New Leckerton UHA-6S MKII Portable Headphone Amplifier Announced (Update User Impressions Added... - Page 91

Nice set up! Also nice sheilds on those vmodas

Just wondering what is a good option for an opamp for myself. Don't want anything bright or too neutral. Want something that will make my warm iems/headphones sound fuller without losing any bass extension. Any recommendations would be helpful thanks!

 

The 209s are quite neutral. From my understanding the 8610 is just a little warmer and the 627 a bit more.

 

I have the 209s in mine and they sound excellent without being overly bright. I've also heard the 627 briefly, but it was in a different setup so I can't say anything beyond them sounding good in general.

Hey Defiant -- since we've both got 4.As and UHA-6es, at the next meetup we should try some listening tests with opamp rolling.

Indeed, should be fun.

 

Thanks for the info mang. So if I have a majority of warm sounding headphones, it would be better to get the 209 since warm+warm is too much warmth? Also is it easy to switch opamps for the UHA-6 or does it need some work? 

Not necessarily. It has a small hint of warmth. It's still a neutral sounding Amp with Op Amp 8610. 209 on the other hand is more transparent to the point where I found it to go overboard and it became fatiguing to listen to on long listening sessions. Just not my cup of tea. 8610 was easier on my ears and more musical overall. It just depends on what you are after. But Nick has reverted back to 8610 as a standard in his amps. There is a reason for it.

 

The Op Amps aren't that difficult to change out. Once you know how to do it, it can be done in a few minutes time...
 

Changing op-amps isn't difficult, but it is easy to put the chips in wrong and the consequences are severe, so you should take your time and check your work before powering up.

For less RF interference.

Yes, the chips have a little "U" shaped mark on them, either on the plastic case or the little board they are soldered onto, depending on the chip. The board on the amp also has a little "U" shaped outline printed on it where the chip goes. As long as these are aligned, you have them in correctly.

Anyone experience running the UHA-6S.MKII with Hifiman RE-262s and/or HE-400's?  If so was wondering which op-amp you guys were running/would recommend.

Mine has the 627s and it sounds good with my HE-500, but I haven't heard the other opamps to compare.  I think anyone who has doubts about which opamp to get should just follow Nick's advice and get the 8610.

I'm as big a tweak as the next guy, and have done a fair share of diy, including parts-swaps/comparisons, and lots of op amp rolling.  At the end of the day, the secret is to be clear about what you are really trying to achieve, and how best to get there.  I've tried several op amps in mine, and the differences are not huge.  Make sure you use singles, install them correctly, and go from there.  I am using very low impedence iems that are pretty low efficiency, so current output is more relevant for me than might be for others.....

 

 

I would recommend you start with the stock version, and give it some time to decide what, specifically, you like/dislike about it.  That way, you have a better idea where to go from there, and how to get there.  Also, make sure you let things warm up, and break-in.  Don't try to do quick A-B comparisons - they don;t work.  Pay more attention to what you're listening to (tracks/genres/etc, i.e., does the op amp sway you to particular stuff to listen to?). Does it make you listen to track after track, or does it make you wonder what's on TV?  These are the most telling considerations (for me, at least).  If you are patient, and honest with yourself, you'll figure it out....

 

 

Hope that helps a bit.

 

Right now, I am using THS 4031 and am liking them very much.  The 797s were just a smidge too analytic, and the 627s maybe a similar smidge too warm.  I have a bunch of others to try, and have soldered the soics onto adaptors (I have 3 different brands/types of adaptors: Browndog, Aries, and some eBay specials - told you  i was a tweak!!!)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! So in the end, switching opamps is all in the matter of unscrewing the faceplate and inserting/taking out an opamp or is there actual soldering invovled since i dont have much soldering experience lol.

There is no soldering involved. It's plug and play. Just make sure to put the Op Amps in correctly (there are marking on the Op Amps to make sure to match those up correctly and there will be no issues).