Competitive class D amp suggestions

I have a small update on the LSA GaN 360 Voyager amp. it should have now a bit over 100 hours of burn-in (I used it more than usually in my second system basically leaving it on most of time). I did not note any essential improvements after 80 hours or so. Perhaps, it may still get a bit better. 

I can say now how the Voyager compares with the Cherry Megaschino  in my second system. The sound of Cherry is cleaner, more open, less "forced" and more alive and natural (even with half-working right channel, I  adjust the channels taking an extreme balance position). 

To me,  Cherry  does not sound like a traditional class D amp, while Voyager sounds like a good class D amp, perhaps the best one I have heard  so far except Cherry. No doubt that it is a very good value performance/price. 

I suggest that Atmosphere and AGD  amps may sound somewhat similar to Cherry, but cannot be sure of course. For me, Cherry just sounds like a good class A tube amp, point. So pity that Tommy passed away!

Soon I will move the Voyager to my main system. I will let you know about my impressions in a few days or so. 

@twoleftears and ​​​​@atmasphere , thanks for additional explications! I did not reilase, from the beginning, that different pics were different harmonics, a very useful image. But now I do not understand what the blue curve stands for. 

@niodari Red and blue track the two stereo channels.  In a well engineered component, they should pretty much overlay; more than a little divergence is indicative of a problem with components, construction, design, etc.

@niodari 

I suggest that Atmosphere and AGD  amps may sound somewhat similar to Cherry, but cannot be sure of course.

only one way to really find out, right?  😉

The AGD room at Florida Expo was one of the best sounding rooms at the show. And the amps are really works of art; gorgeous.

The Aavik is another class D beast, but on the expensive end.

I've read many good things said about the NAD.

​I used the LSA GaN Voyager  in my main system for a few days. Not surprisingly, it didn't sound worse in the main system, which is a good characteristic. At the same time, the main system revealed some technical problems related to the amp. I noted this before in my second system as well but I suggested that the problem could have been in the preamp. 

First, the amp just does not sound well  with the balanced inputs - there is a quite notable lack of the middle and high frequencies with the balanced inputs ( i tried two different quality  balanced cables). Fortunately, one of the RCA inputs has no such problem. 

Second, a quite strange thing happens. With both XLR inputs, the left channel is too weak.  And with both RCA inputs the right channel is too weak. I mean, even if i stand in front of the speaker, the sound coming from the other speaker is dominant. The preamp in my second system has the balance control, so this issue was somehow "settled" by reducing the volume in the normally sounding channel by about 40%. The T&A DAC/preamp in my main system has no balance control, so it was just impossible to use the amp with either XLR or RCA inputs. ​Then i used the rear switches to put the right channel in XLR and the left channel with RCA modes . This was the only way to achieve a more or less balanced sound. 

Third, i think the amp has some phasing problem. Apparently, it is made out of phase. But when I swapped the positive and negative speaker outputs, the amp remained out of phase. Perhaps, this is not a big problem but something may also be wrong with this. 

Based on my small experience with the combined XLR-RCA auditioning in my main system (thanks to the rear amp switches that permitted me to use such an option), i think there is nothing particular to complain about  the sound quality of the amp (judging analytically). At the same time, there is no point in comparing it with my SET tube amp that just sounds more real, full and alive. This can be subjective. But perhaps, not. Just take one of the CDs I used to compare the SQ of the two amps. It is Keith Jarrett's "Buy buy blackbird" (hey @jjss49 !). It is a particularly well recorded CD. Although it is a studio album, one can feel the studio environment and the musicians on each of the instruments, just as if it were a live recording. The SET amp gives this feeling, the Voyager does not (so far as it is  now). 

Perhaps, the Voyager may still improve (it should have about 110 hours of burn-in). I will be able to judge once I get it back from Underwood Hi FI. I am going to ship it for repair today.