Inside of a non discrete op amp there is a silicon die that may contain hundreds of components, transistors, caps, resistors etc…they all are manufactured by laing down layers of exotic materials to make these devices in a single “chip” …this chip is then encapsulated in a DIP package…the pix you show as and integrated op amp is a typical package you get an op amp in…some of the design goals is to have all the devices made in the same silicon to have uniformity…and less distortion…similar heat profile, cap lead inductance is minimized etc…leads to potential better distortion and performance numbers. Space and consistency as you state is a positive as well…but one thing when you build things in small packages and want more power…heat becomes and issus.
The discrete op amps have to deal with all that stuff in a different way…
I used to work in a semiconductor lab for IBM for years…and we built, tested and designed this stuff, its indeed rocket science!!
True, they remain Integrated though. The OPA564 is something different to your standard 8-pin Op-Amp as that thing packs enough punch to directly drive solid-state relays in big motor drivers.
Not sure what the annotation “Discrete THX Circuit” is supposed to mean. From the picture it looks like the usual support components you would see near an amplifier stage.
It very much is teaching sand how to think.
The papers by Intel, AMD/GloFo, TSMC and the like are super interesting, especially the packaging and heat-management in super-high density chips.
I worked at Lucent -> Agere -> LSI on read channels. I’m well aware especially when working with TSMC and customers to get yields up. <3 the stuff and miss it.
I with you having an LCD X I can’t caution you enough with my issues with LCD X and THX amp. It’s like they play off of each other’s weaknesses JUST enough.
The OPA564 is now more of a standard than the old 8 pin dip devices. The trend is the older “big” (by todays new size standards) are falling by the wayside…smaller and smaller packaging has come into being…stuff you cant hand solder at home (easily)…
They are indeed beyond LSI integrated devices, but the surrounding discrete stuff is stuff the design “needs” to function to some paramaters. These ancillary discrete devices do not necessairly make the design a descrete one.
To be a discrete circuit the absence if any integrated devices would have to be true…
I dont know who labeled this diagram, but is a bit of a mis-nomer…this is done by many folks just trying to figure out how stuff is put together…and many times its a “guess” and not entirely accurate.
Just looking at the internals in this amp I would call it a highly integrated op amp based design and if some of the discrete devices are discrete devices then its a “hybrid” design…
I think you’re running into my issue. Without a long explanation it’s hard to simplify the explanation. I took some liberties I should not have in simplifying the design, but most people don’t care that much about details and only a few nerds understand how impacts sound by any degree (and know how little the impact would be).
It’s helpful but my brain is turning a bit… I’ll probably hit the pause button before I purchase so I can digest the information a bit. I tend to be skeptical when it comes to the DIY looking equipment as well as Chifi gear.
I also understand your point on reading measurements/specs to form an opinion of the quality of a product but I do put a heavier emphasis on the measurements of an amp over a speaker’s curve.
Zeos and ASR may not be perfect reference points but it is something… I’ll add in reviews off Amazon, Headfi, HP , Audiokarma, DIY audio and see what I can get come to.
Going to spend some time:
Too bad Audio Fidelity, Guttenberg, Darko or The next Best thing didn’t also review it.
The Burson Fun is a nice little amp too. Closer to A3 pricing depending on configuration. I am currently selling mine with three sets of opamps (but I am up in Canada). You can fine tune the sound noticeably. It is 2.1 watts at 32 Ohms. More power than I would ever need and has a nice sound. It was my first nice amp I bought a year ago.
You should be able to find a used unit around $200.00.
That’s a pretty good deal for the phonitor 2, it’s a solid amp with lots of features (but not many that you might find yourself using for casual listening). It’s going for clean neutral reference, very solid in that regards. I wouldn’t pay over 1.2k for one, but it’s really solid
If it was your money would you go RNHP for $500 or the Phonitor 2 for $1100? my headphones aren’t that hard to drive (lcdx, lcd3, hp3) so not sure if it would be a significant step up.
For your headphones I would most likely go with the phonitor 2 imo. I do think in terms of resolution and other technicalities it is an upgrade but I don’t think it sounds as natural, but I do still think it is mostly an upgrade. TBH if I had that money I would look for a used violectric v281
That’s a pretty good price for the price. The dac in there is ok and in the future would benefit from an upgrade later on, but that is a really nice amp. Going to guess that it doesn’t have the stepped attenuator but that’s not a big deal
Nice price on the v281. The sellers listed forms of payment are interesting.
I’m not in the market for the v281 anymore, but I’d definitely scope it out. The DAC I think uses an older burr brown PCM 1798 chip, but I’d probably never use it.
I’d also ask about the volume pot as there are 2 upgraded volume options from the base version. One with a remote and one with a 128-step relay also with remote.
I’m somewhat confused with your and MON’s comments about the DAC. I was under the impression that the base model (which this appears to be) is just an Amp/Pre-amp. That the DAC, remote, and stepped attenuator were all upgrade options. I already have a decent DAC (Bifrost 2) so I should be fine but I should probably understand their lineup better before I start negotiating.
Also Thx for the head’s up on payment options that is a bit jenky. The seller has 2 feedback through Audio Mart but a bunch more through Audiogon but it still might be an issue.