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Hi zachO,
Actually, now that they have had a few hours of burn-in, and I've spent some time swapping back and forth between the Burson V5 Dual and the Sparkos SS3602 - back and forth - back and forth - with several favorite tracks, the differences between them are shrinking (compared to what I heard when the Sparkos were new.)
Again, this might still be premature, as they could still be settling in, but at this point, the greatest distinction is that the Sparkos are more dynamic - punchier. Next in line for magnitude of distinction would be the Sparkos having a wee bit more bass energy, which is really welcome with both the HD800 and the DT880 600 Ohm. These differences are so subtle that they wouldn't rule out using the the SS3602 with a bass-heavy headphone. My LCD-2 isn't turned into a boombox.
Regarding the treble differences, I am beginning to think the Sparkos isn't so much rolled off as it is simply smoother, yet still every bit as detailed - a remarkable feat. When I listen to Eva Cassidy's "Blues In The Night," for example, her most shrill high notes are completely, utterly sweet with the Sparkos, despite the HD800's 6kHz spike, and all the while, the cymbal brushes stay just as nicely defined as with the Burson V5s. Switching back to the V5s, Eva's siren blasts are immediately noticeable as being almost grainy - they have always been easier to enjoy with my LCD-2, but only by nature of the LCD-2's shelved highs. Now, with the Sparkos SS3602, my HD800 have none of that brittle edginess, and the DT880 600 is smoother still. If I could marry the DT880 treble with the HD800 mid and bass, I wouldn't need the Sparkos SS3602. As is, I'm really happy with what the Sparkos do for the HD800 treble. And again, the detail is there - just not as "crystalline" as the Burson V5. It's not as if the Sparkos lacks sparkle - it's more like the sparkle is just more palatable.
Again, it might be too early yet, but I've put the lid on my PB2 for the first time in several weeks (which is a nice perk).
As you can see in these photos, the SS3602 don't actually sit fully down into the PB2's sockets. The gain jumpers and battery pack are just too close to the sockets for the SS3602, and if I insert a DIP8 extender under each op-amp, they will sit squarely, but then they are too high to put the lid back on - as with the Burson V5.
Fortunately, the pins are long enough that I'm getting a good connection, electrically, and they show no signs of coming loose when I shake the amp vigorously. On the subject of the SS3602's pins, I've not measured them with a micrometer, but it's easy to tell that they are skinnier than any other DIP8 pins I've seen on other op-amps. Their diameter being less, I have some DIP8 extenders in which they have hardly any "grip" at all. Sparkos Labs includes a DIP8 extender with each op-amp, that looks like this:
The spring clips do a great job of gripping the Sparkos pins - better than the extenders that have round holes on top - but, in my case, I can't use either style (not without leaving the lid off my case.)
Again, it might be too early yet, but as I write this, for my gear and my tastes, I prefer the Sparkos SS3602 to the Burson V5 Dual, but it's a very close race. I have several lesser op-amps that exhibit a much greater difference in performance. In other words, the Sparkos SS3602 has taken things from maybe 95% to 97% of perfection. (Or maybe it's 92% to 94% - who knows where perfection is?)
At this point, I'm really glad I bought them, but I wouldn't feel right encouraging someone to replace Burson V5s they already own. That's my thinking, with my gear. YMMV. I do, however, feel comfortable advising anyone who has neither, to get the Sparkos SS3601 or SS3602 (single or dual). It's rated to handle up to 22V, and will probably run a lot cooler, given its open construction. (It's not embalmed in a foam-filled red plastic coffin.)
I forgot to mention, too, that the Sparkos SS3602 has a little more gain than the Burson V5 Dual. I match the volume of components when testing. I use an inexpensive Scosche SPL Meter inserted between the headphone pads at rest on the table top, while playing a white noise file, to adjust to the volume to 85 dB. I put transparent tape around the volume knob, then mark both positions with a fine point marker - on the tape. This ensures that I'm not giving one component a volume advantage over the other.
http://sparkoslabs.com/discrete-op-amps/
http://sparkoslabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SS3601_SS3602.pdf
More later, especially if the sound changes...
Mike
