Upgrade for NE5532

[diy student]

I opened up my very inexpensive dvd player yesterday to try to look for upgrade options. I noticed that the opamp used for the audio output was an NE5532. Could anyone recommend a specific opamp to upgrade to, or is the NE5532 a decent opamp that I shouldn't worry about replacing for now. I noticed someone talking about an OPA2134 as a replacment. Any suggestions would be apprecited.

Thanks

Rob

[Xavier]

Rob, NE5532 is really a good OPAMP compared to many others. I have a pre-amplifier built using NE5532 with excellent performance outweighing most high end pre-amplifiers.
NE5532 incoporates BJT circuitry inside, but if u wish to go something with FET circuits inside AD825 is the best choice.
Please consult other diy hobbyist, may be they can give u better options.

-XL

[mlloyd1]

TI/Burr Brown's OPA2604 is a good alternative as well. It has a strong output stage as well as JFET inputs. Because of (at least) the input stage differences (JFET vs. bipolar in the NE5532) there may some perceivable performance differences. How noticeable these differences are and whether the differences are good or bad depends on your specific application (RIAA equalizer, line driver, tone control, post DAC filter, etc.).

It features low distortion and low noise. It is also more forgiving of less than optimal rail decoupling, unlike some of the video speed devices that folks like to use these days. :-)

However, the bottom line is it's safe to drop in and see what you think. So do it and have fun.

Michael

[tschrama]

the opa2134 are actually cheap and maybe give some sonic differences, but I have read that even high-end brands use the ne5532 ... I am, gonna switch the opamps in my CD player soon with opa2134 (are reaaaaal low budget types) but I would like more to change the cap's to high-end types, their influence non-lineairuty is understandeble and evident, while the opamps only make a difference below noise level... but I could be wrong.. opamp is a nice topic

any comments anyone?

greetings,
Thijs

[dorkus]

try the analog devices OP275 too - it's not very glamorous but it is a solid device that sounds pretty good in many common applications, and it's pretty cheap too. if you want to go really high performance, AD825 is good, or maybe burr-brown OPA627, but those are single designs - if you need a dual opamp your choices are a bit more limited.

dorkus

[Pete Fleming]

I can only echo the praise for the BB OPA2604. It tends to have a warm sound which I like.

Cheers,

Pete

[hifiZen]

the OPA2604 is one of the very best, but i like the OPA2134 even more.

[mlloyd1]

Another way to get a high performance dual is to put a pair of AD825 or surface mount OPA627 on mini-dip carrier. There is a company (LC Audio in Germany? I think) that does this for the AD825 already.

Michael

[Pete Fleming]

Rob one thing I've noticed is that replacing the op-amp for a faster one can sometimes not be a good thing. Often it makes the player "glare" and is not really pleasant to listen to, even though it may technically be better. This is one reason I like the 2604 as it doesn't seem to emphasise poor quality electronics behind it as much as many. Mind you op-amps are hardly expensive so you can experiment with a few different types and get an idea of which you may prefer as it will possibly come down to personal preference. All that were recommended are excellent in different ways.

Cheers,

Pete

[dorkus]

i agree w/pete about using high-speed op-amps, if you are trying to play around w/a relatively inexpensive DVD player which most likely doesn't have such great power supply decoupling, you may not like the results w/a high speed op-amp... something like the OPA2604 or OP275 may work better. you should also see if there's room to stick in an extra couple decoupling caps on the board on the power supply rails as close as possible to the op-amp, in my experience this makes a very worthwhile improvement. i recommend Panasonic HFQ types, which are relatively compact and have good performance.