Hacking Schiit

Anything's possible if you can get it to fit, but you're gonna have to get a dip-to-soic adapter on there first.
See this image from Sparkos' own page for the adapter... https://sparkoslabs.com/discrete-op-amps/soic-to-dip-adapter/


and once you're doing silly things like that, can you even get the case back on? (forget about it if it's on the bottom side)

edit: and frankly, and that point you're running the discrete amp through pin->dip socket->socket pin->pcb trace->top legs->body trace->bottom legs->then finally down to the original board. So that's what... 6 additional contact surfaces either pressure or soldered in between more than normal? Whatever advantages could have been gained with the discrete opamp are gonna get whomped by the ridiculous amount of traces floating around and contact surfaces. Opamps behaviour can be very sensitive to these sort of things.

 

My first thought after seeing the Sparkos adaptor:

 

Would have been cool tho to let them stick out the hood like a big block compressor!

 

Is Bifrost upgradable with Sparkos? Or not with Sparkos but in the reasonable price range? Here's is Danny peddling Sparkos and I am salivating:

 

Sparkos possibly, Burson no. Been there, tried that, bought new 2/64 board 2 weeks later after hours of fighting to tuck in some 6 Classics. Technically could squeeze, but the tension popped up the pcb traces and broke solder joints on the opamp mounts. I believe Sparkos to be a little shorter, so you may be in luck. If you do pop in there to get wild with a soldering iron, swap out the rca jacks for KLE while you're at it. I did hear a very nice improvement over stock.

 

Is that OPA2197 from picture? #298

 

The best IV is ADA4620 and the best general purpose opamp should be AD829 in my experience. But AD829 is single unit unfortunate.

If you want better high frequency performance especially female singer vocal, AD826 is another better choice, ADA4620-2 is just good overall with better bass, and best surface cleaness.

 

Apparently KLE RCA jacks are super expensive. Anyone had a good experience upgrading RCA jacks while using something in the $15 range? Usually people discuss the cable side and it's easier to find the male side of the connection.

 

Update:
IV replace with AD826
DC servo replace with ADA4620-2
I just tried with AD826 and it is perfect.
I just realized the noise is coming from the DC-Servo which is OPA2277, just replace it with ADA4620-2

So overall will be

1. Upgrade USB card to Unison USB card

2. Replace DC Servo OP-AMP from OPA2277 or TL082 whatever to ADA4620-2.

3. Replace IV OP-AMP from AD8512 to AD826

4. enjoy your music. Now it is the best DAC in the world

For long time listen, I would recommend to turn on Reduce Loud Audio on iPad

 

Has anyone tried this combo? AD826+ADA4620 I just can't stop listening to it

 

Yeah the KLE Absolute are great, but $$. Their Classic Harmony are a fantastic cost to quality option and only $24. Those will get you 85% of the increased performance for 40% of the cost.

https://www.soniccraft.com/product_...-5336?osCsid=7bf58344edfe3e6ecf937647c07c062e

Food for thought at least.

 

Tried these? https://www.bursonaudio.com/shop/35...b8Yh7xZpfi75oFBjLVLhptkl4uM9KSrCsDLsPESQQVQQP

 

Yep, tried those. Even with my best maneuvering and folding, there was too much tension on the pcb and would lift (rip) the adapters off the board. If the chassis was just an inch or two taller, things would totally fit. You could easily fit the v5i Bursons for a small improvement, but that's no fun. Go big or go home.

 

Agree, Yes do have a risk of tearing the board, the pads are only a few millimeters in size
Just go for AD826 IV and ADA4620 for Servo. you just want a big swing sound, AD826 is fully capable of it, and it is a Class A Folded-Cascode structure.

 

The flamboyant mediocrity of measurements. Sorry I could not resist:


Many of his videos are actually useful, but this time I don't know why he did it, dying on the hill that all opamps sound the same is such an inglorious way to tarnish the rest of your reputation. There are literally 100s of reputable reviews all over the Internet comparing the opamps with not just "better" but with detailed explanation what exactly changed and what didn't.
The science dude used a $200 amp to roll and used simple sweeps to compare them. Nobody told him that music is 100s and sometimes 1000s of harmonics playing simultaneously, the task quite more complex than a sine wave? And then his minions personally mocking anyone who dared to disagree.

Sorry for the offtopic but there is no thread for this post and here I see people who actually know that opamp rolling changes the sound. I never did it myself, but I am thinking about it, and my search got me to that. So low and so stupid.

 

We need @atomicbob to repeat with opamps what he just did with tubes.

 

Five 6AS7g type tube comparison is a better comparison to op amp rolling in a particular amplifier.

 

Oops - that's the one I meant to quote.

 

They are related. Even I get confused a little given how many distortion surface plots I have in my lab collection.

 

In fact, there are many tests that THD cannot explain, such as integral and differential non-linearity. Phase delay caused by filters, sound congestion caused by the speed of negative feedback (Your op amp's inverting input is trying to catch up to your positive input, but it's obvious that the inverting input is always slower than the positive input.), transient intermodulation distortion, driving capacitive and resistive load capabilities, amp inrush current, input surge current caused by diodes, and unnatural sounds produced by digital filters/FDNR/GIC filters due to pre-echo (if you have tested Apple's square wave, you will find that Apple has already considered these contents) etc
You should ask Marantz why they developed HDAM circuits (essentially discrete op amps)

Maybe his playlist only has 1Khz sine waves, and you just can't discuss other things with him.