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Technical Details
- Fully Portable Headphone Amplifier - Long Battery Life
- Powerful Sound
- Pod Player Size Match
- Lightweight - 180g
- Street 'Phones Contour-Boost Switch
Product details
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Product Description
Well its finally here nearly 2.5 years in the making we are now totally certain it has been worth the wait. Featuring all of Graham Slee's knowledge and the know how to apply it we have a mini (portable) headphone amplifier (battery USB and plug top powered) that can take any line level source amplify and improve it to give real volume and kick to any headphones or earphones. With a form the size of an IPod Classic (6th generation) but being thicker the IPod can sit easily in the front recess of the Voyager mating together to create a formidable partnership. A number of other Pod players also fit. A separately available 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable allows the 'headphone out' of the player to go into the 'line in' giving excellent results and superb volume and bass. However when you buy a port to 3.5mm adapter bypassing the amp circuits of the Pod player and there inferior digital volume control this allows the Voyager to really impress. We compared it against newer and older model Solos and we liked greatly what we heard. The Voyager is light weight similar in feel to that of a classic pod player and comes fitted street-wear contour switch that is designed to improve the tonal range of street-wear headphones. For use with domestic and studio players that use Hi-Fi or studio headphones the flat position is generally more appropriate. The Voyager can be used in the office taking its input from line-out sources like the 3.5mm jack on many computers. While in use at the desktop it can be powered by a spare USB cord having a mini AB plug. The Voyager is supplied with an AC adapter that can power it when used at home or in the office. In use so fare we have chargers our G6 IPod 80Gb 4 times for 1 charge of the 200mAh NIMH PP3 9v cell and Its still going. Hi-Fi and studio quality stereo headphones can be used with the Voyager. When using high impedance headphones at home (typically 300 Ohm types and above) it is best used with high output line-level sources like a CD player ampli.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I have been around the block with headphone amplifiers working my way up through the ranks. I was aware of the Voyager some time back but the price always put me off since there were so many options from the likes of FIIO. Having owned a couple of FIIO amps (E5, E7) I was very impressed with the improvement they made to my iphone and headphones and never really believed that there would be much difference between those and the Voyager. Well, curiosity finally got the better of me when I had a few quid burning a hole in my back pocket and I decided to try one. Well, what can I say? When I first plugged it in I was lining myself up with my favourite tracks do carry out comparison tests between the Voyager and my FIIO E7, but I needn't have bothered. The difference in the sound quality was so big I never even bothered putting my FIIO back on, it was truly amazing how much more detail was there and I found myself flicking through all my favourite tracks. To the reviewers that have said that the Voyager is not all that, all I can say is that it must not be suitable with their equipment. I use an iphone and an expensive pair of Denon headphones retailing at £800, so I can only assume that these 2 devices were able to exploit the best values of the Voyager. As to the build quality, any audiofile will know that many cottage industry firms like Graham Slee will focus on sound quality before looks. My advive is don't spend £200 on a headphone amp unless you have already spent considerably more on your headphones and MP3 player. These devices cannot turn scrap into gold, but if you have a good quality MP3 and a good quality set of headphones and you don't have a hearing defect, then you will find this might just be the best £200 you have spent in a long time, particularly if you are currently using a FIIO E5 (£20) or E7 (£60) device, which are also great value, but not in anywhere near the same league as the Voyager
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Like everyone else reading this review, I purchased this item on the basis of all the incredible things I had heard about it. And while it is unquestionably a good amp, there are certainly limitations as to how much it can enhance listening pleasure or provide improvements to the sound.
My set up is as follows:
iPod Classic 30GB -> Belkin connector via dock -> GS Voyager - > Sennheiser 595 or PX100
I use a mixture of Apple lossless and various mp3s (192k minimum)
The Voyager takes a substantial amount of time to break in. I would say you need at least 160, maybe 200, hours on this thing before you start to hear the benefits. And when you do, they are quite subtle. The GSV eases the treble sharpness of the stock iPod and provides a general "meatiness" to the sound that wasn't there before. My favorite quality is the aggressive, growling midrange - great for old-school '70s Punk! It's a sound that's oozing character. On lusher music, it sounds pleasingly full and provides a transports-you-somewhere-else quality. Walking around the street with PX100s, you can easily obliterate what's going on around you. It really does feel like your not even there in the real world (I consider this a good thing).
On the other hand, and I'm not sure wether this is the iPod or the GSV, but the overall tone is hard and brittle. I find this feature on both Apple Lossless and 192k files (interestingly resolution doesn't seem to make an awful amount of difference generally on the GSV). I find this brittleness pretty unpleasant generally and much prefer to use the contour switch which gives it a huge bass boost that also softens the overall sound. Definitely more fun to listen to. Yet on the whole, the positive differences that the GSV provides are too subtle to justify its cost and this is further compounded by its treatment of poor quality sources. A poorly mastered recording will still sound poor maybe even more so on this equipment and while this may be the aim of Hi-Fi manufacturers, it doesn't exactly make for an engaging listen. Believe me, where mp3s are concerned you absolutely DON'T want a transparent amplifier. Another gripe is the lack of headroom on the amp. Push the volume past 12 o'clock and nasty distortion sets in. It's so nasty, you have to switch it off. As I alluded earlier, this could be the mediocrity of the iPod that's being revealed but until/unless I purchase another mp3 player, I cannot validate this for sure.
People interested in the GSV are generally those looking to improve the sound of their mp3 players. I do not think purchasing the GSV is necessarliy the best way to accomplish this. The primary objective should firstly be to obtain quality headphones, then a quality mp3 player. And then if someone's really obsessed with optimum sound then they can experiment with the GSV. But as it stands this is neither an essential upgrade nor an audiophile delight.
Mine's just sitting in the closet gathering dust.
My set up is as follows:
iPod Classic 30GB -> Belkin connector via dock -> GS Voyager - > Sennheiser 595 or PX100
I use a mixture of Apple lossless and various mp3s (192k minimum)
The Voyager takes a substantial amount of time to break in. I would say you need at least 160, maybe 200, hours on this thing before you start to hear the benefits. And when you do, they are quite subtle. The GSV eases the treble sharpness of the stock iPod and provides a general "meatiness" to the sound that wasn't there before. My favorite quality is the aggressive, growling midrange - great for old-school '70s Punk! It's a sound that's oozing character. On lusher music, it sounds pleasingly full and provides a transports-you-somewhere-else quality. Walking around the street with PX100s, you can easily obliterate what's going on around you. It really does feel like your not even there in the real world (I consider this a good thing).
On the other hand, and I'm not sure wether this is the iPod or the GSV, but the overall tone is hard and brittle. I find this feature on both Apple Lossless and 192k files (interestingly resolution doesn't seem to make an awful amount of difference generally on the GSV). I find this brittleness pretty unpleasant generally and much prefer to use the contour switch which gives it a huge bass boost that also softens the overall sound. Definitely more fun to listen to. Yet on the whole, the positive differences that the GSV provides are too subtle to justify its cost and this is further compounded by its treatment of poor quality sources. A poorly mastered recording will still sound poor maybe even more so on this equipment and while this may be the aim of Hi-Fi manufacturers, it doesn't exactly make for an engaging listen. Believe me, where mp3s are concerned you absolutely DON'T want a transparent amplifier. Another gripe is the lack of headroom on the amp. Push the volume past 12 o'clock and nasty distortion sets in. It's so nasty, you have to switch it off. As I alluded earlier, this could be the mediocrity of the iPod that's being revealed but until/unless I purchase another mp3 player, I cannot validate this for sure.
People interested in the GSV are generally those looking to improve the sound of their mp3 players. I do not think purchasing the GSV is necessarliy the best way to accomplish this. The primary objective should firstly be to obtain quality headphones, then a quality mp3 player. And then if someone's really obsessed with optimum sound then they can experiment with the GSV. But as it stands this is neither an essential upgrade nor an audiophile delight.
Mine's just sitting in the closet gathering dust.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
I bought the Voyager to pair up with my Grado RS1i's.
Very impressed so far by the sound quality and battery life. There are other products out there that are a tad bit smaller and hence more easier to carry around with an ipod but that is just a minor niggle.
The amp produces a very characteristic warm sound that have to paired up with a suitable headphone to take maximum advantage of. I have used all my headphones on these (Bose Triport, QC3, Grado RS1i and the Westone 3) and they all sound very good. However you if you prefer brighter sounds, then you will find that in an A/B test with the amp output vs the ipod output, the ipod output sounds better.
None of my headphones are really power hungry so I do not know how these perform with cans that have high impedance. Although I hear they are just as good.
In short a fantastic product, good build quality. Good options to power up, long battery life (mine's been running for over 45 hours!). Not five stars as it is slightly larger than the ibasso's etc.
Very impressed so far by the sound quality and battery life. There are other products out there that are a tad bit smaller and hence more easier to carry around with an ipod but that is just a minor niggle.
The amp produces a very characteristic warm sound that have to paired up with a suitable headphone to take maximum advantage of. I have used all my headphones on these (Bose Triport, QC3, Grado RS1i and the Westone 3) and they all sound very good. However you if you prefer brighter sounds, then you will find that in an A/B test with the amp output vs the ipod output, the ipod output sounds better.
None of my headphones are really power hungry so I do not know how these perform with cans that have high impedance. Although I hear they are just as good.
In short a fantastic product, good build quality. Good options to power up, long battery life (mine's been running for over 45 hours!). Not five stars as it is slightly larger than the ibasso's etc.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't let the looks put you off...
Just a quick review after almost a year of ownership.
This amp takes around 200 hours of use before it is burned in and really delivers. Read more
This amp takes around 200 hours of use before it is burned in and really delivers. Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. Ford
Try before you buy
Good amp, but quite frankly, I fail to see how anyone could justify the asking price. Let down badly by the crude "home made" look. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr MooMoo
Voyager -worth considering with good soundcard!
Great little product for the price if you have a quality line-in. I use the voyager with a quality interconnect from my Asus xonar sound card and get great sound through my Sony... Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2010 by Mr. G. Hooper
FANATASTIC BLOWN TO OBILIVION
I already own a sony nwz-a818 mp3 player & a sennhieser pxc 450 headphones see my earlier amazon blog decided to check out the headphone amp scene & found this little beauty & what... Read more
Published on 17 April 2009 by G. A. Godman
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