[leeperry]

ok, OPA-Earth still burning in:



it sounds livelier than an OPA2132P w/ clearer trebles/*much* wider SS and more details overall, low end bass is slightly better too...I will let it burn a bit and then try the OPA-Moon later today, I could use more tubiness tbh.

a friend of mine just ordered a Claro Halo, so it'll be next on the list...I'm sure it'll be great w/ 2*LT1364 + 2*discrete op-amps, we'll prolly make a big STX/HD2/Claro shoot out

 

[ManuLM]

What a mess ... and ehh nice Zalman

 

[ROBSCIX]

The discrete opamps are worth the hassle. They sound very good...

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManuLM /img/forum/go_quote.gif What a mess ... and ehh nice Zalman

it sounds as good as it's a mess ....the SS is really impressive! currently playing some JM Lab demos, me like it

it's the exact same chip as the old burson, I can understand all the raving reviews at the bottom of this page: Burson Opamp

PS1: one thing that's totally amazing on the Earth is the stereo coherence..just mind blowing!

you can see at the end of their webpage that they give perfect waveforms on an oscilloscope, unlike IC's: н¨ÍøÒ³ 1

another site did many more comparisons and came up w/ the same conclusions.

PS2: having second thoughts, I think I'll ask for 5cm extension leads next time I order..10cm is quite a lot actually.

 

[leeperry]

ok, noone wants to play?

 

[leeperry]

ah well, I miss the LT1364 magic on vocals(so nice in movies!)...I'll put one as last buffer

PS: ah! much better

 

[leeperry]

well, LT1364 gives a magic touch to vocals but it basically mono-izes them to death..2*LT1363 on adapters was a far cry as far as stereo separation was concerned.

2*Sun>1*Earth is true dual mono from A to Z, amazing!

Earth as final buffer is amazing...I knew that! it gives a warm 3Dish to death soundstage...but I've compared 2*Sun as AK4396 LPF against 2*LT1364. well it's night and day, the LT1364 is distorted/bright/agressive and Sun V2 is just perfect. very happy w/ this little mod, catchy!

soon I'll try to replace Earth by a new burson, to see if there's any room for improvement.



and putting additional sockets as risers is just not manageable:

 

[leeperry]

so all the HD2 modders have left the ship I presume?

 

[Calebcz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif so all the HD2 modders have left the ship I presume?

One is boarding the ship right now

I have HD2 DE (2x2134 + 2604). It sounds too much bassy to me and i'm missing a sparkle in mids in comparison with M-Audio Transit. Any recomendation?

My setup: Little Dot I+ (stock opamp + 6AK5W) and modded Senn. HD555.

 

[leeperry]

my current favorite is AD797B, really amazing chip

 

[Calebcz]

Tnx for quick reply.

Should I use the AD797 as an output opamp and leave the 2134s in place?

btw: I have these opamps currently available: 2x2134 DIP8, and AD823 soic and LM49722 soic (looking for soic to dip reduction).

 

[leeperry]

I personally have given up on dual op-amps, they just kill the stereo image...whatever as LPF or final buffer, you really don't want ANY crosstalk between the two signals.

2134 is junk, burn them

 

[Calebcz]

Crosstalks don't bothering me right now. I just need some tips for clear, non-bassy setup with standard dual-opamps. I can try LT1364 as final buffer (i ordered sample from LT), but i have no idea how much are those 2134s affecting sound.

 

[leeperry]

well crosstalk on a stereo signal or +/- polarities of the same channel DOES bother you...as soon as you hear single op-amps on browndogs, the center channel becomes soooo much wider

about one of their newest dual op-amp, TI says: "The dual version features completely independent circuitry for lowest crosstalk and freedom from interactions between channels" Precision Amplifier - Wide Bandwidth - OPA1612 - TI.com

let's just say that your average dual op-amp doesn't sound too "free".

non-bassy? the 1364 is quite bassy tbh..and most op-amps as final buffer will sound bassy on the HD2, this card is known to be pretty dark. don't put a final buffer if you don't want too much bass

PS: try LT1124ACN8, it's not bassy at all on the DAC output!

 

[Calebcz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif don't put a final buffer if you don't want too much bass

Thank you for tip, it helped a lot. What is purpose of the final buffer anyway?