 back. Love the simplicity of the amp, and I am making it a bit more complicated by going Fibre and ROON (though it was not too difficult to figure out). Happy New Year to all.
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I do not get all the folks whose panties are in a knot because of what Ric says he is doing to the gear. If you do not agree do not buy it and try. I have 2 pieces of gear that I had modded. The LAS Voyager 359 GAN amp by Ric and my now over 20-year-old Sony SCD-1 SACD player. One of the best players EVER made. The mods on both took a good to great unit and made them exceptional. Now for those people who panties get too tight with mods, why not loosen it up and breathe. With regards to people who are pooh poohing the comments on here, these amps can be a an "interesting" competitor. Hmm?
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I never expected everyone to like my Musetec 005. in fact, I may sell 1 of them to get the Lumin X1 (for streaming convenience and keeping the 2nd 005 in the office). I also use a Benchmark DAC3B that a lot of people dislike. Who cares, I know what I like. The GAN1 does sound great in stock form with MY intended application, the RAAL SR1a earphones. The GAN1 is better than $30K of 2-channel gear WITH THE SR1a. I sold that $30K of gear but kept the Musetec 005 DAC. What I am doing with the mods is based on my past experience with Ric and the Voyager 350 GAN he modded for me. Who knows what the result will be, but I am interested in finding out, because the Voyager mod was exceptional. I got some pings from SR1a owners who are now also interested in the GAN1. The $1400 GAN1 is much better financially than spending a lot more like I had in the past. With other speakers, my interest in using the GAN1 in not there since I have 2 other amps that work better in the intended usage. A CODA #16 (Livingroom) and Benchmark AHB2 (office). Edit: I just bought the Lumin X1. Anyone need an Musetec 005?
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@arafiq Thanks. I did not expect to buy the X1, but I lost my 3rd streamer to the GAN1 and I need a streamer for my new Livingroom system. I figured the X1 is much less boxes for streaming than what I use for my other streamers. In fact, the X1 can stream to 2 DACs because it has the USB out. I got the used X1 from someone I know, and it is only 1-year-old. The cost was around the streamer cost I was considering + Musetec 005. So, if I sell the 2nd Musetec, I am in my mind, even.
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Whatever with the folks up in arms about the failures of the GAN1. You guys are right the GAN1 sounds awful, is a radiation hazard, and plays music backwards. Now for the people interested in the sound. I have a used CODA #16 coming next week. A used Lumin X1 DAC coming next month. I will be comparing the following with my RAAL SR1a earphones and not speakers. This is a better way for me to hear this than my 2-channel, especially with the all-silver RAAL Star8 cable I got 2 days ago. These will be my final systems for 3 rooms.
The streaming will be done with Fibre Optic and a EtherRegen as an FMC in front of the FIbre cable (it helps a tiny bit). I will be testing all of this in the office streaming setup using ROON. Based on my prior listening the order of preference so far is, VM-1a, unmodified GAN1, and Benchmark AHB2. All 3 are excellent with the SR1a, at least the way I set it up. |
When Ricevs competes the mods on the GAN1 I will have it up against some really severe competition.
The quality of USB stream between the X1 and the Sonore OpticalRendu is almost identical. When I first got the GAN1 I was using the Sonore OpticalRendu + Sonore UltraDigital ($500) to get SPDIF. I thought it was very good, however, feel the Lumin X1 SPDIF stream sounds better, it is simpler. I think this is a very good apples-to-apples comparison, The CODA #16 is a great amp.
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I am the guy whose GAN1 amp Ric is working on. I have zero concerns about what the heck he is doing. He modded my LSA Voyager 350 GAN amplifier sometime back and the result was WAY better than stock. Specifically in the clarity department. When Ric is telling me the GAN1 is a bigger improvement over the Voyager mods I am now very enthusiastic to hear the amp. I have 3 pretty fine streamers to hook up to the GAN1. It will be compared to a CODA #16 amp + Lumin X1 vs GAN1. The speakers are LS50 Meta (only ones I have these days). I will also compare against Benchmark AHB2 + Lumin X1. The stock GAN1 could not keep up with the AHB2 and a Musetec 005 DAC before I sent it for the mods. The Lumin X1 has replaced the 005 and the system sounds a little better than when I compared with the GAN1. The GAN1 has some tough competition when it comes back home. BTW - I had some mods done on my Sony SCD-1 SACD player about 20 years ago. The machine partially died last week (never to be fixed), but those Vaccum State 5+ mods were incredible and made me realize modding is something I want to do with the right gear. Ric knows his sheete.
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Of topic but interesting for me. When I have the KEF KC62 sub working I think the Benchmark AHB2 monos with the KEF LS50 Meta is my best 2-channel setup, better than the CODA. A bit more clarity and the sub fills in the bass nicely. Now that the sub is broken the AHB2 monos take a back seat to the CODA #16. The CODA #16 makes you wonder if I even need a sub. What an amp.
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I should get the amp back early next week. On the following Saturday I will take it to an audio manufacturer and musician who has an incredible ear. I am helping him with some other things, and I want him to hear the GAN1 along with my Lumin X1 + RAAL VM-1a headphone amp. One bit of bad news is that my KEF KC62 sub died this week. I am sending it back to KEF this Saturday, so I am not going to have my best 2-channel to test the GAN1. Though, I have a RAAL adapter box for the SR1a earphones and the GAN1 + CODA #16 + Benchmark AHB2 monos. I will listen with all 3 in the SAME setup to have an apples-2-apples comparison. The adapter box draws a lot of current from the amps. I saw this when I had CODA #8 amp with meters. More than my now sold Thiel CS3.7 at about the same volume. I have the KEF LS50 Meta speakers but without the sub it is not comparable to the full-range sound of the RAAL SR1a. BTW - anyone take a look at a GAN1 competitor or brother. This is a supped up GAN1 with volume, analog inputs, and likely better software. Maria Amplifiers – Daniel Hertz SA Some interesting pedigree of this company, which seems to be using the same tech as behind the GAN1.
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Depending on how good the GAN1 amp is I am thinking of trying the Maria amp for 30-days with the KEF Blade 2 Meta that I am getting. I have saved up cash to buy an expensive DAC but the idea of a single box, DAC, volume, and at least 1 analog input for my tuner sounds like a winner proposition. Not sure if the Maria has a remote control. I need something that is easy for the wife to also use and the GAN1 will not be easy the way I will use it. I will have that in the office where I am the only user.
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@mbolek I have a call with the dealer on Tues. Along with the sonics, I am interested in how the WiFi will work with ROON. Also, whether it has a has a remote control. The bi-amping feature is another thing I want to understand. Hope you can post on how it sounded and a comparison to some other gear.
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I got the modded GAN1 amp and my RAAL SR1a phones back today. I will give a description of the setup I will be using in the next few days. I was not able to figure out how to use the Lumin X1 DAC’s SPDIF streaming output with the GAN1. The X1 takes fibre in and outputs to SPDIF but I got no sound on the amp. If I can figure out how to do this and also control volume via the XI then I will have my best streaming source. I pivoted from the X1 and put in my Sonore OpticalRendu + UltraDigital streamer This is fibre optical-2-USB-2-SPDIF. It is not too bad. Not as good as fibre-2-usb or just fibre directly into the X1. All my gear in this chain needs about 10 hours to settle in since it has been disconnected for 3 months and some not really burned in (ultraDigital and some SPDIF cables). It is late at night, so I am listening with my RAAL SR1a earphones. The GAN1 is connected to the RAAL amp adapter box via a 1-foot Audience AU24 SX speaker cable. I control volume using ROON software. In the morning I will move the amp next to my Benchmark AHB2 monos and CODA #16 amp. I will use the same streaming setup to drive my KEF LS50 Meta speakers. ************************************************************************** Listening to some Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder at the moment and it is definitely better than stock. Now I loved the stock sound of the GAN1. Ric hated it and Scott at Verdant Audio posted that it was bright. I heard nothing like that and thought it was the very best 2-channel amp I have heard with the RAAL SR1a via the RAAL adapter box. Better than my prior best 2-channel combo, CODA 07x preamp | Musetec 005 DAC | KRELL Duo 175XD | cables and streamer. All of that cost about $30k and is now sold. The STOCK GAN1 was better than that combo on the RAAL, not 2-channel. Which was an incredible result for me and that is why I wanted to see if Ric’s mods can take it even higher. As I am listening, th music already sounds beautiful and will only get better with a few more hours. If I can replace the king of the hill, my RAAL VM-1a headphone amp from my office with the GAN1, then that is the greatest compliment I can give it. The GAN1 will never be as good as the VM-1a because it has to go through the RAAL amp adapter box, the VM-1a does not. However, if I can get about 80%-85% there then I will move the VM-1a to my bedroom. I bet that is what will happen given how it is sounding now. This Saturday I am meeting up with one of the designers of the RAAL VM-1a amp. I told him that I will be bringing the modded GAN1 for him to hear. I think he will be very impressed as I am now. Listening to Isac Hayes WALK ON BY. A song that really moves me and hits hard with its’ soul and brilliance. I hear all that with the modded GAN1, this is really sounding good. ***************************************************************** More to come on 2-channel, which I am sure what people really want to hear about.
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I just got the great idea of GROUPING my ROON stream to both the Lumin X1-to-VM-1a amp and the Sonore OpticalRendu-to-GAN1. So, the same fibre stream is going to two different amps at the same time. I just need to disconnect the headphone cable from 1 amp to the other to quickly compare the same song. The VM-1a sounds better as expected but it is very close (which is the shocking part, no 2-channel has come this close). The VM-1a sounds more powerful but tonally they sound similar. Let me now try a very demanding track. When I want to see if an amp can deliver the power, I put on Led Zeppelin’s WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS. On the VM-1a and the CA-1a headphones the sound is the very best I have heard the song. On the SR1a earphones it is the second best I have heard it. The CA-1a is a more dynamic phone. The GAN1 does not seem to be able to scale the power requirements to really hit as hard as the RAAL VM-1a amp. Here is some context on the power requirements of the RAAL adapter box when connected to a 2-channel amp. In the past, I used to have a CODA #8 (with meters) and it was connected to a Thiel CS3.7 speaker. The Thiel is a very hard speaker to drive, and the CODA #8 did a great job. The power draw on the amp was not that much at my regular listening levels. The meters did not move that much. When I put the RAAL adapter box after the CODA #8, CODA the meters would fly with approximately the same volume. The adapter box draws a lot of current. I think about 300 watts @8 Ohms is the sweet spot for a 2-channel amp to really drive the earphones with dynamic music, like WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS. It seems like the GAN1 could use a bit more power with the RAAL Adapter box. None of this really matter when one connects the GAN1 to some 2-channel speakers (forget about the RAAL). I am looking forward to that on Friday. The sound is really opening up now. On slower less demanding music it hard to tell the difference between the GAN1 and the VM-1a (that is shocking).
These are the other 2-channel amps I have tried in the same comparison. - CODA #8 (the CODA #16 will be compared tomorrow) - KRELL Duo 175XD - Benchmark AHB2 stereo and mono - Parasound A21+ - NAD M22 V1 - LSA Voyager 350 GAN -
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I got a reply from Lumin on how to setup the volume for the GAN1.
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I am now using the Lumin X1 with Leedh volume to stream and volume. Sounds real fine. It is 2AM and I cannot stop listening or start the work I was supposed to do. My Audience AU24 SX cables from the amp to the adapter box seems to have baked in a bit because the sound has improved. WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS is better now, maybe the amp does have enough power. I can say for sure that this 2-channel amp is by far the VERY BEST I have had with the RAAL Adapter box. I am going to move my RAAL VM-1a to my bedroom. I have a second free RAAL adapter box and I am thinking of buying a second GAN1 to put that in the family room. Now that the Lumin X1 can stream and do volume via SPDIF I have an extra streamer and another short speaker cable in storage. Tomorrow let me see how this amp is with the KEF LS50 Meta. Whatever the case, the fact that I am moving the VM-1a to another room is mind boggling to me. I would have never thought that was possible. BTW - I am fond of using Lynard Skynyrd SWEET HOME ALABAMA to hear how detailed DAC is. At the 57 second mark there is a background singer saying SOUTHERN MAN. On most gear I do not hear that vocal. On the GAN1 I do hear it not too faintly but not loud either. On the X1 and VM-1a it seems about the same.
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I have been listening to the GAN1 amp + CODA #16 amp + Benchmark AHB2 mono amps + Lumin X1 DAC/Streamer + Benchmark LA4 preamp in various combos with the KEF LS50 Meta speakers. It turned out to be a lucky break that my KEF KC62 sub died last week and I sent it in to KEF for repair. So my LS50 Meta is naked. I also used the same used $200 WyWire Platinum speaker cable on all 3 amps. A long story short, there is a new sheriff in town. It is called the PeachTree GAN1 by Ric Shultz. I am selling my 2 AHB2 monos (maybe keep 1). Selling my Audience FrontRow speaker cable for the AHB2. They only work with the AHB2 since they have SpeakON termination at the amp end. I will buy a replacement FrontRow cable for the GAN1. This will be my new setup in my office:
My Livingroom system will be the following:
I got to get back to work. If I have time I will give some observations on the sound differences between all the gear. |
Done with my work-work for now. I wrote about how I will use the GAN1 because it was a mystery to me at first with the amp having only a single SPDIF input. I also did not want to get the Bluesnode streamer. I think getting the Lumin X1 was a very lucky break. It seems perfect for how I am now sending music to the LS50 Meta and VM-1a (for the phones). When my KEF KC62 sub died I revisited my initial complaints about the AHB2 and LS50 setup. It was lacking low end power and a little flat sounding. Adding the KC62 to the setup made the sound great, I loved it. Today, without the sub the AHB2 came in last place in my shootout. The AHB2 has the most razor sharp outlines on the soundstage. The music is also the most clean sounding. This is something that I was always drawn to whenever I came back to the AHB2. However, that is with the KC62 sub and the Lumin X1 DAC. The CODA #16 with the Lumin X1 DAC is a firehose of music. I am seriously concerned that the amp will blow up the drivers. The amount of sound and BASS I get from the small LS50 is incredible. This is clean, detailed, and powerful sound. Just a hair less clear sounding than the AHB2 but miles ahead in power. This has so much power that I was getting a bit of fatigue in my small room. I realized that I cannot listen to this amp in this small room for 8+ hours a day. However, this amp has got me excited to pair it with the KEF Blade 2 Meta later this year in my larger Livingroom. The Peachtree GAN1 and Lumin X1 SPDIF stream via fibre optic input stream was more like the CODA #16 than the AHB2. The bass was more than the AHB2 and the clarity and detail on the music was like the CODA #16 and Lumin X1. That is a tad less razor sharp but rounder and warmer sounding, likely preferred by most over my AHB2 clarity preference. The GAN1 bass was not as good as with the AHB2 + KC62 sub but it was at a point where the low end was sort of sufficient. I wish it would be easy to incorporate the sub into the GAN1. I do not want to hook up speaker cables into the sub and then speaker cables to the LS50 Meta. That does not seem like the right way for me to do the sub integration. I will figure out something later on this sub issue. The music from the GAN1 is rather big. Similar to the CODA #16 in that it is wide and deep. However, the firehose intensity of the sound is not as strong. I never got any fatigue with the GAN1 (or AHB2's). The integration of the DAC into the GAN1 seems to be a killer approach. I got the sense that I was hearing more (not detail), just a fuller dose of music. In my home, the king of the hill is still the RAAL SR1a | VM-1a Lumin X1 (via fibre). I would love to have this same GAN + DAC tech inside the VM-1a. This Sunday, I am taking the GAN1 | Lumin X1 | VM-1a to one of the designers of the VM-1a. We had planned on meeting weeks ago for some computer/audio networking issues. I told him how good this GAN1 amp was and that he needed to hear this tech. His ears are the best and I am interested to get his feedback.
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I only had the stock GAN1 for a day and it was breaking in as I was listening to it. I did not hear the bad sound that Ric or Scott at Verdant Audio first heard. I do remember that the stock GAN1 (brand new) was not that great on the LS50 Meta so I quickly moved it to the VM-1a. It showed great promise on the VM-1a amp and that was going to be the intended future use. However, the amp today sounds incredible on the LS50 Meta. I am also someone who has had close to 10 amps in this room over the last 3 years. The GAN1 sound is similar in quality to the best of those amps. Though I get that sound with less gear. No extra DAC or preamp needed, that is the secret sauce in this GAN1. BTW - the Peachtree GAN1 is an amp I am not selling, The LSA Voyager 350 GAN (also modded by Ric) could not beat my former CODA #8 and was sold. The GAN1 can hang in some ways with the CODA #16. That is great. |
I forgot to mention that the AHB2 was better at low volume than the GAN1. Though now that I have the RAAL gear I do not listen at low volume while the family sleeps. Now, It is hard rocking all the time. :) The Lumin X1 direct to amp, is almost as good as the Benchmark LA4 preamp and AHB2 monos at low volume. That Leedh volume is great. The only deficiency is that at very low volume it does not scale up in a constant intervals, like the LA4 preamp. That is nit picking though.
I am setting up a GoFundMe on my behalf. I will post the link shortly. |
Can anyone tell me what my implementation options are for adding my KEF KC62 sub with the GAN1? I am putting together a list of items that I am going to advertise to sell tomorrow. I am wondering whether to keep the fine sounding KEF KC62 or sell it. I plan on buying a bucket list speaker to replace the LS50 Meta in my office (with more bass), the Yamaha NS3000. The NS5000 is actually the bucket list speaker but it is way too powerful for my office, so the NS3000 will have to fill in. A sub is not essential with the NS3000. My strong impression of the GAN1 + Lumin X1 has given me the confidence to sell the following gear,
I am also considering the KEF Reference 1 meta and non-meta. The KEF can be bought in the USA while the NS3000 seems to be available only from Canada. |
The tuner is out of consideration on the GAN1. However, my VM-1a headphone amp, which is better than the GAN1, has XLR inputs and I will use it with the RAAL SR1a earphones for the 3 hours in the morning as I listen to KCRW on my Magnum Dynalab MD108T. Normally I have the Lumin X1 DAC’s XLR on the VM-1a however, this morning I rearranged my gear and have the Lumin XLR and the MD 108T XLR’s grouped together so it will be a breeze to flip them back and forth. My RAAL SR1a with the VM-1a is better than the GAN1 and KEF LS50 Meta. However, the sound out of the LS50 Meta is incredible, even without the sub. I do prefer 2-channel listening since it less physically restrictive but the SR1a is almost 2-channel like, not like regular headphones. I should be content with this current LS50 Meta sound, but I know there is more available if I put in a sub. The Yamaha NS3000 without the sub will be better than the naked LS50 Meta and have more bass. The NS3000 was reviewed to be a more refined KEF Reference 1, which I totally believe since I have heard the NS5000 and the non-meta Reference 1. Yamaha NS-3000: High-end Høyttalere I Miniutgave (lbtechreviews.com) I will put a few photos of my new setup in the evening. I am taking most of the gear down to Ventura, CA today for a listening session. I will post the feedback, could be good or bad, everyone hears differently. @ricevs I hope you can post some comparisons between the Peachtree GAN1 and whatever VTV amp you are modding. I realized I did not solve my initial problem of getting an amp for my RAAL SR1a + amp adapter box for another room. So, I either get another GAN1 or a VTV. I forgot I also have all the gear from Sonore to stream to the SPDIF. BTW - I am keeping the Benchmark LA4 preamp, DAC3B, and the Sonore streaming pieces. The following are going bye-bye:
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I had a interesting demo session with my friend. The GAN1 sounded bad to him on the RAAL SR1a via a adapter box. He is used to the RAAL VM-1a so everything else sounds inferior. As I also said in my posts about the VM-1a. We then put his Bryston 2B-SST on the system, replacing the GAN1. Again, he said it sounded bad. This made him say it is the adapter box that is the culprit. He knows how the 2B-SST should with the track we played. My adapter box is the old version. He gave me the new adapter box to try out, which I did at home. Bad news is that it sounds much better than the old box, so that is about another $1K out the door. Goods news is is that it sounds better. With regards, to my system. I decided to put back the AHB2 with my LA4 preamp, to listen to KCRW from 9-12. I cannot listen on headphones when I need to move about in the morning. So I now need to change the speaker cable into the speakers from the GAN1 and AHB2 when I need to listen to the tuner. Not the end of the world and I am happy with the setup. Another thing, a single AHB2 has more bass than 2 monos in with my LS50 Meta. I had the same thing with my Thiel CS3.7. I did not expect that with the LS50 Meta. The LS50 Meta + KC62 sub is going to be replaced by most likely the KEF Reference 1 Meta (getting a deal on the Ref 1). The reason for the more bass from the single AHB2 could be because I have to now use the Benchmark speaker cable. I have no time to figure out if this is the true cause.
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I have been listening to the GAN1 for almost the whole day (and yesterday) and this amp sounds great, even without the necessary sub. I am very impressed by this amp. I also sold 1 of my Benchmark AHB2 amps today. I am keeping the other one because listening to my tuner was a PIA with the GAN1. It takes me 10 seconds to flip the speaker cables so not a problem. Once I raise enough cash from gear sales, I am going to pair the GAN1 with the KEF Reference 1 speaker. That monitor will not need a sub in my room.
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@lee_short I do not know exactly what I have, but It is a SPDIF, with RCA at GAN1 end and BNC at streamer end. This worked with the Lumin X1 as a streamer and the Sonore OpticalRendu connected to a Sonore UltraDgital streamer which had BNC connector. The Lumin X1 is amazing with the GAN1 since it has volume control via a optional remote. The streamer sounds great and the remote is not bad, I was expecting a lot worse on the volume control. I sold another item that I did not want to setup with the GAN1, the KEF KC62 sub. Another 2 more items to go before I upgrade the speakers for this amp.
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I just saw this ad on USAM for a streamer that also does SPDIF. I think it is the same as my Lumin X1 minus the DAC section. If so, then it will work great with the PeachTree GAN1. Lumin U2 (NOT MINI) Streamer - Silver w Remote Kit Photo #4406379 - US Audio Mart |