Hi everyone,
I have read that changing op amps on this card results in a dramatic
increase of sound quality. Does anyone have any experience with it, or
simply would you recommend this mod or not. Thanks in advance.

allenswrench wrote:

Hi everyone,

I have read that changing op amps on this card results in
a dramatic increase of sound quality. Does anyone have any
experience with it, or simply would you recommend this mod
or not. Thanks in advance.

I don't know the card in question.

Words of caution:

Generally you should understand a circuit prior to try to modify it and
more specifically understand what properties that have led to the choice
of the opamp that is there already; not all circuit designers are baaad
guys that just fit the cheapest because it is cheapest.

Other components may matter more than the opamps do.

You should be willing to carry the risk of destroying the pcb in
question, some pcb's are better not soldered on. Do not try to modify
something that you can not afford to replace if the operation fails.

The wording "dramatic increase in sound quality" is at best a poorly
defined variable and it is occasionally used to describe changest that
may also be defined as "marginal" or "modest".

Specs do not tell you how something sounds, listening does, but is is
probably easier to degrade this card than to improve it.

Msnsearch located some comments on the card at

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...62571%2C00.asp

- based on those the first place to look for improving the sound of your
recordings are the microphones and the next the mic pre's and whatever
other analog stuff you have in series with the signal.

The component density appears to be high, that - and the distortion
specs measured by extremetech - suggest that opamp upgrading is not the
first issue to look into. With this card: if you need to ask what to do,
then sit on your hands and do nothing.


Kind regards

Peter Larsen


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* My site is at: http://www.muyiovatki.dk *
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Peter Larsen wrote:
allenswrench wrote:


Hi everyone,


I have read that changing op amps on this card results in
a dramatic increase of sound quality. Does anyone have any
experience with it, or simply would you recommend this mod
or not. Thanks in advance.


I don't know the card in question.

Words of caution:

Generally you should understand a circuit prior to try to modify it and
more specifically understand what properties that have led to the choice
of the opamp that is there already; not all circuit designers are baaad
guys that just fit the cheapest because it is cheapest.

Other components may matter more than the opamps do.

You should be willing to carry the risk of destroying the pcb in
question, some pcb's are better not soldered on. Do not try to modify
something that you can not afford to replace if the operation fails.

The wording "dramatic increase in sound quality" is at best a poorly
defined variable and it is occasionally used to describe changest that
may also be defined as "marginal" or "modest".

Specs do not tell you how something sounds, listening does, but is is
probably easier to degrade this card than to improve it.

Msnsearch located some comments on the card at

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...62571%2C00.asp

- based on those the first place to look for improving the sound of your
recordings are the microphones and the next the mic pre's and whatever
other analog stuff you have in series with the signal.

The component density appears to be high, that - and the distortion
specs measured by extremetech - suggest that opamp upgrading is not the
first issue to look into. With this card: if you need to ask what to do,
then sit on your hands and do nothing.


Kind regards

Peter Larsen


Thanks for the advice, you are right.