On Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:31:42 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Arny Krueger wrote:
"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
I need to knock up some stereo (domestic) line level
amps with a gain of 0-10dB.
Using a +/-15 volt supply. Anything better than the ol'
NE 5543 for this these days?

**The 5534/5532 were fabulous OP amps back in '82. MUCH
better than the OP that preceded them. It takes a
seriously decent product to be any better and, at that,
there's only marginal audio differences in the newer
ones. Personally, I like the AD825. Technically, it is
nicer than the 5532 and slightly nicer sound-wise.

Here we see Trevor perpetuating the myth that you can taste test the
"flavor" of different very good op amps in a general sort of way.

It turns out that in the application being discussed, namely a unity
gain buffer with output of 2 volts into a 10k load, even a 741 would
probably sound good.

There are some impressive new op amps that have recently come onto the
marketplace, but they are mostly a study in impressive numbers, and of
use for instrumentation.


I actually want a variable gain of between 0 - 10 dB. So need an output of
rather more than 2 volts into 10k - plus headroom.
I know the 5534 will be fine for this - but given the age just wondered
if there was something better, as it were.

Not entirely. You are OK with the 5532, but the 5534 is only stable
from a gain of 3 upwards. So if you go for the 5534, stick a couple of
resistors in front of it to drop the signal by say 12dB (to a quarter
of the original) and set the minimum gain to 4.

d