[loony]

k cool

Like i sad i mostly use my headphone for everything. the speakers are yust when friends are passing by etc. so notting fancy is needed the money is no problem could easily spend more on it but not intrested in passing by the 100 euro cause I wouldnt get the worth of money out of it.

Ty!

 

[Shahrose]

Just tried the LME49860 in the buffer spot. Compared to the LME49720, they are brighter, less bassy and have less mids. The soundstage is not as wide as it is with the LME49720, but the front-depth increased a bit.

I also agree with Alydon about the LME49860 having a more refined treble than the LME49720. The difference is subtle, but the LME49720 have a grainier treble. Personally, I still prefer the LME49720, since I like a mid-centric presentation and their wider soundstage is more enveloping.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Have you tested them in the I/V position? -I have them but I am so busy and haven't had any time for testing of opamps.

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you tested them in the I/V position? -I have them but I am so busy and haven't had any time for testing of opamps.

No I haven't, but I have an idea of what they will sound like, since I've tested the LME49720 in the I/V section thoroughly.
I think I've found my preferred setup in the 1x49720 / 2xJRC2114 so I don't feel like switching to anything else, but I may out of curiosity when I get more time.

 

[Bojamijams]

Is there a higher spec version of the JRC2114 (thats the default I/V opamps right?)

 

[ROBSCIX]

Yes, the stock I/V opamps are the 2114D's. I don't think there is a improved version with the same component number. There are many opamps which offer improved specificaations as the 2114D's are a older generic audio opamp that has been used in many audio designs. The base reference designs call for the 5532, abother well known generic audio opamp, but ASUS opted for the 2114D which offers somwhat improved specifications over the 5532. -IIRC.

 

[maarek99]

Hi, what's the difference between the buffer and i/v opamps? I have a opa627 and I may try it in the buffer position, anyone else tried it?

 

[ROBSCIX]

You require two matched opamps for the I/V section and one for the Buffer. Some opamps are better for I/V then buffers. I am pretty sure another tried it for the buffer and said they didn't like it but that is with teh stock I/V opamps. This really gets to be a bit of a balancing act between the 3 opamps. If you have the 627 try it out and let us know how it goes.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Oh noes. My Essence STX is starting to slightly get crackling sounds... :S
Will see if it's a software setting first as that can be a symptom but still....

 

[Alydon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just tried the LME49860 in the buffer spot. Compared to the LME49720, they are brighter, less bassy and have less mids. The soundstage is not as wide as it is with the LME49720, but the front-depth increased a bit. I also agree with Alydon about the LME49860 having a more refined treble than the LME49720. The difference is subtle, but the LME49720 have a grainier treble. Personally, I still prefer the LME49720, since I like a mid-centric presentation and their wider soundstage is more enveloping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you tested them in the I/V position? -I have them but I am so busy and haven't had any time for testing of opamps.

I gave the 2xLME49860's a shot in the I/V spots with both the LME49720 and LM6172 as buffers, and I gotta say in each case I wasn't that impressed. The soundstage is big, the imaging clear like all the National opamps I've tried, and the low/mid bass and mid/upper treble were both clear and distinct. But the entire middle third of the audio spectrum sounded like it had been all scooped out. From about 300Hz - 2KHz was quite recessed, making everything sound quite distant, weak, and hollow. Maybe if it had more juice it'd be a better option, but as it stands I didn't like it.


@Bojamijams, I poked around JRC's website and found a couple more opamps that might be interesting to try like their 2120 and 2121, but nothing that looked like it was an improved successor to the 2114D. The specs were all too different to look like they were close to the 2114's.

@maarek99, all 3 opamp sockets on the STX require dual-channel opamps. The opa627 is only a single channel opamp, so in order to use them you'd need two of them installed on the something like a browndog adapter for them to work. EDIT: From the sound of this post by fzman, a Browndog may not be an option as the white box capacitors surrounding the buffer socket may prevent some types of adapters from plugging into the socket all the way. FYI.

@riderforever, was the Burson discrete opamp (opa-101) that you try a brand new one or had it already been used somewhere else for a while? I ask because at least one person anyway said over here that it can take 250+ hours for those discreet opamps to fully burn-in, and that the sound significantly improves during that time. Had your opa-101 been burned in at all?

 

[ROBSCIX]

@riderforever, I have actually been interested in such units for a while and some swear there is a burn in factor and others say no such thing as there is really nothing on the unit to burn in. I guess you can make up your own mind if you have the unit there.

 

[ROBSCIX]

@maarek99, I forgot the 627 is single channel so yes, you will need a single to dual channel adapter. If the caps are too close to the socket to allow for the 627 in a adapter to be used, you can use a dip 8 socket to extend the socket upwards clearing the caps.

 

[natech]

Hello to all
First time poster here o/

I just bought HD650 and essence stx sound card. I think there is something wrong with my ears because I cannot hear any difference between STX and my realtek integrated soundcard

Or should I still buy decent amp with essence to get improvement? Playing flacs with winamp and kernel plugin.
Should I use highest gain possible with HD650 cans? Reason why I had to ask is that they are 300 ohm and that falls to both, high and medium gain area. And how loudly do you guys listen to headphones? I have personally set volume to 1 from xonar audio center. If I use highest gain, it gets pretty loud.

 

[Funky-kun]

Hi natech, welcome to Head-Fi!

[insert "Sorry for your wallet." here]

I doubt there is something wrong with your ears. If you are just beginning to use hi-end audio equipment, the differences in sound might not be so obvious to you as most of the users here describe them.

As far as I know a rather powerful amp is needed to drive the 650s to their full potential, but the Xonar does them justice to my ears. Without amplification the 650s sound lifeless and without weight, just tested amped vs unamped last night. If you A-B test it, pay attention to the body of the bass frequencies, it is the easiest thing to spot for me.

About the gain setting, I use the medium gain (it actually is High gain, but there is one more above it), and find it absolutely enough. Normal listening leves for me are 10-15%, with up to 25% when I want to feel the sonic punch. The highest gain setting makes volume control too sensitive, and the lowest one is perfectly OK too. It depends on your normal listening leves. Other than volume level, there should be no differences.

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by natech /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello to all First time poster here o/ I just bought HD650 and essence stx sound card. I think there is something wrong with my ears because I cannot hear any difference between STX and my realtek integrated soundcard Or should I still buy decent amp with essence to get improvement? Playing flacs with winamp and kernel plugin. Should I use highest gain possible with HD650 cans? Reason why I had to ask is that they are 300 ohm and that falls to both, high and medium gain area. And how loudly do you guys listen to headphones? I have personally set volume to 1 from xonar audio center. If I use highest gain, it gets pretty loud.

Untrained ears. Just spend some more time with it and you'll eventually come to realize and appreciate the differences. Everyone starts out this way, noone save a few have magic ears when they initially get into this hobby.

Personally, even differences between opamps, let alone separate soundcards are very easily perceivable to me, but it wasn't always like that.