GaN amps: Peachtree or LSA Voyager?


Peachtree 400 and LSA Voyager GaN amps: Does anyone have direct experience with both of these amps? Can you comment on any differences that might exist in sound? I know the internals are supposed to be the same but even if that is true implementation can make a difference. Both are highly regarded by those who own them.

Might also be helpful if you listed the rest of your system (Pre and speakers).

My current system is: Bricasti M3 DAC; Rogue RP-7 (NOS) pre; Bel Canto Ref600M amps; Fyne F1-8 speakers.

Thanks in advance!

markmuse

@markmuse 

LSA doesn't talk much in their literature about lowering distortion instead mainly focusing on the advantages of GaN.  San Francisco Audio Society liked the amp, Audio Science Review did not.  It will be interesting to read your impressions. 

 

question - in your view, what accounts for some amps having noticeably better soundstaging and imaging capabilities than others? be it solid state vs solid state, solid state vs tube, class a or ab versus class d types

most would say tube amps have the most expansive imaging, better at achieving ’holography’ and perceived image depth so to speak... while class a or ab amps can be all over the map in their spatial capabilites (some better one are quite good in this respect, while others are poor), and often, amps using class d modules really tend to flatten the soundstage and locate instruments/performers relatively poorly

curious to get your take on this...

@jjss49

My theory is the the way various amps make distortion has a lot to do with it. I used to think it was how well the amplifier was able to get phase relationships right and I still think there’s something to that, but by no means is it the only thing! One thing that seems to have a bit of correlation is the decay in harmonics as the order of the harmonic is increased. It needs to be on an exponential curve. Another thing that I feel needs more research is the role that the 2nd and 3rd harmonics play in allowing the ear to make out the detail required to reproduce the soundstage correctly. This relates to my first sentence in this paragraph. If the amplifier isn’t devoid of distortion but the 2nd or 3rd is too low, apparently that can prevent the amp sounding 3D.

IME the class of operation has little to do with how well the amp is able to winnow out soundstage depth and detail.

 

Frank gives a lot of credit to both the differential balanced design and the Exicon power mosfet output transistors...so hopefully Ralph can shed some light on why this might be some kind of secret sauce??

@snapsc

"Balanced Differential Design" Is a registered trademark of Atma-Sphere FWIW.

What happens in a differential circuit is even ordered harmonics are cancelled in the load of the output of that circuit. If differential throughout, cancellation occurs throughout too. This means that distortion is compounded less from stage to stage throughout the design.

This results in the 3rd harmonic being the primary distortion component which is very effective at masking higher orders in the harmonic spectra if its strong enough. Since there is less compounding of distortion in a fully differential circuit, the higher ordered harmonics decrease at a faster rate as the order is increased compared to a single-ended circuit. This means it will be smoother than the single-ended circuit, since the ear assigns tonality to all forms of distortion and the higher orders are assigned ’harsh and bright’. SET fans will comment about how smooth their amps sound, but it can get even smoother and with more detail bringing you closer to the music.

Mathematically speaking the non-linearity associated with this type of decay is called a ’cubic non-linearity’ as opposed to the quadratic non-linearity seen in a single-ended circuit. Probably more than you really needed to know; we’ve been relying on this method of controlling distortion in our amps for decades on now. Our class D does not use this method so much; it relies instead on having enough Gain Bandwidth Product that is feedback is properly supported at higher frequencies and so it able to control higher ordered harmonic generation that way instead.

Whatever the distortion signature actually is, that is the 'sonic signature' in amps that audiophiles talk about.

 

 

 

@markmuse, Thank you so much for doing this comparison.  I cannot wait to hear how the Voyager v AVA 225’s goes.

The 225’s have been of great interest to me for a long time.

I own the Voyager and loved it in used with my previous speakers.  But have not had access to it since receiving new, much better speakers recently.
 

Will have the Voyager back in about 10 days and am anxious to compare it to the two amps I’ve been using lately.  The new speakers are quite remarkable for their ability to pass thru what is ahead of them an thus will reveal the Voyager’s traits more than my old speakers could.

@rc22 what are your new speakers? I bought a Pair of Fyne F1-8 a couple of months ago and I am loving them. They very easy to drive - 6 ohm minimum impedence. Every amp I have tried with them has done well, but of course some are more satisfying than others. The 225s are great. Will have the Voyager tomorrow.

@markmuse Audiovector R3 Arrete’.  They are 8 ohm and 90.5 sensitive.  A  friend of mine was just over and he liked them very much.  He has a big room and really enjoys his Fyne 704’s.

The R3’s are the company’s smallest floorstander and happen to be an  ideal size for my dedicated room.