Originally Posted by Cynips /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, thanks for the input. I'll keep them as is for the moment. If anything goes wrong, I'm pretty much the only one who'll care anyway. If I start hearing strange artifacts I know this could be one source for the problem.
trying 2 x OPA2132 now.
They have excellent bass, wide sounstage & a rich sound with very good instrumental separation.Very enjoyable.
Since my last post I also tried LME49860 & LT1364 and they sounded a bit thin.
I also popped up the stock opamps and I think I can safely say that they are gonna stay in the box from now on. They are not bad at all, but IMO LME49720,OPA2107 & OPA2132 are simply much better.
I've been testing the LME49720HA for the past few days and I feel it is an upgrade over the NA version. The improvements are subtle but unmistakable. The soundstage is larger, bass definition is a bit better and the mids are more detailed. Tonal balance remains largely the same with the exception of the treble, which is a bit more pronounced on the HA (metal versions). This may or may not be a good thing, but I preferred the smoother treble of the NA version.
One important thing to note is that with the few swaps I did of the HA, I noticed that the sound wasn't always constant and required some tinkering with proper seating to get it to sound good. The whole procedure of clipping/bending the pins and forcing them in the DIP-8 slots is messy and potentially damaging to the slots. I definitely second ROBSCIX's opinion that a proper adapter be used to install these. I myself have ordered some adapters and will be using those as a more permanent solution.
Edit: I forgot to mention a finding that is a bit unnerving. As was mentioned earlier in this thread, the HA really get hot under use. In a matter of minutes, they become too hot to touch. So far, this hasn't caused any problems (in terms of sound), but I feel it could affect the life of the card or its reliability.
hehe, I had exactly the same problem the first time I put the NA when the card was brand new unused...the sound was oscillating like a kid whistling through his middle teeth. so the HA are an improvement over NA? good to know
Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been testing the LME49720HA for the past few days and I feel it is an upgrade over the NA version. The improvements are subtle but unmistakable. The soundstage is larger and bass definition is a bit better. Tonal balance remains largely the same with the exception of the treble, which is a bit more pronounced on the HA (metal versions). This may or may not be a good thing, but I slightly preferred the smoother treble of the NA version. Either way, I will be keeping the HA installed.
This entire family of opamps have been tested by many in various gear and circuits for quite awhile now. They are all part of the LM4562/LME craze that started a few years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif One important thing to note is that with the few swaps I did of the HA, I noticed that the sound wasn't always constant and required some tinkering with proper seating to get it to sound good. The whole procedure of clipping/bending the pins and forcing them in the DIP-8 slots is messy and potentially damaging to the slots. I definitely second ROBSCIX's opinion that a proper adapter be used to install these. I myself have ordered some adapters and will be using those as a more permanent solution.
Exactly right, the connections are anythig but stable and such poor connections add many point of failure especially in a environment where temperature is changing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif Edit: I forgot to mention a finding that is a bit unnerving. As was mentioned earlier in this thread, the HA really get hot under use. In a matter of minutes, they become too hot to touch. So far, this hasn't caused any problems (in terms of sound), but I feel it could affect the life of the card or its reliability.
Any IC will prodice some heat and To-99 will will get hotter then normal chips as the metal can tends to keep heat in.
Now for them getting too hot, I mentioned this awhile back as just jamming them into the Dip8 slots is very sloppy and can cause instability in the opamps and cause them to oscillate. They will draw way too much current and get very hot.
This may be a case of normal heat or may be a case of the opamp malfunctioning. Adapters may stabalize them if they are indeed oscillating.
You might also want to consider swapping out the sockets on the card for higher quality units.
From just simply looking at all the people that use the FP connections and noticing all the noises that the EMI puts into the wires, I'm very leery against taking that off.
the thing about that adapter; TO-99 pins are supposed to go inside the DIP8 adapter extension legs and the only part sticking out would be the metal can, right? any pictures with TO-99 op-amps inside would be appreciated.
i've been looking for that adapter in europe e-shops. no luck so far. it looks like it's a very rare thing, not commonly used.
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