Drop in replacement for NE5532?

[whaleman]

Just to add to your list, the OPA2134 ($2.67 at Mouser) is a drop in replacement for the NE5532. To my ears, it sounds much better and has good bass. The AD8599 is on it way and some highly respect it. It needs to be mounted on an adapter to be used here.

[Joachim Gerhard]

If you are into Fet the OPA2641 is even better then the OPA2134.

[Bernie7]

NE5532:

"common-mode and output loading distortion will severely degrade performance...for less demanding applications
still a valid option if common-mode and loading effects can be addressed"

http://www.sg-acoustics.ch/analogue_...distortion.pdf

[MatchASM]

Originally Posted by stormsonic

LME49860 = LM4562 running at max. 44V power supply

Cool. Has anyone tried running the thing at +/- 21V yet?

--
Greetz,
MatchASM

[SoNic_real_one]

Scarry I am using them, but not even close to 40V...

[anatech]

It seems to me that the selection of what op amp to use depends greatly on the circuit they are in as well. You can't simply pick a an op amp and call it the best without defining where or in what circumstances it performs better in.

Swapping out the 5534 or 5532 without looking a little deeper isn't wise. After all, these are both ancient part numbers, and there must be a reason why they are still with us. It's not price, 'cause there are less expensive numbers to choose from. One thing's for sure though, you can do a lot worse than these old war horses. Another point to consider is what the load will be on the output, and what the compensation is compared to the actual gain in circuit. This was touched on earlier.

Another point should be made. Some attention should be given to the input technology. We now have bipolar, J-Fet and mixed (Butler or example) input stages. There are also mosfet types, but those are generally for extremely high impedance work in instrumentation.

Finally, I'm going to bet that there are several that might make people really happy. The subjective sense of sound quality depends greatly on preconceived ideas (like: there is an improvement at all to begin with). Mix some up in identical equipment and try to decipher which is which. Some devices can be identified, others will not be so easy to pick out.

-Chris

[SoNic_real_one]

It is price... and some old engineers stuck in 1970 design routines.
There is no serious new design (2002 and newer) that uses anymore those antique opamps, no matter how cheap there are.

[anatech]

Hi SoNic_real_one,
Old engineers are not always stuck on things. Otherwise you'd see more 741's and 4136's out there! Even TL072's have had their day.

Believe it or not, there are times when a 5534A brings the best performance for a dollar. That is what engineering is all about. I have seen new designs that use some of these mature parts. Don't forget that they benefit from improved technology too. A NOS 5534A probably isn't the same chip that is sold by a large semiconductor vendor today. They got better with the times, even though the base design is the same. You'll probably find them more consistent and less noisy simply due to advances in silicon processing.

Sticking in a newer op amp without considering the circuit is not the way to audio nirvana. There is no substitute for using your head and doing some research. Besides, I'm going to bet that there will be more than one part number that would perform really well.

-Chris

[sofaspud]

I know some Rupert Neve Designs stuff that uses the 5534/32. True, Rupert is no spring chicken. But he is a living legend in audio.

[pinkmouse]

Originally Posted by SoNic_real_one

There is no serious new design (2002 and newer) that uses anymore those antique opamps, no matter how cheap there are.

You want to put money on that?

I had a two year old twenty grand digital console open the other day to replace the headphone socket, and guess what was in the circuit driving it?