NE5532 Vs Burr Brown OPA2604AP With Blind Sound Comparison 

That’s what I swapped on my v3. More sound stage. Mids. Vocal is superior. You definitely can hear the difference.

I know Marty spent a bit of time ditching on measurements... and that's okay. But a couple of tips from a service technician, who replaces these things as part of the job, if you don't mind... 1) The best technique when pulling a chip out of a socket is to pull straight up with a very gentle end to end wiggling motion. The socket is a friction fit, there's no lock. It might take a bit of pull but it won't bend the pins as long as you have the chip firmly locked into the extraction tool. Apply pressure to clamp the chip. 2) Take a real close look at those sockets under a magnifying glass. In the true military grade socket, those are copying, the gold inserts are shaped like a little funnel that will guide the pins into place automatically. However these imitations have a flat bottom on them. If you don't get the pins started into the bottom holes before you press down you're going to bend them and you may have one or more that are not making contact. What I do is view it through a magnifier and use the big end of a sewing pin to nudge the tips of the pins into the bottom holes first. Then I press it into place. 3) As a general precaution and because these op-amps are so cheap, I never reinsert one after pulling it out. I always use a new chip, every time. 4) Be aware that in a service scenario these chips might get replaced once in the lifetime of a device. The sockets are there to accommodate that. They are not designed to be tugged and pressed on a whole bunch of times. Since this whole "chip flipping" craze started, I've replaced more damaged sockets than chips. I replace them with true military grade sockets. 5) The op-amps in these mini-amps (V3, A07, etc.) are not providing any gain. They run at "unity gain" serving as a "phase splitter" for the balanced inputs of the TPA3255 amplifier chip. Thus any differences we notice will be truly slight and at some point not worth the price of the replacement chips. I certainly wouldn't be spending $75.00 for the discrete op-amps in this case... even $10.00 each is questionable value. Hope this helps....

Both sound good but the OPA2604APs sounds better to me and more three dimensional.

Your op amp removal is a very good part of the video, showing HOW NOT TO DO. Maybe you should do more HOW NOT TO DO videos. 😉👍

I choose A, the NE5532 op-amp as the sound is more natural and transparent; however, the amplifier was designed and tested using the venerable NE5532 op-amp, which underwent rigorous testing and measured well in the laboratory, with meticulously selected passive and active components for the best matching, though changing op-amps to another one, such as the OPA2604 FET op-amp, seems a good idea but must be measured for generated noise and distortion, as it is the surrounding circuit in the op-amp that also determines the sound quality based on how it was designed, the degree of transparency, nuance, and timbral accuracy, and since the amplifier was designed using a bipolar op-amp, the NE5532 was chosen.

I swapped to Muse 02, is less bright but with more detail. I like both. The NE5532 (stock) do a good job.

I've used the op amp removal tool many times and can't comprehend how proper use would mangle an op amp that badly. Maybe just operator error?

In your test and as you mentioned the 2604s sounded better to me with how RU-vid presents the audio. Thank you for the test but the only real test will be in each listing room with their individuals speakers. Everyone needs to take this test as a reference point and decide if the difference represented here is headed in the direction they want or go. It will be fun to try them all but I'm afraid each set of op amps will work better in different music genre.

I have swapped the op amps on some of my cd players i always solder in a socket so they can be changed back if needed .I normally just use a small screw driver to get the out of the sockets but this .I preferred a but so many other things to take into account hearing it in person would be the true experience listening from your recording of the audio and thrue my laptop and speakers or reciever it could all sound a bit different here .

I thought the difference was too small to hear over the internet! It could differ depending on location, but I think it was minimal. Friendly greetings from The Netherlands! Rob

Have you thought of getting the bigger 48v power supply, to change the sound even more?

Might need to use some good headphones.. those speakers / cables combo are not very ravealing in the midrange region. I hear very little difference if any.

I ttok the test and preferred A - the 5532

I thought a little cleaner bass from one and the other a little deeper but not really listening again, the highs on one of the first songs sounded ever so little brighter,more open switching to A

Interesting. I've read so many reviews mentioning OPA2604AP as a very good choice, with warm, but like a super detailed, wide and balanced sound. Although here I found it rather muddy, I tried to perceive it like a certain "dark" colouring, but failed cause having in fact a bit wider stage it performs som that I found pretty much every band to sound grainy and kinda overlapping, interfering each other what makes the overall sound noticeably less clear than the stock IC did. Sure, it can be my setup's sound that makes it sound like that.

Anyone with a Ultrvox LP gets my respect! LOL the opa2604 was my fav some 20 yrs ago....cheap and did a good job. Overall, it provided better definition, you feel you get a bit more of this and that but in actual fact, it's just more details, making tones more defined

Use a flat blad micro screw driver and pry it upwards to release . The pins stay intact.always, photograph before removal just in case.

Opamp rolling without understanding the entire circuit is pretty much rolling the dice. I mean in textbook designed line and buffer stages the chance the get lucky with a boutique opamp are the highest. However if more engineering was involved to squeeze out max sound- quality at a low budget even line and bufferstages can be taylored to a specific opamp and simply changing only it can result in frustration.

I thought they sounded different rather than better/worse (My Pc has a pair of jbl104 monitors attached and with you tube compression, I could be talking complete rubbish) However to me it was more a different presentation rather then a better one. But deffo as you say, if I were sitting in your room I might think differently. Like you I like to read what everyone else thinks.

I played your video through a Adcom GFA-4302 class A amp. I actually thought A sounded better. There isn’t a op amp IC in my amplifier. It’s all discrete stages built into the circuit board. At least on my stereo, A sounded better. To each their own. Thanks for the video. I’m going to buy some Burson discrete op amps and install them into my Soundstream reference class A Picasso and see if it makes a difference. It currently has OP257GP op amps.

Replacing an op amp is more likely to add distortion as the Equipment you have is designed around the opamp inside. Most people don't have enough electronic knowledge to do this. Every mixing desk in the audio chain has gone through hundreds of NE5532. So you put in an unsuitable JFet OPamp in a little box in your living room, you hear some high frequency noise and think it sounds better because you paid more for it, Unless you can test an improvement you are probably making things worse. Plenty of High End audio use Philips / Signetics NE5532 because they are perfect for audio,

Hahaha you make me laugh. I love how you just try stuff 😉👍 swapped my opamps in my aiyima 07max with muses8920. They sound superb! Would advise you a bit more expensive opamps 👍 then the sound difference is huge!

Can you buy an upgraded opamp version? Don't need the inferior ones.

I tried a few under $20 opamps in the V3 I could not tell much of a difference then I tried the muses02 and finally yes better sound but they cost more than the amp.

I replaced the 5532NE with an OPA2604 on my Fosi V3 today. The replacement is justified, the sound is much better, the vocals are livelier, not as cloudy as on the 5532NE, the sound stage is wider, in the upper range can hear more nuances, the sound is more detailed. I took the original ones around town, they are cheaper here 16 dollars for two. I recommend them in particular. You don't need more expensive ones here, there is definitely no point in putting Muses, Burr Brown steers well in terms of sound.

Why does nobody experience piercing sounds with the stock NE5532 op amp, while on some recordings, sibilance becomes uncontrollably pronounced? I only find one reviewer reporting that so far.

He's such a funny guy 😄 I'm watching you in south korea

"RUBBISH!" where the earphones I had now at hand to listen to. SO, given that, I could hear the difference on vocals and highs, even through the phone speakers while I was reaching for the earphones. If it's noticeable from a recorded sound, with compressed audio, through a phone, on not so good earphones, I would say it's worth it 💪🏻

Just like to know the difference between quid in American dollars because I live in crummy America

Opa2604 is really cold and nasty. Try opa2134 ! This one is better. fuller sound, warmer, nice harmonics.

For me, the original op-amp sound much clearer, coherent and musical. The 2604 sounds slightly harsh and all over the place, has a weaker bass, and lacks coherence. But maybe it's just youtube 😄

How to feel the difference with my inferiors amps? LOL. Your conclusion is what matters!

Installing an operational amplifier with a field input into the I-V converter is not the best idea, better than LT1496, OPA2211, LT1364, in a high-pass filter you can use OP 2604, but better than OPA2132P, Muses 8920.

B was better or me

i had muse 2 on my aune dac and tried a 2604 and the sound stage died completely my muse was so much alive it like my sound went mono and the crazy part i paid like 6 buck for the muse on a well known web site from china so it could be fake but i recommend it made my nad semi hifi system awesome so seriously listen to me for couple buck u wont regret it

I found that A sounded better for me 🤔👍

I guessed it correctly...OPA2604 is smoother

Through an Ifi Zen Dac and Koss KPH30iRB headphones, my 75 yr.old ears heard ZERO difference...for what that's worth. :) I do hear a huge difference in music direct from RU-vid versus when downloaded and played on JRiver Media Center 30.... so I'm not totally deaf. :)

Slight difference in midbass, and focus.

Difference is less than moving your head 1CM up or down

Второй вариант всё-же чётче!

And your shoulder was really close on the tweeter dome of the speaker! be careful.

My painted on ears don't detect any difference. But that's me, your mileage will vary...

I heard no difference

A had a little more space …B had a little more bass if you could have the best of both that would be good for a decent price. These amps are good for designing and we will have some interesting versions to come. For the price it’s a good place to start! It’s a new Dynaco and Heathkit era .

11:56 "B" le hitt (i piatti) quasi non si sentono

A are superior.

On the NE5532 the stage sounds natural and cohesive, the sound on the left, middle and right is clearly audible, but on the OPA2604AP the stage is disrupted, audible on the left, the middle is crushed, and the right is crushed. I do not take any responsibility for google translate :)

the original ne5532's looked fake to me, not saying they definitely are.

1:45 And then you still don't know.....😉

No differences for me

Listening to this on my Fosi Audio V3 with stock NE5532's in it, they both sound exactly the same...like NE5532's oddly enough! Go figure!

The indent on top is simply a cap covering an opening to UV wipe the chips 😵‍💫

no diff

- OPA2604AP has a FET input stage and is sensitive to ESD. Use an ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection setup when working with that component. NEVER touch the component (pins especially) with your hand unless you are ESD-bonded to the workstation. You were lucky they weren't damaged although there still may have been a performance degradation without there being any obvious damage. - Never roll op amps without scoping the circuitry, unless someone has done the same roll and has tested it to work for that particular device and op amp combo. The OPA2604AP has a higher gain-bandwidth product than the NE5532 and you might introduce high frequency instability in the circuit without ever knowing it unless you test the circuit with an oscilloscope.

Guess you bought fake rebranded opa2604, they both sound as 5532 lol 😂

no difference

I couldn't hear much difference at all.

Just sounded like things got tighter and crispier with the new op amp. 10-15% difference at most, not worth the extra money. At that point I'd be considering a proper pre/amp from Yamaha/Sony that will have extra inputs, Bluetooth and a remote control. This amp is only good for desktop setups, or if you have a DAC/preamp with a remote control. Otherwise we're back in the 80's, coming up to the stereo to change the volume ;) Thx for the review! Btw, I got me a Q Acoustics 3090C Centre Speaker and wow, the sound is so transparent, no cabinet resonance or any sound coloration, only $99 and already out of stock ;)) Love Q Acoustics, it's my first experience too!

The A B comparison is totally pointless.....With YT algorithms and compressions over it....😂😂😂

Very funny//Texas audio amp chip has clearer and better treble while BB OPA is better in bass. I don't think there is a winner...it's not Opa better, sorry Mr. Presenter.😂

You overdrive both of them so hard and sounds AWFUL.

This nerd just wants our attention

OPA2604 might sound "impressive" in some aspects, but it is a colored sound, and has completely unnatural timbre. It's glair-y, and artificial, like most BB amps. Because it's a FET op-amp, it has the precision of a "class D" amp, but that also means it's got it's harshness and sterility as well. 5532 is the most natural sounding op-amp to this day, however the TI version is the worst sounding one. Try an NJM5532DD by JRC/Nisshinbo. It's smoother and even more natural. The 2604's you got looks real. They should have "Thailand" on the bottom.

A are superior.