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Beresford TC7520 opamp rolling!! - Page 2

post #16 of 63
7/4/09 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
not really...just pop them in and enjoy!

btw, did you buy 1 or 2? you're gonna need two of them if you want for both headphone and line out.

so did you get a tube amp? i moved my beresford to use on my desktop and i honestly believe the amp is really good and competes with other sub $500 amps out there. i'm using it to drive my grado's and senn. i find it too analytical sounding with the 701.

edit: btw, i also have a pair of the LM4562NA. i did a brief 10 min audition with them and it sounded pretty similar to the 4032's. i didn't listen to them long enough to do a detail comparison, however, i popped the 4032's back in shortly after because i felt more accustomed and drawn to their sound.
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post #17 of 63
7/5/09 at 12:47am
Nope, don't have funds for a tube amp at the moment. Plus, I don't know if I could justify the cost considering how much I like my setup at the moment.

Only bought 1 because I don't really use line out. If I end up with a pair of speakers, though, I'm sure I'll order another opamp.

BTW, do you keep your Beresford running topless at all?
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post #18 of 63
7/5/09 at 8:44am
Thread Starter 
nope, i don't find a need to run topless. it runs fine; nice and cool doesn't get warm or anything. plus the kit from Tirna fits perfectly. people had problems with fit before with the older kit but these new ones don't have a problem with closing the top cover.
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post #19 of 63
7/5/09 at 2:31pm
Has anyone checked the Beresford US web site lately? There's a modification service available now. What crap. $75 to swap in a SOCKETED opamp. I sent them an email regarding the discrete opamps though, I'm awaiting a reply.

EDIT: OK, from the emails:

Me: Just making sure I have this right, it is $75 plus shipping to swap in a new socketed opamp? Will you guys do a swap to a WM8716 DAC chip?

Me: I am also wondering about the discrete opamp modification. Is there any more detail that I can hear on that?

Jeff: Thanks for your interest. You are correct the fee for the upgrade is to swap out the opamps. Unfortunately we are not going to swap out the DAC chips at this time.

Jeff: The discrete opamp is 4 small boards arranged in a cube shape that does not use any integrated circuits, but uses
discrete components to do the job of an opamp. We use a 100 mm harness to be able to locate the opamp inside
case of the 7520. Due to the size you will have to choose whether you want the discrete opamp on the linestage or the
headphone amp. The other circuit will get the LM4562NA opamp upgrade.

Me:Can I get more information on the discrete opamp? model number or specs or something? And how much would it cost to get it installed into the head amp?

Jeff:We have not finalized a price yet, but expect it to be in the $150 range including shipping. We are not releasing specs on this unit.

Me: Do you read the ArtOfSound forums, where Stan and many other DIYers hang out? They have detailed many DIY mods for the TC7520, including opamp and DAC chip swapping. Will there be similar discussion on the discrete opamps? That is to say, will there be a way for DIYers to to do this sort of mod themselves without sending their DAC out to a Beresford location?

Jeff: I am familiar with the Art of Sound, and think it is a great resource. The service we are offering is based on our research of different opamps and their sound qualities. We are offering this service for customers that are not inclined to do this type of mod themselves
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________

That's the end of the line. Quite interesting stuff.
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post #20 of 63
7/5/09 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LingLing1337 View Post
Jeff: The discrete opamp is 4 small boards arranged in a cube shape that does not use any integrated circuits, but uses
discrete components to do the job of an opamp. We use a 100 mm harness to be able to locate the opamp inside
case of the 7520. Due to the size you will have to choose whether you want the discrete opamp on the linestage or the
headphone amp. The other circuit will get the LM4562NA opamp upgrade.
harness? i like how he worded it to make it sound more complicated than it really is.

$75 is quite ridiculous considering the amount of work done that is needed to swap out the opamps. i think if it was priced at $35 it would have been more reasonable.

but then again so is this mod: Beresford upgrades

while beresford makes/mods a pretty good dac. i question the way they do business in terms of marketing and pricing of their products.

it is pretty obvious that they aren't making much of a profit. before i bought the dac i emailed them if they offered a 30-day trial thing. noticed how they changed their website from 0 to 15-days to 30-days now?
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post #21 of 63
7/15/09 at 12:50am
Received the THS4032 a couple days ago. Thought it was pretty great at first, but it doesn't play nice with my Grados, more of a can mismatch than anything. I think that a HD600 or K701 would be better suited. Swapped in my NE5532 until I get some sample opamps.
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post #22 of 63
7/15/09 at 1:02am
Thread Starter 
hmm...that's weird. it didn't have any problem with my 325i or RS1i. did you try switching them around? also what did you mean by mismatch? were you getting heavy distortion?

edit: oh nvm, i forgot you only bought one. i'd be interested in knowing the improvements the new wolfson dac would bring with the new caiman and its X64 oversampling capability (whatever that means). i really like the sound of the TC7520, but the only thing it lacks now that i compare it to the PSA DLIII is detail.
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post #23 of 63
7/17/09 at 8:04pm
I thought that a DAC that didn't oversample at all was best for natural sound By mismatch I mean it was a crackly, overly bright sound. Too forward for my ears and didn't sound right at all.
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post #24 of 63
7/17/09 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
did it sound okay with your sennheiser or RE2? i find that to be a little weird since it seems to work great with all my grado's. i wonder if you could ask tirna for a replacement?
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post #25 of 63
7/17/09 at 8:52pm
^I'm giving it another chance right now actually. Sennheiser it definitely sounds better to me. Haven't tried it with the RE2. I'm gonna listen to a non-vinyl track now so I can distinguish chip crackles from vinyl crackles

I'll make another post in ~30 minutes.
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post #26 of 63
7/18/09 at 2:18am
hey guys, I was just wondering, does switching the opamps affect the DAC part of the TC-7520 or just the head amp?
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post #27 of 63
7/18/09 at 2:27am
Thread Starter 
there are 2 opamps you can switch out. one for fixed/variable line out and the other for the headamp out. switching either opamps will affect its corresponding part.
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post #28 of 63
7/18/09 at 5:29pm
Stan on AOS let me know (before my ban ) that switching out the line out opamp will also have an effect on the SQ. I'll contact Jeff at Beresford NA again about discrete opamps... I'd quite like to try some Audio-GD opamps, but one person in the AOS thread said that discrete wouldn't work so well in the TC7520.

BTW, I find the THS4032 much more tolerable now. I like the NE5532 better though.
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post #29 of 63
7/18/09 at 6:04pm
Thread Starter 
heh congrats on your ban.

i find it surprising though that you find the 4032 brighter sounding. to me, they sound more analog, textured, and smooth.

edit: i just took a look over at AOS.

Quote:
Things get a lot more complex with headphones. The 1st and 2nd opamp types can have a dramatic effect. I like the THS4032 in the LIne and the LM4562 in the headphone for the K701. For the HD650 I prefer the LM4562 in both location. My MDR-F1 is happier with LM4562NA in LINE and NE5532FE in headphone.
very, very interesting. i think i'm gonna give that a try some time. maybe that is your answer? you need 2 of the THS4032's
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post #30 of 63
8/15/09 at 10:04pm
Thread Starter 
i switched out one of the THS4032's (in the fixed/variable output) for the LM4562NA's. i noticed there was a little distortion when using both THS4032's in the sockets, especially when listening to mp3's. now that i have one lm4562na in place, it seems to be a lot more stable and sounds clearer (and better) to me.

edit: i also tried it the other way around, having the ths4032 in the line out and lm4562na in the headphone out. this configuration sounds more dynamic, impactful, but the soundstage doesn't seem to be as wide. i definitely like the other way around better; it's smoother and a bit wider.
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