Look what I just ran into. 
I was posting a link to the $850 Teac HA501 headphone amp elsewhere as a pointer to it using a variable damping factor switch (series resistance on the output):
HA-501 | TEAC
I hadn't scrolled down on that page before. Scroll down and right in the middle there is a writeup on the amp using two MUSES8920 chips. Sounds like it is only using half of each one in a dual-mono setup.
I was posting a link to the $850 Teac HA501 headphone amp elsewhere as a pointer to it using a variable damping factor switch (series resistance on the output):HA-501 | TEAC
I hadn't scrolled down on that page before. Scroll down and right in the middle there is a writeup on the amp using two MUSES8920 chips. Sounds like it is only using half of each one in a dual-mono setup.
Hello there, I have just received 2 muses02 opamp's, and mounted them in my Prodigy Cubes, in stead of the 2134's from TI. I am playing now on Sennhieser HD650 headphones. There is a very audible difference. I have two Cubes, and I am comparing by swiching between the two, one with the Muses and one with the TI. The biggest difference is the bass, where the TI is rather swollen and heavy, whilest the Muses is dry and well defined. The mid and high's are clearer on the Muses, more transparent. The sound is very pleasant and well balanced. The mid-bass is a trifle prominent with the Sennheiser but not with a pair of sony MDR-M88, with their better effectivity.
I must say, the Muses are a great improvement to the Prodigy Cube.
I must say, the Muses are a great improvement to the Prodigy Cube.
Don't know if it changed since you looked, but they are quoting the JFET input 8920's in SOP-8 as "unstocked, 5 week lead time" for $7.84/ea... but with 100 part min order.
Group buy???
That's ALMOST few enough parts for ALMOST cheap enough investment for a try... What do you all think? Are there enough Op-Amp crazed individuals out there to safely soak up 100 chips?And wait, there's more... Just checked Digikey, their current situation is still the $50 original MUSE 01 and 02's, at the 100 part min order.
But, they list the 8820 both DIP and SOP-8 versions, for $4.20ea, also with a 100 part min order.
Looking more and more tempting for that group buy...
But, they list the 8820 both DIP and SOP-8 versions, for $4.20ea, also with a 100 part min order.
Looking more and more tempting for that group buy...
I bought my two muses02 at mouser.com, 75$ each, no problem at all. Got them the next day. If you go to the homapage of muses, they will direct you to Mouser. No counterfeit guaranteed.
I have listned a bit longer now to the muses. My impression is, that the biggest improvement is in the dynamics and the edge of the music. I am still wery satisfied. 75$ is'n much, compared to a set of cables that does far less for the sound.
Svend
I have listned a bit longer now to the muses. My impression is, that the biggest improvement is in the dynamics and the edge of the music. I am still wery satisfied. 75$ is'n much, compared to a set of cables that does far less for the sound.
Svend
Interested in buying some special audiophile opamps from me, cheap $100 each.
(Remarked AD828 which I polish and gold plate the leads
) They sound better than the originals and certainly better than MUSE. 
Then you're buying the WRONG cables!
What I find funny here is that when releasing a 'for audio' part TI are usually re-badging, or slightly redesigning a non audio part, with the audio part costing significantly LESS. Not more! I take this to mean that the non audio parts are held within tighter specifications.
A nice example of this is the THS6012 vs the TPA6120. The former came first and the latter came a few years later. The TPA6120 is obviously based on the THS6012, but with some differences. Check the price difference between the two.
Well, I'm waiting for my MUSES02 and 01.
I understand there are a lot of fakes floating around, but they were purchased for me by a fellow I know in Japan, from an authorized distributor in Japan. Can't wait to try them out.
I find it sad when people decide something is bunk without having once tried it in the application it was intended for. How many of the naysayers have heard these chips actually playing music? Serious question.
Sure, specs are one thing, but as long as my chips are within the realm of normal, the final arbiter is how it works in my music playback chain. All that matters is that it's stable, it's right for my application, and, ultimately, how it plays my music.
It seems that those who have heard these chips playing music have very positive things to say about them. The only condemnation I can see is from those who have never heard them. Hmmm....something strange about that.
LOL. You know, there's no difference between the driving characteristics of a Toyota Camry and Rolls Royce. Well, no, I've never driven a Rolls Royce before, let alone sat in one, but let me tell you, all that extra cost buys you nothing but gold plating. No, I've never driven a Rolls, but trust me, I know.
Well, I rather trust the opinion of those who have tried something over those who haven't.
Yes, the price is very high. Is it worth it? I'm willing to find out for myself, and not pass judgement until I've heard it with my own ears.
Btw, this reminds me of what folks were saying about the OPA627. High cost and all. I also have those in some of my amps, and yes, the performance, IMO, is quite a bit better than a lot of other offerings. Those were well worth the price to me.
I understand there are a lot of fakes floating around, but they were purchased for me by a fellow I know in Japan, from an authorized distributor in Japan. Can't wait to try them out.
I find it sad when people decide something is bunk without having once tried it in the application it was intended for. How many of the naysayers have heard these chips actually playing music? Serious question.
Sure, specs are one thing, but as long as my chips are within the realm of normal, the final arbiter is how it works in my music playback chain. All that matters is that it's stable, it's right for my application, and, ultimately, how it plays my music.
It seems that those who have heard these chips playing music have very positive things to say about them. The only condemnation I can see is from those who have never heard them. Hmmm....something strange about that.
LOL. You know, there's no difference between the driving characteristics of a Toyota Camry and Rolls Royce. Well, no, I've never driven a Rolls Royce before, let alone sat in one, but let me tell you, all that extra cost buys you nothing but gold plating. No, I've never driven a Rolls, but trust me, I know.
Well, I rather trust the opinion of those who have tried something over those who haven't.
Yes, the price is very high. Is it worth it? I'm willing to find out for myself, and not pass judgement until I've heard it with my own ears.
Btw, this reminds me of what folks were saying about the OPA627. High cost and all. I also have those in some of my amps, and yes, the performance, IMO, is quite a bit better than a lot of other offerings. Those were well worth the price to me.
E12DIY + MUSES 01, 02
I was curious about the MUSES "Flagships" and ordered 2 of each from Japan and six E12DIY's to to some real time ABX testing. My preferred combination with the E12DIY was OPA1611 and LME49600 for most headphones. I was not expecting the MUSES 01 or 02 to be anything special but was keen to hear what they sounded like.
Frankly I was hoping they would not be an improvement as on paper the specifications are nothing outstanding compared to the 1611's or 49990 opamps.
To my considerable surprise both the 01 and 02 were obviously superior to the OPA1611 and LMA49990. The music sounds better and more enjoyable to listen to, bass is much better defined especially with the 02 and it is hard not to grin at the improvement in detail and transparency.
I have tried to compare the MUSES 8920 and 8820 with their 01 and 02 counterparts. The 8920 is very very close to the 01 in character the difference is just audible on rapid a/b switching. I prefer the 01 but could not reliably pick the difference after any pause more than a few minutes. The 8820 and 02 are similarly close but I did prefer the 02 every time.
I have experimented replacing the AD8692 in a fiio X3 and E17 with a MUSES 8920 with immediate and obvious improvements. The E17 swap is a fairly easy job but the X3 was more challenging with the location on the opposite side of the board requiring complete disassembly and the chip surrounded by other obstacles. If you have hot tweezers it is not impossible.
I highly recommend using multiple E12DIY's to compare opamps. With am appropriate switch it allows a much less subjective approach and they are easy to sell/pass on after you finish testing.
I was curious about the MUSES "Flagships" and ordered 2 of each from Japan and six E12DIY's to to some real time ABX testing. My preferred combination with the E12DIY was OPA1611 and LME49600 for most headphones. I was not expecting the MUSES 01 or 02 to be anything special but was keen to hear what they sounded like.
Frankly I was hoping they would not be an improvement as on paper the specifications are nothing outstanding compared to the 1611's or 49990 opamps.
To my considerable surprise both the 01 and 02 were obviously superior to the OPA1611 and LMA49990. The music sounds better and more enjoyable to listen to, bass is much better defined especially with the 02 and it is hard not to grin at the improvement in detail and transparency.
I have tried to compare the MUSES 8920 and 8820 with their 01 and 02 counterparts. The 8920 is very very close to the 01 in character the difference is just audible on rapid a/b switching. I prefer the 01 but could not reliably pick the difference after any pause more than a few minutes. The 8820 and 02 are similarly close but I did prefer the 02 every time.
I have experimented replacing the AD8692 in a fiio X3 and E17 with a MUSES 8920 with immediate and obvious improvements. The E17 swap is a fairly easy job but the X3 was more challenging with the location on the opposite side of the board requiring complete disassembly and the chip surrounded by other obstacles. If you have hot tweezers it is not impossible.
I highly recommend using multiple E12DIY's to compare opamps. With am appropriate switch it allows a much less subjective approach and they are easy to sell/pass on after you finish testing.
Are you guys comboing both muses01 and muses02 together? or just one or the other?
I've had the xonar stx for a couple of years now and I'm wanting to start tinkering with the sound card's swappable opamps. I see that mouser is selling the muses01 and muses 02 individually at $50 each with free shipping (to Asia) if I order them both. Has anyone tried out the combo of muses01 + muses02 into I/V sockets?
I purchased a pair of MUSES02's and a Single MUSES01 to use in my Xonar Essence STX I use to drive my 2 channel system.
I can say without reservation that at $50 each off Amazon, it was money well spent.
I replaced the 2 JRC2114D's with MUSES02's and the single LM4562NA with a MUSES01.
To my ears the sound stage was both wider and deeper. The difference was immediately noticeable on tracks with piano. Tones and timber just sound more natural and warm. Vocals seem to come forward and performers were more accurately placed.
Concerning counterfeits, I noticed that the legs on the MUSES were a softer metal (perhaps more copper) that my original OP-Amps.
My Xonar Essence directly feeds 3 Crown XTi 4000 amps. One stereo amp powers the electrostatic panels of my Martin Logan Prodigy's, the second stereo amp powers the Bass sections of the Prodigy's down to about 60Hz and the third Crown XTi 4000 powers a sub-woofer I built using an 18" JBL 2242H woofer in an 11.5 cu ft 250lb 25Hz tuned ported cabinet I built. The DSP's of the AMPs handle crossover points at 65Hz and 250Hz.
I will likely replace the amps with monoblocks at some point but my next purchase is looking to be a Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC and some type of passive volume control. Until then the MUSES op-amps will stay.
Hi all,
Tried few OPAMPs myself in I/V, LPF, VAS and BUFFER stages with my Essence One DAC/headamp, like: NE5532, LM4562, NJR2114, OPA1602, LME49720, MUSES8820, MUSES8920, OPA2604, OPA1642, OPA2132PA, AD8672, AD8599, MUSES01, MUSES02.
My own conclusions with MUSES:
In I/V stage:
- MUSES8920 is very balanced and could be used in I/V stages without worries, because this is what this OPAMP has been made for. Sound is neutral and balanced with good sound-stage.
- MUSES01 outclasses all the OPAMPs from above when used in I/V stage of a DAC. Sound-stage increases, sound becomes more detailed without being harsh or sounding bright. It sounds so neutral like a NE5532, but more spacious and with a lot of details. MUSES01 is really the best OPAMP I ever tried in I/V stage, so I strongly recommend it. I bought 8 of them: 4 for myself and 4 for a friend of mine having the same DAC as mine (a small fortune, I know).
- In LPF, VAS and BUFFER stages:
Here MUSES02 and MUSES8820 are very similar: neutral and good sounding, detailed and very balanced sound. On my DAC differences between 8820 and 02 were very subtle (a little bit of more sound-stage for the MUSES02, but quite subtle I'd say), so I went for the MUSES8820 instead because I needed 4 of them and I didn't want it to spend a small fortune again for such a small difference in sound. Of course, if you want the best sound, you should probably go for the MUSES02 instead of 8820.
I bought my MUSES from PROFUSION UK, authorised dealer in EU. I don't recommend eBay for buying these OPAMPs, sorry.
Regards,
Raul.
P.S.: Solid state Burson SS V5 OPAMPs should be a good upgrade over the MUSES02 when used in LPF, VAS and BUFFER stages. Instead, in I/V stage I still recommend MUSES 01, unless other DIY circuits are used (like passive I/V).
P.P.S.: I used 2 identical DACs and a passive DIY A/B testing device to compare all of the above OPAMPs!
Tried few OPAMPs myself in I/V, LPF, VAS and BUFFER stages with my Essence One DAC/headamp, like: NE5532, LM4562, NJR2114, OPA1602, LME49720, MUSES8820, MUSES8920, OPA2604, OPA1642, OPA2132PA, AD8672, AD8599, MUSES01, MUSES02.
My own conclusions with MUSES:
In I/V stage:
- MUSES8920 is very balanced and could be used in I/V stages without worries, because this is what this OPAMP has been made for. Sound is neutral and balanced with good sound-stage.
- MUSES01 outclasses all the OPAMPs from above when used in I/V stage of a DAC. Sound-stage increases, sound becomes more detailed without being harsh or sounding bright. It sounds so neutral like a NE5532, but more spacious and with a lot of details. MUSES01 is really the best OPAMP I ever tried in I/V stage, so I strongly recommend it. I bought 8 of them: 4 for myself and 4 for a friend of mine having the same DAC as mine (a small fortune, I know).
- In LPF, VAS and BUFFER stages:
Here MUSES02 and MUSES8820 are very similar: neutral and good sounding, detailed and very balanced sound. On my DAC differences between 8820 and 02 were very subtle (a little bit of more sound-stage for the MUSES02, but quite subtle I'd say), so I went for the MUSES8820 instead because I needed 4 of them and I didn't want it to spend a small fortune again for such a small difference in sound. Of course, if you want the best sound, you should probably go for the MUSES02 instead of 8820.
I bought my MUSES from PROFUSION UK, authorised dealer in EU. I don't recommend eBay for buying these OPAMPs, sorry.
Regards,
Raul.
P.S.: Solid state Burson SS V5 OPAMPs should be a good upgrade over the MUSES02 when used in LPF, VAS and BUFFER stages. Instead, in I/V stage I still recommend MUSES 01, unless other DIY circuits are used (like passive I/V).
P.P.S.: I used 2 identical DACs and a passive DIY A/B testing device to compare all of the above OPAMPs!
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