Burson audio is challenging the conventional and pushing the boundaries of audio excellence through innovation. Oct 04, 2012 in what seems like a relatively short time, burson audio has developed a reputation for making good products, and they seem to have a pretty devoted and happy customer base. But then came the conductor, the brands modular highend preampheadphone amp design. Burson lifetime warranty covers all burson opamps purchased directly from burson audio once it is registered here burson warranty within one month of purchase. Lifting the lid burson audio conductor virtuoso v2. In comparing bursons soloist is closing the gap of affordable and well versed with its performance. Their soloist and conductor remain two of the best headphone amps ever made. Dimensions and casework remain unchanged but inside youll find an ess sabre32 9018 chip. Theres salaries, travel, discounts to stores, the cost of shows, a web presence and more to consider. I had wanted hear some burson gear in my own system for a while, and i had the chance to spend some quality time with the conductor dacpreampheadphone amp and their brand new off the production line timekeeper class ab stereo amplifier. Apr 20, 2016 burson needs to make a buck and they need to find an appropriate niche to do so. It is basically the same circuitry burson audio is refining since 2008 and famed for its incredible micro details and musicality.
Thanks to a new high density winding technique, the new power transformers that support the headphone amp and preamp section are able to. Witness the latest this time, burson audio is stepping up to bat with a brand new headphone amplifierdigital converter combo called the conductor v2. Burson audio conductor, burson audio timekeeper and krix. This is our core design philosophy since we began in 1996. At given price its not exactly cheap, but its bargain comparing to many generic and of the shelf oem used offerings.
The burson playmate sent to us is a sample unit in exchange for our honest opinion. Vladimir lamm great ll2, that sits as reference in my system got is spot on. Todays telling is that the aussies have finally updated their digital. A decade ago, we argued against using ic opamps on the audio signal path. Centered voices were thrown a little further back on the conductor, on the 160d voices are more forward, like whispering in my ear. I just dont listen to music that much at work to justify this amp anymore. If our equipment is designed well and transparent enough and it is then the pace, rhythm, timing dynamics and tonality becomes a natural expression of the music. 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. It is a usb dacsoundcard, headphone amplifier and remote controlled preamp 3 in 1. Burson audio is a site advertiser but in no way affiliated with headfonia. While some care needs to be taken when mated with high sensitivity headphones, the right match will offer similarly sonically solid results. Play familiar very familiar material, and you will hear the finest details fully resolved, while the fundamentals take on a new level of life.
With burson variable output stage vos conductor became a dream machine for any headphones. Martin logan esl11a speakers, msb analog dac with quad usb, soekris 1541 dac, piega coax 30. This case also works as a singular heatsink for the entire machine ensuring stable and optimized performance at all times. Burson audio archives echosaudio high end audio store. It is a usb dac soundcard, headphone amplifier and remote controlled preamp 3 in 1. Roughly two years ago i came across the first burson headphone amp that is the ha160. This is where burson comes in with the cable plus pro which is actually an audio buffer that eliminates the impedance missmatch between your components. Burson headphone amplifier and matching power amplifier. You will not be able to plug your portable source into the conductor sl and use the unit as a pure amplifier, it can only be used as a combination of both while directly plugged into a source feeding it digital audio via a mac or pc. There are now a stunning 100steps of volume control with a new, easytoread display. Burson audio conductor air pocket dac and headphone amplifier. Mar 02, 2014 the conductor sl offers a standard 14 headphone output as well as rca, and digital inputs at the back. Most enthusiasts use its dac and amplifier to drive their prized headphones with one beautifullybuilt, modestlypriced component.
This is a class step up in both performance and value. Burson conductor virtuoso gone bad page 2 audioholics. Bursons fullsize 160 series separates have gone extinct after all. We thank the team at burson for giving us this opportunity. Its first products were the little soloist and soloist sl. Is important to know that fun is using the fully discrete amplification stage found in the 1500 usd burson conductor v2. Coming out of melbourne, australia, burson audio set out its store from the getgo as a force to be reckoned with. Burson audio is proud to announce the new conductor v2 with superior sound and more power, setting a new benchmark in the reference class category. Burson audio conductor v2 now on indiegogo parttime audiophile. The conductor air is available in two different flavors.
The conductor virtuoso is a usb dac, headphone amp and preamplifier. As i said, the conductor has a house sound of burson audio and it didnt lose its tone, voices sounds real and tangible. May 01, 2018 this is what burson claims the cable with do in your system if you have a missmatch. The burson audio conductor air is a solid state headphone amplifier, dac and preamplifier three in one unit.
The conductor sl 1793 is housed in a refined and precision folded 3 mm aluminium casing that is unmistakably burson. Burson audio conductor headphone amplifier, pre amplifier, usb dac location. Burson has significantly upgraded and refined previous generations of the conductor. The entire circuitry has been redesigned based on our new v6 ss opamp which is the best sounding audio opamp in the world. The burson audio soloist headphone amplifier innerfidelity. With conductor burson is offering everything in one box for a headphone enthusiast on the quest of audio nirvana. Before more rigorous testing i left the unit on for about 60 hours for the sound to mature. Burson is the difference between hearing music and experiencing it.
Burson conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and headphone. Sporting beautiful casework for relatively modest pricing, burson s conductor virtuoso will be shipping in two versions. Burson conductor sl sl9018 user manual pdf download. The conductor air redefines the size and performance ratio of portable audio. The burson audio conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and headphone amplifier in use i tested the virtuoso with my computer using the supplied driver and usb connection, an oppo bdp105 universal player using the coax digital output, and pass labs xs monoblock power amplifiers connected to the virtuoso preout. Thanks to a new high density winding technique, the new power transformers that support the headphone amp and preamp section are. Today, our discrete audio opamps are industry benchmarks. It is the perfect audio player when you are on the go and at home it is the centre of your high fidelity audio system. Burson audio conductor headphone amplifierpreamplifierdac.
So you probably can imagine my interest when the opportunity arose to have a goodoldfashioned sit down with the companys flagship piece. Theyve chosen to not play at the low end of the price spectrum and thats fine. I have heard burson audios offerings at many shows and headfi meets, but ive never had one in the lab. Burson conductor 3 reference is the top of the range device of australian burson audio company and appears in two versions. I tested the little amplifier in 2 different speaker systems and it managed to send a very similar message and sound signature in both. Burson conductor dac section up from the now common 2496 sample rate of the ha160d and other popular midlevel dacs, the conductor offers up to 24192 asynchronous over usb, higher than even something like the centrance dacmini. Like its predecessor, the conductor is a headphone amplifier, dac and preamplifier. Inside is a 4 watt headphone amp section along with pcm processing up to 24192. Effective tweaks for your hifi speakers burson audio. While still a pure class a designed with field effect transistors, conductor v2 fully utilize the two 70w transformers to output over 8200 mw per channel into 16ohm.
Burson conductor v1, firstwatt f5, triode labs el84i, playback design i3. In 2017, we had a breakthrough in power supply research. The burson audio conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and headphone amplifier in use. Here it received coaxial signal from a 160gb ipod classic in a cambridge audio id100 digital dock via a veloce cable and passed on analog to my bakoon amp11r.
Burson s fullsize 160 series separates have gone extinct after all. From peachtree audio to calyx, from wyred to resonessence labs, their choice of sabre chip has a broad following. Nov 14, 20 the conductor the burson audio conductor packs a bunch of full features into a very solid 6mm thick precision machined aluminum chassis. Burson makes products for the world we live in where space is limited yet headphone aficionados and desktop audio system. They have reduced the component amount from 32 in the ha160 down to 21. I liked the amp from the first moment i listened to it. This is a major performance upgrade from the conductor virtuoso v1. Burson audio the conductor digital processor and preamp. As is my custom with such machines, i first embedded the conductor in my bedside headfi. May 07, 2015 the burson audio conductor virtuoso is one solid performer delivering a compelling sound image portrayed with exacting detail and delineation. After listening to the burson play the transition back to my pro audio sources were. View and download burson conductor sl sl9018 user manual online.
Headphones i used with the burson include the hifiman he6, akg q701s, shure srh940s, grado sr60es, focal spirit ones, rockjaw kommand iems, and apple earpods. Aug 01, 2016 the burson audio conductor air is a solid state headphone amplifier, dac and preamplifier three in one unit. Youll just need a quality or few to be considered real headfier headphones and digital or if needed analog front end. Burson audio conductor sl 1793 headphone amplifier and dac. Burson being who they are of course wouldnt settle for an offtheshelf. Burson audio, out of melbourne, australia, has been on my radar for a few years now. Conductor sl1793 dac, conductor sl sl9018 dac, conductor sl sl1793 dac. Burson audio is a mark of quality build, thoughtful circuit design, value for money and elegant, engaging sound. With the soloist, burson takes the less is more philosophy to another level. Sep 15, 2012 melbournes burson audio are about to launch the next generation of their very popular ha160d. Design and setup of the burson soloist headphone amplifier. This is not a normal cable as it becomes an active component in your system. If you test a lot of equipment, if you think that there. Burson carved very impressive audio conjunction between those two parameters.
Burson conductor virtuoso usb dac, preamplifier, and. Apr 15, 2015 lets get back in topic and talk more about the conductor virtuoso and the equipment and music i used to test them with. I purchased this back in may 2016 and it has sat in the. Burson will not cover the return postage and well deduct 10% transaction fee from your payment. Jan 05, 2016 a run through of the matching burson conductor headphone amp, dac, pre amp and timekeeper power amp models, available at 35% off. 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. When the conductor virtuoso is on the volume indicators appear on the face of the thick, antiresonant aluminium front plate. Audiohead meets the burson audio conductor parttime. Theres a full function preamp with two line level rca inputs, a host of 24192capable digital inputs, and a headphone amp. With over 4 watts of power on tap the conductor virtuoso will drive any headphone with ease.