[tangent]

After 2 years of virtually no change, I've gone and updated my op-amp reviews article. Some of the highlights:

- Several chips reviewed (nothing new...just ones that should have been reviewed long ago)

- New objective clipping test methodology, instead of the listening test I used before.

- Lots of work on the clarity of the prose.

I hope to put a dent in the list of chips waiting to be reviewed soon. Many of those chips have now been through the clipping test, which is pretty quick to do. They still need to go through the listening test, which takes a long time, the way I do it.

 

[Gord SW Ont]

Tangent,

Over the years I've read your article several times and always found it useful. Nice to see that you haven't forgotten about it and are keeping it up-to-date.

Thanks for all the time and effort you have contributed to this great hobby ... Gord SW Ont.

 

[sbulack]

Thank you so much!!! I'm not a DIYer, but I read your tutorials because they are so easy to understand and provide so much practical background to our audio area of interest.

 

[Nisbeth]

Excellent job, thanks!

One question though:
Quote:

In all my testing, I've been unable to hear a difference between the OPA627AP and the OPA627BP. The datasheet says that the differences between the grades are in the DC specs, so this is not surprising. <snip> I cannot recommend the B grade of these chips for audio.

If the only reason you can't recommend the -BP for audio is the price, consider rephrasing the above to something like "There is no reason whatsoever to pay extra for the B-grade of this chip for audio purposes"

/U.

 

[morsel]

Thanks for the hard work you put into updating your opamp reviews page. There is one popular opamp that deserves to be added to your list. The NJM4556A is a dual opamp with 70mA outputs. It is used in many commercial audio products as a headphone driver, from Denon CD players to the Grado RA1. I hope you will consider reviewing it.

 

[KTpG]

I have been wondering if anyone has considered the OPA2658 as a replacement for OPA2132, etc. I have used the OPA658 (single version) with good results... it is very high speed, high slew, and high output (80mA). Sometimes it is kind of picky... but it worked unusually well for me many times.

 

[morsel]

KTPG, the OPA658 is limited to ±5V operation, which is not very appealing.

 

[Megaptera]

Great work, as usual. I think I speak for all of us whose interest outweighs our experience when I say that the time and effort you put into explaining DIY concepts is very much appreciated.

 

[KTpG]

morsel-

This is true... I forgot about that. heh But... for single battery applications (like most first-time CMOY's) they would work ok... correct? Or is there something in the datasheets I am not seeing that makes them undesirable (other than supply voltage limitations)?

 

[Kenny12]

thanks tangent

[burns] excellent [/burns]

 

[bpribadi]

Thanks Tangent for the hard work and a bunch of usefull info !

You probably want to look at CLC428, for battery powered amp. It has high slew rate, 500V/uS, and design to work in low voltage (max 14 volt across the + and - rail).

 

[tangent]

Quote:

consider rephrasing the above to something like "There is no reason whatsoever to pay extra for the B-grade of this chip for audio purposes"

Okay fine, you win.

Quote:

NJM4556A

I'll consider it, but if you'll notice, all of the bipolar-input chips get shuffled to the end of the list. Chances aren't good to see that one reviewed any time soon.

As for all the other chips mentioned, I quote from the article, "Chances are not good to get more chips onto this list — the list is long enough as it is! I'm still on the look-out for interesting chips, but now that I've got a wide selection of known-good chips to choose from, 'interesting' is a high bar to clear."

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Nice one Tangent

 

[xtreme4099]

wheres my LT1122 and LT0128 review? www.linear-tech.com

 

[thrice]

Tangent, thanks for another great article. You're website is a keystone for the DIY community.

Keep up the great work!!

thrice