Well The Voyager has landed, nearly 2.5 years in the making, The voyager was certainly 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 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. We recommend if using an Ipod 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 far we have charged our IPod Classic 80Gb 5 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, amplifier line/tape out, or the output of a phono preamplifier, if required to reach high volumes. A 3.5 to 6.3mm jack plug adapter may be required for some Hi-Fi or studio headphones. A stereo phono to 3.5mm jack plug, or DIN to 3.5mm jack plug cable may also be required depending on your home equipment.

The Voyager will not drive electrostatic headphones

So although they make strange bed fellows, the Graham Slee Voyager partners the Apple iPod like a hand in a Glove.

"The GSP Voyager is the best sounding portable headphone amp I've heard to date...
...It's notable for two things; its eerie smoothness across the midband and strong but supple bass. Driven by 'the Hi-Fi World' iPod (Classic, running Apple Lossless) it produced very nice noises indeed, removing at a stroke the iPod's cold, steely, hardness and limp bass response. In its place is a warm, fulsome and naturally musical sound with nicely detailed treble that's as fluid as it is spacious. In short: it sounds just like a Graham Slee phonostage!"David Price, Hi-Fi World, April 2008

What Hi Fi March 2009

Technical Specification