[MTRH]

Did anyone actually bother to test the PAD card prior to and after modding?
It would be insteresting if anyone actually got any improvement or negative effect of this experiment.

RMAA or SpectraLAB

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Click here for RMAA results of my stock RME. I will post stock and modded results (with eac set of opamps) for the new card once I recieve it and mod it. That time I will use 24/96 and 16/44. This one is only 16/44.

 

[Glassman]

just to ilustrate that measuring doesn't tell much about sonical qualities of the card - here are the results of my previous card M-Audio Revolution:

http://volny.cz/needsoft/rmaa/revo1644.htm

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I think most card's RMAA loopback test is usually limited by the ADC, not the DAC, so I can see why it isn't exactly the most relevant thing in the world.

 

[Glassman]

your ADC is much better than that on Revo

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Well, naturally, but I guess we'll find out if it's better than the analog stage or not in a few days

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Well I have the opamps soldered onto browndog adapters, and another adaoter ready with the IC socket, so now all I need is for FedEx to deliver my new card! grumble, grumble....

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Yahooooo! THe new card is here, RMAA testing and modding will commence shortly, after a small period of initial listening

 

[Edwood]

LOL, you were going crazy there. ;

-Ed

 

[lan]

Why did you get another?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I sold the first one in order to pursue modding this one with an opamp socket. In the end it only cost a few bucks more and gives me the ability to try out any single-channel SOIC8 opamp. Today I've got the AD8610, AD797, and LM7171 to try. Time to go do some soldering!

 

[lan]

I wonder how many posts you have in this thread

Well good luck! Don't burn yourself.

 

[Edwood]

Looks like 47

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Well we are up and running, the AD797's and AD8610's sound great, the LM7171's get extremely hot after a short time and start distorting.

As far as RMAA goes, there is very little difference between the stock, 797, and 8610, which leads me to believe that the ADC on this card is not up to the level of the DAC.

Funny thing Ed, this set of AD797's did not lower the volume like the last set I had. Perhaps it is a question of matching them up? Who knows.

The socket works great, just snap one set of opamps out, the next in, in under 10 seconds or so.

I haven't recieved the blackgates yet, but listening to the 797's right now, I think that lack of dynamics we were hearing was definitely being caused by the blackgates not being burned in enough yet.

 

[Edwood]

You know, I do remember your old stock RME having less volume output than mine. I assumed you have your RME's volume lowered for some reason, but you didn't. Maybe output volume varies from batch to batch? Or it was just a freak instance with that one card? It didn't affect the sound quality, just a bit less volume output. Weird.

Hmmm. Perhaps some tiny ramsinks epoxied to the LM7171's will help. I have some Artic Silver Epoxy.

Maybe the ones designed for mosfets, voltage regulators. Or ones for BGA ram on video cards.

-Ed