Review: Portable amp roundup! 56 portable amps reviewed and compared - FINAL update 12-20-10... - Page 126  

All people hear things differently. And it's quite possible the box plus is better.

Thanks for the kind offer, but I will pass. Headroom had initially told me they would send me a microamp to review when it came out, and then when it actually did come out, they ignored my PM asking to get a review sample. So I assume this means they have no desire for me to review their stuff.

I have just added the following to the review:

> Graham Slee Voyager

Voyager Portable Headphone Amplifier - A New Headphone Amplifier by Graham Slee

A Head-fier was kind enough to loan me a Graham Slee Voyager to test, since a lot of people had asked me about it. The Voyager is highly regarded in many head-fi circles, and indeed, it deserves some of this praise. It has some very good qualities.
One thing that it doesn’t have is good looks. It looks cheap as hell compared to any other headphone amp over $200, and at $350, one has to hope that there are a heck of a lot of high quality parts inside, because the cheap plastic case is pretty lame.
It has a “Contour” switch, which increases bass and treble. I have no use for such things, but some people might. Having a USB power option is kind of handy (it does not contain a DAC though).

In terms of sound, it was a very good overall performer with no real glaring weaknesses, but no earth-shattering areas of performance either.

Build Quality: B-: See above. Also, it pops loudly when powered up. The slider power switch is pretty cheesy too. Really uninspiring build quality, especially for the price. About the best thing I can say about it is that it probably would survive being dropped without incident.
Treble: A-: Generally clean and clear. Good detail, but perhaps just a bit too much sheen.
Midrange: A-: Again, generally clean and transparent, with no obvious coloration. Still, in direct comparison to the iQube, the mids of the Voyager are not as transparent. In fact, the mods of the 2Move are more transparent and open sounding than the Voyager’s. Still, it offers generally very good performance here, and female vocals were very pleasantly reproduced.
Bass: A: The bass was excellent. Like the Decware Zenhead, if has full, powerful, and punchy bass. It too lacked the very last bit of depth that the iQube has, but still very good excellent.
Neutrality: A: Generally very neutral. Impressively so, in fact. Only the slight treble emphasis subtracts here, and it’s not a big deal.
Soundstaging: A: Convincing image stability, and reasonable width combined with excellent depth give it a good score here.
Transparency: A-: Perhaps this is where there is a little failing – there seems to be kind of a gauze through which one hears the music – slight, but there. It prevented me from becoming fully engaged with the music in many instances.

So, I think the Voyager is a very good amp that is overpriced for what it delivers and how it’s packaged. It would be terrific in a nice metal case for $250. At $350 in a cheap plastic case, it’s simply impossible to recommend.


Conclusions (4/28/08)


OK, so now it’s now 40 amps! Here is my view on how the amps stacked up. Note that the sum of the "Grades" I give does not always tell the whole story in how I rank them, since the whole is sometimes greater or lesser than the sum of the parts, and I am often forced to split hairs here, since the list has gotten so long. Also please note that even if these amps include a DAC, that DAC performance was NOT a factor in these rankings AT ALL. Also, for clarification, this ranking is based on sound quality ONLY, and does not take things like size or battery life into account.

1. Triad Audio Lisa III
2. Qables iQube
2. Headamp Pico
2. Larocco Audio Pocket Reference II mk 2 (availability unknown - PLEASE read entire review)
2. Meier Audio 2MOVE (and the older MOVE)
3. RSA SR71
3. RSA The Predator
4. RSA The Hornet “M”
5. Xenos 1HA-EPC (discontinued)
6. RSA Tomahawk
6. Meier Audio XXS / Headsix
7. TTVJ Portable Millet Hybrid
7. Decware Zenhead
8. Xin Reference
8. Meier Audio Porta Corda III (discontinued)
8. Xin SuperMicro IV (current version auditioned 1/22/08)
9. Headamp AE-2
9. Graham Slee Voyager
10. Go-Vibe 7
10. Mini3
11. Leckerton Audio UHA-3
12. Portaphile V2^2
13. mSeed Spirit (discontinued)
14. Mini-Box E
14. Storm B4
15. iBasso P-1 (discontinued)
16. Visely HEA- 1
17. Microshar uAmp107
18. Practical Devices XM4
18. C&C XO
18. iBasso T2
19. Go-Vibe 6 (discontinued)
20. Xtra X-1 Pro
21. Xenos 0HA-REP (discontinued)
21. iBasso T1 (discontinued)
22. Xtra X-1 (discontinued)
23. C&C Box V2
24. Storm B3
25. Little Dot Micro+ (discontinued)

As always, this is JUST MY OPINION, but I hope it has been helpful.

MODS: If you see this post, can you please add a new post #2 for me??? Thanks! I truly cannot add to the Review at this point - I have trimmed as much as I am comfortable trimming. Thanks!

I did comment I thought the Voyager's soundstaging was excellent - especially depth and image specificity.

Also, I think my assessment of the Voyager is very similar to Mrarroyo's, especially if you look at the rankings. Oicdn I think may have rated it higher. I was a littleless impressed, but indeed, it is of course my opinion only!