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Author Topic: Purely speculative - Rag, Yggy, Theta - how tech development affects sound, etc.  (Read 1867 times)

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OJneg

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Thing is, the NE5532 is measurably worse than the best audio opamps you can get these days. Anyone still using it in high-end designs is either pinching pennies (seriously, even the "expensive" opamps are cheap) or just too self-righteous to admit otherwise. I just feel it's kinda embarrassing when you open up certain "high end" A/D or D/A converters and you see them using decade old parts that aren't even spec-ed for audio. The implementation is going to matter more than anything but you're not helping yourself out by sticking to what really is old IC tech.

I'm sure the engineering departments at TI and AD are full of evil "subjectivist" tweekers who should have given up a long time ago. Now they're just bored so they're trying to pull one over on all of us  ::)
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Marvey

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"This always makes me laugh, because there is probably no music on the planet that has not passed through a hundred or more 5532s on its way to the consumer." - Douglas Self.

Some of the best most immediate sounding recordings I have (Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, orchestra pieces w/ Stanley Black / LSO, etc.) passed through zero NE5532s. NE5532 didn't exist back then. In fact, I'm not even sure they could make ICs cheaply yet. I don't think the NE5532s even existed during the heyday of Blondie, Rick Springfield, Talking Heads, or Kool and the Gang.

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Marvey

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Thing is, the NE5532 is measurably worse than the best audio opamps you can get these days. Anyone still using it in high-end designs is either pinching pennies (seriously, even the "expensive" opamps are cheap) or just too self-righteous to admit otherwise. I just feel it's kinda embarrassing when you open up certain "high end" A/D or D/A converters and you see them using decade old parts that aren't even spec-ed for audio. The implementation is going to matter more than anything but you're not helping yourself out by sticking to what really is old IC tech.

I'm sure the engineering departments at TI and AD are full of evil "subjectivist" tweekers who should have given up a long time ago. Now they're just bored so they're trying to pull one over on all of us  ::)

Benchmark says they are bestest:
Here you go: http://wiki.benchmarkmedia.com/wiki/index.php/NE5532_Opamp
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OJneg

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It can achieve very good measured performance (with a few caveats) when placed in a good implementation. No question there.
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Anaxilus

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Benchmark used to say a lot of things and support much of the Self philosophy.  Oddly enough they seem to be pushing newer updated models that supposedly already surpassed the capability of human ears.  Hmmm.....
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ultrabike

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Let me highlight the inflammatory and judgmental aspects of this quote, then I will shut up about it:

"With horrible inevitability, the very popularity and excellent technical performance of the 5532 has led to it being criticized by subjectivists who have contrived to convince themselves that they can tell op-amps apart by listening to music played through them. This always makes me laugh, because there is probably no music on the planet that has not passed through a hundred or more 5532s on its way to the consumer."

For example, does the above do anything that this impartial rewrite does not--besides incite anger?

Although the 5532 delivers excellent measured performance, and has been used widely in mastering consoles, some listeners believe that it is not a truly transparent device, and is bettered by other op-amps."

Dunno, Doug's unbiased approach is moar dramatic. Emotional. It makes me lol, weap, cough, and sneeze. All at the same time.

It can achieve very good measured performance (with a few caveats) when placed in a good implementation. No question there.

"The NE5532 is power hungry, it has high input bias currents, and high offset voltage"

>So in other words, pure win.

"The 5532 should not be used with low signal levels, and it should only be used in low gain circuits."

>So moar win.

"It may surprise you that the NE5532 was selected for transparency and not on the basis of cost."

???

Benchmark used to say a lot of things and support much of the Self philosophy.  Oddly enough they seem to be pushing newer updated models that supposedly already surpassed the capability of human ears.  Hmmm.....

They are surpassing human ears capability version 69.0 this time though.
 

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Marvey

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It can achieve very good measured performance (with a few caveats) when placed in a good implementation. No question there.


LOL, Benchmark ended up replacing NE5532 with LM4562 in the USB and PRE versions.
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OJneg

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It can achieve very good measured performance (with a few caveats) when placed in a good implementation. No question there.


LOL, Benchmark ended up replacing NE5532 with LM4562 in the USB and PRE versions.

$3 for a dual channel audio opamp? Obvious snake-oil.
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Armaegis

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Pfft, I'm gonna build my own discrete opamps and roll in the moolah that amp makers will throw at me.
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Solderdude

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As with a lot of components....
It's HOW you use them that counts !

For example it didn't do so well (while clipping) in a C'Moy testrig.
http://www.mediafire.com/view/p2hnepv9u8dlbje/Portable_op-amp_headphone_amplifier_test.pdf
When NOT loading it with a headphone it does a bit better.

The LM4562 has long been surpassed by other opamps and the newer and higher spec'ed opamps are considered to sound better by some and sound worse by other 'experts'.

I see the Douglas 'point' about it  ;D
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Use your ears to enjoy music, not as an analyser.
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