"Rolling" Op Amps in Voyager

Hi,
 I am using a Voyager and iPod with great results. I have the Sennheiser IE8 IEM's.
As you may know these are a very warm sounding headphone. I have read of people taming this, with other amps, by changing the op amps.
Is this something that you would recommend with the Voyager?
Thanks


Edited by krismusic - 02 Feb 2010 at 10:26pm

The Voyager is configured in such a way that the op-amp used will function properly.

Other op-amps may not have an adequate common mode input voltage range and in such cases will either not work at all... or some will get damaged by a condition known as latch-up.

I always encourage people to learn about electronics where it is of interest to them, but frown upon people who don't know what they're doing but do so anyway. I also feel very frustrated to see the blind leading the blind.

I feel I must add that even using an op-amp who's common mode input range is wide enough for the type of bias used in the Voyager, there are other matters that should be observed.

One regards high frequency stability, or instability if you get it wrong. All op-amps (and discrete implementations) have a Gain Bandwidth Product, which at some frequency falls to unity gain.

Left uncompensated the amp would ring or oscillate and some people are known to like the sound that produces.

Often that is considered a success in "chip rolling", and often many follow.

Some then go on to found companies making unstable products, and with there being so many uneducated reviewers on the internet, such products are very well received.

It is often then noted that these things can run hot, and that is perceived as good hi-fi....

...then the electrolytic capacitors burn out early and the "nodders" will in no way disagree with themselves, but instead put up with the failing sound quality, and eventually find somebody like me to make things better.

And it goes round and round and upside down, and it doesn't do me any favours at all.

krismusic wrote: Hi, I have the Sennheiser IE8 IEM's. As you may know these are a very warm sounding headphone. I have read of people taming this, with other amps, by changing the op amps.

In my opinion a good amplifier should be transparent, i e neutral in it´s sound signature. Of course there is no absolute neutrality, but if the sound is to warm i would recommend changing the headphones instead. Changing the op-amps to get a less warm sound is for me like putting the wagon in front of the horse.