[clasam]

Hey guys, I've been intrigued by the ability to change "flavors" of an amp by simply swapping opamps.

So, for those of you who are rollers, is it possible to drastically change the amp's signature with different opamps, or is it just a subtle change?

I guess, to continue the food metaphor, is the change as noticeable as steak dinner vs fois gras, or is it much more mild, such as using cayenne pepper instead of jalapeno peppers?

Thanks in advance,

Jon

 

[cakeman]

I liked your food metaphor >__>.
But to answer. It should change it at a noticeable level. Some Op-amps do things others do badly at.

 

[justhavingfun]

In my experience, the op amp rolling has subtle changes only. But some op amps tend to change little more than others for sure. The op amps is the only one part of the equation that defines the sound signature of the total amp's sound. To me, changing tubes give more changes to the sound signature than the typical op amp rolling but of course, YMMV.

 

[mrarroyo]

Most of the op-amp changes are subtle. However a few make you take an step backward and go WOAH. It is hard to make a generalization, a lot will depend on the amp's design.

 

[PhilS]

A lot depends also on the idiosyncrasies of the individual listener. One person's "subtle" is another person's "night and day." For example, if you roll an op amp, change a tube, change a cable, or whatever, and it reduces some sibilance you've been hearing on some of your favorite recordings, is that a "subtle" difference or a "night and day" difference? I think I could argue either way.

To put it another way, these things are really matters of judgment, and it's hard to say what changing an op amp might do for you until you try it. Geez, I know some folks on Head-Fi who contend that all CD players sound the same, so you have to take what others say, or what they say they hear, with a grain of salt. Maybe all this is obvious, but I thought I would say it anyway.