Stock Voyager GaN amp (350/600) Contrasted with my EVS1200 (600/1200)


The Voyager (V) I received is well broken in, and as the title says, it is stock. An upgraded version will come later.


I let the V warm up for ~ 24 hours while I listened to my beloved EVS 1200 (~$2300) playing a wide variety of Redbook CDs; The Judds, Chris Issak Heart Shaped World, Leonard Cohen remastered collection, Willie Nelson Across the Borderline, the Eagles Hell Freezes Over, and Jennifer Nettles Playing with Fire (love the music, but the mastering has a few ear bleed cuts- or does it???). I capped the session off with Roger Waters Amused to Death SACD, a huge, occasionally very dynamic, and intentionally phasey recording. While I enjoyed the hell out this listening session, but afixed in my mind was reading others reporting on their not fully broken in V amps frequently mentioning detail/clarity, the music via the EVS 1200 wasn't as focused as I felt it should, but have accepted for 2 years, as it easily outperformed my PS Audio M700s (MSRP $4000), FYI, their M1200s are based on the same IceEdge AS1200 modules as my EVS 1200, but untouched. They simply added their own tube input stage (MSRP $7000), and Audio Alchemys DPA-1 ($2000), wish I could have tried the monos ($4000), but...


Could  the lack of focus be elsewhere, like the Wire World Electra 7 Power Conditioning cord ($240), connected to my Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5, which is IMO, my weakest PC, all the others are $700+, or my $150 Pangea XL coax cable? How would the V stack up?  Im thinking it can't be THAT much better, and what about the huge power disparity in my ~ 26 x 38 X 12 lively room with lots of glass and open beam ceilings, which adds up to brightness?


I connected the V, but didn't want to start with any of the same discs, just in case the V needed to see some signal before being ready for the comparison, so I chose Getz/Gilberto Jobim and Astrud Gilberto SACD as a nice way to ease into the Voyager. I haven't listened to this disc in months, so no recent memory to taint hearing it now. Did I say 'ease'. Silly me.


I'll cut to the chase hear/here, from the first note, it was obvious that this is a special amp, but at $3500 MSRP? OMG: What a steal!!! The focus reminds me of how much sharper and with greater depth of field pictures taken with Leica camera lens are, compared to all other cameras and lenses. GaNs magic is the equivalent of Tesla EV motor speed- immediate: The V grabbed me from the first note.


More  to come after I go through the Redbook CDs that I started with, but I already know it's a moot point. And wilder, still, LSA has already made a few tweaks, like the internal wiring for an additional $175.


Ric Schultz was right when he said expensive amps will be boat anchors
tweak1
@ricevs

Why Walter is keen on them I do not know. When I bought my/his EP 100.2SE class D amps, I specifically told him no sorbo! He challenged me, and I basically said what you just said. Hopefully, the ones being shipped to customers don't have them affixed, but Machina Dynamica Springs are tall enough. I also placed a ~ 10 pound marble slab on top.


Last night I relistened to the Eagles Hell Freezes Over and Willie Nelson Across the Border Line. Both sounded amazingly better with springs, but Willie freaked me out as to how life like it sounded. Today, I will relisten to Jennifer Nettles and the Judds, then move on to some classical

Also remember listening different times of day effects sound based on your electric power
A few more discs under my belt, including Jennifer Nettles, which as I have mentioned is a mixed bag, and through the Voyager the well recorded cuts sound significantly better, as in more life like, smoother, more continuous, but the poorly recorded cuts still sound bad. Linda Ronstadt Living in America sounded great, far better than it ever did via the EVS1200. So, to answer the question asked "is it better or just different", oh it’s better. A lot better!


I would say that George @georgehifi was right about the lack of processing speed (if that’s the correct term) in typical class D is its Achilles Heal when compared to the vastly superior GaN, but GaN in and of itself is not the be all end all. The execution of the power supply etc. is the key, and it seems the team behind engineering the Voyager have mad skills, preferring to wait 2 long agonizing years through many trail and errors before being satisfied and bring it to market. Kudos!

I agree that at different times of the day or night the music can sound different. To minimize that I have a 20 amp dedicated line, and my Oppo 105 and Audio Alchemy are plugged into a Core Power 1800 which is plugged into the dedicated line

I will add, that I think what Ric meant is not that people who already own very expansive amps will be quick to sell them and at a huge loss, just to buy a Voyager, though some might, but if the Voyager is compared to a lot of the uber expensive blingy amps pre-purchase, those might not be the purchase of choice