The best sounding audio integrated opamps

[MJL21193]

leeperry,
Could you explain why the 5532 is not a good opamp? What are the specific design problems that make it unsuitable for audio?

[Salas]

Lets see. Obviously by rolling op amps on a given machine or some similar, things happen. Certainly things are heard. I remember many older threads like that. Does anybody remember Carlos FM sagas with op amps? In the end they all had different favorites and then they changed favorites again and then they got tired. One thing I gathered: Between competent designs you can't tell from machine to machine unless you can have a full lab picture of what happens. Imagine the op amp like an analogue dynamite in a little box. Its gain and bandwidth, the power of the thing is enormous. And all react to things not customized around them. So if something is not implemented by controlled engineering, its just audio chat. We can say, ''I exchanged xxx op amp in my yyy DAC in MY system, and it faired as such to MY ears''. All well. But to think we sorted them out... we just suffled them, I tell you. I used OPA627 & 637 out of curiosity in 1991. Bought them as very expensive special order. I just liked Difet on that brochure, and I even got a 5&1/4 floppy from BB about them. Had the Linear Tech and the original Signetics and National, and other FET BB and about 15 others. I got surprised to see 627 picking top fame only about 10 years later on and continuing, and then I hear about the LT again, and its a circle. I stuck best famed in a CDP once, elsewhere perfect to my ears, there only the humble LM833 stepped all over. A friend got a 4562 just 3 days ago and said ''what bass shy they say? It rocks all over'' and then he deleted op amps and put a balanced trafo there....never ending story. That is why engineers avoid to tell. Engineers need hard data. Just my 2C.

[scott wurcer]

Originally Posted by leeperry

hehe, you build op-amps for a living and mock ppl who use them for audio? ah well, this is not going anywhere...you're smart enough to engineer them and we're dumb enough to listen to them, my sincere apologies.

to you a 5532 is all that's needed for audio? but well why do I ask questions, you'll mock me again

Please, I don't mock you. I would invite you into my home as a friend anytime, just to listen and enjoy. I would even cook you a dinner you would never forget with wines to match.

[Salas]

The only measurable advance of our civilization is our technology IMHO. Its nice to see that there is civilization in our technologists. Things come nicely full circle in a good moon once a while. Regards to enthusiasts and techs, time to go. See you guys.

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by Salas

Lets see. Obviously by rolling op amps on a given machine or some similar, things happen. Certainly things are heard. I remember many older threads like that. Does anybody remember Carlos FM sagas with op amps? In the end they all had different favorites and then they changed favorites again and then they got tired. One thing I gathered: Between competent designs you can't tell from machine to machine unless you can have a full lab picture of what happens. Imagine the op amp like an analogue dynamite in a little box. Its gain and bandwidth, the power of the thing is enormous. And all react to things not customized around them. So if something is not implemented by controlled engineering, its just audio chat. We can say, ''I exchanged xxx op amp in my yyy DAC in MY system, and it faired as such to MY ears''. All well. But to think we sorted them out... we just suffled them, I tell you. I used OPA627 & 637 out of curiosity in 1991. Bought them as very expensive special order. I just liked Difet on that brochure, and I even got a 5&1/4 floppy from BB about them. Had the Linear Tech and the original Signetics and National, and other FET BB and about 15 others. I got surprised to see 627 picking top fame only about 10 years later on and continuing, and then I hear about the LT again, and its a circle. I stuck best famed in a CDP once, elsewhere perfect to my ears, there only the humble LM833 stepped all over. A friend got a 4562 just 3 days ago and said ''what bass shy they say? It rocks all over'' and then he deleted op amps and put a balanced trafo there....never ending story. That is why engineers avoid to tell. Engineers need hard data. Just my 2C.

No sorry, I do understand & share the reasoning about all the different environments (staying with DACs, there is a lot of sonic synergy - or lack of it - going on between a certain DAC chip and a certain opamp or combination of opamps, for instance), but there are also values that remain... you talk like a believer in chaos...

The LT1028 has always been superior all-round to an OPA627 for me, and it will always be. The OPA627 has never (per se) sounded natural for me, like its (better) successor OPA827, and so will always be!

And, say, CarlosFM was right in preferring the OPA2132 to the AD8620 or AD825, on the basis of naturalness...

I say that I prefer the OPA132UA to the OPA2132 and all the rest, but I haven't tried this new ADA4627-1...

and so forth

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by Salas

The only measurable advance of our civilization is our technology IMHO. Its nice to see that there is civilization in our technologists. Things come nicely full circle in a good moon once a while. Regards to enthusiasts and techs, time to go. See you guys.

I'm your polar opposite here: the only measurable advance in civilization is man's wisdom and inner maturity. Technology has nothing to do with man's civilization; at most, it has to do with man's (err...a portion of 'lucky' men ) material commodity.

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by MJL21193

leeperry,
Could you explain why the 5532 is not a good opamp? What are the specific design problems that make it unsuitable for audio?

I don't think he was claiming it is not a good opamp. Personally I think it still is, but I would prefer to avoid it in favor of something else. Actually, there's that Fairchild 5532 that Moon Audio uses extensively, that I'd be curious to give a listen to..


But, I do not deny that I'd be more glad to see an LME49723 in place of every (or almost) 5532 found in audiophile to high-end commercial audio. Well, if I were to buy any of that

[Joachim Gerhard]

Leibnitz, our best brain said "god has created the best POSIBLE world, without mistakes it whould not live"

[Mooly]

Originally Posted by MJL21193

leeperry,
Could you explain why the 5532 is not a good opamp? What are the specific design problems that make it unsuitable for audio?

Specific "problems" or "characteristic" is that it is a bipolar device with relatively high input bias currents which may not lend itself to DC coupled applications. It all depends on the circuit configuration.

As I have said before, without knowing the exact circuit details that each device is used under, I don't see how you can make valid comparisons.

[Andrea:]

The chaos in evaluating opamps will always be found in audio forums, though. On this I must agree.

It's simply that not everyone has this truthful criterion of judgment, responding to a kind of existing universal archetype, within his own self...or so it would appear. Maybe they just have to get a full grasp of it and that's why I think threads like this could be useful rather than not...I prefer to think positive. But maybe I'm just being arrogant...I'll let you be the judge