LSA Voyager GAN Amplifier

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.

I bet the RAAL headphones are GREAT. They remind me of my AKG K1000 planar magnetic phones which I bought new for $1000 many years ago, and still have. They are like suspended speakers at a 1-2" distance from your ears. A unique feature of my AKG 1000 is that the ear speakers could be rotated to reduce bass. I have always hated most headphones for their overblown bass which diminishes midrange/HF clarity. I actually enjoy my Beyerdynamic DT880 phones better, a more conventional closed back phone. The 880 has a tasteful HF boost which enhances clarity. But the bass is too overblown, which I ameliorate by putting 1.5" measuring cups between my outer ear cartilage/head and the surrounding phone pads. Wearing this funny setup, I look like a woman wearing her helmet at the beauty parlor, lol. The cups fall off, so I just hold the phones about the same distance from my ears. I go for the most airy free air type sound which is with the greater distance and reduced bass. Of course, not too far away, which yields little bass.

My electrostatic Audiostatic 240 + Enigmacoustics Sopranino tweeter still kills any headphone or room speaker for exciting clarity at the price of reduced bass.

I did the SNIFF test again with the RAAL SR1a,  Gustard, and CODA #8. First of all it sounds amazing. I may not have the volume set at the same level as when I tested last time with the Voyager and Thiel. It may be actually a bit lower on the RAAL test. I could hear the 0:08 sniff much clearer. A little irritating to hear that sniff during the music. At 1:12 it was much louder and 4:35 was likely in-between the other 2 in terms of loudness.

So to be thorough I moved the amp interface box to the Voyager so I can test the same thing with the RAAL and Voyager. I put CODA #8 to STANDBY and left the CODA 07x preamp at the same volume level as before. Now I am not sure if the gain is the same on the Voyager. The volume from the Voyager seemed a little lower. The Gustard DAC is still used. It is the only DAC I can use with this delicate flower of a CODA 07x preamp without me getting annoyed by the crackling and buzz.

At 0:08 I do hear the sniff though it is not as prominent as with the CODA #8. At 1:12 it is not as loud as with the CODA #8. At 4:35 I could not hear it at this volume level.

So the facts to me seem that the CODA #8 is more detailed than the Voyager. The #8 is a pretty fine piece of work and cost 2x more than the Voyager.  The fact that the CODA is also more warmer is an interesting attribute. Warmth and detail in the same box. The CODA #16 is supposed to be their best amp.

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The RAAL also has the wings that can be adjusted to increase or lower the bass. Sounds like they copied the AKG K1000  you have.
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The CODA 07x preamp issue with my 2 neutral DACs has got me annoyed so I decided to split up my Benchmark AHB2 from my living room.  I will move 1 to my office so that I can use the Topping pre90 with the Benchmark DAC3B and my Thiels. I have all the wiring in place to make this happen from when I owned the Benchmark HPA4 preamp.  All I need to do would be to change the speaker wire from one amp to the other.

Sometimes I want a neutral sound over the juicy CODA sound. The pre90 | DAC3B | AHB2 | Thiel CS3.7 will be great with well recorded music.  This will also be the king of details because the other gear is no where as quiet as this stack.

I hope you disconnected the Coda from the preamp (removed the interconnect to the Coda AT the preamp) when you listened to the LSA.  If you are driving two amps (or even just two interconnects) at the same time (even though only one is on) it will degrade the sound of the one you are listening to.

Are you using the same speaker wires with both amps when using the Raal? If the wire is lower quality (less detailed) on the LSA then you may be listening to the difference in the cables. What connectors are on the ends of the cable you use with the LSA? If bananas.....then there is more degradation as bananas almost always sound worse than spades. Everything has to be done exactly the same when you A/B otherwise, you really cannot draw any valid conclusions.

Audience Conductor speaker wires were an entry line speaker cable when designed years and years ago. The Front Row Audience cables are the latest top of the line cables. The far more expensive Front row should be WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more detailed and clear.

The Coda and the Benchmark amps have five way binding posts.  You could use the Conductor cable on all three amps that way.....eliminating the difference in cables.