[plakat]

   
Thank you very much for the speedy feedback!
 
This is my first time to own a desktop amp. And I don't know anything about electronics. As far as I am concerned, as long as the amp outputs great music according to my preferences, I'm all good. On the other hand, I am also aware that I have to learn even some basic electronics stuff if I were to fully appreciate how my G109 works.
 
Thanks again!

You're welcome. Most important is to enjoy the music... often the technical details distract more than they help actually. So have fun -- thats what these things are built for.

 

[rad212]

I just received my G109A this weekend. 2 day shipping arrived on Saturday! I have both HD-600's and the HE-500's and the G109A sounds better to my ears than my WA-6 does with the HE-500. More clarity, focus and cleaner,deep bass.The default gain settings are just right so no need to fiddle with the jumpers. I love the feel of the volume control, overall this is a great little headphone amp and the 2 x ¼-in front phone jacks are a nice benefit when you own 2 sets of phones

 Highly recommended

 

[Koolpep]

And it's back on massdrop. The 30 year special edition. I jumped on it, always wanted a lake people amp. Konstanz is such a lovely city. Studied in Kempten, not far from there.....sigh memories....

 

[bobpensik]

I am strongly considering joining the Massdrop offer as well, but I'm trying to decide what would pair better with my HD650, a Concero HP or Lake People G109A + Herus. Anyone have an opinion?

 

[Sam21]

I bought the G109-S a couple of years ago, I am wondering if the G109-A would be considered an upgrade to the G019-S both sonically and specification-wise ? 
 
 
Also, if I place an order on the European web site, would the input AC Voltag/Current be compatible with the US power outlet ?

 

[fdg]

Hello Sam21
The G109-A is the 30th anniversary model form Lake People and offers "musical" Nichicon capacitors in the power supply, the protection relay from G109-P, metallized feet and a special front panel.
From the specs it is ranged a bit over G109-S - if this can be heard is another question ...
Anyway it is a 300 pieces limited edition and there are only few items left.
Like all other items from Lake People the unit can be set to 230 V or 115 V AC operation when ordered from Lake People Germany.
You will receive an item with the right AC voltage and the right mains cord when ordering from www.Violectric-USA.com.
 
Best Regards
 
Fried Reim

 

[Sam21]

  Hello Sam21
The G109-A is the 30th anniversary model form Lake People and offers "musical" Nichicon capacitors in the power supply, the protection relay from G109-P, metallized feet and a special front panel.
From the specs it is ranged a bit over G109-S - if this can be heard is another question ...
Anyway it is a 300 pieces limited edition and there are only few items left.
Like all other items from Lake People the unit can be set to 230 V or 115 V AC operation when ordered from Lake People Germany.
You will receive an item with the right AC voltage and the right mains cord when ordering from www.Violectric-USA.com.
 
Best Regards
 
Fried Reim

 
So you are saying that the difference is negligible and an upgrade isn't worth it, right ?
 
I also notice that the A version has a 5.0 VA power supply whereas the S version has a 3.5 VA power supply, does this affect the power ratings in anyway ?
 
Also, on your website the A and S versions share the same specs, Can you explain why ?
 
Also, Is there gonna be another G109-A drop at massdrop.com ?
 
Many Thanks

 

[fdg]

@ Sam21
For sound reasons I don´t think that G109-A is an upgrade over G109-S.
The circuitry of the amp is the same - and I don´t believe in massive sound enhancement because of better capacitors in the power supply

Yes, it may be that G109-A sound a bit smoother but I am not sure if that could be proved in a double-blind test.
The specs of G109-A and G109-S are the same because the current limiters from the circuitry are calculated for the 3.5 + 3.5 VA transformer.
We are using a “bigger” 5 + 5 VA transformer inside G109-A.
Because of the “conservative” current limiters this has no influence on the output power.
Designing an amp with only 8 dB (factor 2.5) gain is somehow tricky because with this small amount of feedback ringing, oscillation, unstable operation is feasible.
This is why most competitors have much more gain. But more gain yield more noise and the black background suffers.  
We succeeded in making an amp that is powerful and stable despite the low gain and it took a long time to get there.
This is the reason why we did not squeezed the G109-A circuitry to more power.
Inside G109-A the 40 % extra power from the transformer serves for relaxed operation - maybe also this is audible.   

Well, the stock of this G109-A limited edition is melting faster than we expected.
Basically we intended to end sales during the Munich HiEnd show in May.
If there is any stock left afterwards I can imagine it will appear on Massdrop.

Thank you, Fried Reim

 

[luvmusik]

Hello Fried,
 
Enjoy reading the details of the comparison between models you posted.
 
Could you also please give a similar detailed comparison between G109A and V100, please ?
 
I own both, find them sensational, and keep them in 2 different locations. Always wondered about the fine points in comparison between the two and eager to learn from you. Thanks.

 

[TreesGrassStone]

Ive read pretty much this whole thread now, very interesting!
 
Ive been trying to read up on comparisons between Schiit Magni 2 and LP g103.
109 is unfortunately out of my price range atm.
Using it for mixing with DT880 pro and rme Babyface.
 
- Which one is the most neutral sounding between Magni 2 and g103?
Im using it solely for mixing so needs to be as true to the source as possible.
Best sound isn't what I'm after, id rather it said it like it is
 
- Is having balanced XLR ins a big upgrade over unbalanced RCA for studio use?
 
Schiit price is half of LP, which is interesting, but Ive heard some peoples drivers have been blown by the magni 2, this makes me reluctant to say the least.

 

[Sam21]

G109-S/A are wonderful amps, I am so happy I bought it

  @ Sam21
For sound reasons I don´t think that G109-A is an upgrade over G109-S.
The circuitry of the amp is the same - and I don´t believe in massive sound enhancement because of better capacitors in the power supply

Yes, it may be that G109-A sound a bit smoother but I am not sure if that could be proved in a double-blind test.
The specs of G109-A and G109-S are the same because the current limiters from the circuitry are calculated for the 3.5 + 3.5 VA transformer.
We are using a “bigger” 5 + 5 VA transformer inside G109-A.
Because of the “conservative” current limiters this has no influence on the output power.
Designing an amp with only 8 dB (factor 2.5) gain is somehow tricky because with this small amount of feedback ringing, oscillation, unstable operation is feasible.
This is why most competitors have much more gain. But more gain yield more noise and the black background suffers.  
We succeeded in making an amp that is powerful and stable despite the low gain and it took a long time to get there.
This is the reason why we did not squeezed the G109-A circuitry to more power.
Inside G109-A the 40 % extra power from the transformer serves for relaxed operation - maybe also this is audible.   

Well, the stock of this G109-A limited edition is melting faster than we expected.
Basically we intended to end sales during the Munich HiEnd show in May.
If there is any stock left afterwards I can imagine it will appear on Massdrop.

Thank you, Fried Reim

You mean the extra 40% does nothing, right ? So I guess the noise floor/SNR/THD/IMD/CROSSTALK and all the other specs remain the same, except the capacitors are different types which doesn't make a difference since each type has its own charachteristics/flavour but spec-wise and measurment-wise they(both types of Capacitors) are in the same tier/class. Just like OP-AMP rolling in amps with OP-AMPS[I know it is a bad analogy (drawing a parallel between Capacitors and OP-AMPs), just wanting to clarify the situation]  , different op amps that are in the same class(have the same specs and measurments) function the same and it is just a matter of flavour...
 
 
G109-S/A are wonderful amps, I am so happy I bought it, I downgraded all my audio stuff but this amp because it is dead silent and has lots of power.

 

[Tuneslover]

G109-S/A are wonderful amps, I am so happy I bought it, I downgraded all my audio stuff but this amp because it is dead silent and has lots of power.

I agree wholeheartedly that the LP G109S amp is a terrific amp for precisely the reasons you mentioned. I've had mine for almost 2 years in my primary audio system and have no intention of ever parting with it.

 

[fdg]

@ luvmusik

Lake People G109 (A) and Violectric V100 share the same amp topology and so the output power is nearly identical.
However, V100 is made with standard thru-hole components which need more PCB space while G109 is made with as much surface mount components as possible.
This measure lowers the production costs and for my opinion all G109 makes suffer a microscopic bit in sound under special circumstances compared with the more conservative "brother" V100.
Again, nothing to be clearly discovered doing double-blind tests.
 
Both amps differ a lot when it comes to the mechanical efforts.
While G109 offers a "good" build quality, V100 is often quoted to be built like a tank.

In fact the case of V100 is double as thick as the one from G109, it is much deeper and nextel coated.

The front panel from G109 is 3 mm thick, only a bit grinded and the edges are a bit rounded while the front panel from V100 is 8 mm thick, milled from both sides, glass blasted, grinded and laser engraved.

But there is also something special about the silk screening of G109-A.
Here the paint is not applied after the anodizing but is part of the anodizing process itself.
So it is finally in the surface and not on the surface. 

V100 offers the possibility of having a digital input and is more comfortable when it comes to set the Pre-Gain.
Finally I would say that G109 is an amp for those who like to have the Lake People / Violectric sound (if there is any

) and don´t care that much about a special appearance, while V100 is the choice for those who share the opinion that good gear must also have its attitude / look / weight !


@ [color=windowtext]TreesGrassStone[/color]

I am the wrong person to judge the sound of the competition compared to the sound of our gear.
What I can say is that we work hard to design amps with “no sound”.
Both amps, G103 and Magni will offer more than enough power for low impedance headphones.

However, from the technical point of view G103 will offer much more output voltage swing - what is essential for high impedance headphones like DT880.

And, maybe an important point, I don´t know anybody who ruined his headphones with our amps.

Also I would recommend to go for the XLR version.
You can drive it also with unbalanced signals with the aid of an adaptor.
But the main advantage is the quad pre-gain instead of double pre-gain with G109-S.
 
Thank you,

Fried Reim

 

[mkrzych]

  @ luvmusik

Lake People G109 (A) and Violectric V100 share the same amp topology and so the output power is nearly identical.
However, V100 is made with standard thru-hole components which need more PCB space while G109 is made with as much surface mount components as possible.
This measure lowers the production costs and for my opinion all G109 makes suffer a microscopic bit in sound under special circumstances compared with the more conservative "brother" V100.
Again, nothing to be clearly discovered doing double-blind tests.
 
Both amps differ a lot when it comes to the mechanical efforts.
While G109 offers a "good" build quality, V100 is often quoted to be built like a tank.

In fact the case of V100 is double as thick as the one from G109, it is much deeper and nextel coated.

The front panel from G109 is 3 mm thick, only a bit grinded and the edges are a bit rounded while the front panel from V100 is 8 mm thick, milled from both sides, glass blasted, grinded and laser engraved.

But there is also something special about the silk screening of G109-A.
Here the paint is not applied after the anodizing but is part of the anodizing process itself.
So it is finally in the surface and not on the surface. 

V100 offers the possibility of having a digital input and is more comfortable when it comes to set the Pre-Gain.
Finally I would say that G109 is an amp for those who like to have the Lake People / Violectric sound (if there is any

) and don´t care that much about a special appearance, while V100 is the choice for those who share the opinion that good gear must also have its attitude / look / weight !


@ [color=windowtext]TreesGrassStone[/color]

I am the wrong person to judge the sound of the competition compared to the sound of our gear.
What I can say is that we work hard to design amps with “no sound”.
Both amps, G103 and Magni will offer more than enough power for low impedance headphones.

However, from the technical point of view G103 will offer much more output voltage swing - what is essential for high impedance headphones like DT880.

And, maybe an important point, I don´t know anybody who ruined his headphones with our amps.

Also I would recommend to go for the XLR version.
You can drive it also with unbalanced signals with the aid of an adaptor.
But the main advantage is the quad pre-gain instead of double pre-gain with G109-S.
 
Thank you,

Fried Reim

Fair answer Fried. I have G103 driving Beyers T90 with 250ohm impedance on default gain settings and it's more than enough power for them, very rare going over the half of the pot - time to time if there is record done quite like some of the Chandos records. For 600Ohm cans I probably need to change the gain.
 
As it goes for the sound, my answer is indeed, it's without the sound signature and very good, black background - this is for G103. Don't know what other amps can bring (what is audible) to it except the gain and look...

 

[luvmusik]

Hello Fried,
 
Thank you for the information & your time, it is greatly appreciated & solves my curiousity.
 
Have been telling many folks about how I really like both my G109-A and V-100.
 
Thanks for making these super amps.