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Big fan of Mogami W3173. It sounds more natural to my ears than 2534 or 2549. It definitely has a full-bodied sound. Some might not like that. It is also pretty thick stuff, so requires RCAs capable of taking 8mm cable. It has replaced most other ICs here and I have tried and made quite a...

I have an SA-S3. It is a couple of generations back from the Class D amps that are out today. Today's amps tend to have a lot more power and that really improves their ability to handle bass in particular. The Tripaths run out of juice very quickly on all but the most efficient speakers. The...

Yaxis are a must on the Porta Pro. I did not at all like the Yaxis on the KPH40 or the KSC-75. On the KSC-75 I like the Plantronics 40709-02 pads for around $6. They add a nice amount of bass. The KPH40s seem to sound best with original pads. Love them all! When listening to headphones, I am...

I have temporarily thrown in the Aiyima A07 and Fosi V3 with Elac UF5 and UB5 speakers, which are somewhere around 84-85db efficient (with a good tail wind) and down to 3.4 ohm impedance and they have done just fine. This is in a room that is around 24x24 feet. Neither gets at all warm or shows...

I am a big fan of Class-D amps as they certainly bring plenty of joy. That said, Bluetooth does not sound good. I don't have the Fosi Audio BT20A Pro, but a good friend does and the Bluetooth sounds particularly harsh to me. There is no joy there. A Wiim Mini would work just the same, but sound...

Lots of great advice in this thread. Let me throw another in. Use a multimeter to make sure that all of the panels of the enclosure have electrical continuity to ensure that it is properly shielded all around.

Definitely put your money into speakers. The new class-D amps are extraordinary bargains. I have more experience with the TPA3255-based amps (Aiyima A07, Fosi V3, Fosi BT20a Pro) than the Infineon ma5532 (SMSL AL200 that a friend owns), but all have been really surprisingly good. The Aiyima and...

I am not sure why I typed 2134 instead of 2132. I started with the 2134, but there was something about the treble that was not quite right. As for the OPA2132, the bass seems more full and the treble sounds more natural than the 5532. The 5532 sounds great in some circuits, so I am not...

I have both. In both, I swapped out the 5532 op amp for an OPA2134. The Aiyima A07 sounds more forward in the mids and a little less refined in the treble. It is a fine sounding amp. The V3 sounds more refined. The gain is 6db lower than the A07, which is noticeable, but not a big deal for me...

The sockets on the A07 are much easier to use. It is no big deal on the Fosi, but it would be easier if you could pry them up by putting a tool under the entirety of the op amp, rather than working them out from the side as you can on the A07. If you are worried, you can always buy a couple...

The Sparkos op amps look interesting, but my view is that op amps are not universally better than other op amps. It all depends upon the circuits they are used in. I'd hate to drop that kind of cash only to learn that the flavor of sound is not what I am looking for in a particular application...

I would use something like a spoon leveraged over a piece of cardboard. Those little knobs will come off.

The STR-6055 is my favorite over the 6065. It sounds more clear and transparent. I have recapped both units (actually two of the 6055s). The switches are very heavy duty. Give them all a good cleaning. Remember that the loudness switch is sort of backward. The button is pushed in to turn it...

I picked up an SMSL SU-1 for the porch system. It does not sound as full bodied as the Geshelli JNOG2 with the same AKM493S DAC, but it sounds brilliant in its own way and is an absolute steal at $80.

I have an Aiyima A07, using OPA2132 instead of the 5532 opamps it came with. Rather than use a no-name, non-UL listed power supply, I purchased a Mean Well power supply. The A07 served me well for a year and a half, but I wanted to try the Fosi V3. My chief concern with the A07 is that its...

The only impact is that turning off the unit requires you to reset the settings. I unplug when we have summer storms and then wonder why no sound is coming out when I plug it back in the next day. No big deal, but it is worth knowing.

I have mine on high. The one thing that I would change about the DAC is its peculiar use of LEDs to note settings, such as gain. It is not a big deal, but it is an odd way of doing things. Long wait times and the LED system are the only downsides to this unit, which is otherwise just great...

I got the J2, with the AKM chip and socketed-op amps, about a month ago. It was well worth the wait. The sound is full and detailed. There is absolutely no glare whatsoever. People looking for an "airy" sounding DAC will want to look elsewhere. I consider that "airy" sound to be overly and...

I have had a V4 for quite a while. It is a nice, clean-sounding unit. I have not recapped this one. The headphone out is also very good sounding.

I have been playing with a Douk U3 that has really surprised me. It is far better than its cost, in the low to mid $30s. It sounded very good with the stock 5532 op amp, but bass really improved with a 49720 op amp. I like it enough that I have ordered a second one with the intention of...

If you don't need closed backs to avoid having others listen to your music as you do, consider the venerable Koss Porta Pros. They are classics and have been around for almost 40 years for a reason. All Porta Pro owners can tell you about their flaws. The mid-bass is a bit bloated. The treble...

Aiyima D03. I bought a couple for my in-laws and have been very happy with them. The only complaints that I have are that the analog input is quieter than the optical and coaxial inputs and that the bass and treble adjustments are on the remote, which leads to unintentional bumps. In terms of...

The soundstage on the 599s is much larger than on the 58x. I do miss that about the 599s, along with much better comfort. The 58x squeeze your head something fierce.

I picked up the 599s on Black Friday and the Drop 58x with the intention of comparing them. The 599s are so, so comfortable for a full sized can. Both headphones sounded off until they had some hours on them. Of the two, the 599 was the better sounding when un-amped. It had less low bass...

The pre-amp is the worst part about the 326. I have built Nelson Pass B1, a DCB1 (no coupling caps), and an ACP+ headphone amp/preamp and they all have massively improved the sound of the 326. It is a great amp, but the only advantage that the built-in preamp has is convenience. At our house...