Sparkos Labs SS3602 Discrete Op-Amps

General Information

Sparko’s Labs has created a family of discrete op amps in an 8 pin DIP compatible package optimized for high performance audio applications. These devices are drop in replacements for many common, yet inferior audio op amps and are uniquely compensated for trouble-free swap out into virtually any circuit. Having a footprint of a mere 0.33 square inches, these devices are one-third the size of any other discrete op amp on the market. Class A biasing and high output current capability coupled with a proprietary compensation scheme requiring multiple NPO dielectric capacitors make these discrete op amps impossible to fabricate as a monolithic IC. These devices utilize matched transistor pairs encapsulated within a single device package for the input stage and internal current mirrors, which retains the advantage that monolithics have with device matching. Each device is fully specified, and is available as a single or dual discrete op amp.

Latest reviews

hitchhiker

New Head-Fier
Analog juice for your integrated devices
Pros: Beautiful analog sound
Wide stage, good across the range
No sibilance
Cons: Size (it is what it is)
Price (again it is what it is)
Background
I do own/have owned discrete(ish) devices (R2R dacs, Sapphire discrete amp etc) and loved the analog sound out. I primarily use iems and headphones and have done a fair share of opamp and tube rolling on dacs and amps.

I had read up a lot of blogs about discrete opamps, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I had also read a lot of reviews calling out that the discrete opamps have more noise due to the design than tightly packed single die IC opamps. In order to satisfy this itch, I ordered the Sparkos dual discrete opamps from the manufacurer site directly. A couple of weeks later, I received it in a simple but well protected packaging.

Disclaimer: All devices mentioned in the review were purchased by me, and dont have any influence or compensation of any kind from anyone else.

signal-2021-09-29-190225.jpeg


Platform
I am partial towards my old Xduoo XD05 (original version), as it provides me an excellent platform to test out different opamps, while supporting high bitrates, while also providing a powerful amp section.
The XD05 with the LM 6172 was my preferred dacamp of choice, with the Hifiman Arya being the transducer to validate the chain.

I had to use another dip switch to provide some height to the opamp DIP on the board, (hack, yes, but easier than having to move the capacitors out to make space. This worked well, btw). Once the second dip adapter was added, I was able to install the Sparkos with no further issues.

What did the Sparkos do?
I had to put the amp on high gain, keep the bass on low (to prevent a Protect being triggered).

The LM6172 made the soundstage spacious with good sparkle on the treble. It made an otherwise ordinary dacamp to a fantastic dacamp. This is easily my favorite recommendation over bursons (v5i or v6).

In comes the sparkos. In terms of drivability, the sparkos offered the same output levels as the LM6172. However, what it added was magical. There was a very analogy sound from the amp. The lows were nicely rendered with a little bit of smoothness over the clinical sound from the LM6172.
The mids got a lot of support and male and female vocals sounded full and rich.
String instruments were more lifelike (slightly less treble than the 6172, but more real). The plucks felt real, the violin felt emotional in a way that the LM6172 hasnt.

The soundstage was very similar to the LM 6172. Wide open with a lot of air. This is incredibly close to the R2R sound. All the talk about noise being added to the stage goes through the window. Noise is still sound, and some of it added to the "Patina". The music became more lifelike. What is not to like about this..

And then the realization sunk in. I cant close the case of the xduoo as the opamp projects out from the dimensions of the case. Well.. I guess you cant have em all.

Comparisons with Orange Dual Discrete Opamps
I had ordered the Orange dual discrete opamps and coincidentally, received the Orange on the same day as the Sparkos. This made comparisons much more easier! Talk about luck.
(https://orangeamps.com/product/op-amp/)

signal-2021-10-02-105457.jpeg

The Orange layout is more vertical than horizontal. (Pics will be updated later today). This allowed me to plug the Orange straight into the primary DIP socket.

In terms of sound, the Orange has a more active treble (sizzly), and a slightly better soundstage.

Both opamps are brand new and havent been used for more than an hour in total. I will update back once I have used them for sufficient time.

Comparisons with NewClassD Dual Discrete Opamps Ultimate Edition (2021 version)

signal-2021-10-10-211042_002.jpeg


I had ordered the NewClassD 2021 edition from Lars (https://www.newclassd.com/index.php?page=125&hv=1) and had an excellent turnaround! Thanks Lars!

The NewClassD is the largest among the opamps that I have tested, dwarfing the Orange even. It also has LEDs on to indicate operation. Again, I havent used the opamp for more than 5 hrs (similar to the other opamps).

Overall, the NewClassD is a lot more V shaped, with emphasized bass with a lot of detail in the upper mids and treble sections. As a result, the mids are pushed back a bit. The stage is as wide as the other 2 opamps, with lower current draw ( the XD05 did not go into protect mode even on very high volumes with high gain and high bass). This was promised as per the update from Lars, and it does hold out the promise well.

The notes are very rich and organic, with excellent heft. Layering is excellent too, with equal performance from all 3 opamps.

Conclusions

signal-2021-10-10-211042_001.jpeg

I will recommend the discrete opamps for someone that has a platform that supports opamp rolling and is looking for an analog sound on the cheap (in comparison to a discrete amp or an R2R dac).

My personal preference, and this is quite subjective to the device and music used.
Sparkos > NewClassD > Orange, by very slight margins.
Last edited:

Yethal

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Transparency, detail, instrument separation
Cons: Size, Price (compared to monolithic op-amps)
Have you ever felt like the spark that used to be there just vanished? That the world, once bright and colorful became bland and dull over time? That you no longer feel the joy, the excitement and the energy that you used to feel? If you do that means one of two things. Either your marriage is about to fall apart or you’ve caught upgraditis. If it’s the former I strongly advise you to go seek professional help instead of reading this review. If it’s the latter keep reading and I’ll tell you how I dealt with upgraditis after contracting it about two months ago.
After identifying the cause of the symptoms I immediately contacted Andrew Sparks of Sparkos Labs and ordered a pair of SS3602 in order to begin the therapy as soon as possible. I have to give kudos to mr. Sparks here. Not only was he quick to reply to all my emails but also he managed to send the package in less than four hours after I paid the PayPal invoice.  Mr Sparks’ customer service, just like his products, is top-notch.

Packaging

20170220_113803.jpg
 
The SS3602 arrived in antistatic bags with pins protected by plastic extenders. We’re far from those cute plastic boxes Burson ships their opamps in but I’m not going to complain since apparently the bags and bubble wrap padded envelope were enough to ensure safe travel across the globe.

Installation

Just like the last time, align the markings on the PCB with the cut on the DIP-8 slot and firmly push the opamp in. Nothing too complicated. Please remember to double check the orientation before powering on your device. And please, please test the opamps with expendable headphones before plugging expensive stuff in. One can never be too careful.
 
20170220_114945.jpg 20170220_115237.jpg
 
 
What you may have noticed in the above photo is that the SS3602 (unlike the SS3601) are too tall to fit under the back cover of the X7. That’s not too big of an issue unless you travel with the X7 a lot. Personally I don’t really care although I would totally understand if you did my dear reader.

Sound​

X7 with Sparkos singles was already a pleasure to listen to but the duals pushed the device to a whole new level.
Soundstage grew so big that it reached lower parts of the stratosphere.
You know that feel when the music starts playing and for a split-second you’re wondering whether You forget to switch between speakers and headphones because the soundstage is so massive? I get that all the time now. And I love it. The soundstage is so ridiculously huge that the quiet clicks audible throughout Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker make me turn my head and check whether someone turned on the light in the hallway (light switches in my house make a very similar click).
 
Instrument separation is also received a tremendous improvement. It’s very noticeable on songs with multiple instruments playing the same, or similar parts. I first noticed it when listening to the Rhythm Future Quartet. In the videos we can clearly see two guitarists, a violinist and a bassist. The violin and the lead guitar are rather easy to pick apart, however on stock opamps the rhythm guitar and double-bass blend together and form an unintelligible mess. Enter SS3602 and this amalgam instantly becomes two separate instruments, clearly distinguishable from each other.
 
Next song, Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I use this song alot to benchmark audio gear due to its complexity and sheer number of instruments present in the mix. I thought I knew this song inside and out, I thought that it will never, ever surprise me. So, imagine the look on my face when I listened to it for the first time after installing SS3602 and I was finally able to hear bass guitar and accordion in the mix. I knew they were supposed to be there, the concert video indicates as much, but I thought the mastering engineer went full And Justice For All… on the final mix. Turns out, it was not the engineer who decided to drop those tracks, it were the stock duals that weren’t able to handle this many instruments at once.

mix.jpg
 
In my Sparkos singles review I made fun of the “I can now hear details I couldn’t hear before” audio cliche. The thought that a part of a song could actually be inaudible on lower tier gear seemed rather silly to me back then. And here I am now, nine months later telling You that a pair of opamps made me hear instruments that couldn’t hear before. Either their performance is so great that it caused me to reevaluate my bias or the Stockholm syndrome has finally kicked in. It’s up to You my dear reader to decide which one it is.
 

Final verdict

So, it’s time for the big question. Are the SS3602 an amazing piece of hardware? Yes, they most definitely are. Are they worth the money? Depends on your definition of "worth". To me they were worth every dollar. Should You buy them? Only if You want to crank the performance up to eleven.
mbyrnes
mbyrnes
Another good review! It was worth the wait for sure, glad you are enjoying them as much as you are. Sparkos for life!
John Massaria
John Massaria
SS3602 how much per chip - I see these things run $78 per - If some one had four chip slots (dual mono) like say the Ray Samuels Apache - are you saying this is a $312 investment? How do these chips compare to my OPA627a?
Yethal
Yethal
@John Massaria If you email Sparkos Labs and ask them they might offer you a better price

Comments

Back
Top