Mod your Beresford 7520

[Quietschbox]

other valid options?

Of course its all subjective, but the 4032 seems GENERALLY to be the preferred one?

Are folk elsewhere talking of a better one than this?

Well, "better", this depends on what you like/prefer. There just could be one you just like more, while so far it seems there's none that's better in all disciplines.
Also, are you looking for headphones or line out opamp? I can't comment on that, did not dig it long enough.

See that bunch of posts n remarks. Sorry for the layout, take it as is.
George at the end sums it up very well, and that's why i am still browsing pages.

My own favorite is the opa2132pa.
Got the revised mod from Tirna and was disappointed. Still too much height and would not fit in my dac properly.

Initially I found the THS4032 very clear, but after a while I found it a bit thin and fatiguing. IMO, the LM4562 sounds more balanced and natural, but not quite as clear.

Given a choice, I would pick the OPA2132 over the OPA2134. I found the 2134 more veiled and somewhat "phasey" on the highs, while the 2132 sounds a bit more open and natural. Some have claimed they sound the same, but that hasn't been my experience.

hi
have you tried this opamp ths4032?
some say it is better than opa2132 or lm6172 which almost have the same spec if im not mistaken...
so what opamp would you recommend?
ths4302 is different from ths4032

Yes, I found it only in SMT version. It is good, extremelly clean and detailed, but somewhat sterile.
In RCD971 as drop-in replacements the best sounding opamps for me were AD825, AD828 and 2132. OP275 is also ok-
I suspect because the first production run was using OP275 before OPA2604, so the circuit was probably optimized for it.

Originally posted by RICMAN
isnt it that the ad828 is used in video application?

Exactly that one. And directly dropped in Rotel RCD971, without additional decoupling, you can hear "birds" - it oscilates without additional care. However, it is very good sounding opamp, smooth, fast and dynamical. AD828 is more than 3 times faster than both LM6172 and THS4032, so this is proof that RCD971 has already very good elaborated layout.

Just did a comparison between opa2132 and 2134. The former is significantly better with a liquid midrange and airy treble. I am really puzzled by the rave about 2134 on various sites.

I've now been listening to the THS4031 for over a week and I have to say that it is the most cleanest sound, especially through the mids and highs I have ever heard of the multitude of opamps I've tried, which is every one except the hidiously expensive OPA627, this could give it a run from what I've read, but at $60 a pop in Australia, you would have to be mad to buy it, and I need 4, and I've heard it's a bit too laid back for my tastes.
Now that I've told you about the good, let me tell you the bad, and it's a big one.
The THS4031 [single channel, specs same as 4032]has one glaring problem compared to my previous favourite opamp the AD825, it does not have the rhythm of the AD825, and that is a major fault to me, it sounds so good that you forget your not tapping your foot, yet now and again you do get a bit of foot tapping rhythm come through but most of the time it sounds constricted in that department.
Back to the AD825 and your feel that the rhythm beast has been unleashed, even though it's not quite as good in the mids and highs it is still my favourite.
Conclusion, I hate opamps, there's not one that does everything right, I'm now starting to look at the ready made discrete type of I/V stages, and that is another world of hurt and anguish.
Cheers George

[Dougr33]

Aren't these comments on opamps from all over the place? They won't tell you Anything about how it will perform in the Beresford 7520.

[leo]

If the cap is ontop of the chip and the lid is pressing on there its going to be a disaster waiting to happen

If the lid scratches exposing the metal its possibe it may short out the cap legs, not that healthy for the regulation/psu

If the lid presses down making contact on that cap+op-amp theres a chance with too much pressure you'll shove those header pins through the main pcb tracks

[leo]

Another note, op-amps performance will differ depending on what job its doing, for example if it works great in a filter/buffer stage on the output of a voltage output dac it don't mean it'll work great as an I/V stage on the output of a current output dac

I wouldn't rely on any opinions for op-amps thats been tested in other gear, ideally you want a list of ones that have been tested/compared in the Beresford dac As already mentioned by the chap above

[apmusson]

other valid options?

Of course its all subjective, but the 4032 seems GENERALLY to be the preferred one?

Are folk elsewhere talking of a better one than this?

I really like the excellent sound I get from the TC7520 & ths4032 opamp. It brings out the best in my system (FLAC / USB Input / TC7520 / Sennheiser HD650 headphones). I don't want to swap back (even to the 4562 which I also have) unless there is a real risk.

[Dougr33]

There aren't any space issues with the latest Tirna version.

[maxrob200]

The "sound" of op-amps would also vary depending on the tonal characteristics of the various components in the system from source material to amps, speaker voicing and cables etc. I suppose what's best would ultimately depend on the neutrality of the system to actually allow the true sonic character of the op-amp to reveal itself.
I found that in my system the LM4562NA in the TC-7520 was a great leap forward in overall presentation than the original op-amps. And it's still running in, with the possibility of better performance over time. Others have found 4032 to be better or worse in their systems and some have had results vastly different to mine using the LM4562NA.

[ReachtheSky]

If the cap is ontop of the chip and the lid is pressing on there its going to be a disaster waiting to happen

If the lid scratches exposing the metal its possibe it may short out the cap legs, not that healthy for the regulation/psu

If the lid presses down making contact on that cap+op-amp theres a chance with too much pressure you'll shove those header pins through the main pcb tracks

Leo, I wonder if you could pass comment on some of the inconsistent experiences happening regarding the THS4032?

Initially, and generally in most cases, many people reported extremely favourable sonic results with the THS4032 both for line out/preamp and headphone use. But I don’t know if these uses were using the 4032’s in both opamps at the same time or not.

More recently a few “problems” have come to light and have been confirmed by Stan also. Coincidently it would appear to happen when 4032’s are used in both opamps and also with low impedance headphones!

From someone who knows little about electronics, is “the problem” likely due to;
a) shorting out on the lid
b) some instability issues caused by the 4032’s
c) both above, or
d) other

Refer to thread #463 regarding instability issues:

This thread also says:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showt...01#post1156001
"Have you checked the data sheet for the THS4032 compared to the older NJM4580?
It says the OP-amp (THS4032) cant drive a capacitive load unless it is smaller than 20pF. Check all outputs (pin 1 and pin7) to see if there is a proper protection resistor for to avoid oscillations and unstable operations. If there is capacitors connected right on the outputs it could be necessary to apply a series resistor from the output (20-75 ohm maximum). But I’m not sure about the solution due to I dont have any schematics for the SRC2496 to look at and you havnt verified the oscillation on a scope?
Due to the high bandwidth, this circuit operates in class-A and because of that it will be running pretty hot (ca 0.5W heat dissipating for each IC) but could of course run to hot if oscillate."

and

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showt...38#post1156238
"You can't use the THS4032 for most audio applications because IT'S NOT UNITY-GAIN STABLE, and most audio circuits require that condition. This op-amp is only stable for gains of 2 or higher, as it's intended for video buffering applications. There is no simple way to make it unity-gain stable.

Also, you can't use the THS4032 with +/-15V in a PCB designed for conventional op-amps because it requires specific layout considerations in order to handle those 0.45W of idle dissipation. Furthermore, most PCB layouts designed for conventional audio op-amps just can't handle the 100Mhz bandwidth."

Thanks Granville

[sponge]

Further to the power supply discussion posted earlier - I have tried upping the voltage of my linear power supply as some members are running at 13.5V and are enjoying improved sound. For me, however, I am back to 12.5V - The sound is just too "forward" at over 13V. Temptation is to read the forwardness as higher SQ, but it's not to my taste.

Worth a try though; you may like it...

Ken

[Quietschbox]

Aren't these comments on opamps from all over the place? They won't tell you Anything about how it will perform in the Beresford 7520.

No, it don't think it's not as simple as you put it. But if you don't want to see it, because you prefer simplicity, why should i explain.