What are the best GaN Amplifiers available today?


There have been a number of threads discussing the wonder of GaN and some of the individual amplifiers that have caught peoples attention, including those from AGD, Atma-Sphere, Peachtree, LSA, etc. Has anyone done a shootout against two or more GaN amps? If so, which did you prefer, and why? And on what speakers?

Also, of the one you preferred, do you prefer it over every other amplifier you’ve ever heard? If not, what non-GaN amp do you enjoy more?

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@yyzsantabarbara...First of all it’s Aavik....not Aavrik....and quit comparing a 2K amp to a 15K amp... Compare your Coda to an equivalently priced amp. The Coda is overpriced...the Peachtree Isn’t.

@mbmi Have you heard the CODA #16? To my ears, it is one of the very best amps out there, and I have a feeling a lot of others feel that way. The CODA #16 is as good as the T+A HV, which I am considering today for my LRS+ and RAAL SR1a & CA-1a. The CODA #16 is also bit better than KRELL Duo XD which I owned. The same model I owned just came up for sale at a super low price, I may buy that instead. Cheap price must mean it is not so good? Good thing I have owned and heard the KRELL before to know better.

The best amp I have heard and owned, the AHB2, costs $3.3K new, but it is not as good on hard to drive speakers. But that top end is unsurpassed paired with the right preamp and speakers. Have you heard that amp? The CODA comes close to the top end of the AHB2 but not as good, but the CODA also has killer bass with hard to drive speakers.  If you have an easy to drive speaker the much cheaper AHB2 could be better. How could that be, it is lower in cost?

You have not heard a modded Peachtree GAN1? Your opinion is based on more money is better. Good for us, it helps keep the economy moving. The modded GAN1 amp is almost as good on my RAAL VM-1a headphone amp. I sold the RAAL amp today for $5k in about 4 hours after posting on Head-fi that I was selling it. Do you know how good the VM-1a is? People in the know on the phone community know the RAALs with the VM-1a maybe unsurpassed at ANY PRICE.

The Peachtree GAN1 and CODA #16 are almost as good as the VM-1a on the phones. On an easier to drive speakers that same comparison can apply to the GAN1 vs #16. How could that be the GAN1 is so much cheaper, blasphemy. Or could it be the totally different design of the GAN1 (and the mods)?

I owned and compared a $2.5k Yggi+ LM DAC with a $15K Lumin X1 streamer/DAC. When I added a fibre streamer to the Yggi+ it made the total about $5K. To my ears the Yggi+ LM stayed and the X1 went bye-bye. So again, cheaper was better. 

Quit giving advice on things you have no knowledge one. Remember what Mark Twain said on speaking out about things you know nothing about.

 

 

What the hell are you talking about....Confusing post.....you’re all over the place......no , I haven’t heard your CODA but I bet it’s fantastic.......MEH...end of discussion!

Paired my GaN 400 with a Rogue RP-1. After upgrading the stock tubes in the Rogue to Gold Lions, I'm getting very nice results -- not at all like the typical class D I've heard in the recent past (also the case before the recent tube swap, but now there's more natural-sounding goodness). Just my 2 cents.

I heard the AGD amps at an audio show last weekend. Beautiful to gaze upon and sublime to listen to.

https://agdproduction.com/products/