Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5

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Streamer

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Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« on: 22 Jan 2023, 03:31 am »
I read on USA Audiomart that the Mini GaN 5 was a hot topic in the Spatial Audio Circle of this site. That’s why I’m here. To read more and share.
Thanks

Phil A

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #1 on: 22 Jan 2023, 05:04 am »
Welcome to AC!

2bigears

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #2 on: 22 Jan 2023, 05:06 am »
 :D got one. For the $$ that's a great little 5 pound amp. My D-48's sing pretty dam sweet.  :D

Phil A

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #3 on: 22 Jan 2023, 05:09 am »
I have one in a secondary system and there's some posts here about it - https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=178455.msg1877185#msg1877185

franSSS

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #4 on: 22 Jan 2023, 06:28 am »
Ive just received my Mini gan 5 Mono Blocks.
Very impressed so far.
Paired with the M4's,  schit's Freya + and anti cables.

Will let it burn in for sometime before i make radical statements. But definitely worth a listen too. The sound comes across as effortless at this point.

As always in most cases, the better the room, the better the gear, the more compatible the better the sound. HEHEHEEHEE yeah i know, for every rule there is an exception.

catluck

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #5 on: 22 Jan 2023, 02:10 pm »
Streamer - if you read the "Sapphire M3 - Gallium Nitride Amps" thread you'll see more than you ever cared to about the MiniGan 5's and other gallium nitride amps.  Lovers and detractors.  Mostly positive reviews.  For myself, after 4 months of use of MiniGan 5 monos, the honeymoon continues.  My lonely tube gear sits in the dining room with sad faces.  It's just uncanny how the MiniGan's (with a Freya +), the least expensive system I've owned in decades, have captured my listening attention.

Streamer

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #6 on: 23 Jan 2023, 03:42 am »
Sapphire M3  trying to get used to this site as it’s a bit different from what I’m used to.
Thanks for the welcome.

I have a Class D Audio SD250 power amp.
As for the Mini GaN 5 .. my first one just wasn’t right. It would clip on powerful passages and I was quite surprised. It ran hot too unlike the SD250. One day it sparked and the left channel died. I got a replacement. It fizzled out and died. What are the chances I had such bad luck.
I find the GaN has more depth and 3D qualities over the SD250.

Here’s something I really don’t understand.
When the c-j PV3 was connected to the Adcom I could tell I was listening to Tubes, but with either of the Class D amps I couldn’t differentiate between tubes and solid state pre-amps.
Anyone else notice something like that?

Sapphire M3 Thanks for the tip.
Thanks,
Streamer

Streamer

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #7 on: 23 Jan 2023, 08:29 am »

Streamer

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #8 on: 23 Jan 2023, 08:31 am »
Streamer - if you read the "Sapphire M3 - Gallium Nitride Amps" thread you'll see more than you ever cared to about the MiniGan 5's and other gallium nitride amps.  Lovers and detractors.  Mostly positive reviews.

May I ask you for the link to Sapphire M3?
TIA

Streamer

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #9 on: 23 Jan 2023, 08:42 am »
Found it!
Sorry to bother you.

genjamon

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #10 on: 23 Jan 2023, 02:12 pm »


Here’s something I really don’t understand.
When the c-j PV3 was connected to the Adcom I could tell I was listening to Tubes, but with either of the Class D amps I couldn’t differentiate between tubes and solid state pre-amps.
Anyone else notice something like that?



Not an M3 owner - I have Zu speakers.  And I haven't swapped from tubes to SS preamps, but I do have two different tube preamps with distinctive character.  One is on the warmer end of the spectrum, and the other is on the faster/leaner end of the tube spectrum.  I find the mini GAN 5 to be highly transparent as to the different character of each of those preamps, as well as different DACs and other system changes.  But I also haven't had the reliability problems you're citing with your mini GAN amp.  Not sure what's going on there.

catluck

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #11 on: 23 Jan 2023, 02:47 pm »
I find myself in complete agreement with Genjamon's observations.  Absolute transparency to source. In fact, to the best of my aural recollection, greater transparency than any other amp I've used in 45 years...  Further, I own 2 pair of MiniGan monoblocks (so 4 amps in all) and not a hiccup in over 4 months. They run cool and the amps remain dead silent on turn-on and operation. Clipping? Well, I don't know what speaks you're using Streamer or how loud you listen but I've not found any distortion even at occasional loud listening on M3's.  FWIW.

newzooreview

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #12 on: 23 Jan 2023, 03:58 pm »
If an amp is going into protect mode, especially duplicate examples of the amp, then it is likely the electricity coming into the amp where issues lie.

I had a piece of equipment that would go into protection when I turned it on, and it turned out the polarity on my outlets was reversed. Nothing else I owned had ever complained, but the equipment that balked was from a very accomplished manufacturer who designed things to work with proper power. I got the wiring fixed, and everything sounded better.

Some equipment is designed to work with electricity that meets standards for polarity, grounding, voltage, etc. I find the better the equipment the more true that is. It's a good thing to have a proper protection circuit in place when the incoming power could cause damage.

2bigears

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #13 on: 23 Jan 2023, 04:15 pm »
 :D one can wonder if shipping might come into play. There is no shock isolation in the packaging with these little amps. A small tight fitting box is all you get ? Just a thought.  :D

genjamon

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #14 on: 23 Jan 2023, 04:30 pm »
Yeah I was pretty shocked by the lack of padding in the USPS flat rate box with my amp. Glad it survived the journey, but I could easily see shipping damage being a common occurrence.

Mr. Big

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #15 on: 24 Jan 2023, 12:42 am »
Cheap, Cheap, Cheap. This is what the value is for this amp. If interested go for it.
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649943581-mini-gan-5-class-d-amplifier/

genjamon

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #16 on: 24 Jan 2023, 01:25 am »
Says the man who’s never heard it, but is constantly commenting about it…

Streamer

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #17 on: 24 Jan 2023, 06:59 am »
Thanks guys.
Speakers: Maggie’s MMG’s.
Never happened with my Accuphase P-300 or the Adcom GFA 5400.
Another Mini GaN 5 is on its way.
With the Accuphase and the conrad-johnson PV-3 the sound was so good I stopped shopping for gear. Anyways

I do use an API POWER WEDGE 116. I also use an Adcom ACE 515 power enhancer.
Also have to use s step down transformer (1000a) from 220v to 110v. That is connected to a UPS because of unannounced brown outs. I’m considering to stop using the UPS. The c-j was purchased in Japan and that’s 100v. What a pain.

The aforementioned step down transformer has 3 outputs. 100v, 110v and 220v on the front panel. The Adcom enhancer goes to 100v for thr c-j. All the rest go to 110v.

That’s it for now.
Ciao

Mr. Big

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Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #18 on: 24 Jan 2023, 04:21 pm »
Says the man who’s never heard it, but is constantly commenting about it…

Well, I have heard 3 different class D amps. 7-20K range. PS Audio-Merrill's.

genjamon

Re: Premium-Audio Mini GaN 5
« Reply #19 on: 24 Jan 2023, 04:25 pm »
So what!?  I’ve heard 15-20 Class A or A/B SS amps in my system and those of friends, and dozens upon dozens of each at shows.  Does that qualify me to talk about what your particular SS amps can and can’t do? Are good for or not?