[sonci]

Another bump for this old thread,
 
Has anyone really tried this mod?
 

 

[protech]

Yep, tried this on socket holes 3 and 5. If you are running the soundcard direct to a power amplifier there will be enough gain in the amp to cover the loss of op-amp gain. The sound is clearer and there is more seperation and layering of instruments. Imagine opening a window onto the performance, this is how it will sound. Op-amps all have a unique sonic signature and often it is this signature that we perceive as different / better etc. By bridging the socket you take this out of the equation and hear the soundcard at its best. It is worth experimenting with the equalizer in the effect tab of the x-meridian to tailor the resultant sound to your liking - more mid worked for me. All electronic components colour the sound in one way or another, and purists always argue that the more components you can remove from the signal path, the more pure the signal going to your ears will be. It makes sense to me. I didn't notice any signal to noise ratio problems - the soundstage is very quiet with this mod. If you hear any spurious noise try using tape to insulate the soundcard bracket from the computer chassis. The best thing about this free and simple mod is that you never need to spend cash on op-amps as they will be redundant. It is important to add that if you are using headphones this mod may not be suitable for realistic volume levels. My history with the x-meridian is: stock op-amps, ok but not great, LM4562 better but a bit bright and confused, OPA627 much better, a vast improvement over stock, no op-amp the final solution for direct to amp systems. I should add that you do this at your own risk but if done with care you should have no issues. Socket hole 3 is third down on the left and socket 5 is the bottom one on the right as viewed from the front. Use a short wire and solder the end 3mm to give it strength and just push in to the socket until you feel it has seated properly. Good Luck.

 

[sonci]

After some time of using my Prelude with Opa 627, I removed it and noticed that probably its a fake from ebay, I remember buying it cheap, but cant be sure, the resistance from pin 1-5 seems ok,
 

 
I`ve lost the stock opamp so I`m bypassing opamp, the volume is ok, if you`re not using a T-Amp
strange that in this thread they recommend shorting pin 3 with 5, in fact the standard way is shorting pin 1 to 3 and pin 5 to 7 like in fig:
correct if Im wrong
 
 

 
the fake opa sounds good though