Part 1 Aune X8 majic dac +Sparkos SS3602 High performace dual discrete op -amp - op-amp rolling !

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

I am not happy with this overreview but my videos are one takes only and I always said i wouldn't delete any videos but the Sparkos deserved a better review

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thanks Tee Jay and I really enjoyed this video.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Thank you Thomas , for reccomending me to Try a Higher performace op-amp one day , So glad I did , I was really tired making this video after work 😥 but the Sparkos SS3602 really WOWED me and brought out much better overall performace 😃 Still can't wrap my head around how !! Lol

[@johnsweda2999]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 can you describe the sound it gives you better! what about soundstage detail airiness all the fancy words lol, you say bass fills tighter goes a bit lower? How does the top end feel mid-range artefacts digital artefacts how do they feel? Good video

[@tonywalker6013]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 I will be ordering the Spsrkos SS3602

[@scottbennett3119]

I was very interested in this combo after seeing your very detailed review. My Aune was delivered two days ago and the Sparkos about a week ago. Like you I listened to JRC op amp first, and I liked the JRC a lot, and then I put in the Sparkos op amp. Wow! So much more of the real body and detail of the music is coming out of my speakers now. You are absolutely right! This is fantastic! Thank you for telling everybody about this combination!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

This makes my day ! Congrats on the Aune X8

[@BetterISupposeYeah]

Great, Great video. Love the detailed and comprehensive manner in which your videos are presented. Great Job.

[@marystravelblogmaryhoward7922]

My husband hopes that Santa is bringing him all of this stereo equipment.

[@chuckhuff6841]

Thanks for the suggestion I ordered one of these through your link for my X8. I enjoy the dac and swapping. I really like the Burson 5v it also sticks out.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Awesome dac i tried to get the v5i from burson but they where backed up 2 months during Cov19 outbreak so understandable Burson is an awesome company for sure !

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Yes v5i works with x8 check and make sure all 8 legs lined up correctly ! That static noise is when opamp isnt seated correctly get it out !! Could damage x8

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@Danieldkslsllaallapzlzlsl and you don't have this problem with other opamps ? I will say the Sparkos SS3602 is my favorite opamp with x8 ! That op-amp Is the 🔥 !!! But you wont be able to cover back on . I actually put some feet under x8 to raise it up a little bit and helps with Vibrations/cooling more air flow

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@Danieldkslsllaallapzlzlsl will do !! And thank you ! Everyone has been been so supportive !! But if you get a chance hit up Sparkos the SS3602 should shock you very airy highs !

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@Danieldkslsllaallapzlzlsl let me know what you think about the Sparkos !

[@JE-tn5tc]

Another op amp to try are Dual Sparkos SS2590 Pro. I personally haven't heard them but I've heard great things about them. I'm planning on using two pairs of those in my Burson Soloist headphone amp in the near future.

[@rcookies5584]

Got the SS2590 pro on sale and can say listening between my two headphone amps (Asgard & JDS Atom) made them sound much more different compared to the stock opamps. Asgard was smoother but now more so, JDS more mid range forward vocals and upper bass thump. Also comparing the JDS Atom dac 2 to the Aune x8 with Sparkos the sound stage is wider and instruments seem more separated than with stock opamps or the Atom2 dac.

[@reptidan]

Tee-Jay my man, I promised I’d get back to you as soon as I got my sparkos in. The results are impressive! Drums are more defined. Highs are smoother, details are clearer and sounds are better isolated. Vocals are a little more engaging. Bass is a little punchier. Overal a major improvement. Even to my unexperienced ears. Next to the Aune I have a vista spark II and focal 807v speakers. Still using my laptop as a streamer. Speakers are in a near field setting.

[@reptidan]

Ow and the music is faster, therefore more detailed if that makes any sense. More room inbetween sounds

[@scottypalmer2158]

Thanx for the review. I was interested in modifying a cheap usb pre amp with a quality op amp. I wasn't sure if it was worth it until I saw your review. 👍

[@shaunjp2211]

I changed the opamp over and improvement was amazing. I would try upgrading further to maybe to the sparko

[@Scrufboy]

I have an update... I finally purchased the Aune X8 XVIII DAC. It got stolen by the actual Amazon driver... Amazon graciously replaced it. So... I of course put the Sparkos SS3602 op-amp in. This time though the A07 has been replaced with the A07 Pro with 5 SparkosLabs SS3602's. Just amazing sounding! But then I replaced the SS3602 in the Aune with a Burson V6 Vivid. Things became more punchy and dynamic but I lost a little of the 3D holography. - still, a tiny bit better than the SS3602 though. ...But End Game! - I purchased the SparkosLabs SS2590 dual pro... Bought larger rubber feet and a little plastic project box. The Aune X8 XVIII DAC with the Sparkos SS2590 dual pro is truly the best upgrade for this DAC.! The project box protects the SS2590 dual pro and acts like the back right leg. The rubber feet look. good and this op-amp is the best you can buy. I am also powering the DAC via the XP2 with 2 inline supercapacitor banks using custom Teflon Silver plated star quad cables with Oyaide connectors. The soundfloor is an epic, deep abyss Turn your entry level DAC into something MORE!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Dam that sucks !! Amazon is a awesome company ! Been there before '

[@jayem1826]

Well this video is from 3 yrs ago. The Aune X8 18th anniversary has just become available in my area. I’m interested because of the ability to try different op-amps. What I want from a DAC: holographic sound and perfect instrument placement. You prefer the Sparkos 25 over the 36 huh.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

You can only use the Sparkos ss3602 ' or Burson V7 which just came out and is very very good !

[@Scrufboy]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 SS2590 was better... But I needed to add taller feet. Special cover foot for big opamp. Worked well... Sold it. Using a Cyan II DAC.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@Scrufboy one thing I have learned owning dacs since 1989 is theirs no best dac only the right dac For your hifi reg to your taste ' I go back n forth between my modified Burson Composer and Ares2 ' if system is to bright I use Ares if system is more smooth I use Burson

[@thetopstig2010]

Thanks for a nice video!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Thank you for the comment 😃

[@johncallaghan3097]

Bit late to this thread, Tee-Jay, but I promised you recently over at the British Audiophile that I'd let you know how I got on with the Aune XP2 9V linear power supply (£109 or $134.50) for my Aune X8 xviii with the Sparkos op-amp upgrade. It's hard to describe what the XP2 does. I'd say it makes the sound output from the DAC more reliable. You know how it goes -- some days, things don't sound as good as others and one never really knows why, but one possibility is the variability of the mains supply to my house. With the Aune XP2 linear power supply, the DAC sounds as good every time I switch on and settle down for a listen. It may be psychological or have a psychological component, but I don't think I'm imagining it. For one thing, it's not what I expected it to do. I was expecting noticeable improvements in sound quality, but that's not really the case: it's more that with the XP2, the DAC _always_ sounds as good as it would only occasionally sound before I got it. If you ever get the XP2, I'd be highly interested to hear what you think.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Hey that's great Check out my Guy Gabster he just had a video on 'noise' from cables/power supply even dimmer switches on his room -

[@razzman2987]

If you change the dc power cord for an upgrade u will be surprised...

[@califmike2003]

Just got this dac and it has one major flaw you cant even see the lights on the front and know if your on usb, optical, you can only see the lights if your at eye level.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Solid dac for price point ' I used sparks ss3602 op amp ' really cleans the sound up more detailed

[@1moderntalking1]

Fantastic!

[@Scrufboy]

I use 2 of these SparkosLabs Op-amps in my Aiyima A07... Sadly, I just bought the SMSL. DO100 DAC. Two days later... I saw this DAC and I cried... I would have loved to have bought this DAC so my headphones could take advantage of it... But even moreso... Imagine what my sound would be like with the SparkosLabs in both the DAC and Amp!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Yeah i use 4x sparkos in my burson dac Composer video uploaded 😃

[@tonywalker6013]

Hello, I have the Aune X8 18th Anniversary DAC on order, and will be ordering the Sparkos SS3602 to upgrade. However, the next upgrade getting away from the switching power supply, would be a 9V battery brick. That would act as isolation from ac generated noise. I'm in the research phase..should conclude.in a few days

[@roberthesse5990]

Thanks. After Thomas’s review I was interested in this DAC; after yours I pulled the string. Next I looked at op amps. The specs on the Sparkos looked amazing, now I must get one. A question: which reconstruction filters do you prefer? Even better might be a tutorial on how the 7 filters on the Aune behave. I believe that Aune makes a linear power supply; check HiFi Go.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Yes the 7 filters. Wont tell ya what they do But with reveling speakers I noticed that some filters reduced and add just a lil in the whole freq band ,

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Well do hifigo has been really awesome to deal with !! But the stock power supply is decent ! Just like to get the best out of the dac , Congrats on the purchase !

[@CyberDjo_1504]

​@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 I did some test through a Focal Clear. So far, i'd say the op.amp has more critical role on the presentation overall. The filters have their role too but it's subtle, and will depend if you're sensible enough to perceive the difference. I don't have the necessary knowledge to really explain, however it seems on par with a video filter. Some of these recon filter will have a minimal pre-ringing, and in my experience the sharpness/punchiness of the track can be affected. For some people it will feel like the high are recessed. The cleanest filter would be A: Linear-phase fast roll-off filter. The most rolled of would be D: Minimum phase slow roll-off filter which is kinda similar to the one in the Aune X1S. The C filter Minimum-phase fast roll-off filter is optimized for imaging and soundstage according to ESS: www.esstech.com/index.php/en/products/sabre-digital-analog-converters/audiophile-dacs/pre-tuned-reconstruction-filters/ That said, i think i will upgrade the OpAmp as you have. I'm still deciding between Burson V6 Vivid or the SparkOS. The Muse 02 could be nice too... As for the power supply, i haven't done anything yet but there's the XP2 or XP3 to take in consideration. Is it absolutely a need in order to play music with the SparkOS?

[@scottbennett3119]

Great review! I was wondering how the Sparkos compares with the Burson combo op amp pair you tested? Which ones do you like best? Looking forward to seeing the Sansui review! Thanks!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Hey Scott Op-Amp Rolling is a lot of fun Actually It depends on your setup and the sound your wanting to get from the op-amp its like fine tuning theirs really not one better but the right one for your system but overall IMHO Sparkos all day long 😆

[@scottbennett3119]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 Awesome, that is the one I ordered. I also ordered the AUNE X8 from HiFi Go, after watching your review yesterday.

[@jedi-mic]

You should try it in your sansui amp you heard refurbished, and the Sparkos discrete voltage regulator are very good. Great in CD players DACs and amplifiers. Try that opamp you got in a phone stage will work marvelously if you're looking for a phone stage I can recommend somebody that is ridiculously low priced but fantastic! Nice video man. How are you getting on with it now you still got the dac? or have you upgraded and using the op amps in something else?

[@mariorainy]

is there is sound difference between X8 and newer X8 XVIII version with balance out ? thanks

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

'Things a messed up saying '! PART 2 -- I WILL GO OVER THE OVERALL SOUND PERFORMACE , I WANNA ORDER A GOOD POWER SUPPLY FIRST THEN WRAP IT ALL UP AT ONCE 😃 When I said the Aune X8 + The Sparkos punches above budget price point I meant to say the combo punches above budget sounding dacs 😆 much cleaner sound !!!

[@haraldgmeiner4507]

Is there a part 2?? I could not find it...

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@haraldgmeiner4507 still waiting on me power supply to arrive 😥

[@haraldgmeiner4507]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 Thank you! I also just ordered the XP2:-)

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@haraldgmeiner4507 heck yeah 👹 amp !

[@GuavaJuiceBane]

How does the Sparkos compare to the Burr Brown as far as sound signature? And would you happen to know if they'd both work on the Xduoo XD-05 Plus?

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Imho the sparkos is on a different level but its going to come down to what sounds best in your system and to your taste . I have had many pep tell me they love the sparkos and I only had one person like the JRC5532 better . And as far as the xduoo xd-05 plus I have no idea but xduoo should have a lost of interchangable op amps hope this helped

[@GuavaJuiceBane]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 awesome. Thanks for the reply. Going to do more research and ask around others who also have switched out the op amp in their Xduoo XD-05 Plus. There also a great amount of people who also said the Sparkos are gems.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@GuavaJuiceBane love mine i have 4 of them in my burson composer dac pics on my community page 😆 But yeah formus are great !! But let people know what kind of sound you like to get with op amp doesn't matter what they like . The number 1 componete in your system is you !

[@GuavaJuiceBane]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 absolutely. Couldn't agree more with your trusting you own ears with the source of transducers, however, I don't have the luxury of testing out different op amps. Music genres I'm into is old school rock, metal, alternative, country, hip-hop, rap, reggae, some jazz, some classic, some acoustic instrumentals and some edm.

[@dho11]

Can your op amps be used in Geshelli J2DAC?

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@dho11 sparkos yes ! And burson v7i ' almost done with J2 dac review vs Denefrips Ares 2 '

[@bardicdad]

Sound comparisons before and after, perchance?

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

My mics suck i actually sent many sparko op amps to me subscribers for their on x8 all of them love it !

[@rbsorg]

I get the op amp is good and makes a positive difference. Is it worthwhile to put $90 in a 300 dac or just to buy a $400 plus range dac? Another way should I put new rims on a 2000 Nissan sentra?

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Your missing out on the fun part and thats being able to change the over all sound chacter and performace by op-amp rolling , A $400.00 dac with no FPGA or op-amp interchangeable you can't change the overall sound or performace as easily

[@Temmple]

How far out do the Sparkos stick out from the bottom? About to order some isolation feet and thinking 1/2 inch or maybe 3/4 inch will do? I will be removing the stock feet and putting in either 1/2 or 3/4 inch.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

I used half inch feet thought i showed in the video i might not have i will say the Sparkos is outstanding ! I tried many Burson op amps and sparkos is so rich sounding love it ! If you live in the U.S. i have extra 4 small feet that work perfect ? Shouldn't cost much to ship

[@Temmple]

Can you measure how for the sparkos stick out from the base of the Aune? Trying to order some feet today before my X8 arrives :))

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@Temmple maybe 1/4th of an inch Did you get the New '18' edtion Aune?

[@Temmple]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 Yup and the Sparkos with linear power supply from LHS. All in around $500 and should keep up with DACs in the $1000 range.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@Temmple let me know how it performs trying to get hifigo to send me Aune '18' but no reply 😥

[@andreyMishov]

UFEEL - good.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

I was so tired !!

[@alessandrodalto71]

Hello, have you ever tried the Burson V4? Thanks

[@NosTubes58]

Tee-Jay......., be certain to research the Douk Audio Hifi SA-200 Dual Discrete Op-amp as well, it offers a slightly different flavor.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Will due thanks for the heads up !

[@Temmple]

Also check out the LHS power supply. Found one for around $100 and it should be here soon.

[@nc3419]

Where did you get it?

[@jimashby43]

Did it increase the size of the soundstage?

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Yes ! I was so tired before video I didn't want to overhype the op-amp but i am very impressed with it !

[@ronniefranks4351]

It’s really a shame Aune didn’t design this with the opamp access on the rear of the unit. It’s a missed opportunity that would have made the product more refined.

[@tonywalker6013]

Hopefully for the future

[@TTVEaGMXde]

Original dual Op Amp: OPA2134PA, FET, +/-2.5-18V, 8nV/xHz, 20V/µS, 8 MHz GBWP, CMRR 100 dB, OLG 120 dB, €5.30. I would still prefer the LM4562 NA €2.30

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

One thing I learned with so many systems ' combos ' it s that their no best opamp only the right opamp for you ! 😃

[@pascaljean2333]

The aune xp2 is a praised powersupply

[@konna200]

Yeah one by one this is competing even 500€ dacs if dare just to add better power supply and op-amps :D

[@pascaljean2333]

@@konna200 im selling a x8 in europe if interested.

[@konna200]

@@pascaljean2333 Sorry but i have it allready.

[@pascaljean2333]

@@konna200 cool. I also have a burson vivid v6 if you have interest.

[@konna200]

@@pascaljean2333 Same taste my man, i have Burson Audio V5i D, V6 Vivid D and Sparkos SS3602 D but i dont have have a V6 Classic D or Staccato OSH-DHb

[@colorist_tommy4247]

I am looking for something that I can plug in Hard disk and play music WITHOUT a computer. This looks like it still need a computer, am I right?

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

A hard disk or cd player ?

[@colorist_tommy4247]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 / My files are on Hard Disk. I hope that answer your question. thanks

[@xx9853]

I tried this Sparkos in my X8, very detailed, good soundstage but bright and cold sounding. I sent back the opamp for refund before I could make measurments, but my guess is I would have found more overshoot than other opamps on square wave signal, in my opinion the Sparkos sound is typical of that (overly sharp transients). I also tried Burson classic V6, V5i, Muses (JFET) and 2xBB OPA627. Despite the price, V5i is the best in measured performance (with OPA627) and for me in sound quality. The worse is the V6, more distortion, does not sound transparent or natural. Just my opinion.

[@Temmple]

So your favorite was the V5i or the OPA627? Your statement confused me a bit.

[@xx9853]

​@@Temmple For the sound I prefered the V5i but not by much. The OPA627 measurements (distortion vs frequency / distortion vs output level) were the best, V5i second. Both really sounded good. The V6 Classic had a sound of its own, some may like it a lot. It measured by far the worst though.

[@Temmple]

@@xx9853 I wonder how the V5 would compare to the V5i.

[@SpikeoutBattleStreet]

I bet aune had never seen such an oversized op-amp that's why

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Part 2 i will talk about the sound more indepth 😃

[@SpikeoutBattleStreet]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 Can't wait!

[@Distorted-Vision]

I'm looking for an opamp for my X8 which will fit inside the case and means I don't have to make modifications like Tee Jay has done. I was wondering how the Burson V5i or Muses02 compare to the Sparkos SS3602.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Burson is sendong me the v5i should have it soon

[@NosTubes58]

Also........, for isolation footers, you’d have been better served looking into Herbies’s Audio Labs “ Baby Booties “ or “ Big Fat Dots “.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Heck yeah i will ! Thanks for the help !!

[@johnsweda2999]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 nothing wrong with those feet you put on. if you want the ultimate feat just used squash balls filled with tungsten powder, grate for speakers and turntables alike with turntables fill two-thirds with powder and a piece of cotton wool bud. Make yourself a little cover to go over the op-amp, fixed where the original cover was fixed. get a old baked bean tin cut it to size stamp it out a bit bigger than the circuit board and deeper make sure it doesn't touch the circuit bored drill holes to screw it in glue a elastic band as a gasket on the metal edge. Find something Square slightly bigger than the circuit board place the metal on some Blu-Tack about an inch tick whack it with a hammer trim off the sides to fit with tin snips. Easy straightforward mate

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@johnsweda2999 hey John their will be a part 2 !! Of the Aune X8 plus sparkos plus power supply then your right i will give an honest Opion of the overall sound chacter 😃 Appricate you buddy

[@johnsweda2999]

@@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 sounds interesting when will this happened? You saw the main comment about the smps! power supply then.

[@johnsweda2999]

Is anybody making any discrete swap ins you can do the same with valves. Try and get a discrete circuit swap in, should be about the same size as the original not much bigger if at all maybe smaller. I should wait till I see the picture before I comment would have been nice if he use tantalum resistors and capacitors or polystyrene capacitors. Would have been better if he encased in a metal tin with wax needs a metal tin. Where they made I think the price is fair including packaging? Why what's wrong with smps, it is a better way to go good quality switching power supplies much better 120 kilohertz looking for medical-grade probably good place to look or army surplus. don't be taking in by linear power supplies, On the power supply you've got at the moment put a ferrite bead on the end connected to the back of the DAC and a 1uF ceramic across the terminal +,- that will clean up the signal

[@bigjay1970]

Great info! Who are the 2 smucks 💩 who thumbed down this content?🥴🤡😡

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Get'em big Jay !! Most likely someone who doesn't know the subscriber base on (your alls channel 😃 since day 1 )