The Opamp thread

[SpudHarris]

Are'nt the legs of Muses made from a softer but annealed material? That's how I thought you could check. Oh and of course buy from an authorised dealer...

 

[atmosfearz]

Are'nt the legs of Muses made from a softer but annealed material? That's how I thought you could check. Oh and of course buy from an authorised dealer...

Actually I've heart that real muses are so weak and can be broken easily.

 

[ScottFW]

They're not unbelievably weak, but they break probably a bit easier than most. I broke one leg off a MUSES 8920 when removing to install sockets in my TEAC UD-301 (the 8920 were the stock chips). It was kind of a pain due to the chips being fit pretty tightly to the board... PCB hole spacing seemed a bit on the wide side relative to standard DIP8 chip leg spacing, so it was not possible to simply wick out all the solder and leave all 8 legs floating free in the middle of the holes. The corner legs were still physically touching their hole edges, so after wicking away as much as possible I'd have to heat again (the wave soldered lead-free joints also contributed to the fun) while gently pulling on the chip, and I broke one of the corner legs off the first 8920 I removed. First time I ever had that happen in years of doing this stuff. I exercised some paranoia while removing the remaining chips and managed to avoid any further breakage.

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

There's still better question how to check and prove if it's fake.

Muses should put a picture on their 8920 to make it easier to spot if someone fakes it. Right now just with text, it's really hard to tell.

 

[SpudHarris]

Listening with TO99 OPA637BM's that I bought from Farnell when I had a more disposable income. I paid about £40 each + VAT so the Muses01 in comparison isn't such bad value. SQ wise there really isn't much in it. Always had a liking of these since getting into this hobby and reading Tangents Pages. It was the first real class opamp I ever listened to and I believe it still rocks in the right application...

I will just don my fireproof jacket and say the genuine Muses01 is actually a bargain haha

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

I will just don my fireproof jacket and say the genuine Muses01 is actually a bargain haha

I'm not sure why you had to say Genuine? Genuine products always sound better because they sound like they're supposed to.

 

[SpudHarris]

Not sure I understand you??

A fake Muses01 would hardly be a bargain would itt? The context was a comparison against "genuine" OPA637BP so not sure what you are saying?

Personally given my time in this hobby and listening to others experiences I would never buy from anywhere but a reputable source. If it looks too good to be true? It most certainly is!

Wow what a strange post...

 

[Onik]

Here is my little review/comparison between a few opamps. I was gonna do a big write-up but, life has gotten in the way of any real free time.

See my amp mods here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/770610/int...and-hpa-3b-review-to-follow/150#post_12641691

Audio chain: laptop>ifipower>Gustard U12>Gustard X12>Matrix M-Stage HPA3-B>HiFiMan HE-500

With the little time I've gotten to swap and listen to a few opamps I've come to a few conclusions.

Burson V5:
A mellow sound, laid back, if you would. Nothing seems to stand out, all very balanced. Vocals seem to blend into the music(not sure if this is good or bad). And the soundstage seems to be on the small side.

Burson V5i: Similar to the V5 but better in a few ways. The vocals sound so lifelike and energetic. Sounds as if the artists are in the room with you. Also the bass is more pronounced and lively. The soundstage is very good. Not too big or too small.

Sparkos Labs SS3602: Very clear, almost analytical. Vocals are not veiled, but stale sounding. The instrument separation is ridiculous! Every single sound has its own space and time. You can really pick apart the music. The highs are very clear and pronounced not harsh at all, though. And the soundstage is on the small side.

did you write this review after Burnin?

 

[canthearyou]

did you write this review after Burnin?

They each had a little bit of burn in. Some more than others.

 

[Onik]

They each had a little bit of burn in. Some more than others.

imo I find the Bursons vivid series are more livelier than Sparkos opas and also found vivids bass is more extended than Sparkos. in the case of soundstage I am not sure which one is the best, maybe I will need to burn my ss3602 few more days to find out.

 

[canthearyou]

imo I find the Bursons vivid series are more livelier than Sparkos opas and also found vivids bass is more extended than Sparkos. in the case of soundstage I am not sure which one is the best, maybe I will need to burn my ss3602 few more days to find out.

I never tried the vivid series. The reviews are promising, though.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

SS2590 by sparkos

Anybody tried their flagship op amp

 

[Onik]

SS2590 by sparkos

Anybody tried their flagship op amp

I don't know what that thing is but all I can say is its not compatible with my Equipments.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

I don't know what that thing is but all I can say is its not compatible with my Equipments.

Well true...

And yah..I forgot

OPA 1622 and OPA1688 are some extreme level cheap opamps.

Perfectly designed AGDR cmoy with Texas instruments TX2575 resistor on audio line and more upgraded components, costing somewhat 150$ is better than most of the burson opamps rolled in random hardware.


And yah, I forgot, if you have decent soldering skill with SMD, try changing the Burson V6 vivid resistor to tx2575 resistor..

@The Chief did this.. To V4

Texas instrument started tx2575 smd format

Or you can go rhopoint gg wirewound

 

[The Chief]

Well true...

And yah..I forgot

OPA 1622 and OPA1688 are some extreme level cheap opamps.

Perfectly designed AGDR cmoy with Texas instruments TX2575 resistor on audio line and more upgraded components, costing somewhat 150$ is better than most of the burson opamps rolled in random hardware.


And yah, I forgot, if you have decent soldering skill with SMD, try changing the Burson V6 vivid resistor to tx2575 resistor..

@The Chief did this.. To V4

Texas instrument started tx2575 smd format

Or you can go rhopoint gg wirewound

Thank you so much. This is the first time that anyone takes a notice of what I´ve done.
To be honest, the photograph ist in prototype mode. Later versions look a little better (see new photograph. If you try to copy that work or do better, please folks, be aware , that I´ve listened to any single resistor. And there was a difference in sound every time. So I determined any resistor´s direction by listening. This is the case, no matter if you take TX2575 or Rhopoint GG102. Burson has my sheme, so they could build it!!! And what nobody knows: Rhopoint 50 Ohm resistors sound better soldered the other direction.

My favourite Op amp is till now the rhopointed V4. But this one wins only in naturalness and natural sounding impulses. The cirquit of the V6 vivid seems to be better. V6 wins in punch and bass.
What I guess is: normal surface smd resistors don´t sound best. Unfortunately I don´t dare to rhopoint a Vivid. If somebody did, please let me know...
ahh, last but not least: no sound differences in the small cap. But the trim sounds as well. I prefer the green Texas Components trims, they are the ones that sound brightest. (type 1240) If it´s too bright the 1260 sound a little mellower, but fine. But the pins are inline. maybe the 1242 is a good idea...