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FiiO E12DIY Limited Edition Version---DIY your own sound !
Jul 23, 2014 at 5:51 AM Post #1,516 of 2,388
So I got my HA-5002 from ClieOS a few weeks back (Thanks ClieOS!). On first listen, it sounded a little stringent or edgy, and I wasn't sure if I liked its sound. But it eventually got better and is now my favorite buffer for the DIY. Not sure if the buffer burned in or I just got used to the sound. Extremely clear and dynamic sound, with none of the stringency I initially heard. I sometimes still prefer the LME49600 for its smoothness though. It was my main buffer before I had the HA-5002. For some reason I just couldn't get myself to like the BUF634, it sounded a little too clinical for my tastes.

Through my ownership of the E12DIY, I've amassed quite a collection of op-amps. Shall list them here:

OPA627, LME49990, AD8599, LM4562, LME49720, OPA2604, OPA2134, OPA2227, LME49860, NJM5532, MUSES8820, MUSES8920, MUSES01, MUSES02, and of course the four stock op-amps.

Probably going to get the OPA827 next. Is there any other op-amps of note that I should get?
 
Jul 23, 2014 at 7:33 AM Post #1,517 of 2,388
I've spent some time lately with different buffers and op amps to make some notes. Like @lalala6 above, I have found HA9P5002 (HA-5002) to be the best buffer after some initial reservations. To me it's the most natural sounding of the buffers I've tried and is a nice mid-point combining the best of the BUF634 and LME49600.
 
I used X5 line-out as the source with UM Miracles, FIDUE A83s and Shure SE846s. Music was a range of rock, acoustic, electronic rock (e.g. Annie Lennox) and blues.
 
Here are my notes on the op amps I've tried (the * represents favourites of mine):
 
OPA1611*
  1. Detail rich
  2. Bright treble, but not harsh
  3. Slightly flat soundstage - lacking some depth
  4. Excellent sense of detail and separation
 
LME49990
  1. Smoother than OPA627
  2. Up front vocals with lots of detail
  3. A lot like a smooth and warm OPA1611 (same flat stage, but good separation)
  4. Nice option to smooth over poor recordings / bright earphones without dulling the details
  5. Lacks a little bit of PRaT / engagement (a little like LME49710)
 
AD8066*
  1. Nicer mids than AD8620
  2. Flat stage (similar to OPA1611)
  3. More engaging than other AD chips
  4. On par with LME49710, but with a bit less mid-bass emphasis and sharper edge - awesome bass extension
  5. My soldering job might be faulty - created sudden bursts of static / white noise with HA9P5002s, but didn't notice this with LME49600
 
OPA604
  1. Vocals front and centre
  2. Very smooth and coherent
  3. Maybe a bit too smooth - very laid back
 
AD8599
  1. Less forward in the midst than the OPA chips
  2. Nice sense of space, but a slight loss of clarity - seems slightly hazy with details not popping out
  3. Deep bass extension (possibly due to less midbass)
 
AD8620
  1. AD8599 with better treble clarity
  2. Clean and crisp - slightly dry, but not unpleasant
  3. Flat stage
  4. Less involving than other chips
  5. Deep, deep bass again
 
AD797
  1. Equally flat sounding - all the AD's are like this?
  2. Treble sounds a bit fake / plastic
  3. Not engaging
 
OPA2107
  1. Engaging midrange, but very laidback overall
  2. Quite thick and smooth
  3. Nothing special - a bit too dark and smooth
 
OPA2134
  1. Nice sense of atmosphere
  2. Smooth, but good clarity
  3. Narrow stage
 
NJM5532*
  1. Clean and transparent
  2. Really nice coherency
  3. Very neutral
  4. Outstanding bass extension (perhaps due to no mid-bass hump)
  5. Slightly less layering and texture than OPA627, but has a little more air
 
LM4562
  1. Boosted upper mids
  2. Clean and relatively engaging - a nice balance between OPA and AD chips
  3. A tiny bit edgy in the upper mids / lower treble which can make it sound a little plastic
 
OPA627AU*
  1. Clean and detailed
  2. Smooth and warm, but not veiled - like the perfect tube amplifier where musicality meets full detail and resolution
  3. Nice sense of space and layering
  4. Central emphasis on image (vocals and mids slightly forward?)
 
LME49710
  1. Similar signature to NJM5532 (slightly "airier" than OPA627)
  2. Stronger bass can sound a little less tight than NJM5532
  3. Everything seems a little blunted and a little lacking in energy, but not veiled - different to that
  4. Missing some PRaT compared to other options
 
After all this testing I have come to the conclusion that my favourite op amps for the E12DIY (in order) are:
  • OPA627AU / NJM5532 tied for first place - OPA627AU wins out perhaps because it can be installed with no case modification
  • AD8066
  • OPA1611
 
Overall I am personally disappointed by almost all of the AD chips, but this might just be a personal taste thing.
 
Thanks so much to @ClieOS for the many recommendations along the way - each piece of advice and description of op amps has been spot on!!
 
Jul 23, 2014 at 7:36 AM Post #1,518 of 2,388
Could the sudden bursts of static I am hearing from my AD8066 op amp be a result of poor pairing with the HA9P5002 buffers? I didn't experience any issues with LME49600 previously (and scared to try it again now because it's killing my ears as it comes on with no warning and no consistency of timing - can be at start up or 30 seconds into listening, etc.)
 
I'm going to try reheating the solder joints because there's the chance I have a shoddy connection, but curious if I'm missing something I should be aware of.
 
Jul 23, 2014 at 8:00 AM Post #1,520 of 2,388
lalala6 said:
  Thanks Loquah for the very informative descriptions of each opamp! Very helpful.
 
Slightly interested in the AD8066. How does its mids fare against your best opamps? 
Click to expand...

 
Its mids are similar to NJM5532 I'd say. In line with other frequencies, natural and clean. I think it falls just short of 5532 in terms of attack and therefore overall engagement, but it's a dual SOIC chip so a nice no fuss option for a neutral signature.
 
I'll try to fix it and test further when it's not shredding my ears so I can compare more thoroughly
 
Jul 23, 2014 at 9:15 AM Post #1,521 of 2,388
hal rockwell said:
Could you provide links to the Vishay and OXICAP caps that you tried?
Click to expand...

 
http://my.element14.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=1166883
http://my.element14.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=1432275
 
You can skip the Vishay as it really isn't that difference from the stock Wima.
 
Jul 23, 2014 at 9:18 PM Post #1,523 of 2,388
loquah said:
 
After all this testing I have come to the conclusion that my favourite op amps for the E12DIY (in order) are:
  • OPA627AU / NJM5532 tied for first place - OPA627AU wins out perhaps because it can be installed with no case modification
  • AD8066
  • OPA1611
 
Overall I am personally disappointed by almost all of the AD chips, but this might just be a personal taste thing.
Click to expand...

 
Excellent! Bookmarked!
 
I love AD8599 + LME49600 buffer. Strike a good balance for my DN-1000 and DN-2000.
 
Would be useful if you could mention your setup.
What recordings, sources and headphones were used during the test. I believe the key is in holistic matching.
There is no one gear suits all. There is no one op-amp suits all.
 
Jul 23, 2014 at 9:27 PM Post #1,524 of 2,388
earfonia said:
   
Excellent! Bookmarked!
 
I love AD8599 + LME49600 buffer. Strike a good balance for my DN-1000 and DN-2000.
 
Would be useful if you could mentioned your setup.
What recordings, sources and headphones used during the test. I believe the key is in holistic matching.
There is no one gear suits all. There is no one op-amp suits all.
Click to expand...

 
Good point. I used X5 line-out as the source with UM Miracles, FIDUE A83s and Shure SE846s. Music was a range of rock, acoustic, electronic rock (e.g. Annie Lennox) and blues.
 
I'll edit the original post to include this info.
 
Jul 23, 2014 at 10:18 PM Post #1,525 of 2,388
I can't work out what's going wrong with my AD8066 chip. I tried reheating the joints this morning and a visual inspection (without magnification admittedly) shows no signs of bridged pins or similar issues. Most times, as soon as I power up I get a burst of static and then nothing and the blue light starts to flash.
 

 
Jul 24, 2014 at 12:32 AM Post #1,526 of 2,388
Nice review, Loquah.

I haven't tried everything on your list, but I do agree with the OPA627. And after less than an hour with NJM5532, I'm starting to get the feeling that will be a winner, too.

Have you tried the MUSES chips yet? I think they are on a par with the OPA627, but more intimate and even more midcentric. If the OPA627 were like a tube amp, as in your example, the MUSES might be like a class A single ended tube amp. Though the bass impact may not be as prominent, it seduces you with a super involving midrange. It's a chip that favors tone and texture instead of rhythm and pace. Quite beautiful sounding.

I had a MUSES01 in my CMOYBB and put it aside to try the LME49720 in a sister CMOYBB amp. When I put the MUSES01 back in, I was blown away by how musical it was. Head and shoulders above the LME49720, IMO.

I've since put a new MUSES01 into my E12DIY with an HA-5002. It's sounding good, but I can tell it needs more burn time. Very natural and analog. Very nice.

I also have a MUSES02 in another E12DIY with a BUF634, and I'm still getting a handle on that. I'll come back to it soon, but for the short time I auditioned it, I felt it was on par with OPA627 in terms of quality. Signature may be somewhere between the super lush and analog sounding MUSES01 and the OPA627.

On the horizon, the OPA827. Can't wait to try those!
 
Jul 24, 2014 at 1:12 AM Post #1,527 of 2,388
k.t. said:
Nice review, Loquah.

I haven't tried everything on your list, but I do agree with the OPA627. And after less than an hour with NJM5532, I'm starting to get the feeling that will be a winner, too.

Have you tried the MUSES chips yet? I think they are on a par with the OPA627, but more intimate and even more midcentric. If the OPA627 were like a tube amp, as in your example, the MUSES might be like a class A single ended tube amp. Though the bass impact may not be as prominent, it seduces you with a super involving midrange. It's a chip that favors tone and texture instead of rhythm and pace. Quite beautiful sounding.

I had a MUSES01 in my CMOYBB and put it aside to try the LME49720 in a sister CMOYBB amp. When I put the MUSES01 back in, I was blown away by how musical it was. Head and shoulders above the LME49720, IMO.

I've since put a new MUSES01 into my E12DIY with an HA-5002. It's sounding good, but I can tell it needs more burn time. Very natural and analog. Very nice.

I also have a MUSES02 in another E12DIY with a BUF634, and I'm still getting a handle on that. I'll come back to it soon, but for the short time I auditioned it, I felt it was on par with OPA627 in terms of quality. Signature may be somewhere between the super lush and analog sounding MUSES01 and the OPA627.

On the horizon, the OPA827. Can't wait to try those!
Click to expand...

 
My list of op-amps to try is getting longer by the day.......curses - opa627, opa827 njn5532, MUSES01, LME49990 :) - has anyone attempted to solder the opamps with a 25w soldering iron or am I going to end up needing a temperature controlled station? - don't really want to discover the hard way that opa627au don't like too much heat!
 
Jul 24, 2014 at 7:36 PM Post #1,528 of 2,388
As much as i want to roll my opamps, i'm not going to anymore, for 2 reasons: getting real opamps, instead of their fake counterparts is too much of a hassle, and then getting real ones for a proper price within proper time, is almost impossible.
And my MUSE 02 has very bendy legs. Don't want to break them.

chefano said:
Guys Im sending my E12 to repair, it will take an eternity to get it back in my hands. So I decided to buy another unit. Can you kindly help me where to buy one?
Regards
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Depending on your location. If you live in europe you're in luck!

http://www.playstereo.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_55&products_id=2422

I bought mine from there. Last place not to have a ridiculous pricetag.
 
Jul 24, 2014 at 9:27 PM Post #1,529 of 2,388
ch23 said:
As much as i want to roll my opamps, i'm not going to anymore, for 2 reasons: getting real opamps, instead of their fake counterparts is too much of a hassle, and then getting real ones for a proper price within proper time, is almost impossible.
And my MUSE 02 has very bendy legs. Don't want to break them.
Depending on your location. If you live in europe you're in luck!

http://www.playstereo.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_55&products_id=2422

I bought mine from there. Last place not to have a ridiculous pricetag.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much CH23! Gonna check if they ship to Brazil! 
biggrin.gif

 
Jul 29, 2014 at 2:27 PM Post #1,530 of 2,388
To all, as promised, I have opened an build thread for opamp with adapter for E12DIY. Please refer to the thread below for detail:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/728607/opamp-adapter-for-fiio-e12diy
 
 

 
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