[raymond555]

Glad I could help!

 

[LBend]

I have received all the opamps I ordered (AD827JNZ and NE5534N) the only thing I'm waiting for is motherboard to be replaced... the waiting is killing me also I have some other single channel opamps in mind. This thing is getting addictive.

 

[raymond555]

What other single channel opamp?

 

[LBend]

What other single channel opamp?

I decided to go for LME49710HA with adapters. If I have some extra money left I'll get THS4032 for I/V, being praised for their soundstage and natural sounding, though I don't know how to convert dual channel opamp into a single channel one for buffers.

 

[LBend]

A little update.
I have ordered also 2x LME49710HA with TO99 -> DIP8 adapters and 2x THS4032 with SOIC8 -> DIP8 adapters (requires a bit of soldering, but I'm alright with that). It's kind of blind bet, ordering 4 pcs of chips without even checking how do those other 4 sound like I ordered before. I used to watch my dad constructing amplifiers so it's some kind of addiction I cought from my dad. Still waiting for a motherboard to come...

 

[raymond555]

when the new board will arrive???

 

[LBend]

I'm still waiting for it according to RMA procedures, it may take up to 20 working days, and only 10 passed. Ah well... what a coincidence but surely I will update you as soon as I get it along with some pictures and overall experience.

 

[pbm2]

Quote:

  Well,For now,I gave one more chance to the ZXR with AD827SQ in the I\V....HOLY CRAP they sound awesome.
the bass is tighter than the Muses02, the soundstage is wider with more space.

One thing for sure,The STX II cant match the ZXR for channel  seperation.
 
I've Updated the first post for everyone convenience.

 

  Came across this thread while contemplating returning my ZxR, which was unexpectedly given as a gift, after finding the same inconsistencies most people talk about.  It didn't really sound better than the Titanium HD I was using, and honestly sounded a bit worse in certain situations (too much bass)  I am so glad that someone took the time to make these comparisons, I didn't really expect a simple op-amp swap could make this much of a difference.  
 
AD827SQ's are readily available in the States through DigiKey, so I figured I'd give em a shot.  Perfect match is about as accurate as you can get, raymond555 is spot on.  The card, for lack of a better word, sounds "clean" now.  Putting the old op-amps back in for comparison is rather jarring, these were worth every penny.
 
Thanks for your effort in trying the different op-amps and posting these results, they should sell the AD827SQs with the ZxR as a combo deal.  They really do "fix" the card.   

 
Do you guys think it's worth upgrading from the Titanium HD to the ZxR /w AD827SQ's ?

 

[LBend]

   
Do you guys think it's worth upgrading from the Titanium HD to the ZxR /w AD827SQ's ?

 
If you are satisfied with the card, there is no need. Really, it depends on your equipment and the needs. If you want effortless upgrade - go for Asus Essence STX II. I, however, bought ZxR without an extra investigation, so I ended up purchasing alot of other opams (I have them all sitting on my table, but no adapters and motherboard yet, though, so I cannot comment on their sound output).

 

[LBend]

So finally I have received motherboard and I tested the AD827SQs along NE5534Ns.
 
The bass produced now sounds more naturally, it still is noticeable (makes me think Creative produced it in mind to output a lot of bass).
Now compared to Realtek 1150 found on Asrock Z87m:
 
-Much more sound output
-More bass
-Sounds less naturally, more fatiguing
-Soundstage is not as big as Realtek 1150 produces
-ZxR gives more details on instruments, sound is more clean, channel separation is enormous
 
To sum up, yes, those opamps fix SOME flaws of the ZxR, but then again, it all depends on taste, what sound you prefer. I prefer more natural sounding, but I will not come back to Realtek as ZxR now is usable. Still waiting for adapters to come for THS4032 and LME49710HA and hopefully it will improve soundstage. It is ridiculous again, thinking how well integrated Realtek 1150 performs. The only things it's lacking is more power, cleaner sound and bit more details.
 
Edit: Imo this card does not fit for fast paced music (might be opamp problem, not sure). Still the problem persists when all the sound is just blown straight to your face, something subtle missing.

 

[LBend]

So here goes LME49710HA, with adapters, I haven't tested them yet. Figured I'd need some soldering to the adapter board, but I'll skip it and just plug directly to DIP8 socket, just bending the pins. The pinout seems to be identical on TO99 as on DIP8 clockwise so there will be no problems I guess. For SOIC8 adapter to solder THS4032 I will need different, much thinner soldering iron than the one I have, also not as powerful (currently I have 40W one)
 

 
And a bit of update on current setup of AD827SQ + NE5534N: after some burn in, the bass seem to even lower, not so punchy. I have stereo speaker setup, my room is not big, so I don't even have space for stands which makes me hard to properly evaluate the sounding of those opamps. So yeah..

 

[LBend]

So after a week of daily listening to music (mostly headphones) today I had some time to listen to some music on 2.0 speaker setup again. To my surprise music is now more spacy and bass is not as irritating as it was before, though somewhat missing neutral/natural sounding, listening to longer periods of time is exhausting unlike the sound Realtek 1150 produces
 
Next week (after the New Years eve probably) I'll give another opamp set a go and see how it performs.

 

[LBend]

So I have finally installed 2x LME49710HA to buffers and 2x THS4032 to I\V
 

 
Of course, the cover wouldn't close due to LME49710HA with adapters being too tall to fit in
 
Sound quality:
 
Initial impressions: this isn't the card I used to have anymore. No more bass blowing to my face, its tight and subtile, It's not as overwhelming as before. If you ask what you would notice most in this opamp setup, it's mids. Maybe they are too much sometimes, but more lively. Highs are warm.
Soundstage is just wow, the overall sounding is much more musical compared to before, warmer. More details can be noticed.
 
Many people said that paying that much for opamps might be waste of money, but literally it's like a day and night compared to what I was listening to before. I'll let the opamps to burn in and see how it changes. I might some time change something for a test but this is a clear winner for me, this is what I'd call an UPGRADE

 

[resync]

Thank you raymond555 and all the contributors on this thread.

Being a new ZXR owner coming from X-FI Titanium (non-HD) I'm glad I came across this thread. I've only replaced the stock op amps with AD827SQ in the I\V and the first thing I notice is that I no longer have to bear with the overly bright highs and bloated bass. However with the stock buffer, it sounds to me it's missing some details.

Update: Fitted 2 x Signetics NE5534N from 85 for the buffers.
Initial impression: a great deal of difference, now it sound like more of what I wanted, just like what raymond and Lbend mentioned - will let it run in and see how it goes

Below are my settings for my simple 2.1 speakers setup:

For music:
SBX surround 67% with everything else off
Stereo Direct

For Gaming:
SBX surround 30%
5.1 surround (Full L/R unchecked)

 

[resync]

  So I have finally installed 2x LME49710HA to buffers and 2x THS4032 to I\V
I might some time change something for a test but this is a clear winner for me, this is what I'd call an UPGRADE

 
Hi LBend,
 
Did you get the chance to try with the combo of 2x THS4032 in I\V and 2x NE5534N for buffers? Just curious on how it'd work out with those two..