Swapable op amps in Azentech X-Meridian 7.1 2G sound card!
Fongolio
Posts: 3,516
I recently purchased an Azentech X-Meridian 7.1 2G sound card and one of the biggest reasons I purchased an Azentech is the ability to swap op amps in almost every model they have. I bought the X-Meridian 7.1 2G because of it's reasonable price (about $120) and great reviews.
Well, what was a very good soundcard out of the box now sounds amazing with an op amp swap. I changed the factory JRC 5532DD's with Burr Brown 627's and the difference is huge!! Much more clarity and bottom end ooompphh, with a "you are there" feel to them. I am using Logitech Z5500 5.1 speakers and it sounds better than it ever has.
This card and the op amp swap totally blow away my old Soundblaster X-Fi extreme music card and it plays with Windows 7 64 bit much better than the Soundblaster card. The best part is two of the op amps I used were won in a karma Ben ran at the beginning of December. I totally recommend this card for a serious upgrade from a motherboard's built in sound and the fact that you can swap op amps makes it a tweakers dream.
Well, what was a very good soundcard out of the box now sounds amazing with an op amp swap. I changed the factory JRC 5532DD's with Burr Brown 627's and the difference is huge!! Much more clarity and bottom end ooompphh, with a "you are there" feel to them. I am using Logitech Z5500 5.1 speakers and it sounds better than it ever has.
This card and the op amp swap totally blow away my old Soundblaster X-Fi extreme music card and it plays with Windows 7 64 bit much better than the Soundblaster card. The best part is two of the op amps I used were won in a karma Ben ran at the beginning of December. I totally recommend this card for a serious upgrade from a motherboard's built in sound and the fact that you can swap op amps makes it a tweakers dream.
SDA-1C (full mods)
Carver TFM-55
NAD 1130 Pre-amp
Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
The Clamp
Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
Ben's IC's
Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM
Carver TFM-55
NAD 1130 Pre-amp
Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
The Clamp
Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
Ben's IC's
Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM