The discrete TC-7520(SE)(+) line output

[Audioslave]

Hi Guys / Stan,

Long time lurker on the forums but have just joined up (and said hello on welcome hall). Im interesting in buying a caiman and the gator board as the basis of a 2nd system.

I already have a TC-7520 with THS4032CD in the line out and OPA2132 in headphone. Its a fantastic bit of kit but always thought it would be better if the Line out and headphone opamps didnt influence each other (i believe this to be the case). Ive spent hours trying different op amp combinations and although its quite fun, the process is a bit like brewing a potion

Anyways I'd like to give the caiman/gator combo a go due to the discrete line out circuitry. Im just now wondering how i go about ordering a caiman and a gator board as i cant buy the gator board yet on the website.

Thanks in advance

[keiths]

Probably best to drop Stanley Beresford an email at info@homehifi.co.uk

[Audioslave]

Probably best to drop Stanley Beresford an email at info@homehifi.co.uk

Thought i read somewhere about a link he would send. Email sent anyways - thanks Keith

[Cubeman]

Been listening to the TC7520 + Gator mod setup for some more time now and it realy starts to grow on me.
It sounded so great even straight from the box and it continues to sound better as the LM4562NA opamp burns in.
Great and wide sound stage, super tight and controlled bass, loads of detail and nice balance.

Never could imagine my old Onkyo TX-SV535 receiver with AR Status S50 speakers would sound so good as the do now
Makes me wonder what would happen if I decided to upgrade my receiver to something like a Cambridge Audio Azur 740A amp...

[Audioslave]

Got a gatored caiman and another gator for my tc-7250 on its way. Will post some comments once its gone through a good burn in and given it a few flacs to chew on. Should be a good week

[aBe]

Daft question mode again.
Would the Gator work with the old TC7510 ?
(I know the answer would be a No)

Anyway, I'm going to order one for my Caiman too.
Hope you still got them in stock, Stan.

[StanleyB]

I have about two dozens left. But many people have asked me if I can make a new batch and maybe even sell it already fitted to the TC-7520 and Caiman. So I might do just that in a month or two.

[Audioslave]

Fitted the gator to my 100% stock (apart from op amps) tc-7520 last night. Ive had it in its stock state for about 18 months so i think im familiar with how it sounds vs the gator. In short, IMHO its a VAST improvement over any of the op amps ive tried before, and ive tried a few. OPA2132, THS4032, LM4562NA and NE5532P were all put to shame. Im going to be brave and say that it doesnt need any burn in time as it sounded so good out of the box. Listened for about 2 hours last night and was very impressed. Soundstage, detail and timing were all improved and sounded very natural and non-digital.

I noticed 2 things which i hadnt noticed with op amp changes which was very controlled left and right channel steering (stereo imaging??). Im not talking about soundstage here its something to do with how the left and right channels are seemlessly integrated. However, it might have been the track itself that had good stereo mixing so will do some more listening. The other thing which is readily apparent yet quite hard to understand myself is the sheer grunt thats available now. Music can go from quiet to loud effortlessly (more dynamic) without breaking a sweat, everything's more composed when the music gets demanding. My amp is no slouch at 150w into 8 ohms / 95w into 8 and i can only conclude that the power is now being properly utilised.

Getting into the details a bit more my stock tc-7520 had a bit of trouble with busy rock music such as metallica and stone sour (think slipknot singer) and was also a little coarse when reproducing smooth female voices (norah jones/adele). With the gator installed I played various genres including norah jones, adele, classical and electro and it all sounded superb...and very realistic. It was quite late so didnt attempt any metallica/stone sour for the sake of the neighbours but will probably give that a whirl when i can. Its probably worth noting i was listening to the dac with the source direct button on the amp turned on therefore bypassing any "colouring" the amp might add.

As for the caiman, its undergoing its lengthy 24/7 burn in process so that will have to wait for now. However, once its ready i hope to do A/B testing on the 7520 vs the caiman. As you can probably tell ive well and truly got upgraditis! Hopefully will be cured soon though

[StanleyB]

The other thing which is readily apparent yet quite hard to understand myself is the sheer grunt thats available now. Music can go from quiet to loud effortlessly (more dynamic) without breaking a sweat, everything's more composed when the music gets demanding. My amp is no slouch at 150w into 8 ohms / 95w into 8 and i can only conclude that the power is now being properly utilised.

Lossless digital audio can have a tremendous amount of dynamic range embedded in it. The old vinyl was only good for about 70dB, whilst digital audio can muster 96dB or more.
The Gator unleashes that dynamic range by careful avoidance of unnecessary feedback in the signal path. Opamps rely on a lot of feedback, which can flatten dynamic range.

[aBe]

Thanks Stan.
You just got another order..