The best sounding audio integrated opamps

[leeperry]

we'll never know the truth..Audio-GD said it was making the *old* burson chip as OEM.

Burson says they are making counterfeits:

The Audiogd opamps are counterfeits of our design. Unfortunately, many audiophiles fall for their lies because they are cheap and look “similar” to our opamps. However, like all things in life, it’s the stuff that our customers don’t see that makes a difference. Our opamps go through a very strict component selection, component matching and tuning process that ensures their quality and stability. They are covered by a life time of replacement warranty. Our opamps have near zero DC offset which is very important for music reproduction. Studios select our opamp for this very reason. Poorly built discrete opamps often have very high DC offset that can either damage the equipment immediately or over the long run.

many chinese manufacturers like to say that they make OEM stuff...mundorf has the same problem: MUNDORF - Rumors on OEM products

all I can say if that I've A/B'ed the 3 A-GD parts against the *new* burson(it's reversed and uses different components), there's a HUGE gap between those.

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by leeperry

the NG94 is 16/48 max...

Ah yes...true, the USB input is limited to that rate by the USB receiver chip (BB PCM270x). I don't know if I'd invest in a higher sample rate though, as opposed to investing in better music material

[scott wurcer]

Originally Posted by leeperry

we'll never know the truth..Audio-GD said it was making the *old* burson chip as OEM.

Burson says they are making counterfeits:


many chinese manufacturers like to say that they make OEM stuff...mundorf has the same problem: MUNDORF - Rumors on OEM products

all I can say if that I've A/B'ed the 3 A-GD parts against the *new* burson(it's reversed and uses different components), there's a HUGE gap between those.

Like I said, if you read more they willy-nilly claim one for one substitution with JFET, bi-polar, and current feedback op-amps including ones with 10x the BW.

Technical nonsense. The Audio-GD and Burson schematics show fairly mundane circuits, the output cascodes in particular make no sense (at least with the values I found). Aol of 45-70, you have to be kidding. I'm sure they work fine in a CD mod but general purpose they are not.

[leeperry]

burson likes to claim that they use highly matched components, and anyway...they sound miiiles better than any other discrete/IC op-amp as final buffer, try it if you dare

[ROBSCIX]

Originally Posted by scott wurcer

I figured anyone who could build post #582 could pull it off. There are any number of valid reasons that daughtering those fairly exposed cards into a CD player would be problematic vs. say a discrete IC.

I would love to listen to all these modded players.

Nope, that card was built by another at Head-fi. Marko modded that card with modifications including:
1. The main XO ->Replaced by a Audio-GD clock
2. I/V section opamps replaced with Burson discrete opamps with mundorf Cap mods.
3. Buffer opamps replaced with a Burson discrete opamp with mundorf Cap mods.
According to him, it was disassembled and the parts were sold off.
Just for sake of clarity.

[leeperry]

hehe, always the same clueless whiners that speak w/o hearing the gear they diss...they only seem good at reviewing PC soundcards(that they get for free as review samples), OMG IT ROX!!!!1 ITS DA BOOOMB BUY IT NOW COZ I SAID SO...Any resemblance is purely coincidental

now all we need is majokel, I hope he'll honor us with his presence...he always cracks me up with his dull statements, like "burson=opa-moon" hahah, good one

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by scott wurcer

Like I said, if you read more they willy-nilly claim one for one substitution with JFET, bi-polar, and current feedback op-amps including ones with 10x the BW.

Technical nonsense. The Audio-GD and Burson schematics show fairly mundane circuits, the output cascodes in particular make no sense (at least with the values I found). Aol of 45-70, you have to be kidding. I'm sure they work fine in a CD mod but general purpose they are not.

Interesting, thanks. I believe the open loop gain is too low, but probably it's what (or part of what) makes them good for unity gain applications like the output of a CD player or a DAC. On the other hand, my favorite opamp (LT1028) has a very high open-loop gain...


I'm curious about this Burson, as I'd like to see if it truly sounds better than my favorite from Audio-GD which was the OPA-Sun V2 (definitely not the more popular OPA-Earth). On the other hand, I'd never pay that much to satisfy my curiosity... particularly as I have had all my hundreds of opamps for free.

[leeperry]

I can definitely assure you that it KILLS Sun-V2...hah, SS was great but for once I will agree w/ majokel, there's tonal nuances it clearly cannot output...sound is terribly crippled, quite unbearable tbh.

yes, burson is expensive, good stuff is never free.

[leeperry]

BTW Andrea, I've found a german shop that has zillions of caps(mundorf included) and several op-amps: Chips, ICs, OpAmps :: Semiconductors :: Electronic Parts :: Banzai Music

shipping costs are 8 EUR across europe, very reasonable

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by leeperry

I can definitely assure you that it KILLS Sun-V2...hah, SS was great but for once I will agree w/ majokel, there's tonal nuances it clearly cannot output...sound is terribly crippled, quite unbearable tbh.

yes, burson is expensive, good stuff is never free.

LOL, the OPA-Sun V2 being that bad?? Seriously speaking, it was up there with the best chips.