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
Can you and will you articulate the fine details of the differences between the two amps? Blow away......means what? So far, I know nothing except you think it is more lifelike, smoother, more continuous, purer and now "blows away". What about tonal differences, dynamics, bass, midrange, detail, micro detail, treble extension, air, imaging, depth, soundstage, etc. into infinity?
Ha! I laughed a bit at the “blows away” comment. All subjective and based on the system the amps are placed in. The EVS amp, in my rig with a $15,000 preamp, sounded great. No way another amp would ever, ever “blow it away”. However, even the phrase “blow it away” is subjective. 
I have heard DHT and triode tube amps that sound more tonally enjoyable to my ear than the EVS, but I certainly don’t want anymore detail or razor sharp info.  I value tone over detail.
"Blows away" yeah that says it all. Now can't believe or understand anything he says going forward
tweak1,
Appreciate your input.  Since you received the V last Thurs, you have only had them 150 hours, with probably much less play time.  How do you know how many hours Wally put in for you, as a good customer?  Someone on the LSA Voyager GaN thread said that initially the V was harsh, then later it became tubelike.  Perhaps you are in the transition phase from hyper detailed/harsh to tubelike.  Perhaps your EVS1200 has become warmer sounding with age, since you wrote after a month or so of ownership, that the EVS was neutral/detailed.  Let's see what you find after 500 hours or so on the V.

I have been breaking in my Rouge 1200 amp with the same CD of Mozart violin concertos on repeat, 16 hours/day, now about 365 hours.  I listen attentively on and off, and I know the tonal characteristics of all the music on this CD very well by now.  This is more informative than switching between different recordings.  Of course, when we live with the system, we want to hear all kinds of music, but for testing purposes this leads to confusion.  Also, trying various footers, cables and such is confusing because of all the variables introduced.  Just use the same ancillary equipment to A/B the V and EVS amps.  It doesn't matter that Machina Dynamica springs are better than sorbothane footers, because the same relative differences between the amps will be found.
"Blows away" in this case means the sound stage is bigger, wider, deeper , significantly more life-like (micro-details are much more evident) than the amp I had such high praises for, but compared to what? Certainly not to the Voyager, which, BTW does not make mediocre recordings sound better (very neutral), but on really good recordings, it is very life-like, especially on large orchestra where I get a real sense of how big the orchestra is, and where the various sections are.

When I first started my EVS thread, and mentioned that I was going to be receiving a Voyager, I was scolded by Ric for supposedly preventing hundreds of sales (actually, I think he said thousands), but he knew that GaN done right was the future. And we know it took them 2 years to bring it to the market. Numerous times in that thread I tried to tell those potential hundreds of EVS 1200 customers, who needed the power, not to wait. My big concern was would literally 1/2 the power fill my voluminous room. Little did I know the Voyager @ 350/600 would be every bit as powerful in delivering the power and authority, only better, much better.

When I first hooked up the EVS1200 ~ 2 years ago, I was using Surf Cables silver XLRs between Audio Alchemy DDP-1 and the EVS 1200. I used it until maybe 9 months ago when I switched them out for WireWorld Series 7. Draw your own conclusions.

As to the many assumptions on Vipers part... well I’ll just leave it at that, other than to say this amp was WELL BROKEN IN before I received it

hth with all the angst