[Juiced]

hello everyone

i recently bought a Auzentech X-fi Bravura 7.1 and servel opa2107 , after few comparisons between the stock opa's and the opa2107 , my conclusion:

Headphones amplifier channel: i realy loved the sound of the stock opas (LME49720NA) more than opa2107. the opa2107 realy gave more power than the stock opa but the sound was kinda agressive and less Precisie a especially the singer voice

Speaker channels: the opa2107 realy better than the stock (JRC K105B) , i hear more details and sound sound feels more Precisie

Center/Sub channel: the opa2107 felt less open than the stock (JRCK045B)

this is so far my impressions , if you guys could recommend me some good opa's for the Headphones amplifier and the Center/Sub channels it would be great

.

 

[leeperry]

AD797B, the one and only...and it's officially supported by the manufacturer

more here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/aud...1/#post5238657

a Burson V2 would also be an option if you have enough room(you can also bend them): Burson HD Audio Opamp

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif AD797B, the one and only...and it's officially supported by the manufacturer more here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/aud...1/#post5238657 a Burson V2 would also be an option if you have enough room(you can also bend them): Burson HD Audio Opamp

Sorry, they use the AD797A.
No, the burson would not be a good option as they run at higher voltages then what is avaialable on the card.
You should really read up on this stuff instead of giving people bad information.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juiced /img/forum/go_quote.gif hello everyone i recently bought a Auzentech X-fi Bravura 7.1 and servel opa2107 , after few comparisons between the stock opa's and the opa2107 , my conclusion: Headphones amplifier channel: i realy loved the sound of the stock opas (LME49720NA) more than opa2107. the opa2107 realy gave more power than the stock opa but the sound was kinda agressive and less Precisie a especially the singer voice Speaker channels: the opa2107 realy better than the stock (JRC K105B) , i hear more details and sound sound feels more Precisie Center/Sub channel: the opa2107 felt less open than the stock (JRCK045B) this is so far my impressions , if you guys could recommend me some good opa's for the Headphones amplifier and the Center/Sub channels it would be great .

Lets see if I can sort some of this out for you. There have been a few of us testing various opamps on this card.
First you have:
Can amp: LME49720NA
Front channels" JRC4580
Rear channels JrC4580
Center/sub NJM5532
Side channels JRC4580

The dual LME49710HA module is a step up from the stock unit for the headphones amplifier. You may like the 2107 also in comparison to the 5532 but I think the LME49720 have a bit better sound.
I built a special adapter for a few guys that spilts the center and sub into two singal channel opamps. This way you can use one opamps for the center and another for the sub. There are some great opamps out right now, the OPA827 sound really good in this cards also.

 

[Juiced]

right now my opa's setup:
Headphone amp: LME49720NA
Front channels: OPA2107
Rear channels: OPA2107
Center/sub: JRCK045B
Side channels OPA2107

i have a budget speaker and heaphone set

:
Logitech X-540
Sennheiser HD595

i tried the OPA2107 on the sub channel , it felt less open than the stock ..

thank you leeperry and ROBSCIX for the recommendations .. i can move the LME49720NA to the sub channel and buy dual LME49710HA module for the headphone channel but it's kinda expensive (39.99$ in auzentech website) ...

 

[leeperry]

OPA...LME...JRC, they're no match for AD797B...you can believe everything majkel said, coz it's very much true!

I've sold all my AD797BN to a member of the forum, he's just tried them on the DAC output of his Prodigy HD2 Advance DE, and he's had a major eargasm from the PM he sent me a few hours ago...AD797B is simply ahead of all the rest: Emmeline HR-2 Headphone Amp - Ray Samuels Audio
Quote:

The HR-2 is a high resolution headphone amplifier. It incorporates two state of the art AD797 audio IC’s—the best ever made.

through the discrete HP out of the Bravura, you will be blown away for sure.

 

[Juiced]

i see and not so expensive tho ..

does the AD797BN work in single or dual channel?

 

[leeperry]

AD797 is a single opamp, so you'd need two of them on an adapter...there's a seller on ebay that has the AD797BR, I've ordered one item from him...a friend of mine already ordered from him too, apparently they're genuine

single opamps offer a much wider SS anyway, trust me..AD797B is prolly the best opamp you can buy to feed the Bravura discrete HP out.

the burson is great too, sound is completely different...I would say that AD797B is like a ferrari, very fast and very accurate, and Burson V2 is like a Rolls Royce...very comfy and just makes you feel good about life

 

[Juiced]

and expensive like a rolls royce , accrodng to ROBSCIX's the burston need higher volts .. so my bravura is not Suitable.

you mean this seller?
isn't this module to big for adapter that will fit bravura sockets?

 

[leeperry]

a Burson works fine on the Forte 7.1, there's a good chance it'd work on the Bravura too:

as long as the card feeds more than ±9V, you're in business...±12V is also fine, the best is ±18V but you can't quite get this out of a PC.

you can look here, many ppl put them on soundcards(I did too): Burson HD Audio Opamp

lotsa ppl diss Burson coz they're too cheap to afford them, that's the problem ^^

yes, that's the seller...mine have been shipped last week.

 

[Incognito73]

... don't underestimate other opamps. I mean, yes, some opamps are really highly praised in HiFi domain, but remember that opamp needs to be in the harmony with the surrounding circuit itself. Also, reliable sourcing for the hyped opamps is sometimes just too much hustle (they are counterfeited much more). I'm somewhat not believer in be-it-end-it-all opamp. Not to mention that musical taste is personal affair.

Anyway, I did test the OPA627BP and AD797ANZ on Bravura. I may like the OPA627BP better. It's really like someone flicked the switch from Digital to Analog mode. Just for fun, i did the A/B test between the hadphone out (stock opamp) and speaker out (with OPA627BP). Also, I think that OPA627 tends to be more forgiving for poor sources ... and that's a good thing if you use this card for general htpc duties too (movie/tv watching). Watching TV series/movies was hugely enjoyable to me. It's warm,non-analytical, non fatiguing, old school op-amp focusing on the music and not to surgically extract every bit of detail from the source. Sound scape is impressive too.

AD797ANZ is also excellent opamp ... similar signature to OPA627 but with more sparkle, it's sometimes more open and sometimes will surprise with such delicate details. Still have to hear it properly. Enjoying the OPA627 too much atm.

I may test LT1028CN8, OPA2111AM, AD8026AR ...

 

[leeperry]

yes, I'm curious about OPA627! but I didn't like OPA827 and hated TI opamps in general...that nasty "laid back" sound huh

but the top range OPA627 sure would be amazing...and FWIW AD797B would be a major improvement over A.

LT1028 is not unity gain stable, so watch your toes...I'd also like to try AD8597

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juiced /img/forum/go_quote.gif right now my opa's setup: Headphone amp: LME49720NA Front channels: OPA2107 Rear channels: OPA2107 Center/sub: JRCK045B Side channels OPA2107 i have a budget speaker and heaphone set : Logitech X-540 Sennheiser HD595 i tried the OPA2107 on the sub channel , it felt less open than the stock .. thank you leeperry and ROBSCIX for the recommendations .. i can move the LME49720NA to the sub channel and buy dual LME49710HA module for the headphone channel but it's kinda expensive (39.99$ in auzentech website) ...

Your center and sub is using a JRC4580....that is how they are noted.
There are many great opamps out there but it is not like a AD797 just blows them all out of the water not even close. Opamps are different flavors, some like their cards to sound certain way and some like it another way. I tried the AD797 on the Bravura and I wasn't that impressed. The OPA627 sounded better to me on that card anyway. I have tried basically eery discrete opamps out there including the bursons and now I use customs designed discretes. If a person EVER says one opamps beats all others, it just shows a serious lack of experience. Peoples tastes are different and a opamp I may like you might not.
I am running a Bravura right now, with some custom LME TO-99 installed.

 

[Incognito73]

Yup, OPA627 is definitely a keeper for this card. Lovely synergy. Just audition the OPA627OP/AD797ANZ again and definitely fancy the OPA627 more.

When people ask for the opamps they should avoid the "what's the best" question. Such thing doesn't exist. Firstly, you need to ask yourself what type of sound signature you prefer. Then, some opamps do have specific sound signature but then again nobody can't guarantee you that they will sound as intended in your gear. It's a complex game , involves trial and run and most importantly it's *very dangerous for your wallet if you are not sensible.

It's somewhat nice gesture that Auzen is at least listing the compatible opamps and what to expect from them.

 

[leeperry]

yes, but they don't give much details about their implementation...LPF? their voltage swing? and which op-amp works for what output? on some of their multichannels cards it's not very clear...and their tech.support is totally unhelpful, they already have a hard time understanding basic english.

yep, rolling is evil...I musta rolled like +50 different opamps haha