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Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I've been testing 3xLME49720 in the STX for the past little while and I prefer this combination over any other I've tested. Now I'm just waiting for the LT1364 to arrive from Digikey so I can check how it fares in the buffer spot.
My findings are that the 49720s give the STX a very refined, non-grating treble that isn't rolled off. It's a pleasure to listen to. I also noticed soundstage depth increased in front of me, but the width remained the same. However, one change that some may not like is that it decreased the bass punch slightly. Overall, I feel it is an upgrade from the stock sound and every other opamp combination I've tested thus far.
In short, the LME49720 give the STX an airier and less-fatiguing quality.
Edit: I also noticed that with these opamps, the frequency response seems more even. I felt there was an upper midrange, as well as midbass peak with the default opamps (caused by the JRC2114) which has now been removed.
As an aside, I want to mention that so far my findings of opamp characteristics has been nearly identical to those of scytheavatar's. I guess we hear alike.
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You can add me to the list of LME49720-as-I/V converts.
Late last week I realized that I had
two LM4562's lying around (1 from the STX, 1 from the HDAV), and it dawned on me that I hadn’t really given them a chance to show what they could do on their own away from the influence of the 2114’s, so for the last several days I’ve been trying them out in a few different configurations, and I must say that overall I like ‘em quite a bit.
When paired with the right opamps, the LME49720/LM4562’s in the I/V spots do provide a beautifully airy and musical sound that does not seem at all digital or flat like I found them to be in other applications. And like you and scytheavatar, I noticed the mid/upper bass sludge disappear as well. So it seems that it’s the 2114’s from the stock setup that I'm ultimately dissatisfied with. In, fact, I think I’ve found a new favorite setup that actually makes use of the 4562’s.
Anyway, I’ve actually been working on another write-up of various different setups I've tried while listening through the RCA-outs to my Corda Opera. Here are the ones w/ 2xLM4562's as I/V. Note that I have not yet tested the headphone-out w/ these.
“Excellent” setups: These three configs offer a noticeable improvement over the stock setup, either tying or surpassing stock in most respects IMO. Little to no compromises made here compared to stock.
1) 2xLM4562 1xLM6172 (My new favorite)
Soundstage – Just as tall and wide as stock, but also deeper. Your position is more intimate than stock as you are placed onstage and right in-with/in-front-of the musicians, whereas you’re in the 1st or 2nd row of the audience w/ the stock setup. The soundstage is also more coherent all around than stock, especially for sound sources that move around within the sound field. By comparison, stock can feel a little stretched out too far to the sides like taffy and starts to get that “3-sound-blobs” effect between left, right, and center with some music. There is none of that here.
Imaging - Instrument focus and solidity is significantly better, as is low-level detail - both being about the same as my old favorite (2x6172/1x1364). Many background instruments that sounded in stock like they’re part of a flat backdrop of sound behind the primary musicians have good 3D imaging here. This combo makes best use of the whole soundstage of any setup I’ve tried, and does the best job of portraying image depth and distance as well as giving each instrument their own unique position in space. Strings and horns have more texture and body and sound more realistic than either stock or the other setups in this class. Bass impact and attack is still there like the ol’ 2x6172, and percussion instruments (including piano) sound noticeably better here than in stock or setup #2 below, as they have the focused imaging and speed of attack that beautifully reproduces their visceral THWAP!! and reverberations, neither of which can be quite matched by the other setups (although #3 is close). The added attack, detail and imaging combine to make it easy to pinpoint exactly where and how a drum is being hit (e.g. – with bongos, whether their getting hit with fingertips or heel of the hand, in the membrane’s center or along the edge, etc).
Tonality - It’s tonally similar to stock, but with slightly hefter overtones and possibly slightly stronger mids as well. It sounds just as natural though due to the more intimate soundstage since instruments do tend to sound like they have more weight and stronger mids when heard up close. But the overall sound is not bass-tilted like my old favorite 2x6172 was, which I now feel were ultimately coloured too dark to be ideal for me. Bottom harmonics on all instruments/voices have also improved. Male voices especially are better, and now have the weight and power they should have.
2) 2xLM4562 1xLT1364
Soundstage - BIG open spherical soundstage, about as wide as stock but a bit taller and deeper as well. You’re sitting maybe 1 or 2 rows further back than stock, which is great for classical music and other live performances, but can make you feel slightly detached from the music in small venues. It also is the airiest of the setups I’ve tried, and does the best job at making headphones disappear and transporting you into the actual location.
Imaging - Attack is not as sharp or fast as the other two configs. Details are a little soft around the edges and some are lost completely that can be heard on the other two, although the differences are quite minor. Imaging is also not as 3D. However, all of this works together in this setup’s favor since it makes the sound VERY realistic and what you’d expect to hear from sitting in the audience of a real concert hall. Percussion instruments though lack weight and impact and can tend to sound a little indistinct, but maybe still a hair better than stock.
Tonality - Overall tonal signature is slightly brighter than stock, but the mids aren’t recessed like they are in #3 below. Tonal reproduction of choirs, pipe organ, piano, flute, clarinets are spot on. Trumpets and other horns are close too, but there’s not quite enough lower harmonics to the individual instruments, making them sound a little lightweight. However, it actually adds to the “concert hall” feel. Strings suffer from this a little as well, but they do have more texture and detail than stock. There may be a little too much upper bass making the low-end slightly smeared and congested - but then stock suffers from this too - and mid/low bass rolls off a tiny bit too soon.
3) 2x4562 1xLME49860
Soundstage – Big soundstage, pretty much the same as stock, maybe a little deeper, but not as deep as #1.
Imaging – Much more focused than stock. Pretty much a mirror of #1 but with a touch more low-level detail. There aren't any
more details than #1, but the sound has more treble energy so that details that are there are a touch more prominent. Holographic imaging is about as tight/focused as #1 as well, although the sense of varying depth isn't quite as good.
Tonality - It’s a little brighter than stock, and the brightest of the 3 configs here. OTOH it’s much more refined than stock as it has setup #1’s precision, cleanliness, control, imaging, attack, and texture, but with a brighter overall presentation. However, there’s not as much body as #1 or stock, and the mids seem a bit recessed in this config (possibly due to the forward treble), which can make some music sound a little on the weak side.
