[sawindra]

v6 classics is discontinued,

 

[vlanderson]

Ordered for my Playmate 2:

• 2 V7 Classic (single) for LP Stage.
• 2 V7 Vivid (dual) for I/V Stage.

I'll share my feedback when they arrive.

 

[sawindra]

While inwait for delivery of V7 classic op-amps..I will try the Alfa Rpar As-402 in LP stage

 

[sawindra]

While inwait for delivery of V7 classic op-amps..I will try the Alfa Rpar As-402 in LP stage

sound improves. Way more "faster"..no harshness, no added brightness. Image is solid as a rock, pulled back slighlty, bass is clean,perfect centered. But little less bass than V7s, then again we get more neutral sound.

 

[sawindra]

Burson Audio Composer 3x:

I/V stage: Alfa Rpar AS-402
LP stage: Burson Audio Vivid v7


Conclusion: PURE MAGIC

 

[aro]

Tried I/V stage V7v : more details and stereo effect very large, but with Ultrasone ED15 feels more far away, same for ED12. Not sure its a good thing, have to play louder to have same music level(why everyone is saying that V7 is louder?) or to have music "closer". Maybe heat is affecting performance 27 room and 41-44 Celsius on the surface, hottest sides and above opamps. Waiting for better weather to run more burn in, was quite harsh at first, but could be due to ED15 low time also. Would Burson benefit for extra cooling in this situation? What temp. is normal? Should I try 3602 in LP(brand new, wanted to test on something inexpensive at first initially)? Will try Pro 900. Also, anyone changing initial Burson settings for different opamps?
My magic is dark so far...

 

[sawindra]

Ok..think this combo bested the previous one.

Alfa Rpar AS-402 in I/V stage
V7 Classic PRO in LP stage.

The bass blooms, saturated sound but still clear. Loudness increased. No sibilance. Sound is BIG.

highly recomended

 

[aro]

Ok..think this combo bested the previous one.

Alfa Rpar AS-402 in I/V stage
V7 Classic PRO in LP stage.

The bass blooms, saturated sound but still clear. Loudness increased. No sibilance. Sound is BIG.

highly recomended

Since You have Vivids and Classics now, have You tried a combo or it is not good at all compared to AS-402/V7C?

 

[sawindra]

Since You have Vivids and Classics now, have You tried a combo or it is not good at all compared to AS-402/V7C?

I prefer the AS-402 in IV stage. it's more neutal sounding as well brings out the reverb tails in music.

 

[TheManko]

I'd never heard of Alfa Rpar until this thread, so I bought a pair of AS-402 to test in my speaker amp. I think they're a clear tier below V7 Vivid in quality. At least for my usage, where I'm only using a pair of op amps for the input stage of the amp, they slot below OPA828, MUSES03 and V7 Vivid in quality. They're still good, as I think they're better than OPA1611, and AD797. They have a clear and clean sound, but with the fatal flaw of adding sterility and because of this killing emotional engagement. It's possible the AS-402 do better in other applications than mine, but in my system I think V7 are much better in almost every way.

EDIT: To be more specific in comparisons. AS-402 sound like a chip op amp, in that they have a clean and glossy texture to everything. I don't know what it is that creates this super clean glossy feel in an op amp, if it's just the higher precision of manufacturing, using feedback in the circuit, or whatever. But I think this character is easily heard on all the burr brown op amps, analog devices op amps, and also MUSES. This creates the feeling of high precision, clarity and so on, but often also obscures real details. V7 Vivid on the other hand have a more grainy and analog tape kind of feeling, a more raw sound feeling. I think V6 Vivid and SS3602 also has this type of sound character. But back to V7 Vivid vs AS-402. The soundstage and detailing is dramatically better on V7 Vivid. AS-402 isolates singers and instruments well, creating a sense of blackness between elements in the sound. They do this while giving a feel of even handed neutrality. V7 Vivid fills out that blackness and reveals real details in the room that's obscured by AS-402. V7 Vivid also add a hint of warmness to the sound, but still feel neutral enough to not feel colored. With vocals AS-402 sounds overly processed and kills my enjoyment. The same song with V7 Vivid will grab my attention and intrigue me with all the nuances and feeling the voice is projecting. Before posting this I compared AS-402 against OPA828, and I think OPA828 are meaningfully better at digging out genuine detail in the musical signal, even though it also adds a feeling of noise reduction type fakeness to the texture of the sound. As I have the option to not use either I'm putting them on the shelf and going back to V7 Vivid or MUSES03, as they're still best in my particular system. The only weakness of V7 Vivid in my mind is still the relative lack of dynamic punch in the bass. But apart from this, they're outstanding. They do the job of making music impressive, engaging, intriguing, and plain fun.

 

[sawindra]

I'd never heard of Alfa Rpar until this thread, so I bought a pair of AS-402 to test in my speaker amp. I think they're a clear tier below V7 Vivid in quality. At least for my usage, where I'm only using a pair of op amps for the input stage of the amp, they slot below OPA828, MUSES03 and V7 Vivid in quality. They're still good, as I think they're better than OPA1611, and AD797. They have a clear and clean sound, but with the fatal flaw of adding sterility and because of this killing emotional engagement. It's possible the AS-402 do better in other applications than mine, but in my system I think V7 are much better in almost every way.

EDIT: To be more specific in comparisons. AS-402 sound like a chip op amp, in that they have a clean and glossy texture to everything. I don't know what it is that creates this super clean glossy feel in an op amp, if it's just the higher precision of manufacturing, using feedback in the circuit, or whatever. But I think this character is easily heard on all the burr brown op amps, analog devices op amps, and also MUSES. This creates the feeling of high precision, clarity and so on, but often also obscures real details. V7 Vivid on the other hand have a more grainy and analog tape kind of feeling, a more raw sound feeling. I think V6 Vivid and SS3602 also has this type of sound character. But back to V7 Vivid vs AS-402. The soundstage and detailing is dramatically better on V7 Vivid. AS-402 isolates singers and instruments well, creating a sense of blackness between elements in the sound. They do this while giving a feel of even handed neutrality. V7 Vivid fills out that blackness and reveals real details in the room that's obscured by AS-402. V7 Vivid also add a hint of warmness to the sound, but still feel neutral enough to not feel colored. With vocals AS-402 sounds overly processed and kills my enjoyment. The same song with V7 Vivid will grab my attention and intrigue me with all the nuances and feeling the voice is projecting. Before posting this I compared AS-402 against OPA828, and I think OPA828 are meaningfully better at digging out genuine detail in the musical signal, even though it also adds a feeling of noise reduction type fakeness to the texture of the sound. As I have the option to not use either I'm putting them on the shelf and going back to V7 Vivid or MUSES03, as they're still best in my particular system. The only weakness of V7 Vivid in my mind is still the relative lack of dynamic punch in the bass. But apart from this, they're outstanding. They do the job of making music impressive, engaging, intriguing, and plain fun.

It all true what you are writing it all depends on where you place these opamps in a circuit. But for me, AS-402 in I/V has been a huge sucess. The AS-402 in voltage stage of Burson Soloist 3x Grand tourer, the sound was not as good.

 

[numon]

My very early impressions after trying a lot of different configurations with my Burson Soloist 3X GT is that the SS2590 is still king. But the V7 Vivid is pretty close. If size and money are considerations, V7 Vivids are a great alternative.

I will caveat to say that A/B testing op amps is really difficult. I have to first get a good listening session in on my baseline configuration, then unplug everything, open up the case, plop in the op amps, close the case, plug everything back in, and fire up the same songs, by which point my memory of what I heard is likely compromised. Rinse/repeat.

What I can get from rolling op amps is the overall tonality shift. Kind of within the range of bright and airy to heavy and muddy. My hearing isn't sophisticated enough to pick out a ton of subtlety. Sorry!

That said, here are my first impressions. In the voltage gain stage where my SS2590 has lived for months, the V7 Vivids provide impressive resolution, soundstage, imaging, and dynamics. The attack is about equal on both, but the V7 Vivids seem slightly less precise. The SS2590 has more weight and texture, better decay, and overall wins in detail retrieval.

I'm splitting hairs. Both are really good.

My favorite configuration so far has been the following:

• Voltage Stage: SS2590
• Input Stage: V7 Vivid (replacing the SIL994)
• Volume Stage: SS2590

Where the SIL994 gave me loads of weighty, impactful (but slightly boomy) bass, the V7 Vivids makes up for it with resolution and tighter, faster bass.

My second favorite configuration, which I'm going to stick with for a while to get used to the sound long-term before experimenting more:

• Voltage Stage: V7 Vivids
• Input Stage: SS2590
• Volume Stage: V7 Classics

I don't like the Classis in the voltage or input stages; it heavily colors the sound signature, IMO. Not my cup of tea (for now). But in the volume stage, arguagly the least impactful stage for the amp, it does a nice job of smoothing out the edges of the music and giving a sense of cohesion and holography.

So far, it's not about the V7 Vivids replacing the SS2590, but rather finding combinations with it.

If I were subjectively to rank the op amps I have:

1. SS2590
2. Tie between V7 Vivids and SIL994, with the former providing more air/space/faster bass and the latter providing more weight/bass impact. Both seem equal in terms of detail retrieval.
3. V7 Classics
4. Tie between SS3602 and Muzg Audio
5. V6 Vivids

More to come...

which one has thicker/fuller and brighter sound?v7 vivid vs sil994

 

[CFGamescape]

which one has thicker/fuller and brighter sound?v7 vivid vs sil994

They're both not really thick or full. I would attribute that to the V7 Classic or the SS3602. The Mugz can show some of that, too. I'd say the SIL994 is brighter only because it provides more dynamics; it reaches further into the treble (and bass) than the V7 Vivid.

 

[numon]

They're both not really thick or full. I would attribute that to the V7 Classic or the SS3602. The Mugz can show some of that, too. I'd say the SIL994 is brighter only because it provides more dynamics; it reaches further into the treble (and bass) than the V7 Vivid.

thanks very much
can you say about ss2590 what make it best?

 

[CFGamescape]

thanks very much
can you say about ss2590 what make it best?

Most resolving, biggest soundstage, best imaging, best dynamics. All while not overdoing anything. Inoffensive. It may not have the slam the SIL994 has, but it is incrementally better than the V7, SIL994, and others at the top. The only problem is that they’re big and expensive.

I say all this but the differences between most op amps is pretty subtle. You can’t really go wrong with a lot of them.