[stuartmc]

 
Captain, my captain! You are indeed correct about the Eva Cassidy album in question. I am listening to it as I type this and I must say that  through the U12/X10/H10/400i combo it is soul stirring, to say the least!
I think it is the best rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Waters that I have ever heard! I am also quite partial to Tall Trees In Georgia, People Get Ready(I'm not even religious!) and Fields of Gold. The whole album is truly top notch, thanks for the recommendation, much appreciated. Greetings and best wishes from your "Bosun in the Bush".

Bosun in the Bush...ha ha, I never tire of saying that!   Eva Cassidy is one of those rare gems who was taken from us far too soon.  I suppose the heavenly choir had need of such a heavenly voice. She first noticed some health issues when Live at Blues Alley was recorded in January of 1996.   She died from melanoma in November of that same year.  Tidal has another album called "The Best of Eva Cassidy" and it has some of the tracks from Live at Blues Alley and a whole bunch of other excellent tracks.  She was suffering from a cold when Blues Alley was done and didn't like the way her voice sounded. I think she sounds amazing, but I have to admit that some of the other studio tracks on Best Of are pretty extraordinary in their own right.  The recording engineer knew what he was doing because her vocals are just about perfect in the soundstage.
 
The other killer tracks you should check out are - Songbird, Autumn Leaves, Time After Time, True Colors and last, but oh so far from least, I know you by Heart. 

 

[stuartmc]

Oh, I should add that I use "Tall Trees in Georgia" as one of my test tracks for new gear and tweaks.  The lead in where she is introducing the song is very revealing of imaging and the sense of acoustic space and the song itself is quite revealing of live guitar sound and vocals. 

 

[swannie007]

  Oh, I should add that I use "Tall Trees in Georgia" as one of my test tracks for new gear and tweaks.  The lead in where she is introducing the song is very revealing of imaging and the sense of acoustic space and the song itself is quite revealing of live guitar sound and vocals. 

I can understand how this track would reveal the sound of space and the timbre of the guitar and I'm sure it would uncover any weakness in a musical listening chain.
I am listening to "The Best of" at the moment and thoroughly enjoying it. I have had her "Songbird" album for some years now and listen to it frequently and my favourite track is "Fields of Gold". Just stunning!
I shall put together a list of some of my favourite songbirds that I enjoy with the Gustard stack(see how I kept my post on topic there?) and get them to you. I have discovered a few artists recently who were unknown to me previously that I think you might also enjoy.
Cheers from your "Bosun in The Bush".

 

[SearchOfSub]

WANTED: Gustard H10 - Please PM if you are selling. Thanks.

 

[daltonlanny]

Just recently upgraded my Gustard H10 with a pair of Analog Devices AD797ANZ, and a pair of AD823ANZ op amps as recommended by stuartmc.
Wow! Big improvement over the stock op amps, and the amp is no slouch even with the stock op amps!
Transparent, clean, clear, dynamic, with excellent soundstage, and excellent detail resolution. Airy, extended highs, tight well defined bass.
Well worth the price to upgrade, and then some.
More open, extended on top, detailed, and cleaner than the stock chips.
Vocals more open, present, and clear.
Gives up nothing on the low end either, and bass actually sounds tighter and faster, and just as extended as stock.
Competes head to head with my slightly upgraded Beta 22 in most all areas now, and actually sounds even cleaner, and is now almost just as dynamic and transparent!
One of the biggest improvements I have encountered by upgrading parts inside a stereo component.
Highly recommended upgrade!

 

[Jozurr]

Just recently upgraded my Gustard H10 with a pair of Analog Devices AD797ANZ, and a pair of AD823ANZ op amps as recommended by stuartmc.
Wow! Big improvement over the stock op amps, and the amp is no slouch even with the stock op amps!
Transparent, clean, clear, dynamic, with excellent soundstage, and excellent detail resolution. Airy, extended highs, tight well defined bass.
Well worth the price to upgrade, and then some.
More open, extended on top, detailed, and cleaner than the stock chips.
Vocals more open, present, and clear.
Gives up nothing on the low end either, and bass actually sounds tighter and faster, and just as extended as stock.
Competes head to head with my slightly upgraded Beta 22 in most all areas now, and actually sounds even cleaner, and is now almost just as dynamic and transparent!
One of the biggest improvements I have encountered by upgrading parts inside a stereo component.
Highly recommended upgrade!

The more extended treble areas worry me. I have the HE1K and I already feel there's enough treble. What Im looking for is something that adds weight to the lows only. Makes the bass more tighter and impactful. Any suggestions for that?

 

[BassDigger]

The more extended treble areas worry me. I have the HE1K and I already feel there's enough treble. What Im looking for is something that adds weight to the lows only. Makes the bass more tighter and impactful. Any suggestions for that?

 
I'll be interested to read the response (of those who have upgraded the op-amps), but, if you're using the H10 to drive your he1k, IMO the H10 doesn't necessarily have recessed treble, as standard, just uneven; it produces excess treble at some high frequencies, but then rolls-off above those frequencies.
 
It'd be nice if the replacement op-amps have an evening, rather than just an increasing, effect with the treble output.
 
I think I recall reading some less than favourable impressions of the he1k's treble performance. But the standard H10 may actually be exaggerating any deficiencies, especially in the metallic percussion area. 
 
Actually, from the improvement that you're requesting, I'd guess that maybe you need an amp with more power; this should add more impact, control and speed to the bass.

 

[DDDamian]

The more extended treble areas worry me. I have the HE1K and I already feel there's enough treble. What Im looking for is something that adds weight to the lows only. Makes the bass more tighter and impactful. Any suggestions for that?

Yes, the LCD2.2 classic lol. More seriously - how you describe what you're looking for sounds like my current combo of chips: two OPA2604 and two AD797AN. The warmth I'm getting is good for brighter cans, and the bass is both present and impactful - almost too much for the LCD's but very good with the HD800/HE400 without excessive brightness or harshness in the highs.
 
Sounds like I need to get some AD823ANZ's to try at some point, but I have too many amps now anyways lol.

 

[jjkes]

Permission to board ship Captain. I took possesion of a Gustard H10 a few weeks ago. I took your advice and made sure it was totaly burned in before making any judgements. I purchased the H10 to drive a pair of newly aquired ZMF X-Vibros. There seems to be enough power to drive the Vibros but the sound was a little muddy and diffused. Not enough clarity. So I decided to "swab" the opamps and ordered the AD797ANZ and AD823ANZ combo. What a difference. Everything improved across the board. Clarity, dynamics, soundstage, transparency, etc. 
Well, my curiosity got the best of me and I ordered a pair of AD797BRZ's. I really wasn't expecting to hear much of a difference but boy was I wrong. There is much more clarity and detail. What were once subtle sounds are now more noticable and are brought forward and are no longer subtle. As a side effect of more detail SSS now sound like SSSSSSSSSSS.
At this point I haven't decided if I like the more musical ANZ or the more analytical BRZ. I think a lot will depend on how bright or dark the rest of your system is.
Maybe our brave Captain will order a pair of AD797BRZ so we can get his opinion to make sure we are steering this ship in the right direction.

 

[daltonlanny]

Now I am wondering if the Burson discrete op amps are worth the extra money over the Analog Devices AD797 and AD823?

 

[stuartmc]

  Permission to board ship Captain. I took possesion of a Gustard H10 a few weeks ago. I took your advice and made sure it was totaly burned in before making any judgements. I purchased the H10 to drive a pair of newly aquired ZMF X-Vibros. There seems to be enough power to drive the Vibros but the sound was a little muddy and diffused. Not enough clarity. So I decided to "swab" the opamps and ordered the AD797ANZ and AD823ANZ combo. What a difference. Everything improved across the board. Clarity, dynamics, soundstage, transparency, etc. 
Well, my curiosity got the best of me and I ordered a pair of AD979BRZ's. I really wasn't expecting to hear much of a difference but boy was I wrong. There is much more clarity and detail. What were once subtle sounds are now more noticable and are brought forward and are no longer subtle. As a side effect of more detail SSS now sound like SSSSSSSSSSS.
At this point I haven't decided if I like the more musical ANZ or the more analytical BRZ. I think a lot will depend on how bright or dark the rest of your system is.
Maybe our brave Captain will order a pair of AD797BRZ so we can get his opinion to make sure we are steering this ship in the right direction.

Ahoy 'mate....permission granted!   I love hearing  about the op-amp swabbing successes and particular pleased that others are hearing the same things I do with the 797/823 combo.  I have been intrigued by the BRZ tales I have read in other places, but I have been a bit skeptical about it improving the sound noticeably over the ANZ variant.  Perhaps these tales of the Kraken are  true. Did you locate a source for the BRZ pre-mounted  on a SOIC to DIP adapter?  If so, please give us a link to the source.   I would be more than happy to give it shakedown cruise if the pricing is reasonable. Release the KRAKEN!!

 

[mandrake50]

  Ahoy 'mate....permission granted!   I love hearing  about the op-amp swabbing successes and particular pleased that others are hearing the same things I do with the 797/823 combo.  I have been intrigued by the BRZ tales I have read in other places, but I have been a bit skeptical about it improving the sound noticeably over the ANZ variant.  Perhaps these tales of the Kraken are  true. Did you locate a source for the BRZ pre-mounted  on a SOIC to DIP adapter?  If so, please give us a link to the source.   I would be more than happy to give it shakedown cruise if the pricing is reasonable. Release the KRAKEN!!

This seems pretty reasonable. Link
 
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.

 

[jjkes]

I'm still not sure if it is an improvement but I can tell you there is a difference. Per NATEMACT' s post I purchased a pair of pre-mounted AD797BRZ at cimarrontechnology.com . They were $41.00 for the pair.

 

[mandrake50]

  I'm still not sure if it is an improvement but I can tell you there is a difference. Per NATEMACT' s post I purchased a pair of pre-mounted AD797BRZ at cimarrontechnology.com . They were $41.00 for the pair.

Just ordered from the link I posted (Analog Metric). ~$27.00 with shipping included. Only downside is 10 to 14 days for delivery.

 

[stuartmc]

 
Just ordered from the link I posted (Analog Metric). ~$27.00 with shipping included. Only downside is 10 to 14 days for delivery.

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.