LSA Voyager GAN Amplifier

I should add that for anyone considering getting the Voyager. My CODA 07x preamp does a great job of taming harshness. Not that the Voyager has any because when I added the Topping pre90 it did not seem to be harsh. Though the volume was messed up with that setup (too much gain).

In my setup, with the CODA 07x, I have no fatigue or harshness. I am easily susceptible to listener fatigue if the gear is harsh.

If I had the Benchmark HPA4 still in the house I could evaluate the Voyager in a more pure manner.

Sounds like Voyager has made the grade and competes very well with other high quality amps that I have interest in. So it’s made my would strongly consider to buy list already at this point. Thanks for sharing the findings!

Next I would like to hear a comparison with the $800 mini GaN amp just to get a handle on how those two at significant different price points compare.

@viber I have a lot on my plate now with work. However, I have the house to myself and tested out the SNIFF test at 0:08 of the first track. With the Gustard X26 Pro + Voyager + CODA 07x I could hear it. Now this is not my most revealing gear so if this combo can reproduce it all my other gear can too. The DAC3B and Topping D90se would easily let you hear it.

I will add the AHB2 replacing the Voyager to the mix later today or on the weekend because I am now curious how much more detail I can hear on this SNIFF test.

Good.  Try the other sniffs at 1:12 and 4:35, see how slightly different they are, and with various amps.  It is good that you tried the less revealing components first.  If you try the most revealing first, then you know what to look for so the less revealing components can be imagined to reveal the detail which would have been hidden if you tried them first.

Were these tests on the Thiel speakers or RAAL headphones?  I still am not certain whether these soft sounds are sniffs through the nose or inhaled from the mouth.  Probably the nose, because musicians like to use the HF sniff to draw attention.  Instruments with more HF content cut through the mass of sound and stand out better with greater clarity.  The nose is smaller diameter than the mouth, so the nose creates more HF than the mouth.  My guess is that the AHB2 sounds more like the nose because of its brighter tonal balance toward HF, and the other extreme of the Coda is more like the mouth.

I tested this once with the Thiel. The RAAL is even more revealing and will be a breeze to hear it.

I will be out for most of the day and likely tomorrow. However, I just figured out that if I add the RAAL SR1a amp interface box and even disconnect the headphones the amp will be sending a signal (or working). So now I will be able to play the Voyager 24 hours a day.

I figured this out because when I tried the amp interface box on the CODA #8 the power meters on the front are dancing even without the headphones connected. I do not want to burn the headphones with continuous playback.