| Originally Posted by TehNomad /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does the headphone amp compare with a ~$200 desktop amp like the Millet Starving Student/Hybrid or Little Dot I+? I might consider getting one for college next year along with new headphones. |
| Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting. So does the Opera actually improve the sound from the STX compared to straight from the headphone out? And I'll like to hear your thoughs on 3 X LM6172. |
| Originally Posted by greenarrow /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think I can connect my 5.1 speakers with this card. |
| Originally Posted by Alydon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes it does. In fact, I'd say with upgraded opamps it comes very close to the $750 desktop amp (Corda Opera) that I have sitting next to my PC right now. ... So I've had the weekend now to try out the new opamps that came in. I’ve only had a chance to test these out in the I/V slots, with the LT1361 in the buffer. Here's what I've discovered so far… Through the Corda Opera 2x LT1361 (making 3 total) – This is an incredibly clear and airy setup. It’s quite bright but not painfully so. The soundstage is huge. But it has a scooped upperbass / lower mids, which makes the beautiful "tubey" sound disappear. Bass goes deep but isn't impactful, sorta like listening to IEM's. Overall not bad, but it sounds unbalanced as it emphasizes treble too much. 2x opa2134 – This added mid-bass in addition to the upper bass from the 2114. It has better bass control and clarity than the 2114 but it’s still flabby and is too boomy. The overall sound is quite organic though and you get increased clarity as well. The treble is slightly peaky but not scratchy, but it can lose control and sound “bleaty” with highly dynamic recordings. Overall it has better imaging, slightly more air, and better/longer decay than the 2114 as well, although there’s still not a lot of air (though is this is more a feature of the Opera amp I’m using). This’d be a good, cheap upgrade ($2 apiece at Digikey) if you can put up with the overemphasized bass. 2x LT1057 - Air returned, weight returned. Soundstage is deeper and more 3d than with other opamps except the LT1361 which is still larger. Strong mid presence, but there’s not much on the low end though, bass is not extended very far and rolls off prematurely and is weak overall. It may also be a little too bright around 2-8KHZ, and it can sound piercing on some recordings. Female vocals are strong, but cymbols fizzle and crackle tho and it sounds unsteady, like maybe it’s oscillating? Verdict: I’m not real satisfied with these. Stock 2114’s are better. 2x LM6172 – First words out of my mouth when I heard these were HOLY CRAP! These honestly take the Essence up to the next level! Jan Meier uses the single-version of this opamp (LM6171) in all of his non-portable amps (including the Opera), and I can see why. With the 6172's installed the level of realism in the sound the STX produces has just gone up a notch. Imaging is astounding, very well focused. Details in the music are revealed that fade off into the distance with the other opamps (except maybe the 3x LT1361 setup). Sound sources are much better defined in space than with the other opamps. Instrumental texture and focus is also increased, as well as well as their weight and body. The mids are also Liquid, smoooooooth, very precise and controlled. Very pure sounding, like gold. And the bass is amazing! Bass extension is increased, as well as weight and impact. But at the same time it’s more detailed and controlled than the other opamps I've tried (EDIT: the 2134 has more bass, but it's boomy, uncontrolled and overdone in comparison.). The 6172’s are slightly bass heavy on their own, but the LT1361 as a buffer balances it out quite nicely. These two opamps sync very well together. If I had to find something wrong w/ the 6172’s I’d say the last 2% of air and decay is lost due to its superior control. Luckily though the STX has the cure: Turning on the Large/Plain or Medium/Plain settings in the Effects section resolves this. Normally I don’t like using special effects like this, but in this case it’s subtle enough that it works. There is also a slight mid-bass hump around 200-300Hz that colors the sound a bit, much like Sennheiser headphones have, but I see that as a virtue in most cases. Through the STX's Headphone-out Using the STX’s HP-out most everything applies just like through the Opera above, except that the headphone out has more air and treble emphasis than my Opera does, but a slightly weaker bass, slightly less detail and a flatter/smaller soundstage overall. Instruments aren’t pulled out into space quite as much either. This means that the LT1361 becomes way too bright and the LT1057 has even less bass than before. So if you’re using the HP-out, neither of these opamps are good choices for the I/V sockets. The opa2134 is interesting, though. It isn’t quite as bass-heavy through the HP-out, but it’s still a little boomy. It’s still better than the stock 2114’s, though. The LM6172, though…. Again, WOW (can you tell I like these babies?)! The HP-out removes most of the mid-bass hump that I hear through the Opera and returns that "last 2%" of air that was missing. It also loses a little bit of wieght compared to the Opera's sound, and is a little brighter overall, but not so much as to be distracting or unbalancing. Pretty much everything else that I said about these while listening through the Opera still applies though. If you’re planning on using the STX’s HP-out you really need to try these. And at $3.63 apiece at Digikey, it’s a no-brainer. EDIT: Fixed some typos |
| Originally Posted by Alydon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, the Opera is still an improvement. But it used to be "clearly" better, but now it's only "kinda" better.
The Opera still has a larger and deeper soundstage, more details, slightly better imaging, a fuller bass with ever-so-slightly better extension, and more weight to the sound than the STX's HP-out. The differences are slight, however. I haven't heard the Cantate (Meier's amp that is/was one step down from the Opera), but I'd be willing to bet that the STX's HP-out is its equal. This is all of course to my ears, on my system, YMMV, etc etc...
As for using the RCA-outs with 3x LM6172's, I only own 2 of them atm so I can't test it out. I suspect tho that it might have a slightly de-emphasized (I don't want to say rolled-off cuz it's not) treble so as to be less than ideal. I say this because of what the LT1361 currently brings to the table in the buffer socket, being such a bright and airy opamp in general. From my (albeit brief) experience, the LM6171/6172 seems to suffer from a slight lack of air and a slightly truncated decay in general, since my Opera (which uses LM6171's) has a similar issue. But the LT1361 (for the RCA-outs) and the TPA6120A2 (for the HP-out) both seem to have rather sparkly trebles that more than make up for this. |
| Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif So, I'm interested in the LM6172 as well. I'm guessing it's the DIP format? For a novice, how easy is it to change the opamps? Quick pictorial guide maybe? Is it as simple as lifting the EMI shield, and taking them in and out as it's designed to be solderless changing. |
| Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif all the questions you asked have been answered previously on this thread. keep up
Also, thanks Alydon for the informative write-up. just what i've been waiting for. need more opamps tested. |
