Peachtree GaN 1 Beta


Before I start my post here is my current system for reference:

Auarlic Aries G1 --> Denafrips Terminator or SW1X DAC --> Audio GD HE1 XLR preamp or Sachs preamp --> various tube amps --> Cube Nenuphar Mini's w/ a pair of REL S510 subs. Cables and power conditioning commensurate with the rest of the system.

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As warmer months approach I have been looking for a cool running amp to replace my Line Magnetic LM-518 and other tube amps for a few months as they run pretty hot.

I've been interested in the GaN FET amps and just purchased a used LSA Voyager 350 Gan FET amp which I should receive in a few days. I've tried class D amps before and while they checked a lot of boxes I just didn't feel drawn in. However, I like to explore so I figured I'd try the GanFET and since the amp has zero feedback and my speakers seem to prefer amps with little or no feedback I figured it be worth checking out.

Today, Peachtree Audio sent out an email inviting users to a beta of their new Gan 1 amp. Here are some excerpts from their email:

 

What is the GaN 1?

In basic terms it is a 200 Watts-Per-Channel (WPC) Power Amplifier designed to be the sole interface between your digital audio device with a variable output, like a Bluesound NODE, and your speakers. The GaN 1 is a simple, pure and cost-effective audio solution: connect the GaN 1 to a streamer and a pair of speakers and you have an amazing Hi-Fi system. That's it...no DAC, no preamp and no input switching. The signal path from the music to your speakers is remarkably short and free of artifacts. Want to hear the intricate details in your music that have always been there, but you couldn't quite make them all out before? Then the GaN 1 is for you!

What makes the GaN 1 so special?

First and foremost is the GaN-FET amplifier module. It has several inherent advantages in a power amplifier that even the best MOS-FET designs simply cannot achieve. A GaN-FET power stage provides a precise high-power reproduction of the Class-D PWM signal with extremely high linearity. This linearity eliminates the need for ANY feedback, ultimately allowing for the best possible audio quality providing clean, clear middle and high frequencies and a tight, solid reproduction of low frequencies. GaN-FETs track the complex audio waveforms MUCH more accurately than MOS-FETs, resulting in significantly more transparent and natural sound. The difference is something even a casual listener can hear and appreciate. The GaN 1 is also designed so that it does NOT require a digital-to-analog-converter (DAC). The digital audio signal at the input directs the amplifier outputs to drive the speakers. Although DACs have continued to improve over the years, there is no DAC better than NO DAC! This concept is not new as similar devices known as "Power DACs" made quite a splash in our industry years ago. But this time around, by executing the concept with GaN-FETs, the bar is raised to an entirely new level.

Key Features at a Glance:

▪ 200 WPC state-of-the-art GaN-FET module
▪ ZERO feedback design
▪ Regulated 450-Watt power supply
▪ Coaxial S/PDIF input with native support up to 24-bit / 192kHz
▪ DAC-less design
▪ Power on/off trigger port
▪ All aluminum chassis
▪ No cooling fans

 

This sounded really interesting to me and since I have a good streamer I signed up for the amp beta only. One aspect that intrigues me is to create an extremely minimal signal path. My speakers are single driver, crossover-less design. Employing the GaN 1 will mean the system will be Auralic Aries --> GaN 1 --> Cube Nenuphar Mini's. Will that lead to a more engaging sound vs the full system? Will the Voyager GaN 350 outperform a tube amp in the full system? Who knows, should be fun to find out....

Now, I have no idea how either of these GaN FET amps will work with my speakers. The Cube Nenuphars seem to prefer amps with low damping and no negative feedback, which is more common with SET tube amps and Class A solid state amps. I'm not sure of the damping factor of the GaN FET amps, but both are Zero feedback designs, and both have way more wattage than I need. For reference, I have a 1.5 wpc 45 tube amp that sounds amazing with the Cubes, so high wattage is not required. I am interested though in what these amps will sound like compared to my tube amps, and I am particularly interested in what the streamer direct to amp Peachtree will sound like.

I am also looking to acquire a First Watt SIT-3, which is a great match with the Cubes, but now that they are no longer produced prices have gone above my current comfort level. If I can get one I will throw it into the experiment.

The Peachtree won't be shipped until sometime in June, or possibly later. In the meantime I will get the LSA Voyager in the next few days. I might even be able to get it hooked up this weekend so stay tuned, should be an interesting experiment...

abd1

Showing 21 responses by kitsap2

yzzsantabarbara, I don't know if I'm missing something, but how will you use headphones with the GaN 1?

Received the GaN 1 & Node on 8/31.  I am absolutely satisfied with this new setup.  It's everything I could have hoped for being the minimalist that I am.  The GaN 1 sounds fantastic through a pair of Tekton Electrons.

The GaN 1 replaces the Peachtree Nova150 that I've been listening to the last three years.  It is truly a "just add speakers" arrangement, like the Bluesound Powernode, but with 200wpc, vice 80wpc.

Good job, Peachtree! 

It says nothing about open loop. You still have shown 0 proof that the gan 1 has a load dependent frequency response. 

Kuribo will never produce because he/she is a troll.  He/She is the same over at Audio Science Review, in the same manner regarding the same things about the GaN 1 amp.

Must be a very lonely man/woman.

 

Has anyone tried connecting a turntable using the 3.5mm input on the Bluesound Node and played it on the amp? How does it sound comparing to your pre/power amp? 

So far, the only one I know that has done this is Andrew Clark, president of Peachtree Audio.  Here are his remarks copied and pasted from Peachtree's website:

A few weeks after exhausting my library of demo tracks and personal favorites, I hooked up a turntable to the NODE. (My turntable has a switchable built-in phono preamp so I can connect to the NODE's line in.) I don't know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I wasn't hearing. It sounded crisp and clear without any background noise or humming. This is great. I'm not hearing anything that makes me believe this input was an after thought or compromised because its a dual input (analog or optical digital audio) or because it uses an ADC inside the NODE. I have ZERO ISSUES recommending that people hook up their turntable to the NODE and enjoy their vinyl on this system this way! It sounds great! I even programmed my turntable as a preset, so when I want to spin vinyl, I just touch the first dot on top of the NODE and lower the tonearm and I'm listening. Easy.

I might consider adding a phono preamp to boost my turntable output a bit. (My turntable's built-in phono preamp has no gain adjustment.) Albums are mastered at much lower levels than today's digital files so when I want to crank up the volume on my vinyl I can sometimes max out the NODE's volume and still be left wanting more. Some of my older CD files (ripped to my computer years ago) have a similar issue. They were mastered at levels significantly lower than today's norms so even when the NODE is set to maximum output, I sometimes could use more. Fortunately most of the earlier recordings have been remastered at some point in the last 20 years, so that helps with the gain/level issue. If my primary listening was vinyl or digital files mastered before say 1990-2000, I would definitely use a phono preamp with gain settings (or higher max ouput than my turntable's built-in preamp) and re-mastered digital files. Or perhaps some other way to affect gain in the digital domain like Roon, Foobar, etc.

Hope this is helpful!

 

 

@kuribo, It's not worth my time to continue this one sided discussion.

Well, that took long enough.

evank posted: This was just posted on Peachtree Facebook page

Thanks for sharing this post as I do not have FB.

@yyzsantabarbara Yikes!  You certainly did answer my question in spades!  Thank for enlightening me into the world of specialty products.  I'm not at this level of music listening, but it's always fun learning something new.

I have the GaN 1, Bluesound Node, and am really satisfied with that arrangement.  If Bluesound made a 200wpc Powernode, I'd have purchased that.

Party on, Garth!

@kuribo  Well, my comment was removed, but I'm glad you were able to read it.  Sorry (not really) about being off topic, but what I conveyed was the truth, like it or not.

The folks on this thread are talking about a piece of gear they have, or are going to have, or maybe even want.  I also have the GaN 1 and like it a lot.  But you have made it known throughout the last few pages of this thread what you think. And, for the most part, are ignored.  Why continue raining on other's parade when you don't agree with their enthusiasm, or beliefs.  It's rather confounding.

@ricevs  I appreciate your timely comment/post.  This thread is full of very satisfied, friendly participants and owners of the GaN 1.  There, however, is one individual, who will go unnamed, that is very unhappy.  Your advice is gold.  I leveled the axe at it/him and for that, my post was deleted by the moderator.  I understand why, my fault.

And the one part of your post that really rings true is that "they" always have to have the last word.  Classic!

Happy New Year to all!

@treepmeyer,  I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the GaN 1 after you've had some time with it.  As the president of Peachtree said, it's not for everybody (paraphrasing).  But it definitely fits my needs and desires and I couldn't be more satisfied.

Happy New Year and new gear, 2023!

@atmasphere,  Appreciate your explanation.  I can't argue with that.  But none of the participants here were seeking "you-know-who's" advice.  That's all.  "You-know-who" felt it was necessary to "rain on the parade" regardless.  It became monotonous, and yet "he" didn't let up.

Anyway, I'm done, I've said what was on my mind and had my post deleted.  At the end of the day, it's the pure pleasure of our hobby that matters.  And that's all it is, a hobby.  Not life, or death.  Who gives a rats ass about trivial crap that doesn't mean a thing in the grand scheme in life.  We're here today, but maybe not tomorrow.  Enjoy what you have, who you have and live life to its fullest.

Again, Happy New Year.

@treepmeyer, I wouldn’t worry.  I ordered mine, w/Node in April, and received it in late August.  Was worth the wait.  

@thespeakerdude, "over my head" is the understatement of the year in my case!  I am nothing more than an end user and music listener.  I'll listen to music playing from my iPhone stuffed in my front jacket pocket while hiking up a hill, as well as in my living room from an integrated amp/receiver to my main speakers.  I do like quality sound, but music is the priority over equipment.

The Peachtree (and I am a Peachtree enthusiast going on four years) GaN 1 sounds fantastic with my Tekton speakers.  Really like the auto-off after 15 minutes or so.  The amp gets only slightly warm over extended playing, and that is another great feature!  I also have a Marantz CD player, acting as a transport connected to the Bluesound Node, though rarely use it.

All in all, the GaN 1 is exactly what I was looking for.  Love it!

@lewinskih01 - I find the bass excellent but with the caveat that I'm not an audiophile.  I have normal hearing (always passed my annual flight physical aural tests with flying (no pun intended) colors).  As with most recordings, the mastering is key.  My speakers have eight inch transducers (not my naming of them, but the manufacturer) and some recordings have thundering bass, while other recordings have less but well detailed.

I'm just returning home from overseas for 4 months, and am looking forward to listening to my GaN 1, Bluesound Node, and Tekton speakers as soon as I get over the time zone difference.

@lewinskih01 I can't give you a fair answer due to a subwoofer I had used with the previous amp and the Tektons.  When I switched out the previous amp (Nova150), I ditched my subwoofer and went with just the Tektons.

I do augment the Tektons, at times, with boosts to bass at lower listening levels, like a "loudness" switch.  When I do that, I'm using Airplay2 to send music from the computer to the Node→GaN1→Tektons.

 

@singingtheblues  Hope this helps, but you don't actually "install" Spotify, you log into it from the BlueOS app.

After selecting Spotify you do press/select "Install The Spotify App".  On the next screen, you select the small, three horizontal lines in the very upper right of that window,next to "Open App", to which you'll then be able to log into Spotify with your Spotify credentials.

@singintheblues:  for what it's worth, I use a Macbook Air as my main computer, and iPhone for mobile use.  I guess I'm just used to the BlueOS apps and hardware and think they work pretty well for the most part.  I do notice that the app for MacOS needs to be shut down and relaunched in order to update what's playing info, but this has no affect on the playback, or what's be listened to at the moment.

 

Hi Mr Bill

As far as connecting a turntable to your GaN1, I use the Bluesound Node, and with that, you can connect a turntable to the Node via the Node's 3.5mm audio cable input jack.  This 3.5mm audio input jack is a dual purpose use as it is also a TosLink ipunt via the use of an adapter that comes with the Node.  I use that adapter to connect my Marantz CD player to the Node.

If I were to connect my turntable to the Node, it would be turntable>Phono Preamp>Node 3.5mm audio input.

Please report your view of your soon to arrive modded GaN1 amp!  Really looking forward to hearing all about it!

Cheers,

Tom

Would like to know what one, two, or three things are better than the stock GaN1?  Any other descriptions would be appreciated!