[zachgraz]

OK there are 4 single channel OPA627 in my DAC. Would I even be able to use the OPA828 in my setup - I would have to solder it to an adapter too I guess? I have found plenty of dual channel 828s on Ebay but no single channel adapters.

 

[sp33ls]

You'd need to order four of these then:

https://www.cimarrontechnology.com/product/browndog-970601-so8-to-dip8-adapter

You can select the OPA828 (or another) from the drop-down list, and you'd want to select "pins are installed." This would result in four opamps being installed and ready to go, no soldering required.

I've ordered several of their pre-installed adapters and have had 0 issues.

 

[wein07]

Hi folks,
maybe you can help me with an upgarde to my OPA627 in an Ayon Skylla 2 DAC. The DAC is now 10 years old and it still sounds amazing.
Burson V6 Vivid and V6 Classic did not do the trick for me, the OPA627 sounded superior. A friend of mine suggested they were probably under-powered in my DAC.
Is there a modern upgrade to the OPA627 that is known to sound superior? It needs to be an op amp that fits straight into the socket without any modifications.
I love warm, natural and dynamic sound but I would not mind a change if there is an op amp available with higher resolution maybe?
Most threads concerning the OPA627 are rather old...any ideas?
Cheers

I would suggest u try the Burson V5i instead. It worked very well across many platforms in my experience, from DACs, soundcards and speaker/headphone amplifiers.

 

[John Massaria]

the 627 is a fine chip worthy of going down in history as one most pleasing all rounder - many others I have tried wound up being nice and detailed but lacked the warmth of the 627bp - the successor for me was the 1611a (seen below on SOIC-8 to 8-pin DIP) which was used for super sensitive sonar equipment in the early 2010's
the opa1611A left me wanting more so I bought a ton more opas, and the fully discrete SS3601 by Sparkos was way too detailed and sometimes fatiguing on some poor recordings - a true reference chip set BUT in my Ray Samules Apache just too much- I wound up getting and loving the Sparkos ss2590s x 4 - but dollar for dollar the 627bp was so warm and enjoyable... but for the most balance of all the SS2590 wound up winning

This is what I wrote from this article https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ray-samuels-apache-limited-revision-4-updated-1-10-21.24732/

"SPARKOS SS3601 Single Discrete Op Amp - and I can say it sounds great on top end (if a wee bit too much sparkle on high spectrum frequencies- a bit too much - think hyper Analytical on top end. It's not exactly sibilant but close- The 6kHz to 16kHz range controls the brilliance and clarity of sounds and seems very highlighted here on Sparkos ss3601 ) - this is the truth of what I hear for me but lower end is not close to OPA1611 - the 1611 for me sounds best so far- with Attack much more refined. I do plan on buying a few more OPA's and updating. For now the SS3601 x 4 is not as musical as the OPA1611 x 4. I do plan on trying the SPARKOS pro SS2590 discrete op amp.

I am now using the OPA627bp and it is an amazing warm loving amp now- more impact than Sparkos BUT I need to continue tests. For now- there is no doubt the Apache is a complete chameleon and truly a state of the art design - so quiet and so powerful with no matter the chips installed- but its like getting a new amp sound- very appealing to me. I love the OPA627bp for all it's musical presence and bass impact. It's a lovely sound and it deserves high praise and should be regarded as one of the best OPA's ever made in the last 30 years and probably will stay that statement for the next 30. But I need to continue testing-
just installed 4 SS2590 - and my impressions are complete bliss- warm impact definition and authoritative- a very very great match inside the Apache. The OPA627bp was one of my favorite OPAs for it's shear musicality and ability to loose yourself in the music- never hyper analytical or soft from one end to the other- BUT the SS2590 brings the Apache to a new level of pleasure- past the OPA1611 I originally tested throughout this article. I am listening to Damien Rice and astonished at the pure synergy of matching- this fully discrete high powered Class A Opa is the bees knees-

I am loving each and every second with this combination (SPARKOS PRO SS2590x4 + RSA Apache). Sparkos writes this when comparing IC OPAs to discrete OPAs, "Discrete op amps do not have these limitations, and are a vastly superior upgrade over their IC counterparts. They can run much higher power, have much deeper class A bias, and deliver a much more realistic and detailed sound. Discrete op amps also permit the use of high quality compensation capacitors, and allow for two pole compensation schemes which are impossible to implement in IC designs. All of this translates into a more detailed and engaging listening experience with better imaging and sound-staging than IC op amps can deliver." I 100% agree- this combination is VERY much my ideal set up bringing the Apache to the brink of perfection and I think it's very limits of performance - truly amazing sound. Again, track after track this SS2590 combo is so good I can not stop listening. It's a pure addiction where there are are zero calories, zero chance of anyone getting pregnant, literality zero side effects and no repercussions for inducing a drug like stupper endorphin rush and injection of pure bliss - all my senses tell me this is the ultimate combo I will like the most. And it's only been a few hours since I installed this OPA. I will be doing more comparisons in this review to the other OPAs- namely going back to the 627bp and the 1611 but it may just be futile as my first impressions usually are my best- but we will continue to test..."

 

[zachgraz]

You'd need to order four of these then:

https://www.cimarrontechnology.com/product/browndog-970601-so8-to-dip8-adapter

You can select the OPA828 (or another) from the drop-down list, and you'd want to select "pins are installed." This would result in four opamps being installed and ready to go, no soldering required.

Thank you for your great suggestion! I could not find any single OPA828 on DIP8 on Ebay. So I just ordered 4 of them through your link.

I would suggest u try the Burson V5i instead. It worked very well across many platforms in my experience, from DACs, soundcards and speaker/headphone amplifiers.

Thank you too. I will order them too once I have found a supplier in the EU (EDIT: I have ordered vom Audeos Poland).

OPA828 and Burson V5i seem to be worthy contenders for the OPA627. I will keep you updated once I am through with comparing.

Thank you all for great suggestions!

 

[SoundDouble]

Hello head-fiers. Burson reached out to me and giving me the opportunity to try out some of their opamps.
I know plenty of people have reviewed them already but once I'm done I will post up the link.

 

[wanted110]

Hi everyone. Is there a page in this topic or somewhere else on headfi where we could fine a side-by-side review of many opamp ?
I am thinking OPA6X7, MUSES0X, LME49XXX, AD797 and maybe some V5/5i/6 and other discrete product, all in one go ?

 

[Themilkman46290]

Hi everyone. Is there a page in this topic or somewhere else on headfi where we could fine a side-by-side review of many opamp ?
I am thinking OPA6X7, MUSES0X, LME49XXX, AD797 and maybe some V5/5i/6 and other discrete product, all in one go ?

Op amps are very dependant on the circuit around it, they change drastically depending on what you put them into, the chart would need to be re done for every amp, player or receiver you put it into, it would probably take years to figure this out. Not to mention people's individual taste and hearing abilities.

 

[wanted110]

Op amps are very dependant on the circuit around it, they change drastically depending on what you put them into, the chart would need to be re done for every amp, player or receiver you put it into, it would probably take years to figure this out. Not to mention people's individual taste and hearing abilities.

I understand that. I am just curious to get some reading.
Well then, something more realistic : What would you upgrade a Muses02 with ?

 

[Themilkman46290]

I really enjoyed the v5i but my favorite was the dual lm49710 ha but there really difficult to get these days

 

[sp33ls]

Really does depend on the surrounding circuit.

I will say, tho, the WHAMMY HPA is probably the component which illustrates any differences between opamps tho most. I've had situations where I couldn't honestly tell a difference between opamps. Not only is the WHAMMY a superb amp, it makes for a great test bed for opamp rolling as I can consistently detect subtle differences with this circuit (using the opamp for I/V duties)

 

[Sam Spade]

the 627 is a fine chip worthy of going down in history as one most pleasing all rounder - many others I have tried wound up being nice and detailed but lacked the warmth of the 627bp - the successor for me was the 1611a (seen below on SOIC-8 to 8-pin DIP) which was used for super sensitive sonar equipment in in the early 2010
the opa1611A left me wanting more so I bought a ton more opas, and the fully discrete SS3601 by Sparkos was way too detailed and sometimes fatiguing on some poor recordings - a true reference chip set BUT in my Ray Samules Apache just too much- I wound up getting and loving the Sparkos ss2590s x 4 - but dollar for dollar the 627bp was so warm and enjoyable... but for the most balance of all the SS2590 wound up winning


This is what I wrote from this article https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ray-samuels-apache-limited-revision-4-updated-1-10-21.24732/

"SPARKOS SS3601 Single Discrete Op Amp - and I can say it sounds great on top end (if a wee bit too much sparkle on high spectrum frequencies- a bit too much - think hyper Analytical on top end. It's not exactly sibilant but close- The 6kHz to 16kHz range controls the brilliance and clarity of sounds and seems very highlighted here on Sparkos ss3601 ) - this is the truth of what I hear for me but lower end is not close to OPA1611 - the 1611 for me sounds best so far- with Attack much more refined. I do plan on buying a few more OPA's and updating. For now the SS3601 x 4 is not as musical as the OPA1611 x 4. I do plan on trying the SPARKOS pro SS2590 discrete op amp.

I am now using the OPA627bp and it is an amazing warm loving amp now- more impact than Sparkos BUT I need to continue tests. For now- there is no doubt the Apache is a complete chameleon and truly a state of the art design - so quiet and so powerful with no matter the chips installed- but its like getting a new amp sound- very appealing to me. I love the OPA627bp for all it's musical presence and bass impact. It's a lovely sound and it deserves high praise and should be regarded as one of the best OPA's ever made in the last 30 years and probably will stay that statement for the next 30. But I need to continue testing-
just installed 4 SS2590 - and my impressions are complete bliss- warm impact definition and authoritative- a very very great match inside the Apache. The OPA627bp was one of my favorite OPAs for it's shear musicality and ability to loose yourself in the music- never hyper analytical or soft from one end to the other- BUT the SS2590 brings the Apache to a new level of pleasure- past the OPA1611 I originally tested throughout this article. I am listening to Damien Rice and astonished at the pure synergy of matching- this fully discrete high powered Class A Opa is the bees knees-

I am loving each and every second with this combination (SPARKOS PRO SS2590x4 + RSA Apache). Sparkos writes this when comparing IC OPAs to discrete OPAs, "Discrete op amps do not have these limitations, and are a vastly superior upgrade over their IC counterparts. They can run much higher power, have much deeper class A bias, and deliver a much more realistic and detailed sound. Discrete op amps also permit the use of high quality compensation capacitors, and allow for two pole compensation schemes which are impossible to implement in IC designs. All of this translates into a more detailed and engaging listening experience with better imaging and sound-staging than IC op amps can deliver." I 100% agree- this combination is VERY much my ideal set up bringing the Apache to the brink of perfection and I think it's very limits of performance - truly amazing sound. Again, track after track this SS2590 combo is so good I can not stop listening. It's a pure addiction where there are are zero calories, zero chance of anyone getting pregnant, literality zero side effects and no repercussions for inducing a drug like stupper endorphin rush and injection of pure bliss - all my senses tell me this is the ultimate combo I will like the most. And it's only been a few hours since I installed this OPA. I will be doing more comparisons in this review to the other OPAs- namely going back to the 627bp and the 1611 but it may just be futile as my first impressions usually are my best- but we will continue to test..."

"It's a pure addiction where there are are zero calories, zero chance of anyone getting pregnant"

Unless you have two sets of headphones going...... listening to something romantic

 

[zachgraz]

You'd need to order four of these then:

https://www.cimarrontechnology.com/product/browndog-970601-so8-to-dip8-adapter

You can select the OPA828 (or another) from the drop-down list, and you'd want to select "pins are installed." This would result in four opamps being installed and ready to go, no soldering required.

I've ordered several of their pre-installed adapters and have had 0 issues.

I would suggest u try the Burson V5i instead. It worked very well across many platforms in my experience, from DACs, soundcards and speaker/headphone amplifiers.

Hi folks, I promised to give feedback so here it is. I received the V5i and ended up using it together with the OPA627 (I have 2 single OP amps per channel in my Ayon Skylla 2 DAC). It was a great combination with good dynamics but also a kind of "thicker" sound because of the V5i. They complemented each other very well, 2xV5i or 2xOPA627 did not sound as great.
Then I received the OPA828. It has more resolution than the OPA627 and in my case better instrument separation and soundstage. There are simply more details and it sounds more dynamic but also a bit brighter. The downside I found was that OPA828 had less lower mids, which made the OPA627 sound a bit fuller and warmer. I use EQ in my system anyhow and I increase the levels in the lower mids which gives me the same "full" sound as the OPA627 has. With that little EQ trick the OPA828 is simply a better OP amp in my opinion. The OPA627 sounds less defined and more blurry in comparision.
Now I am using pairs of V5i and OPA828 with great results. So both suggestions from you guys have been helpful. Thanks a lot for that.

 

[sp33ls]

You may actually find additional improvements with the addition of a couple 0.1uF bypass film caps near the opamp socket (across V+/GND and V-/GND).

The OPA828 datasheet calls for bypass caps. And I know Burson advises the use of a film cap across V+/V- for the V6. Just figured I'd call that out

 

[DAPpower]

I'm new to op amps but I have had very good results with 2x Dual SPARKOS PRO SS2590 and 2x Sonic Imagery Labs 994Enh-Ticha on my Burson GT amp. The combination of the Sparkos and SILs really made the amp more resolving and the amp I feel, became more tonally correct. The music became more engaging compared to stock op amp chain.