V5i Dual x2 Opamp

The combination of a Fosi V3 amp with Schitt Modi DAC produced very accurate lively sound with Polk XT-60 speakers. In a small, acoustically bright room, it could be fatiguing for casual listening. These Op-amps gave the system a more laid back, almost tube like sound without being muddy. Being able to “roll” Op-amps is fun and useful, and good on Fosi for providing chip sockets.

I wasn't expecting such a dramatic improvement to the sound processing of my xDuoo XD05 Plus. Adds more warmth without muddying up the mids and the highs. Sound definitely has more body and detail with these Op Amps. A Must buy when they become available.

Beautiful sound. I used them in my little bear head phone amp. They made a major difference and installed easily.

Paired this with a Topping A30 amp > Topping D50 DAC > HD660S / HD800S and there is an audible difference in clarity and sound stage.

Fantastic OPAMPS. Completely transformed my DAC transforming sound reproduction to that of a live performance rather than a recording

Major upgrade for my ASUS Essence STX ii pc sound card.

Hello all...To begin with, I've been an audiophile for a good 54 years now. When it comes to DIY scenarios such as changing out Op Amps, I am a novice and just recently became intrigued with doing things like this. As a matter of background information, it all began when I purchased the very inexpensive Douk Audio U3 Mini Class A Headphone Amplifier awhile back, which by itself costs less than $40. What piqued my interest with this little Head Amp were the reviews it garnered, along with the fact that you could change out Op Amps at will. So I invested in one and was very impressed, with the Douk Audio U3 punching far above its weight - giving many a competing headphone amplifier costing up to $150 a run for its money.Now enter the use of the Burson Audio V5i Hybrid Op Amp. As soon as I received the Douk Audio U3 Mini Head Amp, even though it sounded superb in my particular set up (initially attached to the Schiit Modi 3 DAC), I began experimenting with different Op Amps. In the process I purchased 7 different Op Amps and let's face it, "most" Op Amps run a dime a dozen price-wise. As time went on, I wasn't satisfied with all of those other Op Amps (some making the sound too bright and harsh, while others made the sound a bit bland and overly homogenized). Then I read an article about this particular Burson V5i Dual x2 Op Amp. "Whoaaaa," I first thought - 'cause this Burson costs as much as I paid for the Douk Headphone Amplifier itself - in fact, a few dollars more. I was almost ready to ignore purchasing this Burson Opamp, but the more I read, the more I realized that I should give it a try. And wow, am I glad that I did because the ole' adage, "you get what you pay for" really applies here.Now where to even begin regarding perceptions of sound qualities. Alright, so I removed Douk Audio's stock TI-NE5532 classical op amp (which sounded very nice in its own rite) and replaced/inserted with the Burson V5i unit. What occurred then had me doing a double loop. The resultant sound just opened up - by a large margin. You are literally (with good recordings of course) drawn into the performance - more so, surrounded by it. I became totally enveloped by the atmosphere and ambience of various performances. The sound staging opened up even more with an added amount of "air" around each instrument. More so, instruments come across as very smooth, and strings such as can be found in a large orchestra, had an added silky sheen to them. Imaging is also improved. The best way to describe this Burson V5i unit Opamp is that it substantially enhances the spatial presentation of a musical performance.Without exaggeration, inserting this Burson Opamp into my budget (yet highly competent) Douk Audio U3 Mini Head Amp, I began to hear audio qualities normally reserved for far more expensive units. I am stunned to be more exact.I then tried the Burson Op Amp with several other DAC units I had on hand (those with 8 pin removable double amp Op Amps) - and the results were the same - just a substantial improvement in the sound.So I highly recommend this Burson Audio V5i Hybrid Opamp to anyone who has experimented with changing out Op Amps. I am so glad that I did not pass this purchase by. It was well worth the money, and I can say - without exaggeration - that the audio performance I am now experiencing with the budget Douk Audio U3 Mini Head Amp, coupled with the insertion of the Burson Opamp has elevated everything. NOTE: Keep in mind that the Burson V5i Dual x2 Op Amp is a dual Op Amp design. If your audio device uses single Op Amp designs, and you happen to purchase this particular Burson, it will not function at all - this is key - so keep that in mind.Color me most satisfied and thus my 5-star rating.

Initial Impressions after spending several hours:Soundstage:Immediately noticed a difference in soundstage. With the Muses, which was better than any of the other op amps I tried, sound stage was a 60 degree, flat triangular plane, which was about the center 2/3rd of space between the speakers at ear height. After, this same song revealed it to be a bit wider than the speakers and also had height! I did not expect that at all. I would describe it as a more spherical pie slice, about 120 degrees wide and 30 degrees tall. It went from 2/3rd to the speakers to the back wall, and arced much wider. Color me impressed. On songs where I didn’t previously find a remarkable soundstage were totally opened up. For instance on Alan Parsons iRobot and the voice, this was very expansive, whereas before not so much. On many tracks where things were centered, I could now hear the vocalists walking on stage and shifting positions. Another thing was things that I previously felt were centered were often left or right of center with the new op amp.​Detail:Didn’t really pay attention to this but, On Let it Bleed YCAGWYW, the male and female choir members were something that blended a bit previously, but were much clearer. On Patricia Barber’s too rich for my blood, the sustain on the cymbals being longer or perhaps more clear were something that jumped out.​“Funness:”With regard to fun, I can’t really put my finger on it, but I can tell you this. When doing the pre-listening, I found myself waiting for the songs to be over so I could get to the next song or the passages where I wanted to take notes.After installing, I had to force myself to change songs, as I was engaged and wanted to listen to the whole song. The first few bars had me hooked, and I found myself inching up the volume!Did not expect this at all. Found myself tapping toes, nodding my head and dancing! Much more engaging, like my other sources. I now am enjoying the digital files to the same degree. Songs I wasn’t crazy about because I only had them in digital now were pulling me into the room. Walking away to type notes or grab the camera to take pictures, I found myself walking back in to enjoy the music.​Other observations:Seems to be less fatiguing and perhaps the edge has been smoothed off of things that I previously found objectionable or perhaps glaring. Can’t quite put my finger on it.Standouts with an increased mellowness are vocals, electric guitar first then piano, bass, high hats, cymbals.Didn’t pay attention to volume, as I was listening at my usual subdued levels, until the fun started.One weird thing happened after the switch. The Topping started off in 44Khz, even though the source was DSD 64. It was funny, because the volume and all other settings were remembered. A restart of the app on the iPad fixed this and didn't have the problem again. Not a big deal, but weird.​Overall:Wow, didn’t expect that! For my, perhaps very clinical and accurate system, this was the combination of coloration and whatever else I needed that put the soundstage, musicality and maybe texture back into the music that I needed. Would highly recommend for those that have highly resolving/accurate systems that need a bit of soul!​Other Info:Background info: To recap, I have felt that the D50s seems to take the life out of some of the songs and a shrunken soundstage and while the Muses8920 was a small but noticeable to me step in the right direction, the DAC doesn’t quite engage me as well as CD, Vinyl, Tape, etc. While I don’t expect it to have the separation and saturation of 15ips master tapes, I didn’t expect it to sound so lifeless vs. Vinyl and CD. I suspect my system as set up is very clinically accurate/revealing because of the room-eq/bi-amping of horns and needs some color and texture from source systems, which is likely from my cartridge/stylus choices and the CD players’ multibit DACs.Installation:A 5 minute job and I had no clearance issues.Tools needed: 2mm Hex wrenchSteps:Remove 4 screws from bottom and unscrew Bluetooth antenna.Remove bottom cover.Remove 2 domed screws.Disconnect ribbon cable by flipping up the black lever, then pulling out gently.Disconnect Bluetooth antenna by pulling off gently.The circuit board then lifts out and once flipped over gives access to the buffer op amp chip.Remove the existing op amp chip, paying careful attention to the dot/orientation.Place Burson op amp in place, with the correct orientation. (Dot closest to RCA jacks)Re-assembly is the reverse of disassembly.​This was such a quick job, I neglected to take a picture of the new op amp in place.​