Hi just recapped my V1 also put alps 10k pot in
I have a couple of opa2132pa op amps spare
from a cmoy amp i was building
Would they be better then the op amp already
in the V1
Best Wishes Martin
The opamp already in the V1 is the NE5532, a very good (and widely used) audio chip but, in my experience, the OPA2132 PA / P sounds better in the V1. Slightly more neutral in presentation than the NE5532 but with an added touch of warmth (if that makes sense) overall "tighter" and more coherent. It's not a night and day improvement / difference but, if you've got the chips to hand, well worth rolling them in.
I would strongly recommend that you solder in a dil8 socket (in place of the NE5532) first. With a socket in place it's easy to slot different opamps in and out without having to desolder the opamp each time (with the likeliehood of lifting pads) With a dil8 socket in place you simply "slot" the opamp in and this makes it a lot easier to compare different flavours of opamps.
The kind of thing you're looking for is the 8 pin version of this
www.rapidonline.com part number: 22-1720
When you're desoldering the NE5532 you have to be careful not to lift the pads. My technique (there are many) if you want to salvage the NE5532 is to use a desoldering pump on each of the pads (whilst applying heat) and then gently ease the opamps upwards from the PCB. You may need to use a suitable "lever" to get under the opamp and pull it upwards whilst applying just enough heat to melt the joint and allow the pins of the opamp to slip upward through the board.
Hold on, that didn't make sense to
me and I perform this operation all the time! Let's start again.......
MF do not, generally, "bend" the legs of the opamps over the pads so, once heat is applied to the pads, the opamp will lift out quite easily. Remember, though, that there are "8" legs so the easiest way is to "swipe" a hot iron over 4 of them whilst, at the same time, pulling the chip upward from the other side of the board... repeat on the other 4 legs and that's her out. Mop up excess solder with soldamop.
Hold on, that didn't sound too easy
either (it's SIMPLE when you get the hang of it but if you
don't get the hang of it first time it's likely you'll end up lifting pads / track and you "don't" want to do that)
Easiest way? destroy the NE5532 by snipping off the legs at the top of the chip. Remove the chip. You are now left with 8 legs. Now you can deal with "one" leg at a time.
Two ways of doing this. Either long nose pliers grasping one of the legs at topside of the board whilst you apply heat to the associated pad and "pull" the leg out upward. Or, second way, snip the legs flush to the PCB, heat the pad and suck the solder / leg away with desoldering tool. There's a third, fourth, fifth and sixth way of doing it but I don't have all night to "try" and explain them
Once you've got that NE5532 removed then it's in with the DIL8 socket and everything's a piece of cake from there on in, you never have to go in with a soldering iron ever again
You probably know all this already but, just in case, I thought it best to mention it as this is quite a "delicate" operation that requires a good working knowledge of desoldering procedures.
OPA2132 will be fine as a Plug and play alternative to the NE5532 as will OPA 2134.
All the best.
Mike.
