Burson Audio V5i Opamps Discussions | Drop

Dec 14, 2018

Calaverasgrandeat this price you can just buy one and decide for yourself. some people need numbers to tell them what to hear; some people trust their ears.

Dec 14, 2018

Dec 14, 2018

Motorradwell given that the price is about 100 times what an ordinary op amp costs. Or rather, the price is about what my typical bill of materials would be for several DIY projects, I'm probably gonna pass on this one. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence right? Well extraordinary prices do as well.

Dec 14, 2018

Dec 14, 2018

Calaverasgrande"100 times what an ordinary op amp costs." The key word there is "ordinary". oooo 100 times..blah blah...irrelevant...seeing as "ordinary" op amps are essentially free. Burson has always backed their "extraordinary claims" (pfft) with a 30 day guarantee and lifetime warrantee. Specs are available if you want them, but seems like you don't want them... A few extra buck in the audio world for something that actually makes a difference is a fucking bargain. Aren't your "critical applications" hahaha worth it?

Dec 14, 2018

Dec 14, 2018

Motorrad OPA 2134 Burson V5i
distortion 0.00008% 0.005%
Max DC supply 18v 16v
CMR 100db 95db
Bandwidth 8mhz 45khz
Openloop gain 120db 70db
Slew rate 40v 45v
Crosstalk 135db 95db

The Burr Brown OPA 2134 costs about $1.
Cheaper in quantity.

(Edited)

Dec 14, 2018

Dec 14, 2018

CalaverasgrandeAnd yet the Burson sounds considerably better... Like I said, some people trust numbers, some trust what they hear. The BB is definitely the way to go for those with budgetary concerns.

Dec 14, 2018

Dec 15, 2018

Motorradlol BB op amps are widely considered the ne plus ultra of octal form factor op amps. Aside from outlandishly priced audiophile op amps, they are the more expensive option compared to 5532, TL072 etc. Considering the ho hum noise and channel seperation figures I don't expect the Burson to be competitive. As far as price, most pro audio gear, music gear and audiophile components have dozens of op amps. At $25 a pop, there are prohibitively expensive for anything but phono preamps, guitar pedals and headphone amps.

Dec 15, 2018

Dec 15, 2018

Calaverasgrande"widely considered the ne plus ultra of octal form factor op amps" yes! That's true. I do not believe I have said anything disparaging about this fine mass-produced, ubiquitous product that I too have used on many projects. "Aside from outlandishly priced audiophile op amps, they are the more expensive option compared to 5532, TL072 etc." yep, and the V5i is the better sounding product. "Considering the ho hum noise and channel seperation figures I don't expect the Burson to be competitive." ...and yet it is...very much so. ...Like I said, some people trust numbers, some trust what they hear. "As far as price, most pro audio gear, music gear and audiophile components have dozens of op amps. At $25 a pop, there are prohibitively expensive for anything but phono preamps, guitar pedals and headphone amps. " NO SHIT! /smh $25 to transform a $150 amp/dac is a bargain.

Dec 15, 2018

Anent

167

Dec 15, 2018

CalaverasgrandeA tear down of the THX AAA 789: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/tear-down-of-massdrop-thx-aaa-789-headphone-amp.5327/ It uses smart design with ‘standard’ IC components. No Burson needed! ;) That said, @Motorrad , it’s reasonable that other ‘cheaper’ (of lesser design) amps may benefit from the Burson units. However, specifications are still a valid metric. AND are not typically flat wrt frequency..., so it’s an open question.

Dec 15, 2018

Vote

audible

602

Dec 15, 2018

Motorradyou should know better than to try to argue with the nay-saying number-crunchers...you're not even having the same argument. You are 100% correct, $25 to improve my amp is a bargain, as was the $ I paid direct to Burson. Few audio products have given me so much satisfaction for so little.

Dec 15, 2018

Dec 15, 2018

audiblethere is however the well known phenomenon of confirmation bias. We accept what confirms our pre-existent beliefs. Rejecting what conflicts with them. A related phenomenon is our ability to hear benefits that we expect fue to an outlay of cash. When we spend a small amount we are open to a possibility that the money spent may have been wasted. Because we are invested in the decision to spend, and it is our mistake to own if it was spent unwisely, the more we spend the less able we are to hear a dicrepancy. Emperors new clothes quite often show up in audiophile products under this guise. So while I am open to a possibility of audible improvements, nothing I see on the spec sheet impresses me. I wonder if the praise for these opamps derives if not from an inability to admit a bad spend, then perhaps it is a euphonic distortion, given that the noise and distortion figures are high for a ‘premium’ part.

Dec 15, 2018

Dec 15, 2018

audibleNot sure how you can be sure you have been at something longer than I? No matter, learned long ago to take my ball and go home when the discussion descends into ad hominems.

Dec 15, 2018

Dec 16, 2018

audibleoh I'm all for crunching numbers, but there's so much more to audio performance than numbers. Some of the most bland audio came spec'd with the 'best' numbers.

Dec 16, 2018

Dec 16, 2018

audibleyep. there it was. and it was predictable. you can bet with complete certainty that the guy that runs from spanking crying ad hominem is oblivious that he has just been tossing off ...ad hominem. classic. and the confirmation bias guys are always the most guilty ones. kinda sad really. For this tool to be 'listening by numbers' he has to actually be listening.

Dec 16, 2018

Dec 16, 2018

AnentI'm quite aware that audio components existed before op amps. I'm not sure what you gleaned from the context here but you should reassess.

Dec 16, 2018

Anent

167

Dec 16, 2018

Motorrad‘audio components existed before opamps’ and ‘should reassess’ confuses me... huh?! —that’s not what I posted.... Anyway. I was attempting to provide a bridge for two folks that both have valid points. A polite discussion is preferred?

Dec 16, 2018

Dec 16, 2018

AnentA Bridge Too Far

Dec 16, 2018

jaffe

272

Dec 17, 2018

CalaverasgrandeThe specs you provide really need to be qualified if you are going to stick to your diehard objectivity. Just a quick glance at what you have provided (if accurate) suggests that they were registered under different conditions, particularly output impedance. Anyway, comparing some cherry-picked specs for these two O/As is somewhat counterproductive due to the different topology Burson employs. The OPAx134 series is good, and was superb 20 years ago, but has been surpassed many times for certain signal applications. There is a certain level of diminishing returns stacking fancy O/As in a lot of gear, but one, well engineered, properly spec'd O/A in a portable HP amp like the Little Bear can (and does in my case) make a significant difference worthy of this modest investment. It's no joke, even diehard objectivists agree.

(Edited)

Dec 17, 2018

Dec 18, 2018

jaffeHe 'took his ball and went home' aka got exposed for not knowing what he was talking about. He's done that a lot. A real internet expert.

Dec 18, 2018

Broody

183

Dec 22, 2018

Calaverasgrandewhat a cop-out. Effectively an admission of defeat. YOU started the ad hominems! How are we supposed to take your opinion seriously if you can't even see what's right in front of your face? No wonder you're so hung up on numbers.

(Edited)

Dec 22, 2018

Kerry_Maxwell

163

Jun 27, 2019

MotorradThe people who "trust their ears" have repeatedly been shown to be deluding themselves in blind tests. I've done audio consulting for effects manufacturers, and made many DIY audio projects, and in the breadboarding stages convinced myself of dramatic changes between two parts, but when I put them on a switch could not tell the difference. Any changes you talk yourself into in the time it takes to swap out an opamp are not reliable objectively, and are often more the result of the lump of fat between your ears.

Jun 27, 2019

Vote

Jun 27, 2019

Kerry_MaxwellKerry, thanks for your well thought out, unbiased comment.\s Seriously, though, you sound like a broken record. It's so cute that you need to qualify yourself by showing that you know what a breadboard is. Anyway, I can't speak to changes this opamp might have in other amps, but in the xduoo that most people use this in, the result is really not that subtle. Really, even a tin ear like you wouldn't miss it. Cheers!

Jun 27, 2019

Kerry_Maxwell

163

Jun 28, 2019

MotorradIf it's not subtle, it will be measurable, and it's reasonable to ask the manufacturer to provide those measurements. Or are you implying this "not subtle" difference is somehow immeasurable?

Jun 28, 2019

Vote

Jun 29, 2019

Kerry_MaxwellThe only one implying anything is you. Nice illogical leap, though; demonstrates how poorly your brain works and taints any opinion that you might have. It is perfectly reasonable for the manufacturer to provide measurements. What specifically would you wish them to provide? I doubt you would even know what the numbers mean anyway...oh right...breadboard...pfft.

Jun 29, 2019

Jun 30, 2019

audibleI have gleaned that. He is also quite the hypocrite, apparently.

Jun 30, 2019