Burson audio conductor 3 reference headphone amp dac preamp. Burson conductor 3 reference headphone amplifieraudio advisor. Today, our discrete audio opamps are industry benchmarks. Burson conductor 3xr with kef ls50, focal utopia, focal stellia, audeze mx4, sennheiser hd650, beyerdynamic t1. Burson conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and. We thank the team at burson for giving us this opportunity. They have a lengthy section about their philosophy on their web site, explaining both why they prefer discrete circuits, and what they feel is wrong with ics and class d, too. Some dacamps claim to give you the front row experience in exchange for less soundstage. The burson audio conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and headphone amplifier in use. Burson just sent me this info for christmas 2020 nonaffiliated take.
Burson audio conductor 3 ref dac headphone amp preamp. Their conductor lineup is currently their flagship lineup and anything with a conductor name in it is part of their best attempts at delivering highend sonics and. Burson audio is challenging the conventional and pushing the boundaries of audio excellence through innovation. When as a mere notion the timekeeper project first hit the books down under. It is the perfect dac for any vitus audio power amplifier or intergraded amplifier. Burson audio just has a couple of different versions of the conductor, being the conductor 3 reference, the conductor 3x reference, the conductor 3 performance and the conductor 3x performance. A headphone amplifier, preamp and dac, this balanced unit is a real curates egg of a system. I will be honest, i didnt test the burson audio conductor 3x. A year ago, i didnt even know that burson audio existed. We are an authorised burson dealer, and all of our products carry bursons official warranty.
The business formed in 2006 designing diy upgrade parts, along with completed products such as a power amp, preamp, and integrated amplifiers. Review burson audio conductor v3 setup alpha audio net. Once categorically opposed to opamps, they now mint their own discretniks which appear in kit like simon audio. Burson ha160d is a music machine for music lovers, audiophiles and headphone fans. The burson audio conductor virtuoso is a fine headphone amplifier. Burson conductor 3x reference headphone amplifieraudio advisor. They gained notoriety with the successful ha160 headphone amp, a pure class a design with an output of 250mw.
Burson s conductor has been reborn twice already to now be in its third incarnation. I highly recommend you give it a test run if you are given the opportunity. Just not every version in the book, unlike the 3xr and the ifi pro idsd. The conductor sl 1793 is housed in a refined and precision folded 3 mm aluminium casing that is unmistakably burson. The bass and upper bass is very well controlled with my sennheisers.
A big thank you to burson audio and headfi for the opportunity to join the gear tour, greatly appreciated. This has been the sole design goal of each burson conductor since 2007. Sep 20, 2020 burson audio has multiple devices ranging from discrete opamps, power amplifiers, headphone amplifiers, dacs and then they have allinone units like the conductor series. Burson audio conductor 3 performance kopfhoererboutique. The dac is based on a sabre 32 and supports dsd, the xmos 6 core usb module is windows, mac, ios and android compatible. The burson audio conductor virtuoso is so simple in execution that its functionality is prettymuch selfexplanatory.
May 01, 2018 this is what burson claims the cable with do in your system if you have a missmatch. Review burson audio conductor 3 reference tntaudio. Burson audio conductor 3 reference dac and amp bloom audio. Two years ago i underwent a massive downscaling of my audio system and hit the reset button on ever escalating audio prices for decreasing musical enjoyment. In 2017, we had a breakthrough in power supply research. I feel the bass to be ever so slightly warm during my testing phase. Firstly, burson audio products have always had a real halo appeal in my books.
The fire just settled down around the play, fun and bang, all released not too long ago, that i still consider them fresh products. Burson conductor 3 reference is the top of the range device of australian burson audio company and appears in two versions. Jun 14, 2019 the burson audio playmate technical specs the playmate is made with some seriously high quality components, most of them you will see on products many, many times the price of this ampdac unit. If ill be able to get the transport and dac cards and test them, then ill update. Inside are two sabre32 ess9038q2m dac chips, one per channel, offering up to dsd512 and. Burson updates ha160 with soloist headpreamp darko. Burson says that the conductor sl is the best amp dac in the world. Burson audio conductor 3 reference 7,5w highend hifi. A decade ago, we argued against using ic opamps on the audio signal path. Audiohead meets the burson audio conductor parttime audiophile. The conductor performance features the same max current power supply mcps that has made the conductor reference legendary. The burson conductor 3 performance is an integrated dac, preout, and headphone amplifier with up to 4w of output power. Burson audio conductor 3 reference 7,5w highend hifi power.
Power filtering on element x is done by a noratel transformer and tens of voltage regulators, c3r is relying on its interesting mcps. A technology developed, owned and used exclusively by burson audio, the mcps raises voltage frequency from 50hz to 170khz, pushing noise beyond human hearing. As more and more people are using digital at their primary sources, and analog as secondary sources. Burson audio is an australian audio manufacturer making products with no opamps and all discrete circuitry for a lavish musical experience. Burson audio, which is an australian company, makes a wide range of headphone amplifiers. Once categorically opposed to opamps, they now mint their own discretniks which appear in kit like simon audio s aio and i5. Burson audio soloist preamplifierheadphone amplifier. Burson conductor version 3 reference predacheadphone amp the conductor version 3 reference is one of the most powerful headphone amps available, generating 7. A classically trained violinist, and later, conversant in fiddle tunes, burson began playing guitar while studying history at brown university. I do, as it allows me to jump into the most important thing about any hifi product. Burson s conductor v3 is delivered with an ir remote control.
We connect this with burson rcainterlinks to the analog input of the conductor. The c3 reference took 3 years to built and it leaves the competition for dust. Burson conductor 3 is an audiophile dac, audiophile preamp, and an audiophile headphone amplifier. Apr 18, 20 either notion is fair game in my book, but in the case of the lcd3 and conductor, its the latter. The burson audio soloist class a headphone amplifier. This is a true standout, which will take you over boundaries of your expectations in the way of the sound and music being replayed. Burson audio conductor 3x performance balanced headphone. The headphone outputs were tested with my grado sr125 headphones. Coupled with a 2 level gain switch, it offers infinite flexibility. The new output stage of the dac has been improved thanks to the companys latest v6 ss audio opamp.
Aug 26, 20 hey guys, i have recently received the new burson 1793 dac pcb from burson audio. Save burson audio to get email alerts and updates on your ebay feed. And i think that is what is causing my negative feelings toward tonality on this playmate. What intrigued me the most was that the conductor uses an updated version of the dac chip used in my doge 7 tube dac that i love so much or, in fact, two chips in the case of. Right at the heart of the playmate is the much loved and lauded ess9038 sabre dac.
The conductor performance comes with burson v6 vivid discrete opamps. Burson conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and headphone. Burson audio hails to us from australia, bringing its own design philosophy, less is more, to highend headphone amplifiers. Burson conductor 3x reference headphone amplifieraudio. Aug 29, 2020 quite a high voltage for a headphones amplifier, although this is not something new coming from burson audio, given the previously released conductor 3x and conductor 3 combos. The conductor is burson s latest effort at a dacpreampheadphone amplifier in one box. Feb, 2019 burson audio fun in conclusion, i personally feel that the fun is an excellent headphone amplifier and has definitely brought all my wired headphones to a whole new level of musicality. May 23, 2016 burson audio may be unfamiliar to some of you, as it was to me just a short while ago. Audiohead meets the burson audio conductor parttime.
The conductor, using the 9018 sounds more natural to me, less metallic on the top end. Burson audio has been around for over twenty years, and focuses on high quality solid state components using, discrete circuitry instead of ics or opamps. With such power, the conductor sl can drive most if not all headphones to their full potential. Burson conductor v2 dac digital to analog conversion. Burson audio conductor 3x performance headphone amp dac. May 22, 2019 comparisons with the older burson conductor sl i own is a no contest ab test for me. The conductor encourages opamp rolling with gold plated dip8 sockets along its signal path. Its kind of dumb because a simpler circuit can probably take the opamps place, but kind of cool because you can roll opamps like tubes, and listen to opamps instead of music. Jan 06, 2020 for the power supply there is a 24v input. Burson began in the late 90s as a localized hobby group. Play familiar very familiar material, and you will hear the finest details fully resolved, while the fundamentals take on a new level of life. The burson conductor v3 is also available in a balanced version, the conductor v3x. For those readers who missed the first part, here is a link. Burson conductor virtuoso and timekeeper virtuoso positive.
Whenever ive come across burson gear, whether it be online. The burson conductor 3 is a new flagship desktop headphone amp. Burson ha160d doesnt compete in the race of the highest specs thanks god and for me this is a winning quest on their behalf. They also make a power amplifier, but headphone amps seem to be their focus. But dont let us or anyone dictate your listening experience.
Conductor 3x reference from burson the audiophile man. Conclusions about the burson audio conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and headphone amplifier. Theres a hint of delicacy in the treble that is quite amazing. Bent audio tapx, esoteric c03, trulife audio athena, burson conductor. Holding fast to burson audio s icfree design mandate, the soloist is a pure classa amplifier free from standard ic opamp and ic power regulator building blocks. Either notion is fair game in my book, but in the case of the lcd3 and conductor, its the latter. The burson playmate sent to us is a sample unit in exchange for our honest opinion. Soloist took the new turn in the book of burson audio aesthetics. What burson audio has made in the conductor 3 is the onebox solution for the person whos ready to stop looking, and find themselves a genuine legacy piece that will comfortably remain toptier in terms of performance for many, many years, reports matty graham, december 30, 2019. With hundreds of audio opamps out there, you have the freedom to tailor your listening experience to your preference. Burson released 2 new conductor sl that are basically the same, except the dac implementations. I have heard burson audio s offerings at many shows and headfi. Burson audio conductor 3 reference headphone amp dac. They have a lengthy section about their philosophy on their web site, explaining both why they prefer discrete circuits, and what they feel is.
A fully balanced version of the burson conductor 3, this is a busy little unit and no mistake. Theres a host of tools available within this compact chassis. The rd100 is a hybrid between dac and analog preamplifier. Burson conductor sl 9018 with the dac implementation based on the ess sabre32 dac chip burson conductor sl 1793 with the dac implementation based on the burr brown pcm1793 dac. Sep 26, 2014 the soloist and conductor is a solid performer as a headphone amplifier. Downunderaudio test burson conductor 3x performance. The burson conductor 3 reference is a powerful headphone amp and dac with a clear, natural output that enhances the soundstage on your headphones to massive proportions. I couldnt test the remote because, despite owning an array of screwdrivers of various types and sizes. Paul rigby smiled and frowned and smiled and a fully balanced version of the burson conductor 3, this is a busy little unit and no mistake.
Burson audio is a site advertiser but in no way affiliated with headfonia. It produces a musical sound quality similar to tube products, and therefore, the warm sound will be appreciated by many. The best dac headphone amp preamp being the best of its time. Burson audio conductor 3 reference headphone ampsdacs. Burson audio conductor 3x performance headphone amp dac preamp. Burson audio conductor 3 performance headphone amp dac preamp. Driving the decisiveness of the lcd3 with a nimble burson sound yielded a lowend that was one of the best combinations of impact and accuracy, without ever sounding wooly or overly exaggerated. Review update final d8000 pro edition alpha audio net. The wide range of connectivity options means that it can fit into just about any hifi personal audio setup. Jun 09, 2012 three years after their ha160 headphone amplifier, burson audio has announced a new twoinone headamppreamp named the soloist.
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