LSA Voyager GAN Amplifier

Jaymark, you are definitely not alone.  Very well put.

Pursuit of the next level up among the enthused is not exclusive to audio, IME.  My Dad shot competitive skeet and had a bass boat capable of over 70mph.  Constantly tweaking everything…

Not specifically arguing the merits of EVS’ Voyager amp mod, because it’s not been delivered yet, but I thought the validity of modding equipment was well-established.  Haven’t there been quite a few well known modders over the decades with many many happy customers? And many less well-known modders also with tons of happy customers?

I’ve had two pieces modded by the same person.  I only did the second one because the first was so good.  Anytime I can identify talented modders,  I’m open to doing more.  But only if I really like the SQ of the piece to begin with.

As far as choosing between modding a piece or replacing it with a new one, I am comfortable with my ability to assess those alternatives and also in determining if I got good value for my modding dollar.  Those perplexed by those of us who like mods might ponder that a bit.  It’s not that complicated.  If a mod falls flat, so be it.  The marketplace will take care of that….

I am not dismissing mods but if the item is so great, why does it need to be modded, especially during the warranty period? I had the SCD777ES which was the same as the SCD1 without the balanced output and potted transformer @$3500.00. It’s now a boat anchor and could never compete with my Esoteric X3 SACD player.

The mods I had eliminated the RCA section of the SCD-1. The balanced part was the best part of the unit and that was made way better with the mods. The RCA only SCD77ES was not at the level of the stock SCD-1.

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I spoke to Ric today about the mods on the Voyager. His listening sessions with my stock Voyager yielded similar observations as me. He says the improvements he made will be easy for me to hear. They also sound like what I was hoping would improve.

I am looking for more clarity and detail. A bit quieter would be nice, but the new LA4 preamp I am getting may solve that issue. More musical engagement or the wow factor would be the best improvement. I have that with the CODA #8 on my Thiel CS3.7 and the KRELL K-300i on my RAAL SR1a. So the modded Voyager has a high bar to clear.

I should get the amp back next week once a final part is delivered to Ric.

I am not dismissing mods but if the item is so great, why does it need to be modded, 

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/millercarbon-s-mega-moab-mod-meander
https://singervehicledesign.com
Figure it out.

He says the improvements he made will be easy for me to hear. They also sound like what I was hoping would improve.

I am looking for more clarity and detail. A bit quieter would be nice, but the new LA4 preamp I am getting may solve that issue. More musical engagement
or the wow factor would be the best improvement.

Clarity and detail improvements would require reductions in distortion. The distortion of this amp is probably already below the threshold of audibility. Anything he does is likely to decrease performance. Does he have ability to measure before and after to provide any sort of proof that he has actually improved the performance of the amp? Let me answer: No. It will just be his subjective opinion.

More musical engagement and wow factor? How to do quantify these? You can't. It's subjective. He will monkey around with the amp and add noise to it. You can use software to add effects and tune it to your own specific likes easier, cheaper, and with much more control.

I have had plenty of kit moded over the decades, mostly to the power supplies, internal wiring, or bypass caps. Simple DIY mod is upgrading fuses, which can be a much bigger sonic benefit than many are willing to admit, or now coating the connections with Goop

The stock Voyager sounds really good after I replaced the leading edge muffling stock rubber feet and got better still as I replaced all my 5+ yo machina dynamica springs with these. Outstanding improvement


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