Peachtree Gan 1 beta testing sign-ups open

[tbrobison]

Anyone else received the GAN1? I received mine last week. After several hours of diverse listening, I am very satisfied. I am using Zu Audio Dirty Weekends that are actually loaded with Druid Mk.IV drivers. Admittedly, these are not the best matched speakers for this amp (better suited for the SET application I think).

That being said, the GAN1 has no issue at any listening level, excellent soundstage, mid-range clarity, and great control of low-end. Does not seem to provide any color of any sort, as expected. I would see this is a good thing as long as it is matched with the right speakers.

I do not pretend to be a golden-ear audiophile, just a music lover that wants to hear the sounds as they were intended. The GAN1 gets me there.

PS I ordered the Node combo; I have several other digital sources, so I ordered this one. Out of curiosity. The experience has been excellent! I have it synced between my phone, my tablet, and my PC with the BluOS app, using Tidal and some local Flac files. Great listening experience.

I'm experiencing the same here. It is a superb performer! No DAC and the sound is everything I could have hoped for. Auto-On(trigger)/Off is important and a great feature for us. I listen to FLAK and AIFF via attached storage(to Bluesound Node), and have accounts with Radio Paradise, Amazon HD, and Apple Music (via Airplay2). Everything just works!
The Gan 1 and Node is really a marriage made in heaven(audio heaven), along with my Tekton Electrons!

 

[Mr. Jesse]

I'm experiencing the same here. It is a superb performer! No DAC and the sound is everything I could have hoped for. Auto-On(trigger)/Off is important and a great feature for us. I listen to FLAK and AIFF via attached storage(to Bluesound Node), and have accounts with Radio Paradise, Amazon HD, and Apple Music (via Airplay2). Everything just works!
The Gan 1 and Node is really a marriage made in heaven(audio heaven), along with my Tekton Electrons!

So far I have enjoyed the clarity of the music, and the detail. I think I want to add a sub still but I have my combo hooked up to Lii Audio F15 Open Baffles, but I think I need to check my connections because the left speaker is silent but there seems to be a high frequency feed back on the right.

 

[tbrobison]

So far I have enjoyed the clarity of the music, and the detail. I think I want to add a sub still but I have my combo hooked up to Lii Audio F15 Open Baffles, but I think I need to check my connections because the left speaker is silent but there seems to be a high frequency feed back on the right.

Yikes, hope you are able to remedy the situation! Enjoy the Peachtree GaN 1!

 

[Red rocket]

I really, really dont understand the logic behind these designs either. Zero feedback because you want to hear the "sound" of the GaN FET itself? Why?... just...why?!

It's a switching transistor. A chopper. The whole point of the thing is to keep the efficiency of the curcuit high, and load dependency low. The idea of disregarding good engineering practices in order to "expose" some weird undefined sonic qualities is so backwards, my brain is struggling to make any sort of sense of it.

This guy really doesn't get it? He really thinks you will hear the gan fet? Lol... Wow

 

[Killingbeans]

Just shows what it takes to make it in the industry:

New technology! It has the potential to waste very little energy and drive any speaker load with ease! -> *sound of crickets*

Alright... lets try some BS. New technology! It lifts veils and dips your microplankton in honey! -> "Shut up and take my money!!"

 

[MaxBuck]

Just shows what it takes to make it in the industry:

New technology! It has the potential to waste very little energy and drive any speaker load with ease! -> *sound of crickets*

Alright... lets try some BS. New technology! It lifts veils and dips your microplankton in honey! -> "Shut up and take my money!!"

I understand your point, but I've yet to see anything to suggest that the GaN amplifiers offer any benefits relative to other available Class D amps like Hypex and Purifi, either from a performance or efficiency standpoint. I just don't see the point of paying a premium for this technology.

 

[Killingbeans]

Me neither, honestly. It has most potential in SMPSs where you don't get the same penalty from increasing the switching frequency as you do in Class D amps.

I have a a great deal of difficulty seeing these GaN amps as anything other than a gimmick.

It would make more sense if this new breed of amps utilised GaN FETs in their PSUs and had regular old FETs in the amp section.

 

[goryu]

The big issue is most of these new GaN flavored amps don't really implement the GaN fets in a way that takes advantage of their potential benefits over regular fets. As a result, it's just a marketing scam. On top of it, most also have a load dependent frequency response- an issue solved by most class d designs post Tripath over 20 years ago. I consider this a design flaw in view of the performance obtained by state of the art class d like Purifi and Hypex with their ruler flat performance. I see nothing at all in the Peachtree or others using the same class d module to warrant consideration.

 

[Red rocket]

The big issue is most of these new GaN flavored amps don't really implement the GaN fets in a way that takes advantage of their potential benefits over regular fets. As a result, it's just a marketing scam. On top of it, most also have a load dependent frequency response- an issue solved by most class d designs post Tripath over 20 years ago. I consider this a design flaw in view of the performance obtained by state of the art class d like Purifi and Hypex with their ruler flat performance. I see nothing at all in the Peachtree or others using the same class d module to warrant consideration.

So you're going to just write it off without even listening to it?

 

[goryu]

So you're going to just write it off without even listening to it?

Absolutely. I see no reason to consider something that has substandard performance, is based on hype, and is overpriced compared to other class d amps.

 

[Red rocket]

Absolutely. I see no reason to consider something that has substandard performance, is based on hype, and is overpriced compared to other class d amps.

What are you basing it's performance on? You've seen bench tests? Sounds like your judging on stuff that's probably not even true as it this amp. Making tons of assumptions...

 

[goryu]

Same module as the LSA GaN amp reviewed on this forum.

 

[Killingbeans]

This guy really doesn't get it? He really thinks you will hear the gan fet? Lol... Wow

It has only just now occurred to me that "this guy" possibly is referring to me?

Don't worry. The reason why I put the word "sound" in quotation marks, is beacuse I find the idea preposterous. Nevertheless, it's this type of nonsense the designers of these amps are trying to present as justification for the necessity of these products. Correct me if I'm wrong.

What would the omittance of feedback in a Class D amplifier design hope to achieve other than getting some sort of distortion profile, that the designer can wrongfully claim to be unobtainable by other means? The only other thing I can think of is catering to the nonsensical myth of feedback somehow "clouding" the performance of amplifiers. That's just even more bonkers, and the measurements we have seen so far seems to confirm this.

 

[Mnyb]

The big issue is most of these new GaN flavored amps don't really implement the GaN fets in a way that takes advantage of their potential benefits over regular fets. As a result, it's just a marketing scam. On top of it, most also have a load dependent frequency response- an issue solved by most class d designs post Tripath over 20 years ago. I consider this a design flaw in view of the performance obtained by state of the art class d like Purifi and Hypex with their ruler flat performance. I see nothing at all in the Peachtree or others using the same class d module to warrant consideration.

You must implement post filter feedback in a class D design to be competitive otherwise you get load dependent frequency response in the treble and the end result is highly speaker dependent? this is such a big issue that question of what type of fet involved is certainly not important anymore ? And no feedback all class D amps uses shedloads of feedback to work properly that's one of the key features they have a lot of gain and wide bandwidth and can take enormous amounts of NFB .
The problems with feedback is often that you cant use enough of it ?

 

[goryu]

You must implement post filter feedback in a class D design to be competitive otherwise you get load dependent frequency response in the treble and the end result is highly speaker dependent? this is such a big issue that question of what type of fet involved is certainly not important anymore ? And no feedback all class D amps uses shedloads of feedback to work properly that's one of the key features they have a lot of gain and wide bandwidth and can take enormous amounts of NFB .
The problems with feedback is often that you cant use enough of it ?

Yes

 

[Demon3]

Yes

Just got shippment confirmation for my GaN1 today. Will update when I've tested it out.

 

[Demon3]

PeachTree GaN1 received today. I am using JRiver to attenuate the volume digitally and sample to 192kHz, then passing that to the Singxer SU-6 to remove jitter, then on to the GaN1. The sound is incredibly transparent, squeaky clean and with no blurring at all, no matter what volume. The GaN1 replacing an DAC and an amp and uses gallium nitride. More info on the product here https://www.peachtreeaudio.com/products/gan1

 

[tbrobison]

PeachTree GaN1 received today. I am using JRiver to attenuate the volume digitally and sample to 192kHz, then passing that to the Singxer SU-6 to remove jitter, then on to the GaN1. The sound is incredibly transparent, squeaky clean and with no blurring at all, no matter what volume. The GaN1 replacing an DAC and an amp and uses gallium nitride. More info on the product here https://www.peachtreeaudio.com/products/gan1

It's pretty cool, isn't it? I previously mentioned that if you take into account (and if one purchases one) the Bluesound Node at, $599, makes the 200/wpc GaN 1, a $1000 amp. That is a fantastic deal on any account.
Enjoy your new setup!

 

[Demon3]

The cost of the GaN1 is the same as the cables alone from the components it replaces. ultraRendu removed, Serene preamp removed, May KTE removed, Kinki Monoblocks removed and 2 sets of Wywires XLR cables removed. Total of $15k gear removed and all for the discounted beta test price for the GaN1. However, although the GaN1 is more detailed, clean and fast, I still need more time to figure out whether i enjoy the music as much as I did before. Some tweaking to do.

UPDATE:
Next I used the iFi Zen Stream (running from linear PSU) direct to the GaN1 and the Stream-iFi app to control the volume and the Silverline SR17 Supreme speakers. The sound is stunning. It is so transparent, dynamic and enjoyable that it beats my much more expensive system. My class AB amps have a higher power rating, but you would never know it from the way the GaN1 sounds. The control is that good. I wonder what the damping factor is.

The GaN1 is revolutionary because it replaces a top DAC ($5k), DDC ($1k), preamp ($3k) and power amps ($4k) for a price which is similar to what I paid for just the interconnects alone the prior system ($2k). When you add up the numbers, your $2k unit is outperforming $15k of top rated gear. The simplicity of the GaN1 is key here, as you know. I am in awe.

 

[tbrobison]

"The simplicity of the GaN1 is key here, as you know. I am in awe."

My sentiments, exactly! It's not for everybody, but if there's a minimalist bone in your body, this is the bees knees!