wiz2596
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 20, 2015
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What do u guys think about the muses 02 opamp for sound blaster ZXR?
the "infinite" reformulation doesn't capture the idea I am after - with infinite monkeys you certainly get Shakespeare - lost folio and all - in fact if you number your monkeys some sequential run of them do it on their 1st keystroke read in sequence
with "just' a million monkeys typing at a physically practical rate you have to wait long enough to see if protons really decay or not
When replacing the Muses02 op amp has anyone noticed a sound quality difference between directly plugging it into the board as opposed to using a Gold-Plated Socket such as the following on a Little Dot 1+ Amp?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6pcs-New-8-Pin-Gold-Plated-Socket-For-OP-AMP-DIP8-/261179539940?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:CA:3160
I didn't notice any difference in sound. But the only reason to use the socket is it makes it a lot easier to insert and remove opamps. So if you expect to keep rolling opamps, use the socket. If you expect to leave the MUSES02 in forever, there is no reason to use it.
Any other OPAMP better than MUSE01 ? I got like 2 MUSE01 and 1 MUSE02.
Any other OPAMP better than MUSE01 ? I got like 2 MUSE01 and 1 MUSE02.
It really depends where you are using them. For me, blind rolling the 01 into most of my portable amps has given great results. That's not to say however, that an amp/circuit designed around a specific OpAmp such as the much cheaper OPA132 will not better this. There are mighty fine OpAmps out there at half (or less) the price of genuine Muses 01/02. I really like the LME49990, AD743 + 797 (if you can get them) and OPA602.
Where can you buy the MUSE01 and 02?
I've tried all popular opamps in my Xonar in the last 4 years. I kept coming back to AD797 in I/V and 49720HA in buffer.
Thats a pretty decent sound but it wasn't right. The desire to keep messing with it, straining to listen deeper into the recording leads to trying all kinds of opamp variations.
"its too sibillant.. the bass is flabby... where is the bass?..the soundstage is small or muddy..."
Well, after playing around for 4 years, the solution is stupidly simple.
The LME 49990, 49720, 49710, AD797 and all other awesome opamps need better bypassing.
After reading these different fora for years, you will come across adding compensating capacitors in the 50pf range from the output to the neg feedback.
Did that. Didn't make me happy. Something else was wrong. Try adding 0.1uf from + to -... well that didn't do it either.
The trick for me is to put 10uf on the chip from + to -. I use Silmic II because they are generally my favorite. Before, the 49990 in buffer would get between real warm and actually hot. Obviously oscillating. Now it is barely above ambient. The AD797 sounded good in I/V but I kept wishing it had more Bass, more fullness in sound.
What changed after adding the caps?
1. Most noticeable is that the music has gained two octaves of bass. It goes so low, I had no Idea how much i was missing out on. Its low, low and full and rich and controlled and has volume that moves air.
2. The separation of instruments, their definition and texture is much more visceral. Everything is locked in its place and there is clear separation. The locations of each sound are rock solid.
3. The background has become black. I thought I used to know what that meant when people would say that music comes out of a black background and floats in space. It removes a haze that you couldn't put your finger on.
So, anyone wondering about the AD797 and LME49990 absolutely need to try this cheap and simple mod. 10uf Elna Silmic II across the power pins of the opamp. Its the cheapest, fastest mod out there and has spectacular results.
I cannot overstate how phenomenal this simple mod is. I will be trying different caps and bypasses soon to see what else can be achieved.