[Jozurr]

   
I think I'm going to go with these. I'm choosing the OPA2604 over the AD823, which supposedly have an effect of making the sound transparent and opening up the treble more. Compared to the AD823, the OPA2604 have smoother highs. At least this is what I have gathered from the reading some 30 pages now. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. 

Also, I'm not located in the US so is it safe to order from ebay? Are these these links fine and same things we are talking about:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5PCS-OP-AMP-IC-BURR-BROWN-BB-TI-DIP-8-OPA2604AP-OPA2604APG4-100-Genuine-and-New-/261046530381?hash=item3cc795f14d (Will be ordering 2 of these and not 5)
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1PCS-Audio-OP-AMP-IC-ANALOG-DEVICES-DIP-8-AD797AN-AD797ANZ-100-Genuine-and-New-/270977868969?hash=item3f178a24a9 (2 of these)
 
Also,
 
1) Is the BRZ worth the increase in price ($32 for BRZ on analog metric vs the $15 for ANZ as in link above)
2) Why do you guys order for example the BRZ for $16 vs for example this one available for $7 (assuming it's not fake because the seller is well rated):
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Pieces-AD797BR-SOIC-to-DIP-Op-amp-replace-OPA627AU-/120757514941?hash=item1c1db572bd
 
 
3) What is the difference between ANZ and AR?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Pieces-AD797AR-SOIC-to-DIP-Op-amp-replace-NE5534-/120757516362?hash=item1c1db5784a
 
4) is the LT1357 better than the OPA2604 if I need tamed highs and tight, punchier bass? Cant find direct comparisons for this.
 
Thanks!

 
Anyone?
 
Why do you guys not buy from ebay considering they're reputable sellers and are much cheaper?

 

[stuartmc]

Anyone?

Why do you guys not buy from ebay considering they're reputable sellers and are much cheaper?

There has been some concern that sellers in China that have very low prices on the popular opamps are actually relabeling very cheap chips. Because electrically they function and do the same thing as the high end chip, most users will never know the difference and the seller will continue to have good feedback on eBay.

 

[PWGuy]

  Good find! That's a great price.  I just wanted to see that they are reputable and not selling knockoff chips. The reviews and comments section would indicate that AM is legit. I'm not concerned about the shipping delay since I have other stuff coming in about that time too.  I have a Uptone Audio Regen coming and also an Audioquest Jittterbug.  I think I will pull the trigger on this one too.

 
Stuart, I'm listening to my brand new REGEN right now and it's UNREAL!  The audio improvements are significant and it hasn't even burned in - increased bass volume, tightness, overall presence and articulation.  I'm sitting here blown away.  I'm using a MODI 2 DAC and H10 amp with 797/134(?) op-amps.
 
The REGEN was well worth the cost for me - my music has incredible energy now from HD600s no less! lol
 
I'm excited to read your review when you receive the REGEN .

 

[stuartmc]

   
Stuart, I'm listening to my brand new REGEN right now and it's UNREAL!  The audio improvements are significant and it hasn't even burned in - increased bass volume, tightness, overall presence and articulation.  I'm sitting here blown away.  I'm using a MODI 2 DAC and H10 amp with 797/134(?) op-amps.
 
The REGEN was well worth the cost for me - my music has incredibly energy now from HD600s no less! lol
 
I'm excited to read your review when you receive the REGEN .

Good to know!  I have been reading a lot of comments on the Regen over at Computeraudiophile.com. I got my order placed in time for the September deliveries.

 

[DDDamian]

  Good to know!  I have been reading a lot of comments on the Regen over at Computeraudiophile.com. I got my order placed in time for the September deliveries.

Linky?

 

[SearchOfSub]

Has anyone compared this to Musical Fidelity X-CAN V3 with 6H23P-EB tubes? which one sound better? thanks.

 

[Jozurr]

This seems pretty reasonable. [COLOR=0000FF]Link[/COLOR]

I think I am going to order a pair. I have not yet installed the ANZ, With the current descriptions of the difference in the sound, I will just have to do that today.

These will replace the single opamp (opa134) or the dual opamp (ne5532)? what is the other set of chips you are using?

 

[mandrake50]

These will replace the single opamp (opa134) or the dual opamp (ne5532)? what is the other set of chips you are using?

Same as the AD797 ANZ... they are single opamps. Though the same vendor offers two of them on one adapter to use in a dual application. I have been wondering how that would work to replace the ne5532 ??

 

[Jozurr]

 
Same as the AD797 ANZ... they are single opamps. Though the same vendor offers two of them on one adapter to use in a dual application. I have been wondering how that would work to replace the ne5532 ??

 
I think for single opamps to replace the OPA134, the AD797ANZ seem to be the best option. Still can't decide what to order for the dual opamps which gives me a warm low end with hard hitting bass, forward mids and smooth treble. Have you tried the OPA627?

 

[stuartmc]

 
Same as the AD797 ANZ... they are single opamps. Though the same vendor offers two of them on one adapter to use in a dual application. I have been wondering how that would work to replace the ne5532 ??

I was wondering that as well. I figure I will try the single BRZ variant from this vendor first and if it seems legit and sounds good, I may try the dual BRZ's for giggles.

 

[stuartmc]

   
I think for single opamps to replace the OPA134, the AD797ANZ seem to be the best option. Still can't decide what to order for the dual opamps which gives me a warm low end with hard hitting bass, forward mids and smooth treble. Have you tried the OPA627?

The only one I can personally vouch for is the AD823. In my setup, it comes closest to what you are describing.

 

[mandrake50]

Has anyone done any measurements with any of these opamps? I was just reading one of the designer threads on the AD797. These guys say that it is picky about implementation. Specific  resistance capacitance and board layout is required for optimum performance.
I just wonder how well they work when plugged into a board optimized for a different opamp. OTH, so far I like the sound, but it is difficult for me to really compare stock versus the new opamps as doing any sort of quick A/B tests is not possible. Obviously they work, but are they working and giving optimal results?
 
I guess we play it by ear, but the engineer in me wonders what we are really doing to the system from the electronics perspective.
 
Here is the thread: LINK
 
A member, Filburt, comments:
"I personally like the AD797, but my experience has been (and I'm told my knowledgeable engineers) that it is a somewhat difficult chip to use properly (for reference, I don't consider the AD8397 "difficult"). It cannot just be casually inserted into a circuit; you have to build around it (which means no using SOIC-to-DIP adaptors, especially Browndog!). The topology makes it very sensitive to a variety of environmental factors that you can be much more casual towards with many other chips. If it isn't used properly, you will get substantially rising harmonic distortion with frequency at the least, along with probably other distortion products."
 
More than likely the H10 was not designed in this way, but rather to make the stock opamps work the best that they can. And of course to get the BRZ, we are using adapters. People say they sound different than the ANZ, could it be because they are performing worse?

 

[Jozurr]

  The only one I can personally vouch for is the AD823. In my setup, it comes closest to what you are describing.

 
It's just the treble being further extended and visible part in the AD823 that puts me off.
 
If I were to go for the OPA627 to replace the dual opamp NE5532, which one of these will I have to buy?
 
http://www.analogmetric.com/goods.php?id=1722
 
http://www.analogmetric.com/goods.php?id=1145
 
http://www.analogmetric.com/goods.php?id=1724
 
I'm still trying to understand what the difference between a single and dual opamp is. Is it just the feet? or is two chips? and from the above, how do you choose which one works to replace a dual opamp like the NE5532?

 

[mandrake50]

OPA627BP Precision Hi-Speed OPAMP IC DIP8

1. Order Code:AM001145

 
http://www.analogmetric.com/goods.php?id=1145
 
You need DIP8. The legs where they plug into the socket are the same for dual or single DIP8 parts. The difference is internal.
No reason to buy parts on adapters if the DIP8 part is available.

 

[stuartmc]

 
Has anyone done any measurements with any of these opamps? I was just reading one of the designer threads on the AD797. These guys say that it is picky about implementation. Specific  resistance capacitance and board layout is required for optimum performance.
A member, Filburt, comments:
"I personally like the AD797, but my experience has been (and I'm told my knowledgeable engineers) that it is a somewhat difficult chip to use properly (for reference, I don't consider the AD8397 "difficult"). It cannot just be casually inserted into a circuit; you have to build around it (which means no using SOIC-to-DIP adaptors, especially Browndog!). The topology makes it very sensitive to a variety of environmental factors that you can be much more casual towards with many other chips. If it isn't used properly, you will get substantially rising harmonic distortion with frequency at the least, along with probably other distortion products."
 
More than likely the H10 was not designed in this way, but rather to make the stock opamps work the best that they can. And of course to get the BRZ, we are using adapters. People say they sound different than the ANZ, could it be because they are performing worse?

 
I don't think we have anything to worry about in the H10 application.  It is setup very similarly to the Violectric V200 and many have said, including Fried, the designer, that the opamp implementation is less critical than most.  The alleged persnickety character of the 797 is its stability in unity gain applications.  Most folks have found the 797 to be rock stable and have had zero issues when popping the AD797 into the V200. So far there have been no issues with using it in the H10.   The BRZ, besides being SOIC, has slightly different electrical parameters as compared to the ANZ. It is also a higher grade "B" batch, which means its parameters will not drift as much with changes in temperature and other environmental factors. The parameters are close enough that the BRZ can be substituted in any circuit where the ANZ is used.  I suspect that most people will hear no difference between the two, but at least on paper, the BRZ is the superior model.