Galion TS120

My final decision to pass on the Galion is that I already have a terrific sounding amplifier. Buying the Galion would be a lateral move at best. If I’m going to go through the expense of upgrading, I want it to be for an end-game amp. Usually, this means doubling of the budget spent on the last one.

I just want to update my situation. I am using the Valahalla amp for my main speakers, Spatial Audio Lab X5s. I went to Pacific Audio Fest and met the Spatial Audio Lab gang who are also making the Valhalla amp. Also Don Sachs who built the Valhalla amp (and has taught Cloud Sessions at Spatial Audio Lab to build them) and Lynn Olson whose design Don used. Don and Lynn are building a 300b monoblock piece de resistance which is the main topic of the 300b thread. I got to hear a prototype along with Cloud Sessions' improved Valhalla amp as well as Spatial Audio Lab's new speakers. 

Anyhow, I originally got the Valhalla to drive the Nola Boxers but it was better than the LTA and so the LTA went to drive the Boxers. I changed the set up (furniture) and the LTA unfortunately no longer fit inside the furniture as it was about an inch too wide. I had a Nakamichi TA-4A which had been recapped and sounded good so I used that as a placeholder. 

Carl Marchisotto, the guy who is behind the Nola speakers (and I also said hello to at the Pacific Audio Fest) had emailed me saying that the Boxers were meant to be played with KT88 tubes (the Valhalla uses K66 tubes and the LTA uses EL34s or KT77s) and his customers had found synergy with the Cayin CS-88A integrated tube amp. I finally found one used for sale on the Canuck Audio Mart (I've found some nice stuff there including the Boxers at less than 1/2 price as well as PS Audio's phono stage at about 1/2 price). Just came in today and yes there is synergy and a very rich sound. Heavy sucker bot it fits the space and really works well with the speakers. I had some things to deal with in terms of inputs and the right channel not working until I made sure the tubes were all pushed in but it sounds exactly what I knew these speakers could do. Yay! 

For those that might find this helpful, I thought I would share my experience with the Galion TS-120SE and how it compared to my PrimaLuna Evo400. Jump to the bullets if you want the highlights. 🙂

I have been on my audio journey since I was in my late teens, when I picked up a pair of B&W speakers from my friend’s families business (a well know HiFi store in Denver). I have been hooked ever since.

My first tube amp was the PrimaLuna Evo400. Watching Kevin Deal highlight the benefits of the amps build was convincing and I like Upscale Audio as a distributor. I have purchased many of my tubes and some of my vinyl gear from there.

During my ownership of the amp, there were certainly some things I enjoyed about it. I was able to get a solid center image on my Tekton Moabs and the sound was very crisp/clear. But with that detail came an element of grain to the highs that I could not seem to eliminate and I was always striving for more warmth/body in the mids to lower mids. Even rolling in $800 worth of NOS tubes did not get me there.

In an effort to achieve the sound I was looking for I began to try other cables, different DACs and ultimately other tube amps. This is when I hand a chance to try the TS-120SE. I had been following Thomas on YouTube for some time and truly appreciate his more objective approach to reviewing HiFi gear. Thomas was more than gracious with his time and addressing all my questions about his amp.

After listing to the Galion for a week, my mind was made up and I decided to list the PrimaLuna for sale. For what I am looking for, the Galion does almost everything better than the Evo400. For those who are interested, I thought I would share how the two amps compared in my space and what features I liked the most on the TS-120SE.

• My favorite setting on the Galion is Class A with tone control on (treble set at neutral and bass set at 3 o,clock on the dial). The amp was smooth in the highs, but not rolled off. The bass was full and filled my room much better.
• The TS-120SE is more organic sounding/more analog/more rich (but not overly colored)
• There are fewer hard edges in the upper mids to treble
• The Evo400 is more clinical sounding to me. I like detail and deep listening, but the detail is ultimately too sharp. Class A on the Galion finds a nice balance.
• I get a very clear center image with my Moabs. The center image was about the same on both amps, but the above factors made the vocals feel more human on the Galion.
• Instrument separation is a bit better with the Galion. The upgraded tubes in the Evo400 are the thing that allows the amp to get closer to the Galion.
• The Galion clearly wins in soundstage depth and three dimensionality. With the Evo400 I get a soundstage that goes about 2ft in front and 2ft behind the speakers. With the Galion the stage about it 2ft behind the speaker and 4-6ft in front.
• One big win I had was my ability to use different cable options to season to taste. I found with the Evo400 I had to be more intentional about what interconnects I use. With the Galion I was able to use cables that render greater detail and enhance the soundstage/create separation. That detail was too much of a good thing on the Evo and this added separation made it sound thin with the same cables.

Not sure it carries any real significance but since an earlier post in this thread referenced the Doge 10 as being discontinued shortly before the introduction of the TS120, I thought I would share that the TS120 is about to be discontinued.  At least the standard edition and at least in North America.  
 

This came directly from Thomas when I made a recent inquiry about upcoming availability of that model.  He indicated that he would be sharing future model plans in the next month or so.  This surprises me given the relatively short lifespan of the TS120 and the numerous positive reviews.  Not sure if those reviews translated in to robust sales or not and that is the reason or if Doge no longer wished to produce them for Galion.