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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?

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!

What makes the GaN 1 so special?

First and foremost is the GaN-FET amplifier module. It has several inherent advantages in a power amplifier that even the best MOS-FET designs simply cannot achieve. A GaN-FET power stage provides a precise high-power reproduction of the Class-D PWM signal with extremely high linearity. This linearity eliminates the need for ANY feedback, ultimately allowing for the best possible audio quality providing clean, clear middle and high frequencies and a tight, solid reproduction of low frequencies. GaN-FETs track the complex audio waveforms MUCH more accurately than MOS-FETs, resulting in significantly more transparent and natural sound. The difference is something even a casual listener can hear and appreciate. The GaN 1 is also designed so that it does NOT require a digital-to-analog-converter (DAC). The digital audio signal at the input directs the amplifier outputs to drive the speakers. Although DACs have continued to improve over the years, there is no DAC better than NO DAC! This concept is not new as similar devices known as "Power DACs" made quite a splash in our industry years ago. But this time around, by executing the concept with GaN-FETs, the bar is raised to an entirely new level.

Key Features at a Glance:
▪ 200 WPC state-of-the-art GaN-FET module
▪ ZERO feedback design
▪ Regulated 450-Watt power supply
▪ Coaxial S/PDIF input with native support up to 24-bit / 192kHz
▪ DAC-less design
▪ Power on/off trigger port
▪ All aluminum chassis
▪ No cooling fans

 

This sounded really interesting to me and since I have a good streamer I signed up for the amp beta only. One aspect that intrigues me is to create an extremely minimal signal path. My speakers are single driver, crossover-less design. Employing the GaN 1 will mean the system will be Auralic Aries --> GaN 1 --> Cube Nenuphar Mini's. Will that lead to a more engaging sound vs the full system? Will the Voyager GaN 350 outperform a tube amp in the full system? Who knows, should be fun to find out....

Now, I have no idea how either of these GaN FET amps will work with my speakers. The Cube Nenuphars seem to prefer amps with low damping and no negative feedback, which is more common with SET tube amps and Class A solid state amps. I'm not sure of the damping factor of the GaN FET amps, but both are Zero feedback designs, and both have way more wattage than I need. For reference, I have a 1.5 wpc 45 tube amp that sounds amazing with the Cubes, so high wattage is not required. I am interested though in what these amps will sound like compared to my tube amps, and I am particularly interested in what the streamer direct to amp Peachtree will sound like.

I am also looking to acquire a First Watt SIT-3, which is a great match with the Cubes, but now that they are no longer produced prices have gone above my current comfort level. If I can get one I will throw it into the experiment.

The Peachtree won't be shipped until sometime in June, or possibly later. In the meantime I will get the LSA Voyager in the next few days. I might even be able to get it hooked up this weekend so stay tuned, should be an interesting experiment...
abd1
ricevs
1,543 posts
 

The GaN 400 is nothing like the GaN 1.  The GaN 400 has one dollar op amps on the input with a ton of feedback.  It requires a DAC in front of it.  It certainly is a good amp (same amp as LSA Voyager).....but it no better than the Orchard Stereo amp or Purifi amps from VTV.......the GaN 1 has a shorter and purer signal path....meaning more transparency.  And then by spending less money by avoiding a DAC/preamp/cables and amp setup.....you can upgrade your speakers, speaker wires, and digital front end and add an Inverter for sound that is out of this world.  There is already one person here who has both the GaN 400 and the GaN 1.....both driven by the Rose streamer (DAC out to GaN 400 and digital out to GaN 1).  He preferred the GaN 1.   The revolution here is the direct digital input path.....same as what Technics and Lyngdorf are using.....but this amp is simpler and, I bet, better sounding.  

evank's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
evank
304 posts
 

Understood but it suits my needs at the moment. We will see

mbmi's avatar
mbmi
553 posts
 

I have the GaN 400.......It’s Awsome ! Needs about 150 hrs. and it will be the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard. The SOUNDSTAGE is Big and Deep.....I like that "I'm there" feeling. You'll love it....Enjoy.

milpai's avatar
milpai
2,372 posts
 

but this amp is simpler and, I bet, better sounding.

So, have you heard the GaN 1 or the GaN 400? Why are you betting if you have already compared them?

ricevs
1,543 posts
 

I don’t need to bet on the Gan 1 versus Gan 400.....it has already been A/Bed here on this thread. I was talking about the Technics and Lyngdorf amps....which both also use digital amp technology. The GaN 1 has no input switching or bit reducing volume control.....it is super simple and pure.....that is why I "think" it might be better......and the company that wrote the software....(Elegant Audio Solutions and their earlier company D2Audio which is now part of Renesas)....has been writing software since the early 2000s. No one in the world has A/Bed any of them, that I know of. The main "conversion" from digital to analog or...PCM to PWM is written in software in a digital amp......so the better the software the better the sound. That is why there will be even better digital amps in the future.....besides the power supply purity, parts purity, etc. that also effects sound.

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