NE5532 PCB Design Guide: Footprint, Pinout, and Alternatives
Dual low-noise bipolar op amp, the default for line-level audio on split supplies.
The NE5532 is TI's dual low-noise bipolar op amp, in production since November 1979 and still the default amplifier for line-level audio. The current datasheet (SLOS075K, Rev. K, December 2025) specifies 5 nV/√Hz equivalent input noise voltage at 1 kHz, 12 MHz typical unity-gain bandwidth, 5 V/µs typical slew rate, and full large-signal gain specs into 600 Ω loads (15 V/mV minimum), which is why it turns up by the dozen in mixers, preamps, and AV receivers. It is internally compensated for unity-gain operation, with input-protection diodes and output short-circuit protection built in.
It earns its keep in one specific situation: low-impedance sources, real split supplies of ±5 V to ±15 V, and loads down to 600 Ω. Outside that box it is the wrong part. The two channels burn 6 mA typical and up to 16 mA maximum of quiescent supply current, the bipolar inputs pull up to 800 nA of bias current, and nothing about it is rail-to-rail, so battery designs, 3.3 V or 5 V single-rail designs, and high-impedance sources like guitar pickups belong on a FET-input or low-voltage rail-to-rail part instead. The NE5532 grade is also commercial-temperature only, 0 to 70 °C; industrial ranges must order the SA5532.
Beyond part selection, the recurring board-level mistakes are specific: designing from pre-Rev-K spec numbers that TI quietly changed in December 2025, exceeding the roughly 0.6 V differential input clamp during power-up or comparator misuse, ignoring bias current when source impedances climb, underestimating package dissipation with both channels loaded, and skimping on supply bypassing and inverting-input layout on what is a 12 MHz-bandwidth device. Each is covered below.
What breaks boards
Rev. K (December 2025) rewrote the headline specs — reconcile your sources
TI's Rev. K respecified the part: unity-gain bandwidth went from 10 MHz to 12 MHz typ, slew rate from 9 V/µs to 5 V/µs typ, absolute-max supply from ±22 V to ±18 V, supply current from 8 mA to 6 mA typ, and the maximum peak-to-peak output-swing spec was deleted outright. The datasheet even disagrees with itself: the Section 6.3 prose still says 10 MHz and 9 V/µs, and the Section 7.2 caution still names ±22 V. Design to the Section 5.5/5.6 tables; any source quoting 9 V/µs or ±22 V is citing Rev. J.
The inputs clamp at about 0.6 V differential — this is not a comparator
Protection diodes sit between the two inputs. A differential voltage beyond approximately 0.6 V forces excessive current through them unless limiting resistance is present, and the absolute-max input current is ±10 mA. Anything that opens the feedback loop — comparator duty, an input step during power-up, a driven input while the supplies are down — pulls the inputs apart and stresses the diodes. Add series resistance wherever large differentials are possible, keep each input inside the ±15 V absolute-max input voltage, and use a real comparator like the LM393 for threshold jobs.
Bipolar inputs: 800 nA of bias current punishes high-impedance sources
The 5 nV/√Hz voltage-noise headline only pays off at low source impedance. The input stage is bipolar: input bias current is 200 nA typ and 800 nA max at 25 °C (1000 nA over temperature), input resistance is as low as 30 kΩ, and input current noise is 0.7 pA/√Hz at 1 kHz. Against a guitar pickup, a piezo, or a high-value pot, the bias current builds DC offset and the current noise dominates the noise floor. Match the DC resistance seen by both inputs, keep feedback networks low-impedance, or move to a FET-input part (TL072, OPA2134).
Two loaded channels in one small package: do the dissipation math
Quiescent supply current alone is 6 mA typ and 16 mA max for the pair, before any load current, and the part is specified driving loads down to 600 Ω on up to ±15 V rails. The SOIC-8 has an RθJA of 97 °C/W with an absolute-max junction temperature of 150 °C. The output survives a short circuit indefinitely (38 mA typ short-circuit current) only if temperature and supply voltage keep dissipation inside the rating. Remember the NE5532 grade itself is only rated 0 to 70 °C free-air; hot enclosures or industrial ranges need the SA5532.
Bypass both rails at the pins and keep the feedback network tight
This is a 12 MHz-bandwidth amplifier, and TI's layout guidance treats it that way: place low-ESR 0.1 µF ceramics from each supply pin (VCC+ pin 8, VCC− pin 4) to ground, close to the device — the negative rail needs its own bypass, and skipping it is a classic source of unexplained HF hash. Keep RF and RG right at the inverting input to minimize parasitic capacitance on the most sensitive node, run input traces short and away from supply and output traces (cross noisy traces perpendicular if you must), and separate analog and digital grounds.
Key specifications
| Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Supply / operating range | VCC+ 5 V min to 15 V max, VCC- -5 V min to -15 V max; operating free-air temperature 0 to 70 C (NE5532, NE5532A; SA5532/SA5532A grade covers -40 to +85 C); absolute maximum supply VCC+ +18 V, VCC- -18 V | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.3 Recommended Operating Conditions + Section 5.1 Absolute Maximum Ratings |
| Input noise voltage | 5 nV/sqrt(Hz) typ at f = 1 kHz; 8 nV/sqrt(Hz) typ at f = 30 Hz (VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C) | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.6 Operating Characteristics, Vn rows |
| Unity-gain bandwidth | 12 MHz typ (VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C); changed from 10 MHz in Rev K | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, B1 row + Section 9 Revision History |
| Slew rate | 5 V/us typ at unity gain (VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C); changed from 9 V/us in Rev K | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.6 Operating Characteristics, SR row + Section 9 Revision History |
| Voltage gain into 600 Ohm | AVD 15 V/mV min / 50 V/mV typ (RL >= 600 Ohm, VO = +/-10 V, TA = 25 C); 10 V/mV min over full temperature range; 25 V/mV min / 100 V/mV typ at RL >= 2 kOhm | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, AVD rows |
| Input offset voltage | 0.5 mV typ / 4 mV max (VO = 0, TA = 25 C); 5 mV max over full temperature range | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, VIO rows |
| Total supply current | 6 mA typ / 16 mA max (VO = 0, no load; VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C); typ changed from 8 mA in Rev K | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, ICC row + Section 9 Revision History |
| Input bias current | 200 nA typ / 800 nA max (TA = 25 C); 1000 nA max over full temperature range | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, IIB rows |
| Input resistance | 30 kOhm min / 300 kOhm typ (VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C) | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, ri row |
| Input noise current | 0.7 pA/sqrt(Hz) typ at f = 1 kHz; 2.7 pA/sqrt(Hz) typ at f = 30 Hz (VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C) | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.6 Operating Characteristics, In rows |
| Common-mode input range | +/-12 V min / +/-13 V typ (VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C) | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, VICR row |
| Input absolute maximums | Input voltage, either input: -15 V min, +15 V max; input current: -10 mA min, +10 mA max; excessive input current flows if a differential input voltage in exceeding approximately 0.6 V is applied between the inputs, unless some limiting resistance is used | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.1 Absolute Maximum Ratings, input voltage and input current rows + footnote 4 |
| Output short-circuit current | 38 mA typ (VCC+/- = +/-15 V, TA = 25 C); duration of output short circuit unlimited, with temperature and/or supply voltages limited so the maximum dissipation rating is not exceeded | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.5 Electrical Characteristics, IOS row + Section 5.1 Absolute Maximum Ratings footnote 5 |
| Thermal resistance / TJ limit | RthetaJA 97 C/W (D, SOIC-8), 85 C/W (P, PDIP-8), 95 C/W (PS, SO-8); operating virtual-junction temperature +150 C absolute maximum | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 5.4 Thermal Information + Section 5.1 Absolute Maximum Ratings, TJ row |
| Supply pins and bypassing | VCC+ pin 8, VCC- pin 4; place 0.1 uF bypass capacitors close to the power-supply pins (low-ESR ceramic, between each supply pin and ground) | SLOS075K Rev K, Section 4 Pin Functions + Section 7.2 Power Supply Recommendations and Section 7.3.1 Layout Guidelines |
Verified against the manufacturer datasheet on 2026-07-10. Confirm the current revision before production use.
Alternatives
- NE5532A: the improved grade in the same SLOS075K datasheet. The Rev. K tables show the same typical noise, slew, and bandwidth figures and the same 0–70 °C range, so buy it on price and availability, not for a headline-spec upgrade.
- SA5532: the same device in the same datasheet specified for −40 to +85 °C. The mandatory order code when the NE5532's commercial 0–70 °C grade isn't enough.
- TL072: TI's JFET-input dual: much lower input bias current and lower supply current, at higher voltage noise. The common lower-cost swap in non-critical audio stages, and the right direction for high-impedance sources.
- OPA2134: FET-input audio dual with lower distortion and lower bias current at a higher unit price; the usual upgrade path when the NE5532's bias current or noise floor becomes the limit.
Common questions
- Can the NE5532 run from a single 5 V or 3.3 V supply?
- No. Recommended operating conditions are VCC+ 5 V to 15 V and VCC− −5 V to −15 V — split supplies of at least ±5 V — and the common-mode input range even on ±15 V rails is ±12 V min, nowhere near rail-to-rail. On a 5 V or 3.3 V single rail the part is out of spec; use a low-voltage rail-to-rail op amp such as the TLV9002 instead.
- Is the NE5532 slew rate 9 V/µs or 5 V/µs?
- TI's Rev. K datasheet (December 2025) specifies 5 V/µs typical at unity gain; 9 V/µs was the Rev. J value. Rev. K also moved unity-gain bandwidth from 10 MHz to 12 MHz typical, so older references disagree with the current tables. Cite the Section 5.5/5.6 tables, not the datasheet's own Section 6.3 prose, which still carries the old numbers.
- What is the maximum supply voltage for the NE5532?
- ±15 V recommended maximum, with an absolute maximum of VCC+ +18 V / VCC− −18 V as of Rev. K — lowered from ±22 V. The Rev. K Section 7.2 caution still says ±22 V, but that is stale text: treat ±18 V as the damage limit and ±15 V as the design ceiling.
- Is the NE5532 good for guitar pickups or other high-impedance sources?
- It's a poor fit. The bipolar input draws up to 800 nA of bias current and adds 0.7 pA/√Hz of current noise at 1 kHz, so with a high source impedance the current noise and DC offset swamp the 5 nV/√Hz voltage-noise advantage. FET-input parts such as the TL072 or OPA2134 suit high-impedance sources better; save the NE5532 for low-impedance line-level stages.