I did som OP rolling yesterday with my Aiyima a04 tpa3251 powered by a medical grade powersupply from meanwell 30V 6A.
I used my two identical Aiyimas a04 - the reference had lm4562. Could it be bettered soundwise ? Source was a Yamaha wxc50 using Apple Music with airplay. Loudspeakers was my current DIY speakers with two very revealing Markaudio chn110 drivers in a stereo setup.
The listening session was like this:
1. The original NE5532
2. Lm4562
3. Opa 1642
4. Opa 1612
I used the tunemethod by ear ( listening after the clearest pitch of the tunes when following each instrument playing ) listening to the same music for about 20 minutes with each amplifier before changing the amplifier.
There were distinct differences in the perceived sound quality with the changing of each OP amp . The NE5532 was clearly the worst sounding when listening after the clearest melody pitch, but one could be very lost in the evaluation If only listening to ” the sound of the music” - not following the instruments melodies and only listening to hifi jargongs like soundstage and such.
The result after this evaluation was …
Best sound ranking:
1. Lm4562
2. Opa1612 ( sounded almost as good as lm4562, very small difference )
3. Opa1642
4. Ne5532
After this , with two amplifiers both with lm4562 it was time to check if they sounded identical, and they did.
I used my two identical Aiyimas a04 - the reference had lm4562. Could it be bettered soundwise ? Source was a Yamaha wxc50 using Apple Music with airplay. Loudspeakers was my current DIY speakers with two very revealing Markaudio chn110 drivers in a stereo setup.
The listening session was like this:
1. The original NE5532
2. Lm4562
3. Opa 1642
4. Opa 1612
I used the tunemethod by ear ( listening after the clearest pitch of the tunes when following each instrument playing ) listening to the same music for about 20 minutes with each amplifier before changing the amplifier.
There were distinct differences in the perceived sound quality with the changing of each OP amp . The NE5532 was clearly the worst sounding when listening after the clearest melody pitch, but one could be very lost in the evaluation If only listening to ” the sound of the music” - not following the instruments melodies and only listening to hifi jargongs like soundstage and such.
The result after this evaluation was …
Best sound ranking:
1. Lm4562
2. Opa1612 ( sounded almost as good as lm4562, very small difference )
3. Opa1642
4. Ne5532
After this , with two amplifiers both with lm4562 it was time to check if they sounded identical, and they did.
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