The Opamp thread

[12Bass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecclesand /img/forum/go_quote.gif To my ears, the ADA4627 is the real deal. The music flows so effortlessly with them as both line driver for a CS4398 DAC and paired with HI-C BUF634s as a headphone amp. All my testing has been with the ARZ version as the BRZ were more expensive. I think I may need to pick up a couple BRZ versions for comparison. In my Lite DAC-AH, I switched back to the opa627 from the opa827. To my ears, the opa627 bests the 827 in every category. However, I need to pick up a few more ADA4627s and mount them on single adapters to try in the Lite. These may just beat the opa627 in this circuit.

Interesting.... will have to look into the ADA4627. Wasn't all that impressed with ADA4841-1.

What is the application where you're using OPA627/827? I haven't heard OPA627 yet, however, a number of people have said that it is too laid back and that the OPA827 is superior. Of course, my own experience has shown that the application can make a big difference, as I've found that I prefer other chips in certain circuits.

On a side note, posts are not taking a minute to process today. For the past while my browser would time out for a long time before the post would show up, which can be very annoying if any edits are necessary. Faster = good!

 

[ecclesand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12Bass /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting.... will have to look into the ADA4627. Wasn't all that impressed with ADA4841-1. What is the application where you're using OPA627/827? I haven't heard OPA627 yet, however, a number of people have said that it is too laid back and that the OPA827 is superior. Of course, my own experience has shown that the application can make a big difference, as I've found that I prefer other chips in certain circuits. On a side note, posts are not taking a minute to process today. For the past while my browser would time out for a long time before the post would show up, which can be very annoying if any edits are necessary. Faster = good!

I'm using the OPA627 as output drivers for my modded Lite DAC-AH which is a NOS DAC with 8 TDA1543 chips. In this setup, the opa827 sounded laid back compared to the opa627.

I have some nice Auricaps on order to do a passive output. I plan to add another set of RCA jacks with the Auricaps and keep the opamp output to the existing RCA jacks. With this approach, I can test both by simply swapping RCA jacks. Hopefully I will like the passive output better so I can stop rolling opamps...at least on my primary source. I'll still roll on my other DAC/Amps.

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am sorry for people having equipment in which artifacts and colorations from Audio-GD OPA's bring improvements. [..] I still admit the OPA's are amongst the best sonic choices but I will never agree they set a new level of quality.

Hot-Rod Soundcard in true audiophile colors!!! Is this it? - Page 3 - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net Quote:

it sounded just amazing. The three dimensional sound stage is amazingly real.

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12Bass /img/forum/go_quote.gif Perhaps it is worth noting that I'm seeking a mix of both transparency and pleasing coloration in reproducing the sound of my instruments.

indeed, we have different goals...most ppl on this thread want an all-in-one chip, I'm seeking the cleanest/uncolored chip available to feed my Earth/Burson final buffer(that are colored to death).

so far I'm trying two silly NJM4580D on the AK4396 output(as ±8.8V LPF), and I like what I'm hearing! on french forums they say that this chip is basically like a piece of wire....that's what it sounds like to me, far less colored than anything I've tried so far.

ppl usually ditch'em for 4562's or so, but it's got a high SNR, a low THD and sounds very much 1:1 to me....this 4580 is really one nice little chip, at whatever driving headphones or filtering DAC outputs...fire and brimstone!

 

[leeperry]

hah, distortion is so damn low on the AD797: Waveform distortion / edited Amplifier

 

[12Bass]

Hmmm.... have listened to NJM4580s in my Behringer UB1204-PRO and RME DIGI96/8 PST, and found them somewhat edgy and lacking detail.... wouldn't say they were transparent "like wire" at all. Haven't preferred any of the JRC/NJM parts I've heard (NJM2068/2100/4580), and have found what I thought to be superior replacements from a number of other manufacturers.

I experienced a significant improvement in the UB1204's preamps when I replaced the NJM4580s with AD8599s and LM4562s (clearer, cleaner, more natural). I even directly compared modded and unmodded channels and had friends do blind comparisons to confirm. IMO, the OPA211/2211A is closer to the goal of transparency, or AD797 for something a bit warmer, but very clean. For driving headphones, I again recommend looking into AD8397. Thinking I might replace the op amps in the mixer with OPA2211As instead, as I prefer them to the current op amps (above).

 

[leeperry]

yeah ok, it's also very much dependent on the circuit design anyhow...and I've just added a link while you were typing this, indeed AD797 looks scarily undistorted

my four AD797BN have finally been shipped today, can't wait! I hope the browndogs won't ruin the whole thing

NJM4580D sounds better than LT1469IN8 to feed Earth I think, less colored...it's supposed to be the low noise version in that famous NJM serie.

oh, and I can't bear the 4972x sound anyway...bass shy and bright is not my thing.

 

[leeperry]

and there's still that theory that all the music we're listening to has gone through zillions of 553x chips...you can dig for more details, but did the sound engineer even care for them? it'd be like increasing the trebles while listening to vynil.

many highly trained sound engineers find the 553x to be the best chips...they make everything sound good, as everything we're listening to has been engineered on those.

I'd be like watching SMPTE-C calibrated movies on a wide gamut display...more saturated colors? most definitely! but is that how these movies have been mastered/calibrated? no.

it's like all these flat screen owners who max. the sharpness, and everything looks like clay animation...oh it's sharp ok!

many great sounding chips do wonders on some records, and fail bigtime on others....we've all felt that, don't lie to me

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hot-Rod Soundcard in true audiophile colors!!! Is this it? - Page 3 - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

Yes, well your just posting another persons opinion. It is NOT a fact.

 

[majkel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hot-Rod Soundcard in true audiophile colors!!! Is this it? - Page 3 - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

Hey, it's just a mere PC sound card. Not that reliable test platform IMHO. My friend switched from "rolled" HD2 to E-MU 1212m and noticed quite a big improvement. My another friend switched from 1212m to CS4398 upsampling DAC, kind of more sophisticated than mine due to on-board upsampler (improving nothing as people say), and also noticed significant improvement, even before he started op-amp rolling. Try a decent stand alone DAC with a good USB or let the E-MU 1010 deliver the bits via optical output to you.

 

[LuciferX]

Can somebody tell me the differences in Bass, Mids an Highs between OPA2132P and OPA2107AP?

Im hearing 4xOPA2132 now, has more bass and less harsh highs than my soundcard defaults (Claro Halo with 4x4580 (JRC) ), the voice has more ... Body? So far so good!

My SoundCard

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey, it's just a mere PC sound card. Not that reliable test platform IMHO. My friend switched from "rolled" HD2 to E-MU 1212m and noticed quite a big improvement.

tell him his next upgrade is to fit some burson/earth on the HD2(and some better caps like on my Advance Deluxe version)

he was prolly using something along the lines of LT1364/AD8599 or so. USB/SPDIF have their problems too, like jiiiiittterrr and no KS support...besides the HD2 drivers(if you have the korean firmware) forbid SRC, I like that

I'm quite sure 4*AD797BN and a new burson(+mundorf cap) will sound good to me

but so far 2*NJM4580D + Earth sound really great, it sounds like just the right chip...like perfect gamut matching on a projector, saturation/hue seem spot-on. digging for more details on the DAC output might not be the wisest thing to do, as this will color the sound and benefit some songs but make some other sound really bad.

 

[majkel]

I replaced the NJM4580 with the AD8022 long time ago in my CD player at the output stage, and I noticed improvement in resolution and timbre accuracy. For the OPA-Earth sonic qualities the NJM4580 will be the bottleneck. AD8022 sound is close to that of AD797ANZ AFAIR.

 

[K3cT]

I have AD797BRZ, AD843JNZ, AD825ARZ, LT1028ACN8, and LT1124ACN8 on the way to play with my DIY amp.

So far the combo of OPA637BPs in signal and OPA627BP in ground is doing a marvelous job so the standard is pretty high. I want to avoid the discrete HDAM route because of casing complication.

 

[leeperry]

yes, agreed...vocals have less resolution, but "bottleneck"...compared to what?

sound engineers use mostly 5532 or 2680 on pro gear...so if you use anything w/ more resolution, you're basically not hearing what they heard at the recording/mastering stages.

like all the bluray's that are actually mastered on SMPTE-C CRT's, you sure can watch them in REC.709...but they carry SMPTE-C primaries and look over-saturated on REC.709(luckily you can convert gamuts, though ^^).

I've tried a lot of op-amps on the DAC output, and none of them seemed to "work" on all the songs all the time...mostly because they're digging too deep IMHO, and the guy who said that to me very much has the goldenest ears I know of(he runs a Lynx Two-B, that has 5532).

he also has a cd3k on an external amp(can't remember which) and after extensive rolling, he put back the 5532 as well.