[Wing]

So I got me an XDAC from KurtW. This thing sounds better than the HK FL8550 changer but it is not the last word in DACs. It has 4 op amps which look like they are NE5532s. I hear these could be improved upon. lcaudio.com has some AD825 packaged units that they are touting, but they cost $20 a pop (x4=$80) and the packaging may require me to resolder some caps to the bottom of the board.

Any suggestions for other possible replacement op amps? I remember reading someones post on headwize about an op amp that sounds smooth, almost like tubes but I can't remember the number. Does anyone have any suggestions/ideas? Thanks.

 

[thomas]

the ad825's are very good, i think they are worth the price they charge. (they already have bypass caps, don't need to solder anything)

Other good opamps are OPA604, 627 (even more expensive) and 134.

The nat. semi opamps jan uses in the corda are great, but they may not be stable in your DAC

 

[topher]

thomas,

What do you mean when you say:

"(they already have bypass caps, don't need to solder anything) "

?

 

[Apheared]

He means that LCAudio's 825 modules have two SMD caps on the lil pcb...

http://www.lcaudio.com/ad825p2.jpg

 

[Wing]

Looks like Digikey is out of the 2132s and 2134s. Must be the headwize DIY people buying it all up. I don't think I can use the 627 because it doesn't come in a dual version. The search continues ...

 

[Possum]

How about giving the LM6172's a shot? Some people have mentioned that there may be stability issues in some cases, but in my Szekeres DIY amp, it worked fine as a drop in replacement for the OPA2132 I was using.

LCAudio's website also mentions the LM6172 as a good dual op amp for replacing ones in audio systems.

The LM6172's aren't very expensive, so it wouldn't to try it. If something doesn't sound right, then you can just switch it out (assuming your current IC is in a socket). If you have to solder the chip, you can just solder a socket instead so you try other dual op amps if the chip you try doesn't work out.