Hello everyone this is my first review here so be gentle with me ;D.
I was eager to start into opamp rolling, i have tried tube rolling before and i must admit it is a pretty fun experience, i understood the basics of tube rolling but with OPAMP rolling the concept was a little diffuse to me, at first i was a little skeptical about it, i mean i have seen people argument it's just bogus and snake oil, on the other hand you can see people swearing by it or even pushing it further like Burson who has brought the concept into the masses with their products like the "Lycan" or the "Play", they even developed their own "audiophile" OPAMPS this is probably the best way to start my journey.
I got the Burson V5i besides some more traditional OPAMPS the TE OPA2107 and the stock Little Dot I+ OPAMP so lets start this review and comparison. My setup consist of the following PC > Schiit Modi 2 > Little Dot i+ with Voshkod 6zh1p-ev tubes (the rocket ones) > Hifiman HE400i, Grado SR325e and Sennheiser HD558.
I will try to compare the performance and sound of all opamps mainly with the HE400i which are my current daily drivers, but i will mention any significant difference i notice with the other headphones i have too. I have been using these opamps and switching between them for a month to get used to them, i think i have a certain idea on how their sound differ specially with my HE400i, i am an avid gamer too so i will throw gaming into the equation.
So without further a due lets start with this.
Unboxing and installation
The V5i comes in a tiny plastic box which is well presented inside there's a foam construction that holds the OP AMP in place, there is a card with the logo of the company, warranty registration page and some QR codes, overall i really like the attention to detail Burson puts into this product, the other OP AMPS i've seen come in plain brown boxes.
Once you open the box you see the V5i and it is entirely different to other OPAMP's, the V5i is bigger which maybe will be a problem to some restrictive portable amps, it has a heat sink that towers above regular opamp's on top of it it's the model name engraved on the metal in a tasteful fashion.
Now let's install the V5i, fortunately Installation is pretty easy just plug and play no change of settings or jumpers, just be sure to sit it well and in the correct direction, difficulty depends on your particular amplifier, in my case i had to unscrew the bottom part of my Little Dot i+ to expose the PCB, finding the OPAMP was simple too.
V5i vs Stock Little Dot AMP
This is the easy one, the stock opamp is effective is not bad by any extend, but it is quite clear once you switch it that there was room for improvement, for example the first time i used the V5i i immediately noticed how the sound-stage was expanded, bass was noticeably improved across all the songs i played, i could pickup more micro details, snail drums sounded very different and voices were clearly improved, i really think there is not much to say about this the presentation is objectively better on the V5i and is an ez upgrade for any amp that uses OPAMPS.
In games the sound stage expansion is really welcomed and easy to pinpoint.
But what if you have already upgraded the stock OPAMP and you are using one that is well regarded by the community as the OPA2107?
V5i vs OPA2107
Well this is a harder one because the OPA2107 improves in almost every way the stock opamp, just like the V5i so what is the difference? i can say that sound-stage and instrument separation is better on the V5i, Bass is still more present and and defined on the V5i too, mids are practically the same to my ears, details on the high end are a bit better on the V5i but i noticed i bit more brightness overall with the OPA2107 nothing to write home about tho.
In games explosions sounded still better on the V5i same as sound stage for example in Overwatch which has a excellent audio design the V5i just let me hear on a wider stage i think it was much more noticeable in games than in music, PUBG is not as good as OW in the audio department but it was still noticeable, footsteps on grass on the other hand were a little more present on the 2107.
I played Dark Souls 3 too and with both the experience was pretty cool but i have a little more preference for the V5i.
I noticed the V5i paired really well with the Grado sr325e which already pairs perfectly with the Little Dot i+ it really makes a difference specially coming from the stock opamp.
The Sennheiser HD558 didn't respond that much but i agree this is not the best amp for this headphones i think they sound better out of my Schiit Magni 2.
Conclusion
I started this expecting little to be honest, but now i am a opamp believer, i heard people really exaggerating the effects of OPAMPS that really made me doubt, everyone is different but some people say it is like changing amplifiers which i do not agree on, switching opamp's won't change your amplifier to the point it sounds like a different one, OP AMPS improve on it's base it makes it better it accentuate certain details that maybe were not as present, it is an upgrade i do recommend just be warned that if your amp suck it would just suck a little less with a better OP AMP, this is a refinement upgrade and one that i consider to be worth it.
I am pretty eager to try the higher end ones like the V6 Vivid and Classic if they are that better compared to the small V5i then i'm in for a treat.
I was eager to start into opamp rolling, i have tried tube rolling before and i must admit it is a pretty fun experience, i understood the basics of tube rolling but with OPAMP rolling the concept was a little diffuse to me, at first i was a little skeptical about it, i mean i have seen people argument it's just bogus and snake oil, on the other hand you can see people swearing by it or even pushing it further like Burson who has brought the concept into the masses with their products like the "Lycan" or the "Play", they even developed their own "audiophile" OPAMPS this is probably the best way to start my journey.
I got the Burson V5i besides some more traditional OPAMPS the TE OPA2107 and the stock Little Dot I+ OPAMP so lets start this review and comparison. My setup consist of the following PC > Schiit Modi 2 > Little Dot i+ with Voshkod 6zh1p-ev tubes (the rocket ones) > Hifiman HE400i, Grado SR325e and Sennheiser HD558.
I will try to compare the performance and sound of all opamps mainly with the HE400i which are my current daily drivers, but i will mention any significant difference i notice with the other headphones i have too. I have been using these opamps and switching between them for a month to get used to them, i think i have a certain idea on how their sound differ specially with my HE400i, i am an avid gamer too so i will throw gaming into the equation.
So without further a due lets start with this.
Unboxing and installation
The V5i comes in a tiny plastic box which is well presented inside there's a foam construction that holds the OP AMP in place, there is a card with the logo of the company, warranty registration page and some QR codes, overall i really like the attention to detail Burson puts into this product, the other OP AMPS i've seen come in plain brown boxes.
Once you open the box you see the V5i and it is entirely different to other OPAMP's, the V5i is bigger which maybe will be a problem to some restrictive portable amps, it has a heat sink that towers above regular opamp's on top of it it's the model name engraved on the metal in a tasteful fashion.
Now let's install the V5i, fortunately Installation is pretty easy just plug and play no change of settings or jumpers, just be sure to sit it well and in the correct direction, difficulty depends on your particular amplifier, in my case i had to unscrew the bottom part of my Little Dot i+ to expose the PCB, finding the OPAMP was simple too.
V5i vs Stock Little Dot AMP
This is the easy one, the stock opamp is effective is not bad by any extend, but it is quite clear once you switch it that there was room for improvement, for example the first time i used the V5i i immediately noticed how the sound-stage was expanded, bass was noticeably improved across all the songs i played, i could pickup more micro details, snail drums sounded very different and voices were clearly improved, i really think there is not much to say about this the presentation is objectively better on the V5i and is an ez upgrade for any amp that uses OPAMPS.
In games the sound stage expansion is really welcomed and easy to pinpoint.
But what if you have already upgraded the stock OPAMP and you are using one that is well regarded by the community as the OPA2107?
V5i vs OPA2107
Well this is a harder one because the OPA2107 improves in almost every way the stock opamp, just like the V5i so what is the difference? i can say that sound-stage and instrument separation is better on the V5i, Bass is still more present and and defined on the V5i too, mids are practically the same to my ears, details on the high end are a bit better on the V5i but i noticed i bit more brightness overall with the OPA2107 nothing to write home about tho.
In games explosions sounded still better on the V5i same as sound stage for example in Overwatch which has a excellent audio design the V5i just let me hear on a wider stage i think it was much more noticeable in games than in music, PUBG is not as good as OW in the audio department but it was still noticeable, footsteps on grass on the other hand were a little more present on the 2107.
I played Dark Souls 3 too and with both the experience was pretty cool but i have a little more preference for the V5i.
I noticed the V5i paired really well with the Grado sr325e which already pairs perfectly with the Little Dot i+ it really makes a difference specially coming from the stock opamp.
The Sennheiser HD558 didn't respond that much but i agree this is not the best amp for this headphones i think they sound better out of my Schiit Magni 2.
Conclusion
I started this expecting little to be honest, but now i am a opamp believer, i heard people really exaggerating the effects of OPAMPS that really made me doubt, everyone is different but some people say it is like changing amplifiers which i do not agree on, switching opamp's won't change your amplifier to the point it sounds like a different one, OP AMPS improve on it's base it makes it better it accentuate certain details that maybe were not as present, it is an upgrade i do recommend just be warned that if your amp suck it would just suck a little less with a better OP AMP, this is a refinement upgrade and one that i consider to be worth it.
I am pretty eager to try the higher end ones like the V6 Vivid and Classic if they are that better compared to the small V5i then i'm in for a treat.
