The best sounding audio integrated opamps

[leeperry]

well it doesn't bring vocals upfront at the first row like the LT1364, in that respect vocals are more mixed within the SS...but I'm totally hooked to this severe vocal emphasis anyway ^^

I still rest my case that you need a better DAC/amp w/ more swappable op-amps..I currently use 2 dual op-amps for the -/+ polarities of each channel from the AK4396, one more dual op-amp for bringing the stereo output to line out level, and then one high gain JRC4580 for headphones driving.

there's no way in hell one dual op-amp on its own would give me this SQ, don't expect the impossible..

[Andrea:]

Would the AK4396 be a better DAC chip than the CS4398? I don't think so.

I have a DVD player (modified) which uses an AK4385 (still 24/192), and it sounds good but doesn't come near my DACs.

I think that the tonal fidelity (the ability to reproduce the natural timbres of sounds) of the CS4398 (and other Crystal DAC chips), coupled with an ability to give a natural weight to sounds, is really hard to match... surely the AK4385 didn't come close in these fields.


For the opamps on the DAC output... well, ideally, less is better! It merely makes the search a bit harder. But give me an LME49723 and I claim myself happy...

[leeperry]

all I can say is that it won many awards and has been called the "miracle DAC":

6moons audio reviews: ModWright Transporter

The AK4396 is an entirely new modulator, pioneered and patented by AKM. It achieves something unique. In the past, many of the old Phillips and BurrBrown parts were R-2R* based products. These older products were looked upon as some of the best. One of the reasons was high frequency noise. In older R-2R parts, HF noise

was not present. In all delta-sigma parts prior to the AK4396, everyone has fought HF noise caused from the delta-sigma modulator with the insertion of large filters and other parts to attempt to solve a problem created by the delta-sigma design. The AK4396 today effectively does not suffer any modulator-induced HF noise and is over 60dB better than the nearest Cirrus and BB devices. All of this HF noise can cause many audible artifacts downstream. That is the 'miracle' we believe is making the difference today. This part gives you the performance and linearity of a delta-sigma device with the noise performance of an R-2R part, something that was never previously available

AudiogoN Forums: Hi-fi Wi-fi device

"I have AKM DACs" don't really mean anything. You really need to have the AK4396 because this DAC, being the AKM flagship, is much more advanced than any other AKM DAC. What they have done in the AK4396 is revolutionary in terms of Digital Filtering, Delta Sigma modulator and output stages. This DAC has up to 10 times less out-of-band noise compared to anything similar on the market today

it does sound better than the PCM1792A(64X oversampling by default, and 64X max at 96Khz or more) to me...less op-amp is better, theoritically yes. but I highly doubt than a single LME49723 will give the SQ of 1364+Earth, there's no way in hell it will actually

and the JRC4580 is really awesome to drive headphones, in a high gain set up that is.

[Andrea:]

The Teac Esoteric CD/SACD players and DAC's use either the CS4398 or the AK4397, successor to the AK4396...and now there's the AK4399, 32-bit resolution...


Also, I don't understand your convictions regarding opamps...

When an LT1364 alone corrupts (because it does) the sound more than an LME49723, how could the addition of a further corruption (OPA-Earth) ever improve things...

You're just being lucky that LT1364 and OPA-Earth are accomplishing two opposite forms of corruption that tend to cancel each other... but the loss of transparency in passing through 2 opamp stages can never be restored...

[leeperry]

hehe, well I don't need 32bit at this point...besides it's not being used on soundcards yet.

well, I'll compare the 1364 to the 1028acn8/1363 on single>dual DIP8 adapters, time will tell whether these will be any better! I'm not convinced that I have the best combo in the world, maybe I'll prefer Sun V2 over Earth...but so far it still sounds amazing.

well comparing one LME4972x to the LT1364 doesn't make sense to me, especially when the 1364 is amplified by a discrete op-amp afterwards.

"corrupts"? is that a new verb to say "give a hi-fi color"? I've tried the LME49722MA because it carries the lowest THD rate available from National...hahaha, gimme back THD will ya

[Andrea:]

No no, when I say "corrupts" I mean musically, not measured. I just think that the LME49723 (not the LME49722) sounds better than an LT1364, or an OPA2132P, etc...


That said, I have determined that the LT1028 is what reconciles accuracy and musicality the best so... I hope I can stay with this and not be tempted anymore!

[Andrea:]

Right now it reproduces the Jayhawks' "Hollywood Town Hall" so wonderfully...

[leeperry]

yes, it's heavily colored...with a CRAZY euphonic sound, the LT1364 should be called the "magic" op-amp

ok, looking forward to the LT1028ACN8 then!

well, my current combo plays "The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (Japan.MiniLP) (1966)\01 - Paint It Black.flac" amazingly well, everything's perfect! stereo separation, vocals, bass, drums, sitar

[Andrea:]

Colored but also a bit unresolving. The LT1363 is better at that, but still much behind the LT1028CS8.

[leeperry]

you need to try LT1028ACN8 anyway...and you know that ^^

also tried AD8599?

well you need an in-between clinical and colored...I'm very much not looking for that 4972x clinical/dull character.

I very much enjoyed the tubey sound of the OPA2132P as final buffer, the Earth is like an OPA2132P on steroids....some highly detailed slightly tubey sound, perfect to my ears