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Mar 30, 2004 at 8:39 PM Post #2 of 21
Nice little review....

It just seems a shame that modding is more or less a neccesity to overcome the harshness reported with the card. Seeing as many people are unable to DIY such modifications due to lack of ability (like myself), it will put some people off I feel.

In the end though, glad you like it.
 
Mar 30, 2004 at 8:45 PM Post #3 of 21
Quote:

Originally posted by pbirkett
Seeing as many people are unable to DIY such modifications due to lack of ability (like myself), it will put some people off I feel.


I guess that is why people like me are around, to help out those like yourself who don't have the confidence to take a 400C piece of metal to a $300 soundcard
biggrin.gif
I've got steady enough hands, but don't even try to tell me I should go be a surgeon, I get grossed out just watching ER
redface.gif
 
Mar 30, 2004 at 9:02 PM Post #6 of 21
Sounds good. And I probably would be tempted to try it, but alas I am very skint now, my new car has almost certainly put an end to any further upgrading for the forseeable future
redface.gif
 
Mar 30, 2004 at 9:08 PM Post #7 of 21
heh, I'm tempted to find out if my soundcard is a good candidate for modding. if the $300 PAD gives you worries, mine goes for twice that or more usually.
 
Mar 30, 2004 at 9:10 PM Post #8 of 21
Quote:

Originally posted by pbirkett
Sounds good. And I probably would be tempted to try it, but alas I am very skint now, my new car has almost certainly put an end to any further upgrading for the forseeable future
redface.gif


And you're pretty happy with your system too, right? What kind of car did you get BTW?

As to why RME didn't use this opamp to begin with; well it is designed for pro recording so having the best output in the world is probably secondary to having good recording features, and RME probably thought that the analog output stage was an area to skip, so they did (and saved the $10-$20 per card).
 
Mar 30, 2004 at 9:17 PM Post #11 of 21
Here are my impressions of the different opamps from the original modding thread:

Quote:

Originally posted by Iron_Dreamer
OK, I've changed all the opamps over to class A now, and after some listening, I've came to some conclusions about the opamps I have on hand:

LT1122:Wide soundstage, excellent imaging, sparkly yet not grainy, harsh or overemphasized treble, nice musical midrange and bass with plenty of impact.

AD8065: Ever so slightly wider soundstage, imaging about the same, no part of the frequency spectrum really sticks out (does that make this chip "neutral") however it is not the most musical chip and can get boring to listen to fairly fast, slightly less bass and treble than the LT.

AD8610: Soundstage is much less wide, imaging just a hair less tight, bass is less and less impactful than either before, treble is the most sparkly and emphasized of all, midrange is a bit unengaging, but not to the extent of the 8065.

AD797: Slightly wider soundstage than 8610, though still in a lower league than the other two, imaging is also tighter than 8610. Less treble than 8610, more bass and bass impact. The overall sound signature is quite like the LT, however the 797 is just not as slmmin' in the bass, musical in the mids. More treble sparkle than the LT or 8065, though.

The LT1122 is definitely my pick of this litter, however if the 8065 is really "neutral" then I could see it appealing to people seeking that quality from their systems. The 797 is basically a less-refined 1122, so it has no place for me now. The 8610 doesn't really have an particular attraction for me either.


I haven't heard enough of the OPA627 yet to make a final judgement (nor heard it in class-A), but I think it is right there with the LT1122 for my favorite, maybe Ed can fill in a bit more of the differences between the two. And no, none of the opamps have "blown up" yet from the bias current, in fact they get nary much warmer than a cool running harddrive.
 
Mar 30, 2004 at 9:19 PM Post #12 of 21
Quote:

Originally posted by Iron_Dreamer
And you're pretty happy with your system too, right? What kind of car did you get BTW?


I am indeed happy with it...

As regarding the second question, so as not to derail the thread, YGPM.
 
Mar 30, 2004 at 9:23 PM Post #14 of 21
Quote:

Originally posted by Sduibek
Hmmm... then would the Stock RME sound better through SPDIF/RCA versus Analog?


Only if you use optical output and a better external DAC.

Iron_Dreamer and I perferred the analog output of the RME PAD to the smART DI/O, Grace 901's DAC, and Muse Model 2 Plus DAC.

Those were the only three we've compared to. I would like to hear what the RME PAD sounds like as a transport with the Bel Canto DAC2 and Benchmark DAC.

-Ed
 
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