The best sounding audio integrated opamps

[leeperry]

well, my friend just put 2*1363 and 2*1028CS8 on browndogs for me...I'm currently listening to 2*Earth>2*1363, and the 1363 is still killing the Earth SQ.

but at least this time I can feel that it works in dual mono, not narrow stereo...I think dual op-amps are fine when each op-amp takes care of the -/+ polarity, but using a dual chip for stereo is a big no-no.

I've ordered a bunch of LT1028ACN8 and browndogs, so when I will have it all I'll try to find what sounds best between 2*1364/4*1363/4*1028CS8/4*1028ACN8 to feed the Earth

maybe you can try the LT1630/LT1632 and give us your feedback.

so far I'll stick to 2*LT1364>Earth, it sounds amazing

[Andrea:]

I didn't like the OPA-Earth... to me it distorted/saturated/compressed/Idon'tknow vocals audibly, and this was with +/- 15V. It did give an impression of detail though

Plus, it had a certain undesirable emptiness in the midbass region. This though can help the feeling of soundstage (like with the LT1677 among chips)


No, I prefer the accuracy of the regular chip op-amps made for audio. Try the LT1028... I've enjoyed the LT1363 lately, but just for a change. The LT1028 has a superior transparency with no question.

[Gopher]

There's no simple answer to this vexing question. Think of it like this - who's the most beautiful woman in the world? Some would say Brooke Shields at her peak, others Angelina Jolie or Elle McPherson. The point is, it's all a matter of personal taste. Brooke and Angelina and Elle are all beautiful, just in different ways. So it is with opamps. Try a few until you find the one that sounds best to YOU in YOUR application in YOUR system, then stick with it. Don't worry about what other people think - they don't have your ears, brain or personal tastes, nevermind your particular combination of source, amp, speakers and room.

Listen to more music, not the opamps. Here endeth the lesson.

[leeperry]

Originally Posted by Gopher

Listen to more music, not the opamps.

well, I'm currently listening to the LT1364 magic vocals amplified by the OPA-Earth amazing soundstage....this is all I could crave for, anything better than that will be free bonus

but there's no way in hell I could listen to ANY LM/LME National chip...these make me wanna jump off the window

[leeperry]

Originally Posted by Andrea:

I didn't like the OPA-Earth... to me it distorted/saturated/compressed/Idon'tknow vocals audibly, and this was with +/- 15V. It did give an impression of detail though

Plus, it had a certain undesirable emptiness in the midbass region. This though can help the feeling of soundstage (like with the LT1677 among chips)


No, I prefer the accuracy of the regular chip op-amps made for audio. Try the LT1028... I've enjoyed the LT1363 lately, but just for a change. The LT1028 has a superior transparency with no question.

I tried 2*dual Earth(each of them doing the +/- of the same channel) and didn't like it...too natural and rather boring. It didn't have that magic LT1364 touch...but amplifying the 1364 through the Earth is out of this world

but the Earth at ±9V have never been "distorted/saturated/compressed" whatsoever...the complete opposite actually.

yep, LT1028ACN8/CS8 are on my list, I wonder what the Earth will make out of it...but I'm a LT1364 fanboy so far

I'll also try Sun V2...but everything they say on this page applies to the Earth(which was sold by burson as OEM before they made the new model): http://www.bursonaudio.com/burson_opamp.htm

with your opamps the sound is more spacey and more relaxed,very equilibrated and the digital-like sound gone,now sounding more analog-like (have AD8620 and BB627 before).Improvements in all aspects:much more clear dynamics,airy highs,precise bass but the best thing is that analog-like sound

[leeperry]

makes me wanna try LT1363CN8

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by Gopher

There's no simple answer to this vexing question. Think of it like this - who's the most beautiful woman in the world? Some would say Brooke Shields at her peak, others Angelina Jolie or Elle McPherson. The point is, it's all a matter of personal taste. Brooke and Angelina and Elle are all beautiful, just in different ways. So it is with opamps. Try a few until you find the one that sounds best to YOU in YOUR application in YOUR system, then stick with it. Don't worry about what other people think - they don't have your ears, brain or personal tastes, nevermind your particular combination of source, amp, speakers and room.

Listen to more music, not the opamps. Here endeth the lesson.

I know very well that there's no single "best audio chip". The problem is more down-to-earth for me... find an opamp than doesn't make me tired & wanting of a sonic change after a week!

What I named at the beginning of this thread were & are the ones that come closest for me. That is it.

I'll try to stay with one among LME49720HA, LT1028 and LME49723 (and maybe OPA132UA).

Then there would be that OPA1611 that whispers "try me, try..."

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by leeperry

I'll also try Sun V2...but everything they say on this page applies to the Earth(which was sold by burson as OEM before they made the new model): http://www.bursonaudio.com/burson_opamp.htm

I would easily acknowledge that the OPA627 and the AD8610 sound far more muffled than the discrete Audio-GD opamps. Fortunately we have much more accurate and musical chips today.

[Gopher]

but Andrea, how do you know what the music on the LP or CD REALLY sounds like when you judge these opamps? What are you using as your reference point? It has been proved that human auditory memory is very poor over more than a few seconds so how are you sure you're really hearing these differences over a period of tens of minutes or hours?

What you seem to be doing is manipulating the sound of the music to your taste by changing the opamp. Nothing wrong with that but perhaps you should try a tone control or equaliser?

[leeperry]

Originally Posted by Andrea:

I would easily acknowledge that the OPA627 and the AD8610 sound far more muffled than the discrete Audio-GD opamps. Fortunately we have much more accurate and musical chips today.

in a proper design, hoping to get the SQ of discrete op-amps w/ IC's is sheer utopia IMHO

if the burson's sell like hot cakes, there's a very good reason...that's because they sound miles better