It’s $3000 MSRP.....same as the new Peachtree GaN 400.....and we shall see soon if they are the same amp or not. Maybe Peachtree or Wally can chime in here and let us know. We will know for sure after someone opens the hood on the hot rod Peachtree. Wait till you hear these non boat anchors with serious mods.......yippee!, for great sound at not so great a price.....we all win!
Stock Voyager GaN amp (350/600) Contrasted with my EVS1200 (600/1200)
The Voyager (V) I received is well broken in, and as the title says, it is stock. An upgraded version will come later.
I let the V warm up for ~ 24 hours while I listened to my beloved EVS 1200 (~$2300) playing a wide variety of Redbook CDs; The Judds, Chris Issak Heart Shaped World, Leonard Cohen remastered collection, Willie Nelson Across the Borderline, the Eagles Hell Freezes Over, and Jennifer Nettles Playing with Fire (love the music, but the mastering has a few ear bleed cuts- or does it???). I capped the session off with Roger Waters Amused to Death SACD, a huge, occasionally very dynamic, and intentionally phasey recording. While I enjoyed the hell out this listening session, but afixed in my mind was reading others reporting on their not fully broken in V amps frequently mentioning detail/clarity, the music via the EVS 1200 wasn't as focused as I felt it should, but have accepted for 2 years, as it easily outperformed my PS Audio M700s (MSRP $4000), FYI, their M1200s are based on the same IceEdge AS1200 modules as my EVS 1200, but untouched. They simply added their own tube input stage (MSRP $7000), and Audio Alchemys DPA-1 ($2000), wish I could have tried the monos ($4000), but...
Could the lack of focus be elsewhere, like the Wire World Electra 7 Power Conditioning cord ($240), connected to my Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5, which is IMO, my weakest PC, all the others are $700+, or my $150 Pangea XL coax cable? How would the V stack up? Im thinking it can't be THAT much better, and what about the huge power disparity in my ~ 26 x 38 X 12 lively room with lots of glass and open beam ceilings, which adds up to brightness?
I connected the V, but didn't want to start with any of the same discs, just in case the V needed to see some signal before being ready for the comparison, so I chose Getz/Gilberto Jobim and Astrud Gilberto SACD as a nice way to ease into the Voyager. I haven't listened to this disc in months, so no recent memory to taint hearing it now. Did I say 'ease'. Silly me.
I'll cut to the chase hear/here, from the first note, it was obvious that this is a special amp, but at $3500 MSRP? OMG: What a steal!!! The focus reminds me of how much sharper and with greater depth of field pictures taken with Leica camera lens are, compared to all other cameras and lenses. GaNs magic is the equivalent of Tesla EV motor speed- immediate: The V grabbed me from the first note.
More to come after I go through the Redbook CDs that I started with, but I already know it's a moot point. And wilder, still, LSA has already made a few tweaks, like the internal wiring for an additional $175.
Ric Schultz was right when he said expensive amps will be boat anchors
I let the V warm up for ~ 24 hours while I listened to my beloved EVS 1200 (~$2300) playing a wide variety of Redbook CDs; The Judds, Chris Issak Heart Shaped World, Leonard Cohen remastered collection, Willie Nelson Across the Borderline, the Eagles Hell Freezes Over, and Jennifer Nettles Playing with Fire (love the music, but the mastering has a few ear bleed cuts- or does it???). I capped the session off with Roger Waters Amused to Death SACD, a huge, occasionally very dynamic, and intentionally phasey recording. While I enjoyed the hell out this listening session, but afixed in my mind was reading others reporting on their not fully broken in V amps frequently mentioning detail/clarity, the music via the EVS 1200 wasn't as focused as I felt it should, but have accepted for 2 years, as it easily outperformed my PS Audio M700s (MSRP $4000), FYI, their M1200s are based on the same IceEdge AS1200 modules as my EVS 1200, but untouched. They simply added their own tube input stage (MSRP $7000), and Audio Alchemys DPA-1 ($2000), wish I could have tried the monos ($4000), but...
Could the lack of focus be elsewhere, like the Wire World Electra 7 Power Conditioning cord ($240), connected to my Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5, which is IMO, my weakest PC, all the others are $700+, or my $150 Pangea XL coax cable? How would the V stack up? Im thinking it can't be THAT much better, and what about the huge power disparity in my ~ 26 x 38 X 12 lively room with lots of glass and open beam ceilings, which adds up to brightness?
I connected the V, but didn't want to start with any of the same discs, just in case the V needed to see some signal before being ready for the comparison, so I chose Getz/Gilberto Jobim and Astrud Gilberto SACD as a nice way to ease into the Voyager. I haven't listened to this disc in months, so no recent memory to taint hearing it now. Did I say 'ease'. Silly me.
I'll cut to the chase hear/here, from the first note, it was obvious that this is a special amp, but at $3500 MSRP? OMG: What a steal!!! The focus reminds me of how much sharper and with greater depth of field pictures taken with Leica camera lens are, compared to all other cameras and lenses. GaNs magic is the equivalent of Tesla EV motor speed- immediate: The V grabbed me from the first note.
More to come after I go through the Redbook CDs that I started with, but I already know it's a moot point. And wilder, still, LSA has already made a few tweaks, like the internal wiring for an additional $175.
Ric Schultz was right when he said expensive amps will be boat anchors
Showing 12 responses by ricevs
So, the stock footers on the LSA are sorbothane? How do you know they are sorbothane and not some other type of rubber footer? All soft things are bad...so no matter. Just curious. I cannot imagine putting soft rubberish feet on anything. I included some rubberish footers with my EVS1200 amp but the below was in the instructions: "The 4 feet should be installed underneath the amp before listening. These feet are made by EAR and are used by Audio Research and others but are not anything special. If you have other feet, please try them. I am currently testing other better feet (Ginko, Teo, Ceraballs, Mad Scientist, etc.) and will have information on my website about footers and mounting platforms. The stock feet are OK to start listening but this amp deserves some mucho better footers." Everything makes a difference. Please experiment. Still loving the best Mad Scientist footers.....on top of 1.5 inch maple.....on top of bamboo cutting board from IKea......on top of tractor tire innertube with hardly any air in it. I have tried some very low frequency tuned springs underneath instead of the air bladder and it was essentially the same (excellent). |
It will be interesting to hear the "real story" of the development of the Voyager, etc. Apparently, LSA and Peachtree are buying the power supply and the modules from a 3rd party? So, maybe they had nothing to do with the development? Maybe their own initial amp was a dude? Would be nice to know the story......but, I doubt they would want to say. It really does not matter. We now have two versions to choose from and play with and mod. It will be interesting to see how the Voyager/Peachtree actually compares with the mega buck class A amps. So far, it is not killing the $3K Benchmark or the $6K Coda.according to yysantabarbara. Of course, mods are yet to come. George was always going on about the switching speed of the output stage.....1.5meg being his number that he likes to throw around....and only Technics is switching that high. I believe the LSA/Peachrtree probably switches at 500K....but it is not stated. However, the speed of the GaN itself is way higher than a mosfet....so possibly allows lower distortion even at normal switching speeds (less overshoot, less ringing, mo betta dead time control).. It will continue to get better and better.....this is for sure. Later this summer we have two GaN amps being released from Mytek....then there is Wyred for Sound....then Orchard.....then Atmasphere.....lots of toys ahead. Would be great if there were some details of the difference between the amps.....better means what? Can you describe the tonal balance difference, bass response, naturalness, soundstage, air, high frequency extension, detail, speed, dynamics, slam, decay, depth, purity, separation of instruments, noise level, ability to handle complex music, etc, etc.....something? |
Can you and will you articulate the fine details of the differences between the two amps? Blow away......means what? So far, I know nothing except you think it is more lifelike, smoother, more continuous, purer and now "blows away". What about tonal differences, dynamics, bass, midrange, detail, micro detail, treble extension, air, imaging, depth, soundstage, etc. into infinity? |
What I said is not what you stated.....I will leave it at that. I am very pleased that we have new and better amps for everyone to enjoy. Yes, the world moves on...we all move on...don’t get stuck in the past. I am very excited to receive the fully burned in LSA and tweak it and compare it to a tweaked out (as of today, 4 straight days of playing into a load) Purifi amp that I have here......this is gonna be fun! |
Viber6, It is not black and white like you always describe. There is an infinite shade of things. Did not you read how the LSA became faster and clearer (less tube like, to you) after he got rid of the rubber feet? My mods will make it even faster and clearer.....but hopefully even more harmonically correct....maybe even warmer sounding. There is a scale of warmth....and a scale of detail.....you can mix them anywhere along both lines......you could have super clear amp with various amounts of warmth. What is neutral is unknown. What we like is. When some describe "tube like".....they mean something that portrays the correctly warm harmonics of real music (something most transistor gear has a hard time with)........that is what some mean by tube like. Old tube sound always adds color and loss of detail.....new tube sound does very little to the sound. There are no absolutes.....just shadings. Remember when Jay put those footers under his amp and it sounded cold and super fast?......well, some people might say that is more neutral.....he thought it was bad sound. We all tune to our tastes. The older Boulder gear had a rep for dry, cold sound......now they are even more detailed....yet are more harmonically juicy.......go figure. Someone just told me this story yesterday. He was at a show and the sound in this room using a particular transistor amp was terrible.....even the rep came outside the room and apologized for the bad sound saying they are looking for a tube amp to compliment the system. The guy came back Sunday and with a tube amp there the sound was way better and he did not have to run out of the room, as before. The guy running the room tells him that he sold several complete systems (that included the zippy transistor amp) when the sound was zippy as hell.......they both laughed......some like it hot! |
The Voyager I have here to mod has EAR feet (rubbery type) that are mounted by screws. Sorbothane is a particular brand of material. EAR has their own formula. Here is what is on the Voyager I have here: https://www.partsconnexion.com/EAR-55839.html Neutrality can be all over the place because no one does straight wire bypass tests on amplifiers. Some call an am neutral when it has no natural warmth........what is natural warmth? Just your guess. I think you can have an amp that has natural warmth and super detail. The question is.....does the Benchmark have natural warmth.....or does it lack natural warmth? Again as you say......the degree of warmth. Then there is matching your whole system....two components that have a lack of warmth and you have no soul. So, if you have one that lacks....then you need another that adds to come back to neutral. I remember Michael Fremer's review of the Boulder mono blocks....he compared them to his Dartzeel amps. He praised the Boulders for being so detailed and dynamic.....but at the end of the review......he called them "dry".....saying they let go of the note to soon (not enough decay). People have said the same about the Benchmark......is it true? |
Viber6, How do you know what he assumes? Are you a mind reader? The review is poor....plain and simple. No comparisons.....no real listening information. Just another money making review to please the advertisers. I am not cynical.....I just see what is at various levels. At the level of mammon....it is not pretty. At the level of spirit it is forever beautiful. |
400K......and it sounds way good. Feedback smeadback.....Frequency of switching (FS) = BS........hehe. The only thing that matters is how something sounds. Listen, then you will know. The expensive Merrill GaN amps switch at 400K. However, I do think that higher switching speeds could give better sound....AGD, Nuprime and New Class D.....claim it does. Everything matters. So, no matter what the feedback is or the FS (SF) is......it all comes down to execution......comes down to listening....got to be tweaked to the max. One thing will not bring the whole....the whole brings the whole....and there are a lot of things to do right in the whole. |