LSA Voyager GAN Amplifier

yyz,
Sorry to hear about your experience with Fedex.  I shipped my Rouge amp to Jay last Wed, and he got it Mon afternoon, no problem.  NYC to Fort Lauderdale area by Fedex ground in only 5 calendar days, not bad.  There's lots of buzz about the shootout he will do around tomorrow.  Follow it, and give your impressions, which will be blinded to all except Jay.  As with his legendary Rossini/MSB shootout, he will reveal the identities of each amp later, so perhaps heads will roll.

I just got my @ricevs hot rodded LSA Voyager 350 GAN. First thing to notice is that the ON/OFF switch is no more. I forgot about that and now I need to juggle a bit to see how I can use the amp. My CODA 07x preamp is ALWAYS on and it also does not have an ON/OFF switch.

I have been playing Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA everyday for the past few days because I like it a lot. The best sound I have had on this album was with the CODA 07x and CODA #8. There was a lushness and body to the sound that really drew me in. The Benchmark LA4 preamp  and CODA #8 did not draw me in as the 07x, it was leaner sounding in comparison. This was the only album where I preferred the 07x over the LA4 in the past few days of listening. However, I was playing more hard rock these days which is great with the LA4.

So my next statement is of the Voyager cold out of the box and into my system replacing the CODA #8. I also changed the speaker cables to my inferior Audience Cionductor SE over the Audience FrontRpw. The FrontRow will not fit into the Voyager because it has SpeakON terminations. So I was listening to music in the past with the FrontRow.

I played the 4th song "This Kind of Love" first. There is some incredible clarity coming out of the Voyager. It seems more clear than the CODA #8. I need to test this out later but it seems like it. The clarity of the amp is definitely more than before the mods. I know that for certain. One of my complaints on the Voyager before the mod was a bit of a veiled sound compared to my AHB2 and CODA. The Voyager now seems to sound like the AHB2 with power. The CODA is maybe a bit more lush sounding but the Voyager is certainly not sounding dry.

I would not be surprised if my CODA #8 became the RAAL SR1a headphone amp in my office and the Voyager the Thiel CS3.7 amp.  Earlier today, I moved the KRELL K-300i to my bedroom to be the headphone amp for the RAAL SR1a.

Prior to the mods, the Voyager was not that good with the RAAL SR1a compared to the CODA #8 and KRELL K-300i. I will test the RAAL out with the Voyager next week. Along with the LA4 preamp and Voyager.

THIS IS REALLY SOUNDING GREAT TO ME. I will get back to doing some comparisons next week when I get back home. Congrats @ricevs this is fantastic.

I like to play "When the Levee Breaks" by Zeppelin to evaluate gear. I am not sure I have heard it any better than on this modded Voyager. An AHB2 on steroids? Maybe.

One thing that the pre-modded Voyager was lacking compared to the CODA was the bass. I will compare that next week, though I do not seem bothered by this today.

Again with the toe tapping, I seem to do this the most with the Voyager, even before the mods.

I found the stock Voyager feet to soften the leading edge which also affects size and clarity of instruments and sound stage. I use Nobsound springs which are taller than the stock footers, so easy peasy. I started with 4, but now am using three, one directly under the power supply
I also removed the top cover which rings when you tap it. I think Ric is placing deadening material

hth


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