op amp upgrade suggestions for 5532 and 5534

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pucho812

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o.k I know these are used often and maybe I am beating a dead horse but I have to ask what are good op amp replacements that would work better then your typical 5532 and 5534. I know it's subjective but looking at some suggestions to try out. Anything in the BB camp that people can recomend?
 
[quote author="pstamler"]It's really gonna depend on the circuit.

Peace,
Paul[/quote]

I have to agree... I went down this road before & it took me right back to a 5532.

I tried OP275, 2134, LT (something), 2604 you name it...

I ended up getting caught up picking between "Brands of" 5532's.


Kevin
 
I would tend to agree. If its not sounding good with 5532s then you probably need to change the circuit not the opamps.

Try an OPA2604 if you want more speed/top end. But you cant always just substitute, it can cause problems like oscilation etc.


M@
 
I ended up getting caught up picking between "Brands of" 5532's.


Kevin

Been there done that !! I ended up with the best being the rare ceramic pack Signetics. The original T.I.s sound real nice to , especially the 5534.
In the 80's I tried replacing a set of Signetics with the "New" Mfg. EXAR in the output of a crossover. Was I amazed that the supposidly same spec IC could make such a difference in low frequency range and tone. The EXAR chip had NO low end ! Well maybe 6db or better down from the Signetics device.
Of the current production chips (5532/34 series) I have no idea who makes what anymore and really still have enough NOS for my needs.
Oh, there was a real bad run of early Signetics that I had to replace all
most every one of that date code in various different pieces of gear over several years.

I also would like to know if the venerable 5532/34 has been sonically replaced. There was a thread awhile back on one of these related forums about this subject. Anybody got a link? I think the general consensus
was that this OpAmp is still sonically the best overall.

Bill
 
[quote author="DOX-EMF"] Oh, there was a real bad run of early Signetics that I had to replace all
most every one of that date code in various different pieces of gear over several years.

Bill[/quote]
May I ask which date code that was ?

Thanks,

Peter
 
I have both early signetics and early phillips and they both sound great and almost identical.

I like the opa2134 for dual and ad825 for single.
 
two main things first, pinout and power. make sure the input and outputs are on the same pins, then make sure that it can handle the voltage rails. Many opamps will fit the same pinout but can only handle rails of +-15. fine for some places but feed them +-18 and poof.

I'd say go with the opa2134 for dual and opa134 for single. they are fairly cheap and readily available from digikey.

Do two channels with these and A/B with unmodded channels. I have found this to be much more revealing than anything else.
 
opa2134 for dual and opa134 for single.
so without looking on hand

opa134 would go in place of 5532
the opa 2134 would go in place of the 5534
I am not completely in the know of duel for single do you mewan 2 op amps in circuit vs 1?
 
I am not completely in the know of duel for single do you mewan 2 op amps in circuit vs 1?

2 amps on one chip. So for example the 5532 is a DUAL amp meaning that it is actually 2 opamps in a single package, 2 independent circuits, that share the same voltage rails. You could say use one side for an EQ and the other for a mic pre, if that makes sense.

The 5534 is a single amp meaning, it is a SINGLE amp in the package, and for obvious reasons the pin out configuration will differ from the 5532.

opa134 would go in place of 5532
the opa 2134 would go in place of the 5534

You may want to try OPA2604 in place of 5532 or OPA604 in place of 5534.

I hope that helps.

Just remember that while the amps may be pin compatible you need to consider the circuit as a whole and ESP the current draw, I'm not comparing datasheets now, but off the top of my head I think the OPA2604 draws around 3-4 times the current of NE5532.

Cheers

Matt
 
[quote author="NewYorkDave"]With apologies to ANdyP...


If you can't make it rock with a 5532, you'd better examine the MUSIC![/quote]

I wish someone shoved that statment down my throat before I went thru months of critical listening & swaping IC's in my console (that is NOT easy to work on)

The only thing I can say is now I know & can hear how KILLER 5532's are.

ALL the onther IC's I tested were more sterile & life-less. They have to give up something to get those specs.

5532's just sound more "ALIVE" to me.

I think everyone should swap a few channels (or whatever) & see/hear for themselves.

The TI's (AP vers) would be my choice for a cleaner sounding NE5532 & the Signetics (AN) for nice mids & Hi's, JRC for dynamic/phat punchy Lows - slightly scooped & a little color on the hi's.

Hope this helps

Kevin
 
Now that we?ve settled on the 5532/4, when should we force it to have a class A output and, (or is there ever a time) when it?s best not to? (BTW, anyone done this to the 5532?s in the Green Pre?) Then, if a forced class A is used, is the 5532/4 still the best? I?m not really expecting answers here, just posing questions for thought.

Also now that I think about it, the stock MC33078 sounds a lot like the class A forced 5534.
 
You must check your circuit when swapping out 5534's, as it sometimes has a compensation cap connected between pins (5,8). This could pose problems, perhaps catastrophic, if connected to a different chip that uses these pins for other uses.
 
[/quote]
May I ask which date code that was ?

Thanks,

Peter[/quote]

Upon digging thru my parts cabinet I realized that the mfg of the bad chips was Raytheon. As far as I know these were only made for a short time by them. I used to service the Kelsey (DMI) live consoles
in the mid 80's that were full of the Raytheon brand. Still saw a few turn up over the years in other units and they were usually the problem.
Have really had no problem with the Signetics.
Sorry about that ! :sad:

Here is a little array of 5532 and 34 types from 1981>

http://photos.doxaudiolab.net/displayimage.php?pid=44&fullsize=1

Bill
 
[quote author="Svart"]two main things first, pinout and power. make sure the input and outputs are on the same pins, then make sure that it can handle the voltage rails. Many opamps will fit the same pinout but can only handle rails of +-15. fine for some places but feed them +-18 and poof.
[/quote]

Not only do the max supply parameters vary with types of Op Amps but if upgrading console channels to a 5532 or similiar close to class A device you must consider the total power supply current also.
A 5532 draws approx 10 times the current of a 4558 and most fet ops and is capable of 1 watt output.
That is a big difference in a 24 channel console with at least 10 or more ICs per channel. The 51XX series Neve have probably better than 20 per channel and the heat just rolls of the work surface.
Bill
 
Bill, you are SO right about desks filled with 553x chips. In the manual for the MCI JH-636 desk, there is a spec for a loaded desk of 12,000 BTU/hour! That means a one-ton AC unit is required just for the waste heat!!

Speaking of Neve 51xx desks...do you have manuals for one? How about any 4 pole Dialistat switches?

Bri
 
[quote author="DOX-EMF"]
May I ask which date code that was ?

Thanks,

Peter

Upon digging thru my parts cabinet I realized that the mfg of the bad chips was Raytheon. As far as I know these were only made for a short time by them. I used to service the Kelsey (DMI) live consoles
in the mid 80's that were full of the Raytheon brand. Still saw a few turn up over the years in other units and they were usually the problem.
Have really had no problem with the Signetics.
Sorry about that ! :sad: [/quote]

No problem, I rather hear now that it was another brand :thumb:

Still have an old NOS-rail of 'S' myself, wanted to check if it happened to be the same, but good to hear it couldn't have been.

Nice pic !

Regards,

Peter
 

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