Jazper
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2004
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A lot of people have said various things about the THS4631D, but I haven't found anything that really describes the sound, so I'll give my impressions compared to the opa637/627 combo which was (I'm undecided atm) my favorite.
Note this is based on the setup in my sig
The Good:
it's clearer, faster, sweeter, more resolving than the 637, in a big way, it sounds as if a veil has been removed.. I'd place the sound signature smack bang between the 637 and the AD8610, with the exception that it is slightly closer to the 637. The bass is noticibly faster, the sound seems to have a raw edge to it, as opposed to the 637's warmth/softness, but not to a great degree.
The bass is considerably better than the AD8610.
The Bad:
voltage offset on the outputs has increased (as expected). 8mv offset being the highest. Three dimensionality is sacrificed a little with this opamp in comparison to the 637, so the sound is more forward overall. Also the blackness isn't as "black" as it is with the 637, there's a slight hiss sooner on the dial than with the 637s.The hiss however is slowly getting better, I think due to burnin/warmup.
I don't notice any difference in heat output compared between the two chips.
Neutral:
The sound is more in your face, more revealing of poor recordings and critical of good recordings. It retains most of the warmth of the 637, especially in the bass and midrange.. The high end has a snap that isn't unlike the 8610 (this is a good thing to me). It is definately livelier than the 637.
Overall, I think this is a good contender for my favorite sounding opamp, more listening is required, but it's certainly interesting.
Note this is based on the setup in my sig
The Good:
it's clearer, faster, sweeter, more resolving than the 637, in a big way, it sounds as if a veil has been removed.. I'd place the sound signature smack bang between the 637 and the AD8610, with the exception that it is slightly closer to the 637. The bass is noticibly faster, the sound seems to have a raw edge to it, as opposed to the 637's warmth/softness, but not to a great degree.
The bass is considerably better than the AD8610.
The Bad:
voltage offset on the outputs has increased (as expected). 8mv offset being the highest. Three dimensionality is sacrificed a little with this opamp in comparison to the 637, so the sound is more forward overall. Also the blackness isn't as "black" as it is with the 637, there's a slight hiss sooner on the dial than with the 637s.The hiss however is slowly getting better, I think due to burnin/warmup.
I don't notice any difference in heat output compared between the two chips.
Neutral:
The sound is more in your face, more revealing of poor recordings and critical of good recordings. It retains most of the warmth of the 637, especially in the bass and midrange.. The high end has a snap that isn't unlike the 8610 (this is a good thing to me). It is definately livelier than the 637.
Overall, I think this is a good contender for my favorite sounding opamp, more listening is required, but it's certainly interesting.
