2. amps-preamps
  3. 168820-2546

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
tweak1 OP
3,679 posts
 
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
ricevs
1,543 posts
 
It will be interesting to hear the "real story" of the development of the Voyager, etc. Apparently, LSA and Peachtree are buying the power supply and the modules from a 3rd party? So, maybe they had nothing to do with the development? Maybe their own initial amp was a dude? Would be nice to know the story......but, I doubt they would want to say. It really does not matter. We now have two versions to choose from and play with and mod.

It will be interesting to see how the Voyager/Peachtree actually compares with the mega buck class A amps. So far, it is not killing the $3K Benchmark or the $6K Coda.according to yysantabarbara. Of course, mods are yet to come.

George was always going on about the switching speed of the output stage.....1.5meg being his number that he likes to throw around....and only Technics is switching that high. I believe the LSA/Peachrtree probably switches at 500K....but it is not stated. However, the speed of the GaN itself is way higher than a mosfet....so possibly allows lower distortion even at normal switching speeds (less overshoot, less ringing, mo betta dead time control)..

It will continue to get better and better.....this is for sure. Later this summer we have two GaN amps being released from Mytek....then there is Wyred for Sound....then Orchard.....then Atmasphere.....lots of toys ahead.

Would be great if there were some details of the difference between the amps.....better means what? Can you describe the tonal balance difference, bass response, naturalness, soundstage, air, high frequency extension, detail, speed, dynamics, slam, decay, depth, purity, separation of instruments, noise level, ability to handle complex music, etc, etc.....something?


tweak1 OP
3,679 posts
 
"Switching Speed" that’s the term I was unable to pull from my brain lol


When Ric asks " Can you describe the tonal balance difference, bass response, naturalness, soundstage, air, high frequency extension, detail, speed, dynamics, slam, decay, depth, purity, separation of instruments, noise level, ability to handle complex music, etc, etc.....something? "


Perhaps the Voyager has revealed the limits of my Audio Alchemy dac, and possibly the limits of my Oppo 105 as a transport, or one XLR interconnect (Surf Cables Silver), although when I say that, listening to say KD Lang Ingenue last night, which sounded ’good’, but not crazy good, until the 4th song, which was properly recorded and sounded amazing. It just depends on the recording. I'm guessing analog 'philes will be overjoyed

Also, a discrete input seems the logical next step


hth
tweak1 OP
3,679 posts
 
In further assessing my stock Voyager, I finally got around to classical. First up was Yellowstone by Chip Davis. I have a connection to this as I visited Yellowstone and hiked around. On one hike along close by a river a small herd of Buffalo came by some 30 yards away from us. I took a picture of a calf suckling on its mother. We stood and watched without moving, and yet the bull came between us and his herd, non threatening, but certainly sending a message.


The album has cuts with nature sounds, as though they were recorded in the open. Expansive, open, transparent, well recorded. It's this kind of recording that makes the Voyager special

To answer the question "How does it sound?" I recommend reading the Absolute Sound Technics Integrated Review in the July 2021 issue, under the heading enough of the technobabble... I couldn't have said it better myself

My EVS 1200 slightly warmed the recordings, and while that has a place, I much prefer the Voyager


hth

grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,523 posts
 
Interesting. I did not find the EVS warm. I did find the tone of this amp is greatly influenced by the footers used and power cord. It could go from slightly warm to razor sharp leading edges and copious amounts of inner detail. 
More to discover