A few minutes before posting this I went to get a glass of ice water, and as always I hit the 'Lock' button before leaving my computer. Instead of hearing the lovely Windows 7 'doo-dum', I heard 'doo-KZZARZTbeeeeeee'. Unlocking my screen caused the 'eeeee' to stop, and after it did it left...

I decided to have some fun with the Essence by having a listen to some of my old Nightwish albums. Now, Beauty of the Beast (Century Child, track 10) sounded just fine back when I used onboard and didn't know about classic rock. I did have a small feeling that it was an iffy recording, but...

My Essence ST FINALLY came into my ownership today after pining for it since July. It was my birthday present, so my family was gathered around while I opened it, and everyone but my dad thinks I'm a complete nerd now.    At the last minute I decided to go with 3x LME49860NA, since that...

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I already figured out how suboptimal three separate amps would be, but I hardly have any choice. It's the only solution that would fit on my desk. To me it seems moronic that I'd have to buy a separate table just for a mammoth AVR that provides four times more power than I need for a...

The amps would be hooked up to the H6 card of an Asus Essence ST, so the codec stuff is taken care of. I already said I absolutely cannot fit an AVR on my desk, and out of sheer obsessive-compulsiveness I have to buy everything new. And for such a low cost, you can't honestly tell me I'd be...

Quote: Is the performance boost really significant enough to merit that? I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible, as I'm not the one buying everything. The Essence ST itself and the op-amps are my birthday present, so I really don't think my dad would approve if the op-amps got...

That thread mentions nothing about the AD797AR.   Have you heard the AD797AR (not ARZ)? LT1364CN8?

  Quote:   I posted this thread knowing quite well that perfect neutrality does not exist, but that does not make it a goal not worth striving for. Um, twelve dollars for one unsoldered op-amp? No thank you, sir. That's why asked if there's a difference between AD797AR and ARZ/BRZ...

I'm afraid that's a review of the USB integrated amp, not the standalone stereo amp. It seems everyone's confusing the two different Icons, so I'll reiterate this. I'm talking about this standalone stereo amp.

I'm trying to find op-amps for the ST myself. Unfortunately I can't help you, but surely someone else can. Where the heck did you manage to find an H6 board?

Are you quite sure? I thought T-amps were known for sounding warm and tube-like, not neutral. The Icon would be just fine for nearfield. It only puts out 18WPC into 8 ohms. Nothing I've read about the Icon amp elsewhere suggests it's overpriced.   I'm also unsure if a T-amp will work for...

I've been told the 49720NA can "put a cap on" the bass when used, especially via the line-out. For electronic music, that's bad. The 49720 will not work. I'm thinking about AD797ARs for I/V and an LT1364CN8 for the buffer, is there any word on this particular match-up? What about 3x LT1364CN8?

I'm using an HD 555 at the moment, but that's only because it's the only thing I have. I'd like to give it more openness and bass impact, but those are taken care of just by adding an amplifier. I figure it'll sound balanced enough once amplified, so neutral op-amps still seem optimal to...

How did those combinations work out for you?