NE5532 Low-Noise Audio Preamp

The op-amp that ships in studio mixing consoles, configured as a 10× microphone preamp on a breadboard.

Difficulty: Breadboard. Estimated build time: about 35 minutes. Estimated parts cost: about US$4.20. 7-part bill of materials with live supplier pricing. A non-inverting audio preamplifier with a gain of 10 (20 dB), built around the NE5532 — the dual op-amp that has been the workhorse of professional audio for forty years.