The best sounding audio integrated opamps

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by leeperry

hahaha, yes I went through some uber-smokey books that said that w/ some daily exercises you could overcome physiological eyes problem w/ your brain

Heh, it would be a different matter if things hadn't taken the opposite (and much less challenging for the individual) path. Maybe we would know more of this stuff by now. Instead we're just timidly beginning to question our blind faith in the common "materialist" medicine...



But hey, this is indeed off-track.

[leeperry]

Originally Posted by Mooly

For rail decoupling it makes it doesn't really mater which way round, but as ground or zero volts is our "low impedance" point that's where I would connect the outer to. I think you have read the bit where it says decoupling a signal point to B+ (or V+ if you prefer) in which case V+ is the low impedance point.

Which cap ? I would say the ones that fit the best physically. It's an unwritten rule of mine that any mods have to look like they were factory installed.

Typical caps I use are the Epcos and Wima's.... don't pay over the odds too

alright! so used for op-amp decoupling between V+ and V-, the orientation doesn't matter then

well, my unwritten rule is that it should sound the best, even if it looks grotesque w/ 3 huge white mundorf caps...when the PC case is closed, I couldn't care less



the caps on your link are not MKP(as burson advises), and the higher grade black Mundorf caps are not MKP either..they are "KP", not sure if that'd be OK to use as well?

Mundorf MCap

Mundorf MCap-ZN

[Mooly]

It doesn't matter which way round electrically... and tbh I would be more concerned about any stray pickup into all those wires etc.

Interesting to see tan theta mentioned in the specs for the caps... it's more to do with electroylitics really... I suspect any small value foil or film will give similar results. I even built one (a meter to measure it)
Me and my Tan Theta Meter (Capacitor tester)

A bit more here,
http://www.bychoice.com/cap_design_consideration.pdf

Personally I would just use good quality commercial grade components for all that you are doing

[jacco vermeulen]

MKP and KP are German abbreviations, Ernst Roederstein (ERo and Roe) was the first to serial manufacture polypropylene foil caps.

MKP is metallized polypropylene foil, Metallisierter Kunststoff (= plastic) Polypropylen.
KP consists of separate layers of polypropylene foil and aluminum foil.

The chemically bonding of aluminum to plastic foil deteriorates the characteristics of foil caps, reasons should be rather obvious, making KP the superior of the two.

[leeperry]

oh ok, I understood M standed for "metallized"..but my german is a bit rusty ^^

but they're not even in the audio path, so that mundorf stuff might very well be major overkill? the whites ones are twice cheaper, and already sound great

also, they swap the RCA plugs of my soundcards: http://www.itemaudio.co.uk/prodigy_hd2.html

Close inspection revealed that the 'gold RCA connectors' of the standard unit were low grade plated aluminium connectors with poor quality soldering. So out they came in favour of top notch CNC RCA sockets which were more widely spaced to accommodate high quality single ended cables.

you can see photos here: http://www.audiophonics.fr/burson-au...it-p-5024.html

how is that better to add wires? "poor quality" soldering? now soldering quality matters?

[leeperry]

and that's the original card: http://www.audiotrak.co.kr/audiotrak...igyhd2Big2.jpg

[Andrea:]

As I see it, the problem with that triple-Burson'ed soundcard is just one: cost. With that money I'd buy me a veeeery nice dedicated DAC. Actually, even with half the money. And it'd have a nice USB input.

[scott wurcer]

You can DIY the Burson op-amps at a small fraction of the price. I don't know if the hubris will still apply.

[leeperry]

Originally Posted by Andrea:

As I see it, the problem with that triple-Burson'ed soundcard is just one: cost. With that money I'd buy me a veeeery nice dedicated DAC. Actually, even with half the money. And it'd have a nice USB input.

right, with 24/192 support...and no problem w/ jitter(this would cost another 100 EUR to get a low jitter S/PDIF interface)? and swappable op-amps? plus I traded this Burson for some discrete op-amps I got for free from Kingwa, so it cost me $10 of shipping costs

it's cheaper in the US: http://www.partsconnexion.com/bur_prodigy.html

Originally Posted by scott wurcer

You can DIY the Burson op-amps at a small fraction of the price. I don't know if the hubris will still apply.

I forgot you built that design
and everyone has the right equipment/supplies to make it in his kitchen.

[Mooly]

Leeperry,

Dare we ask

What amp and speakers etc are you using on the end of all this.