Opamps and Modding thread

[Cypher^64]

Awesome! Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.

[nam]

i do not use headphones just direct to amp via speakers with desk mic . the opamp`s which would be the best upgrade from standard perlude ?

[Cypher^64]

Do the opamps and caps affect the sound of the analog or digital outs? Or both?

[biff]

Analog only.

[Robscix]

The opamps and caps on your card will affect only analog, The components in the receiver or speaker amplifiers will affect your digital sound from your card as the digital to analog conversion task is given to the device at the end of the digital connection.

[Cypher^64]

Thanks for the info! :)

[Jake_HT]

Bumping an old thread...

Considering an OPAMP change in my prelude, more or less for something new and fresh.. rather than buying a new sound card I'd like to try switching the opamp. Cheaper.

I read the OPA-637AU is a good choice, also mentioned in this thread. I like lows more than mids/highs, this won't negatively affect lows vs. the stock LM4562 will it?

Where should I purchase one of these? I see them on the auzentech site... but they seem rather expensive vs. the ebay alternatives. Is there a quality difference? Are they the same thing? If someone could point me in the right direction to buy one of these I'd like to try it out.

Thanks a lot.

[biff]

I know I'm going to get flamed on this but I'll give you my opinion.

Audio grade op-amps have been below the threshold of hearing for a long time now. And switching of opamps may seem like an impovement in #'s but it's only for bragging rights. Last I read the threshholds were 0.1% of even order harmonics and 0.3% for odd order. As I said any audio grade opamps will beat these #'s by a long shot and assuming typical speakers, as in you paid less that a couple thousand for the pair, their distortion will be >1% anyway which would totaly swamp out what gains you think you might have made and looking at the specs of your stock opamps they are already thousands of times better than your ears can perceive.

But thats not to say differentop amps won't sound different. The output of one op amp will most likely not match another in terms of the phase vs frequency, meaning very slight time variances depending on the frequency they are producing. These small time variances will interact with your speakers since they are also very phase dependent and so are your ears, to give you a very slightly different 'flavour' of sound for lack of better wording. So some opamps may play nicer with your speakers depending on their design and what your listening preferences are.

The point of all this is that no opamp upgrade will make your system better according to the numbers but they may slightly alter the sound character. I have my doubts if you could predict if you prefer the character of one vs the other since the other components in your chain would have a heavy influence on that, i.e. your amp, speakers. You might be into taking potshots as to what will work for you.

[Jake_HT]

Originally Posted by biff

I know I'm going to get flamed on this but I'll give you my opinion.

Audio grade op-amps have been below the threshold of hearing for a long time now. And switching of opamps may seem like an impovement in #'s but it's only for bragging rights. Last I read the threshholds were 0.1% of even order harmonics and 0.3% for odd order. As I said any audio grade opamps will beat these #'s by a long shot and assuming typical speakers, as in you paid less that a couple thousand for the pair, their distortion will be >1% anyway which would totaly swamp out what gains you think you might have made and looking at the specs of your stock opamps they are already thousands of times better than your ears can perceive.

But thats not to say differentop amps won't sound different. The output of one op amp will most likely not match another in terms of the phase vs frequency, meaning very slight time variances depending on the frequency they are producing. These small time variances will interact with your speakers since they are also very phase dependent and so are your ears, to give you a very slightly different 'flavour' of sound for lack of better wording. So some opamps may play nicer with your speakers depending on their design and what your listening preferences are.

The point of all this is that no opamp upgrade will make your system better according to the numbers but they may slightly alter the sound character. I have my doubts if you could predict if you prefer the character of one vs the other since the other components in your chain would have a heavy influence on that, i.e. your amp, speakers. You might be into taking potshots as to what will work for you.

Thanks for your input

So you're more or less saying that replacing the opamp is more a placebo effect than anything? Although it could add a different flavor to the sound.. which could be what I'm looking for.

I'd like more color on the low frequency side, I find most sound cards have quite clear highs (highs are pleasing always) but the problem I find with most audio is muddy/washed out lows. Mids are also hard to come by, since they're technically the most repetitive sounds, being the vocals and fills, I like to turn that down so it doesn't sound like there's too much going on.

So basically, I want more color in low frequencies, without sacrificing anything in mid range. Highs I don't believe will change to me. My speakers are crap (Z-5500), but my headphones (laugh now) Beats by Dre, sound quite good, to me. If I could polish off the lows I'll be satisfied without dropping several hundred more dollars on a dedicated amp and $500+ set of cans.. I'm hoping a ~$30 opamp will provide temporary relief. Can you agree? I'm not really expecting a new sound card feel, but a bit of change would be appreciated

With that said, what are some opamps that aren't retarded expensive that could benefit my low frequency madness? Any input welcomed.

[Robscix]

Originally Posted by Jake_HT

Bumping an old thread...

Considering an OPAMP change in my prelude, more or less for something new and fresh.. rather than buying a new sound card I'd like to try switching the opamp. Cheaper.

I read the OPA-637AU is a good choice, also mentioned in this thread. I like lows more than mids/highs, this won't negatively affect lows vs. the stock LM4562 will it?

Where should I purchase one of these? I see them on the auzentech site... but they seem rather expensive vs. the ebay alternatives. Is there a quality difference? Are they the same thing? If someone could point me in the right direction to buy one of these I'd like to try it out.

Thanks a lot.

Be very carful buying high end opamps from eBay, there have been many counterfeits sold on that site. Especially units like OPA627/637 and other higher dollar opamps. What differences are you looking for in your sound signature? Many opamps will add a different "color" to your audio. You will usually not get improvements in THD, noise etc as they are already very low on moderns soundcard.
If your gear is good enough you can hear differences between opamps.