[beyerdude]

  Yeah - I never really noticed the full magic of the 627 until today with the K10s. I am now trying the same combo with the SE846 and while it sounds good, it's just not as amazing as with the K10s - it's like the OPA627 is a high performance sports car that needs just the right roads to really appreciate it (or in this case just the right 'phones) - I think one of the keys is treble extension and resolution where the brighter, but highly refined K10s can show off how smooth the 627 is without getting thick like the 846s can

I agree - I think you need the right combination to really appreciate it - I use it with my HD600 headphones and they are a very happy pairing - don't feel I am losing out too much going between my main home rigs and the 'lesser portable'  and I would say for the Havi B Pro they are also the best sounding - I just bought a new Metrum Aurix headphone amp and I put it into the same category - probably will be glossed over by many due to its understated sound but ultimately you could listen to it all day without complaint.

 

[Ekul61]

Anyone prefer the muse 2 over the muse 1? If so which buffer do you prefer?

 

[duyu]

 
Finally, my E12DIY has a MUSES 02 ! 

 
What's next? 

 

[ClieOS]

 
 
Finally, my E12DIY has a MUSES 02 ! 

 
What's next? 

Happy ever after?

 

[duyu]

  Happy ever after?

Yes. I'm pairing this with the X3 and the Klipsch X10.
I can definitely experience an improvement in soundstage and detail. I didn't expect that the X10 can be benefited this much with the Muses 02. I've tried to pair these earphones with the E12DIY using other given op-amps before, but the result was not very impressive. 

 

[Loquah]

Speaking of MUSES02, can anyone provide a comparison between it (the M02) and OPA627?

 

[K.T.]

Speaking of MUSES02, can anyone provide a comparison between it (the M02) and OPA627?

I haven't listened both for a little while, but from memory I'd say the OPA627 has a more balanced frequency response from treble to bass. It sounds more even from top to bottom. Nice sense of pace and drama, and it's bass response is more solid and startling by comparison.

MUSES02 seems more focused on midrange expression. Listened to on its own, you don't feel like you're missing bass, however, simply because the MUSES02 kind of hypnotizes you with that midrange. It's more lucid and communicative by comparison, and you feel very satisfied with what it does with the music.

But when you switch back to OPA627, you enjoy the sense of drama provided by its more solid and prominent bass. But you do notice that the midrange is more recessed and less lucid and less communicative than of the MUSES02.

Both are pretty great, but I tend to prefer the MUSES02 a bit more, myself. Both are among my favorite op amps.

Recently I've been using the OPA827 with BUF634 and have been enjoying that a lot. With the IEM and phones I prefer, the extra clarity of the OPA827 works slightly better for me than the OPA627. I've also been using a Cayin C5, which is also great in its own way.

I've been meaning to get back to the MUSES because I love them so much, but I've been trying to get a handle on these other two, and there's so little time these days to sit back for extended listening .

 

[Loquah]

Thanks for the excellent comparison! Which buffer are you using with OPA627 / M02?

 

[K.T.]

I started rolling op amps before the rolled buffers, so I initially compared the OPA627 and MUSES02 with the stock BUF634.

The BUF634 is a pretty warm and forgiving buffer, so while differences were apparent, they were not as great as those heard using the LME49600 and HA-5002.

To tell the truth, OPA627 and BUF634 was very musical and comfortable sounding to me, but did not make my eyes pop out. I liked the MUSES02 more by comparison with the BUF, but not by much.

Switching to LME49600 highlighted the differences much more. I liked his buffer for its open and fast sound, but was bothered by a slightly wirey quality to the sound.

I swapped to the HA-5002 and initially thought it had a slightly plastic and artificial quality. But that worked itself out and disappeared after some burn in. It's the buffer I'm using now as my go to choice. It falls somewhere between the warmer, softer sound of the BUF634 and the faster, leaner sound of the LME49600.

I'm wondering if I didn't give the LME49600 enough time to fully burn in. A lot of folks here enjoy the LME49600 with the MUSES02, and I'm not bothered by that wirey quality in my standard E12 or my Cayin C5 which also uses that buffer. So maybe I didn't let it run in enough.

Of course, so much comes down to personal preference and system synergy.

I hope you find your perfect pairing.

 

[beyerdude]

I started rolling op amps before the rolled buffers, so I initially compared the OPA627 and MUSES02 with the stock BUF634.

The BUF634 is a pretty warm and forgiving buffer, so while differences were apparent, they were not as great as those heard using the LME49600 and HA-5002.

To tell the truth, OPA627 and BUF634 was very musical and comfortable sounding to me, but did not make my eyes pop out. I liked the MUSES02 more by comparison with the BUF, but not by much.

Switching to LME49600 highlighted the differences much more. I liked his buffer for its open and fast sound, but was bothered by a slightly wirey quality to the sound.

I swapped to the HA-5002 and initially thought it had a slightly plastic and artificial quality. But that worked itself out and disappeared after some burn in. It's the buffer I'm using now as my go to choice. It falls somewhere between the warmer, softer sound of the BUF634 and the faster, leaner sound of the LME49600.

I'm wondering if I didn't give the LME49600 enough time to fully burn in. A lot of folks here enjoy the LME49600 with the MUSES02, and I'm not bothered by that wirey quality in my standard E12 or my Cayin C5 which also uses that buffer. So maybe I didn't let it run in enough.

Of course, so much comes down to personal preference and system synergy.

I hope you find your perfect pairing.

I use the LME49600 with the Muses02 but only because I use high impedance headphones. I prefer the HA5002 for my IEMS - For some reason the HA5002 with the Muses02 and 300ohm headphones just doesn't work well (sounded muddy/lacking in bass definition)

 

[Hal Rockwell]

When I use OPA827 I get crackling noise on both channels. Sometimes I hear it only when there is no music playing but sometimes it's present during playback too. I get the crackling noise no matter what buffer and caps I use. Sometimes I can't even turn my E12DIY on using the OPA827 - all I get is just a flickering blue led. Any ideas on how to fix it?

 

[ClieOS]

  When I use OPA827 I get crackling noise on both channels. Sometimes I hear it only when there is no music playing but sometimes it's present during playback too. I get the crackling noise no matter what buffer and caps I use. Sometimes I can't even turn my E12DIY on using the OPA827 - all I get is just a flickering blue led. Any ideas on how to fix it?

 
Try cleaning up the pin. Likely just a contact issue on the socket.

 

[kamson]

If someone is still looking for muses02 - find it here for ~ $37. Just received mine and it seems legit. 

 

[ClieOS]

  ... Just received mine and it seems legit. 
 

 
As we have seen in the past in this thread, too many 'seems legit' all end up being fake. It might as well be the real deal, but I'll still recommend going to the official source as much as possible.

 

[kamson]

   
As we have seen in the past in this thread, too many 'seems legit' all end up being fake. It might as well be the real deal, but I'll still recommend going to the official source as much as possible.

I did a lot of checking and found nothing suspicious. Front printing is exactly the same as yours.