OPA1656: High-Performance CMOS Audio Op Amp

[nerone]

The OPS627 has very low trimmed offset (not needed for audio).

Here the tax... Laser-trimmed $$$$$$

The cost per hour for laser trimming is very high, laser step align trim, step align and trim, ect....

I did a laser trimmed part in 1992 and it took 6 hours to trim a 4 inch wafer of quad op amps at $200/hour ATE cost. We changed it to poly fuse trimmed which drastically reduced the cost.

"The OPA6x7 is fabricated on a high-speed, dielectrically-isolated complementary NPN/PNP process. It operates
over a wide range of power supply voltage of ±4.5 V to ±18 V. Laser-trimmed Difet input circuitry provides high
accuracy and low-noise performance comparable with the best bipolar-input operational amplifiers."

The wafers for a DI process are also expensive.

Hi, do you think the Opa627s provided by Audiophonics are fake considering the very low price compared to other sellers?
Thank you
BURR BROWN OPA627 Dual OPA with Support (Unit) - Audiophonics

 

[joensd]

Hi, do you think the Opa627s provided by Audiophonics are fake considering the very low price compared to other sellers?
Thank you

I don´t mind Audiophonics re-distributing. Bought from them myself.
But a single OPA627 from a reliable source costs 24€. If you buy 1500pcs. they are still >15€.
So of course a double-unit like above must be fake; can´t think of another explanation.

 

[ClaudeG]

As already explained in another thread, and as per their narrative, the OPA627 they use are refurbished and not new. Wether that explains the price or not, I leave it to you

I hope this helps

Claude

 

[ClaudeG]

Hi John

I hope all is well with you and at TI...

I sent you a PM, did you receive it?

Many thanks

Claude

 

[joensd]

the OPA627 they use are refurbished and not new

Ah, OK. Maybe salvaged from old equipment?
Who would give away such equipment?
That´s like giving your denture away and not cutting out the gold ones;-)

Not sure you can actually refurbish a chip, other than cleaning it in an ultra-sonic bath after de-soldering from the PCB.

 

[abraxalito]

Here's a seller with various vintages and provenances of refurbished OPA627s. They verify they're real by measuring the resistance at the offset null pins. Price of a single IC is around $1.

???OPA627AU ??????? ????????-???

 

[jan.didden]

They look like desoldered. They might come from decommissioned multichannel ultrasonic scanners; they sometimes have 128+ channels.

Jan

 

[nerone]

Thanks everyone for the replies, I will be buying from Audiophonics

 

[Mello4]

Here's a seller with various vintages and provenances of refurbished OPA627s. They verify they're real by measuring the resistance at the offset null pins. Price of a single IC is around $1.

???OPA627AU ??????? ????????-???

They appear to be old product recycled & desoldered from old boards. One part seems to be from 39th week of 1996. Some appear to be packaged in Malaysia and some in Taiwan. They appear to be BB product from before TI acquired BurrBrown.

 

[MarcelvdG]

So all in all, you get real OPA627s for a fraction of the normal price and they have been subjected to an extensive burn-in test as well

 

[BrianL]

Hopefully without any ESD damage in the process.

 

[Mello4]

Hopefully without any ESD damage in the process.

Yes, that is biggest un-knownable risk.


As Dirty Harry would say....."Do ya fell lucky?"

 

[chris719]

For audio use, I see no reason to buy OPA627 when you have OPA827, OPA828, OPA164x, and OPA1656.

 

[Mello4]

For audio use, I see no reason to buy OPA627 when you have OPA827, OPA828, OPA164x, and OPA1656.

+1

 

[Mark Johnson]

The obvious reason why someone would buy OPA627 is: because they tried it in their equipment and perceived that the sound was best, in their opinion, compared to all other opamps they tried.

It's a relatively harmless pursuit and the price is similar to the price of a vacuum tube -- which audiophiles happily pay, and then furiously swap among different tube variations with great enthusiasm. Russian tubes, Chinese tubes, Telefunken tubes, RCA tubes: try em all!

 

[Vunce]

I never thought to equate opamp and tube rolling.
Good point Mark

 

[chris719]

I never thought to equate opamp and tube rolling.
Good point Mark

I don’t think it’s a particularly good analogy, but people can and will do what they want, even if it’s irrational.

 

[Mark Johnson]

People can and will do what pleases them. Which is completely rational. Trying to please judgmental strangers is not quite as rational.

 

[Vunce]

Maybe irrational comparing the “jobs” they do. But I think buying different opamps to try in a circuit is similar to buying different tubes to try in a circuit.
I think the “swapping” aspect was the comparison, not the actual device.

Btw, I agree with you, I prefer the OPA1656 over the OPA627 in one of my DAC’s.
Especially when price is considered.

 

[Mello4]

Nelson Pass has reasonable thought on this.