Kategorie: OP-Amps

Hifi-fine-tuning / some little thoughts / external 5V – XMOS-bridges (“Skysong” here)

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so,  😉

today some little thoughts about hifi-fine-tuning here..

as i´ve ordered again some “green” “SMPCB V1.07” (its the fourth meanwhile, burnt one as testing out some dual dc ;-( ) and as i´m stuck now to buy some new bluray-player (for hdmi to i2S) i´ve reactivated my Skysong XMOS-bridge (http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/?p=1883) ->I2S->ES9038Q2M (green V1.07) to get some hifi “with ease” (from PC)..

cause i´ve got a little trouble at higher-resolutions (24/192) i´ve feeded the xmos-bridge (think its the same with all of them) again with an external 5V power-source, et voilá, again such a great difference to the usb-powered thing (said a lot about it in the above mentioned blogpost)->really again 10-15% better tune, hifi-began 😉 , means the music “disengages” from the speaker..

okay, and as i think my new Mission LX-2 are very “roomy” + “light”, i´ve got sometimes the feel that the old Mission 780 sound a little bit more “hifi” in some cases; they seem to be more “vocal”-focussed..

to “compensate” this i thought i change the standard NE5532 to my “heavenly” AD797ANZ (http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/?p=1693) as they have these unbelievable room, and some 3D-ish at their own and correspondent absolutely perfect with the sabre-chip-characteristica->”..i think the speciality on these Sabre-Chips is this digitally room/3D-feeling + also with the great soundstage..so i stay, as said, with the AD797ANZ“

(we had a schematic of the recommended op-amps for the ES9038Q2M, also with greater dynamic + thd/dnr etc..))->

so, i´m listening right now to these “combo” with the “heavenly” AD797ANZ (although i think they sound also a little bit “distorted”) and try to get the best out these special (what i like so much) roomy/3D-ish ess-sabre “hyperstream” technology (and to find the right speaker + amplifier for it)..

will post more in future, stay tuned and have a nice “happy new year” !! 😉

HDMI to I2S (C1) receiver-board arrived / NE5532 vs. AD797 vs. OPA1612

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so, 😉

finally today the “HDMI to I2S (RX-“C1”-PS-audio-standard) receiver-board arrived (LINK-Aliexpress, 14€))->works absolutely great/flawlessly with the hdmi to I2S-extraction-board (HDA20012 GLA V5 TX-“C1”)->

it works “so”, without extra 5V-power (the extraction-board delivers the 5V over HDMI (but u can “jumper” it))..

“sound-wise” its a little bit more “flat”/not so “brilliant” in comparison to a direct I2S-connection (absolutely logical), but i guess so only about 2%-difference 😉 )..(and u have one I2S-solder-/”unstability-problem” less !)

by that i´ve got an “OPA1612” a week ago or so, and got now the time to test it out->

NE5532: a lot of body + push, absolutely good overall OP-Amp..(was originally in the “green” SMBCP-ES9038Q2M-board (V1.07)

OPA1612: very clear, very dynamic, very “roomy”, more “body” like the AD797, (but also a little bit “thin” + less “character”)..(coriously today the best from the two (NE5532+AD797) the body/lows from NE5532 and the highs from the AD797)..(“quality-wise” about 10-15% ahead of the NE5532.)

great OP-AMP !! (but maybe with a little less “character”)..

AD797ANZ: absolutely “creamy” + sweet+ 3D-ish (almost “heavenly” 😉 ), but with almost no body/lows..absolutely in the middle/highs and there some “own room/3D/space”, character..(but also a little bit “distorted” in some way)

a lot of “character”, was my favourite OP-AMP so far..

still complicated (to find the right OP-Amp for yourself), right now/today i´m more “on character”.. (i tested a lot of OP-Amps, Bursons, Muses, LME´s,OPA´s (look right in the widget/categories->”OP-Amps“->http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/?cat=13)

(+ in these region/area of very good/high-end OP-Amps its really only about the “timbre/color” of the sound (which u prefer)..the sound/tone/content itself still remains..)..

so, will change the OP-Amp back to the NE5532 to get my “test-setting” back and to work again more “on the chain” (transporter->hdmi->I2S) before..

(PS.: the OPA1612 is still playing here now; absolutely great, super quality + a great dynamic ! (should compare it again to the Burson or Muses or other OPA´s etc.,etc. for example, but not now) 😉 )

many greets for now + much more to come !! 😉

Raspbi HAT ES9038Q2M / Ustars R38

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so, 😉

found by chance this ES9038Q2M-HAT (38€, Aliexpress->LINK)..

interesting is that they use an “OPA1612” (i´ve just ordered one too, because i´ve often seen ES9038Q2M with this op-amp and will test them against the other op-amps i have here (Burson V5i-D, AD797, OPA627AU , Muses8920 etc,etc..))

by that they say in the description:”..Professional IIS verarbeitung chip realisiert PCM/DSD ausgang. 2. unterstützung 32BIT/44,1-384KHZ DSD64-DSD128 ausgang”, means they found apparently another way (“..professional I2S processing..” to output DSD over I2S (which i, we hadn´t got solved here (we used then a usb-bridge (or “new” now via HDMI))

u can also use an oled-display (+10$) directly connected (see pictures)..

else nothing new from here, greets for now !! 😉

The Burson V5i-D arrived->very “un-colored”, a little bit “lifeless”, but very clear + less distorted..

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so, 😉
finally the Burson V5i-D from Massdrop arrived, hooray !! 😉 :
As said in the head/tag-line very “un-colored”; after hearing them u got the feel that the OPA627AU + the AD797BRZ (+ other) are somehow colored, they add some “push” (over the whole sound-spectrum, or to the highs or lows).The Bursons are very “neutral”.

On the other hand the V5i “sound” a little bit “lifeless” (in opposite to the OPA627AU par example, which is very “sweet”(the V5i´s are missing the “sweetness”)..
The AD797BRZ is very “bass-controlled” but they all don´t have the unbelievable room of an AD797ANZ..
(all this said of course that its absolutely depends on your personal listen-affections/preferences and so on..+ also all concerning to the ESSabre-9038Q2M->with other DACS/chips u can get another impression)
These 4 Op-Amps (OPA627AU,AD797BRZ,Burson V5i,AD797ANZ) are in a range of 95%-98& with 1% difference to each other !!(IMO and in my/this case))
so whats the conclusion now (for me) ?
My favourite OP-Amp to date was the AD797ANZ, because it has an unbelievable room + almost perfect + really some brilliance but it is also somehow too “distorted” (in comparison to the V5i), too (digitally) harsh (on the ES9038Q2M here)..
it is really head to head between the 2 (V5i + AD797ANZ), i swapped back and forth and finally i switched now to the :
Burson V5i !!

and only because it is absolutely less distorted (more “clear”+clean) and for now (for me) its some more “fresh” to hear..
The AD797ANZ has absolutely more room and is somehow also more “perfect” (the phenomenal “soundstage”, brilliance(on the ESSabre 9038Q2M)) but at present i think i stuck with the V5i and so we have a new “winner” here 😉 (for now. but maybe i´ll swap back the days 😉 )..

(PS: i´ve tested it all with Volumio V2.572, “Allo Katana” !!-sound-device-settings, NO software-mixer, ES9038Q2M..works all, no problem)
more to come and stay tuned !! 😉
SFB2

Massdrop: Burson V5i ->Dual !! 24,99$ (Single matched pair +15$)

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so folks 😉,
sorry that i had lately not the time (and fun) to write here any further posts (+ time is changing here so fast concerning Pi-audio-distros and so on etc.); also i have to buy here some things first to post here more about “modding” the ES9038Q2Ms..
but i found here right now an interesting offer by “Massdrop“-> some

BURSON V5i as single or dual !! ( Dual!! 24,99$ (or Single matched pair +15$)

so great !! 😉

Link-Massdrop-<

hopp,hopp and get some !!!  😉

only 4 Days left !! (Drop is till March 24. 2019)

(further description:

  • The V5i-Dual is a direct replacement of the following opamps: AD823, AD823AN, AD8066, AD8620, AD712, AD827, C4570, JRC4556AD, JRC4580, JRC5532, JRC5532D, JRC5534, LF353, LM4562, LME49860, LM833N, MUSES8920, NE5532, NEC4520, NEC4570, NJM2068D, NJM2114, NJM2214D, NJM4558, NJM4558D, NJM4560, NJM5532, NJM4558P, OP275, OPA1612, OPA2277PA, OPA2132, OPA2134, OPA2604, JRC4558, RC4558D, RC4558P, TL052, TL072, MUSES01, MUSES02, MUSES8820, MUSES8920, MUSES8832, BA15532
  • The V5i-Single is a direct replacement of the following opamps: NE5534, LT1122, TL071, OPA134, OPA627, AD811,AD829, AD844, OPA604, AD8610, AD711, AD797, LME49990, LME49710

+

  • Lifetime warranty (must be registered on Burson Audio’s site)

greets for now !! 😉

The AD797BRZ arrived -> more “dark”-sound, more in the back/laid-back..

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so, 😉
finally the AD797BRZ arrived here (all following is under the “premise” that i´ve got original (or near to) ones and not cheap “crap”)->absolutely more “dark sound”, absolutely more push in the lows/middle-lows..
(as presumed->”the BRZ were the ANZ with all the advantages of an OPA627AU..”,”its like going from digital to vinyl”..)..
absolutely okay, high THD+N, very “exactly” , very good Op-Amp, but for me absolutely too dark, not soo much presence (at all and in the middle-highs/highs..)..


(but also said: i have got not the time (and fun) at present to get more in-depth with the BRZs)
after replacing them with the ANZs:->thats for me the right direction..
get so a better idea of the “true/right” sound..(for me)
(i really miss the “brilliance” of the AD797ANZ (in any case from the ones i have here)(although, as said, i also miss the “push” in the low/middle-lows))..
but all this depends very much on your other “gear”, speaker, amplifier, room-size, listen-preferences and so on..
so, conclusion:
i will stuck here with the AD797ANZ for now (on the “blue” ES9038Q2M)(all according to, as said, that i´ve got the original (or near to) OP-Amps..; i would prefer them over the NE5532,LME47920,OPA2134,LME47910,Muses8920,OPA627AU->(in this order)(see this post in the forum->LINK)
but again: it really depends on your personal listen-affections and so on..
in optimizing the ES9038Q2M the next steps will be (without some hw-modding;its too complicated for me at present): connect a -+15V toroidal transformer, buy some (as last op-amp-step) Burson V5/6 and maybe use an AK4137 (see earlier posts)..
and (“quelle surprise”): buy finally some new speaker+amplifier 😉

but many greets for now (+ more to come)!! 😉

…coming back to the AK4137 SRC / 22€-27$

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so, 😉
in still waiting/searching for the right +-15V toroidal transformer and the right case, i was searching yesterday again at these fabulous diyaudio.com-forum->https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/314935-es9038q2m-board-347.html and there is still some AK4137-modding “in the work”..
As said in this post before->http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/2018/09/raspi-ak4137-single-hat-for-2-3b-3b-pi-iso2dsd-v7/ the AK4137 is an digital up-sampler/sample-rate-converter (SRC) with such enormous values like: up to 768khz, DR: 186dB !! ● THD+N: -150dB –
“„..The main function of this board is to improve the quality of the Raspberry Pi I2S signal and reduce jitter..”+”And the AK4137 reconstruction clock reduces the Raspberry Pi output signal jitter enhancement.”..

so and as this raspi-hats, “standalone” boards are meanwhile down to 22€/26$ (Link) respective 23€/27$(Link), u can give it a try..

by that, i have to say that these ES9038Q2M (stock) + some AD797s + raspberry pi (or some xmos-device) already have a superb sound/tune; as posted before i had a Cambridge-Audio-DAC-Magic (150€) here, and it was very well and clean manufactored (Wolfson-chips in it) but it was nevertheless absolutely no comparison to what ESS-chips (ES9038Q2M) are capable of->much better soundstage,3D,positioning,resolution->

“Forget about dual Wolfsons, this new unit shows what the ESS Sabre chip is truly capable of..Just fantastically detailed all along the entire frequency range, wide open, huge soundstage and separation, no noticeable coloration, but slightly warm and ultimately spot on timbre. There’s more than sufficient dynamics and air. A very worthy musical experience..“

so, back to the theme: i havent got understand it at first right, but with the following pictures its more clear..

 

and so you can select via the K1-K10 jumper/bridges the appropriate sample-rate/DSD-PCM-options, like with with the different filter-settings on the ES9038Q2M par example..

such a “standalone” PCB with I2S-in and I2S-out is better for a XMOS-usb-bridge for example (or the expensive versions of these have a spdif-input too (to directly connect to a transporter CD/Blu-ray))..

would be very interesting if these AK4137 have such a great impact on the tune (less jitter and so on) also on 44,1khz/16bit (Redbook)..

another thing is that some user, also in the diyaudio-forum, means that these “upsampling” by the AK4137 in general or in special this “PCM to DSD” conversion have enormous advantages noise-wise..the noise will be moved in some inaudible frequencies or better completely removed (through this sigma-delta-extra extrapolation/conversion).

anyway, as we have now different possibilities to “pimp-up” the already very good “sounding” ES9038Q2Ms->soldering some other voltage regulators on it (keyword “AVCC” etc.), use another,cleaner power supply (toroidal +-15V), use other OP-Amps (AD797,Muses) + upsample/reduce jitter with the AK4137, we must now see whats the best cost-performance relation..

so, back to the top, these 22€ for some AK4137 could be also a very good alternative but as i had yet not such a hat here, i unfortunately cant say anything to the benefits..

(if anybody has some experiences with the AK4137 and with a ES9038Q2M please share your experiences here in the comment-section !!)

many greets for now !! 😉 

 

Op-Amps: Burson V5/V6 – AD797BRZ / ES9038Pro with Burson V5 / Gustard H-10 with V6

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so, 😉
after i´ve re-checked my Op-Amp-“collection” 😉 (in testing them on an ES9038Q2M) and reading a lot of op-amp reviews again, i´ve ordered a few days ago some AD797BR(Z) (as described in some posts before)..

The “B“-line has a stricter factory-selection/-fabrication and is mainly considered as the best AD797 for audio..
by that, curiously, i got the most the site-/page-visits here op-amp-wise, means the main interest is also in the op-amp-section/part/reviews..
so i can/will hopefully test them in a few weeks and the next step (op-amp-wise) would be the “Burson V5/-6″-line..


was also clear, as said in the earliest posts..but they cost around 40-50$ (pair)..
(the third set of pictures here are some Burson V5 on an ES9038Pro->https://hallmanlabs.com/2018/01/04/pictures-of-es9038pro-dac-w-burson-audio-v5-opa-and-orange-amplifications-discrete-design/)

some good toroidal transformer (+-15V) cost also about 30-40$ (min.) and so i/u have to check out which will bring the best “tone/sound”-enhancement (or both of course)..

(Link-Aliexpress or from Audiophonics or something)
“Webcontrol”-ESP32-wise its still in development but primary i think i want now to search for the right case, transformer..
many greets from here for now 😉
(some pics of pc/-hifigear with Burson´s + also a pic from a Gustard H-10 with V6s)

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