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Opamps improve CD Player's Sound

dr*audio said:
You can certainly try some of the other opamps mentioned in this thread. As to the inductors and the interconnects and the bass...I dunno about that one. It wouldn't make it worse, I am sure of that. It would roll off the highs, though.
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I've swapped/rolled out the original AD8397 opamp in my XM-5 headphone amp with OPA134's and then LM6171's.

Have 2 extra of each, and wonder if they'd work in my Yamaha CD-2 and Denon DCD-620.

The XM-5 was designed around the 134 or 8397, but the 6171 works quite well. As it has sockets, I'll try others as the mood hits me.
 
I think the CD-2 opamps use a SIP package, so you need a couple of SIP to DIP converter boards.
 
I just checked, I have the Yamaha CD-3. It has SIP opamps, so I had to use a SIP to DIP adapter board. I got it from this place:
http://cimarrontechnology.com/surfacemountadapters.aspx
I don't know what the CD-2 uses, you'll have to look. I put in an OPA2228PA opamp (it uses a single opamp for the output and something special for the filters, so I didn't do those, I need to get a schematic.) I am very pleased with the sound. This is my opamp dujour, and I have been getting great results with it. I am not sure if it sounds better than the LM833N or the same, but it is a newer design, so I have been going with this one. I also have some LM4562NA opamps, which I haven't tried yet. I am waiting to find a really nice player to try them in. If I get a Sony ES player I have my eye on, I'll probably put them in there.
 
dr*audio said:
I suspect the harshness you heard could be the opamp's reaction to the capacitance in the cables you are using to connect the player to your amp. The inductors you installed would provide some isolation from that capacitance, and also attenuate the highs. 1K resistors would be better.
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Right again, dr*audio. Made up some interconnects of Canare parts (sticky in
"Thinking Out Loud") and the sound smoothed out very nicely. No inductors or resistors, just cable and jacks.

Still amazed at how much better the Onkyo CD-710 (low $, plasticky cdp) sounds with the LM833NG opamps. Couldn't resist some opamp rolling, though. Tried a couple of others:

OPA2134PA - A little more clarity overall than the LM833NG, not a large difference, but noticeable.

LM4562NA - Bingo! Better in every way than all the rest. Clarity, speed, detail, smoothness, espcially the soundstage. Frankly, this is my initial experience with equipment capable of establishing a "soundstage" not only left to right, but also in depth, aurally. In my cdp, to my ears, easily the best of these three. Notice I'm not even counting the original 4560's.

Present line up: Onkyo DX710 cdp - Onkyo P304 pre - Soundcraftsmen A2502 - Klipsch Quartet.
 
What about going "no op-amp" ? Can the direct output of the DAC be sent out of the CD player to my preamp? Sure I'll need some gain in the preamp, but just wondering if this is even possible.
 
hukkfinn said:
What about going "no op-amp" ? Can the direct output of the DAC be sent out of the CD player to my preamp? Sure I'll need some gain in the preamp, but just wondering if this is even possible.
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You need a buffer amp. Usually there are 2 opamps after the DAC, one is a filter and the second is a buffer.
 
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