[musicmaker]

I've been intrigued by the Graham Slee Voyager for a while. Having heard really good things about Graham Slee products in general, wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Also, I wanted to compare the Voyager to my portable reference - the Larocco PRII mkII and determine how it would stack up. Luck was with me and a good head-fier Miguel (mrarroyo) loaned me a Voyager to compare. Thank you Miguel !

The Voyager was a low gain version and had roughly 300+ hours on it. The PRII has roughly about the same. Perhaps a bit more but in that neighborhood anyway.

Feature & Spec comparison

Manufacturer Links

Graham Slee Audio & Support Forums
Larocco Audio


Build & Finish

The Voyager's casing is plastic and frankly a bit DIY looking. The finish especially near the joints can be improved upon. While a nicer metal casing would've given the unit a more appealing look , I do appreciate the ruggedness and practicality of the plastic case. It is light weight, a DAP would sit nicely on top of the voyager and I wouldn't have to worry about scratching the amp or the player as I would have to had it been a metal case. While I'm not dissatisfied with the case by any means, I would've been much happier if it had a better finish especially given the price of the unit. But rest assured, what it lacks in the looks department it more than makes up for in what matters most - the sound.

The PRII with its brushed anodized aluminum enclosure exudes quality and is breathtakingly gorgeous. Beauty has its price. The PRII is much heavier and consequently to me less portable than the voyager.

Equipment used

Source: iRiver ihp-140
DAC: HR Microdac
Headphone: Ultrasone HFI-780 & Senn HD25-II
Cables: Sysconcept optical, Mogami Neglex mini-mini w/ switchcraft connectors

I used a variety of music for my listening tests. Tracks from Keiko Matsui - Deep Blue, Claude Challe - Nirvana Lounge Vol 2, Pink Floyd - Paranoid Eyes and some Indian fusion and sound tracks from Indian movies were used.

Sound

My first impression of the Voyager was how well balanced across the frequency spectrum and tonally accurate it sounded. Instruments and voices sounded natural. Piano sounded like Piano. Cymbals were reproduced with lifelike timbre. I definitely prefer the flat setting as this delivers a neutral & accurate presentation. The contour switch would probably benefit street phones. I didn't care for it. It seems to use some kind of intelligent equalization logic and most notably boosts the bass and also the treble. It was still distortion free in this mode but honestly it was a bit too much and I found it fatiguing.

The PRII has the best treble of any portable amp I've heard. But the voyager was very close with a super clean, well defined and realistic treble lacking only a wee bit of that final extension the PRII presented. Both amps have an excellent midrange that's presented with seductive intimacy & focus. I cannot pick one over the other. The voyagers bass is nothing short of amazing. Articulate and authoritative with right quantity, depth, speed and definition without overpowering the midrange. Just spot-on on all the tracks I listened to and so good in fact that I didn't miss the PRII's bass boost one bit. The PRII's bass does go a tad lower but the voyager's bass is so enjoyable nevertheless. From a neutrality perspective, both amps fall on the warm side of neutral with the PRII being the warmer of the two so I did find the voyager slightly more neutral than the PRII. Soundstage wise both had very good instrument placement and stage depth with the PRII throwing a slightly more expansive field. I was able to close my eyes and picture the orchestration well with both.

So there you have it. In summary, it’s a bit hard picking one over the other. This says a LOT about the Voyager. Competing with the PRII is no easy task and only the cream of the crop can pull it off with flying colors.

So which one would I rather have ?

Although the PRII has a slight edge on pure sound quality alone, If you're like me, in addition to sound quality you'd weigh in other factors as well when making a purchase decision - Price/Performance, battery life, Pre & Post sales support, size, weight & versatility.

Price/Performance: Although the exchange rates are not in the voyager's favor at ~ USD 355 it still represents better price/performance than the PRII.

Battery life: The voyager wins hands down. ~50 hours vs ~12 hours (PRII).

Pre & Post Sales support: This one's easy. It would be an understatement to say dealing with Larocco is a nerve wracking and frustrating experience. The Voyager on the other hand is backed by a solid company that stands behind its products.

Size: This is a tie. Both amps are on the large side of portable.

Weight: The Voyager is lighter

Given that, I would pick the Voyager over the PRII. I'm extremely impressed with the Voyager and have no reservations in recommending it wholeheartedly.

 

[HiFight77]

Great Review !!
btw, have you compared Voyager vs iQube ?
and what do you think about Voyager driving cans like HD650 ?

Regards

 

[musicmaker]

thanks. My iQube was not really burnt-in when I had the Voyager, so couldn't really compare. I liked the Voyager quite a bit that I may be purchasing one shortly. If I do, I'll compare it with my iQube.

I believe a high gain variant of the voyager was/is available. I don't have my HD650s anymore, so haven't tested unfortunately.

 

[MrJoshua]

Great review!

I took both the pre-production high gain and the retail "low gain" models to the UK meet and people generally preferred the low gain model - They said it sounded better overall.

The Voyager I have is a pre-production model that has been modified using the same components as the production model (I was a beta-tester) - I really need to pull my finger out and get it burned in properly, as these amps need about 200 hours to start sounding their best.

However, I just did a quick test with my HD-650s and the Voyager drives them pretty loud at the 12 O'Clock (half way) position on the volume knob (running from the battery - although Graham said it doesn't matter which of the methods of powering it you use, it'll sound the same).

 

[Dexdexter]

Wonderful write-up there, mm! I especially like the handy spec comparison chart, nice touch.

Having heard both of them recently (on separate occasions, but with the same source and my Edition 9s), I agree with you that, soundwise, these fine amps are almost too close to call.

 

[Ash]

Very good comparison.
I really liked the table too.
I wish u had a pair 701s to try with these! Would have been very interesting to see the result.

 

[lisnalee]

Very nice review.

I've had mine for about 2 months now and it just gets better and better the more its burnt in. I'm at about 500 hrs now and can still notice subtle changes in the sound. I have a xin reference on pre order and only for the fact i counldn't cancel it i would. I wont be upgrading the voyager anytime soon.

It does an ok job of driving the HD650 to a reasonable level but does lack the authority of a good home amp which is to be expected of something running from a 9v battery. Most of the time its running my livewires which sound amazing through it.

 

[musicmaker]

thanks for the kind words and comments guys.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

Great write up musicmaker, very enjoyable to read and very clear. I'll eagerly await your comparison to the iQube. If I were to buy a portable amp, the iQube and Voyager, maybe a Meier (all european for being in EU myself and customs savings) are the first candidates in my shortlist. Good job mate!

Rgrds.

 

[Contrastique]

Wow, thanx for the write-up! Very simple but very clear. Forgot to check out the Voyager on the last meet and it sure looks I've missed out on something pretty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ash /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wish u had a pair 701s to try with these! Would have been very interesting to see the result.

No worries. I tried the 701's with my Larocco but it was unable to drive them to their full potential. You get a hunch of their capabilities but that's that. They sounded dull and boring.

 

[mrarroyo]

What a great write-up! I predict the use of the table will become the norm from now on.

I am glad you liked the amp, in retrospect the plastic case does make for a much more portable unit plus it is less flashy and should not call attention to itself (avoids thiefs

)

I believe that Graham is going to be ofering a new case in the next production batch of Voyagers. Many that have compared the high gain with the low gain version indicate they hear a better sound quality out of the low gain version. Well I have both and I can not hear a difference, guess being an old fart has affected my ears more than I thought possible.

Anyways, great work!

 

[fkclo]

musicmaker,

Congratulations for a great review. I too have a Voyager and a Pocket Reference II and I must say your observations and impressions are very close to mine. I am quite pleasantly surprise at how the Voyager sounds - even though it has "only' 400 hours on it.

I am a previous owner of Graham Slee Solo with PSU1 and have always been impressed by the talent Graham puts in his creation, and the Voyager is no exception.

Regarding the case - yes, it looks primitive and crude but it is highly practical. It is made of tough ABS and is meant to withstand your daily abuse on the road. It is also light weight and meant to be carried around. All those pretty little metal boxes are far less practical in my opinion.

On the other hand, I must admit the casing design and craftmanship of the PRII is a class of its own. For this simple reason, I have been keeping it more as a work of art, even though I have put in very little hours on it in the last 6 months.

F. Lo

 

[indysmith]

Great Review. I love my Voyager, but TBH I don't have anything to compare it to. Does it perform on the same level as some home amps? I ask because I love using the voyager at home and portably, but would it be worth investing in a home amp also?

 

[musicmaker]

Thanks everyone.

Miguel & fkclo, your comments on the case are right-on. I couldn't have said it better. The case although not pretty is extremely practical (light-weight and rugged) and portable. No doubt.

indysmith, I don't have any home amps to compare. The closest was my beloved RSA XP-7 that I sold, so can't A/B. Generally speaking though, my guess is a dedicated home amp at this price point may have a sonic edge over the portable. But I do think very highly of the voyager and think it provides incredible sound quality for the price.

There are folks here that own home amps in a similar price bracket and the voyager that can provide their inputs.

 

[musicmaker]

I've decided to buy the Voyager and add it to my mini arsenal of amps.

If there's enough interest I'll do a Voyager-iQube comparison next.