Well, this is pretty cool. The subwoofer thing looks like a feature some might appreciate. I wouldn’t opamp roll this thing though; that’s way too much money to spend on 6 opamps!
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Definitely interested in this.
I’m not a fan of fans in my audio equipment. I would have more strongly considered the Chord Ttoby except for the fan.
I also don’t see where they have added muting to the output circuit on startup, which has blown a couple of cans. That’s fine, but as the power goes up, so does risk, these are huge amount of power for cans, seems weird not to do a basic safety feature.
On the other hand, the feature set is pretty much complete, the sub out is a great addition, the form factor oozes appeal and the Burson sound sure was nice.
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Definitely a good point, I should ask them if they bothered to include any safety features this time.
I’m curious how much of an improvement (sound-wise) it will be over the Soloist with a Supercharger; it brought it that extra step imo.
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I asked Burson if the new GT is a significant upgrade over the Soloist w/ a Supercharger…didn’t get a straightforward answer, oh well. Here’s the response I got.
Yes, the GT is a game changer for us. The new active cooling system allows the GT to perform to the highest level of performance possible.
The GT uses a 24V 8A power supply and currently the Supercharger 3A is not enough to support it yet.
As for the safety features I did get a more informative answer.
Yes, the Active Cooling system is the essential part of the GT design, we have a number of safety sensors built into the design including temperature, proximity and connection detection. The system will ensure the user close off the top cover and the properly connected fan before it will power up.
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Burson has a sale on their opamps if anybody is interested…
Use coupon code “OPAMP20FF” during check out
For the next 48 hours only, we are slashing the prices of all Burson opamps by 20%!
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Just got this email a few min ago. Yes, I realize it says ending 17th of October. But who knows? The folks at Burson aren’t very good spellers in my experience. lol
I’d definitely ask them though. Free Supercharger w/ amp purchase sounds like a good deal to me!
Hi again HifiDJ lol, thanks for that promo I cant wait for my funk to arrive!
Does anyone here think that the speaker taps of the funk could output enough power to enjoy an he6seV2? I couldn’t afford the soloist, and I also needed a speaker amp so I went funk.
In theory the SE out has similar power @50ohm to the monolith liquid platinum, so I think I may get a solid experience from that combination even from the SE out, but most people recommend a soloist at the very least for the he6, I wonder if I should skip that headphone or if this will be enough.
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Don’t have an answer for you there but shooting them an email might be your best bet.
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FYI…
Crazy 2021 deals
Playmate 2 - 15% off (estimated delivery time, within 1 week)
Funk - 15% off (ETA, within 1 week)
Composer 3X Performance - 20% off (ETA, within 1 week)
Soloist 3X Performance - 10% off (ETA, within 1 - 2 weeks)
Conductor 3 Performance - 20% off (ETA, within 1 week)
Conductor 3X Performance - 10% off (ETA, within 1 - 2 weeks)
Conductor 3 Reference - 20% off (ETA, within 1 week)
Conductor 3X Reference - 15% off (ETA, within 1 week)
Timekeeper 3i Reference - 20% off (ETA, within 1 week)
Soloist 3X Grand Tourer - 5% off (ETA, within 3 - 4 weeks)
Burson Super Charger 3A - 50% off (ETA, within 1 week)
Burson Audio Opamps - 20% off the entire range.Sale Ends on Cyber Monday.
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Do you know of any evidence or suggestion these prices will extend to their dealers/retailers? I didn’t see anything on the Burson website. Many vendors try to avoid undercutting their retail partners on price.
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That would be nice but, no, I do not have such information…
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Just joined this community. I’ve had a Burson HA-160 for a long time, but I stopped using it a while ago because the volume control had loud bursts of static when I turned it. But I wrote to Burson last week, and they sent cleaning instructions. It took me about 20 minutes, and now it’s back in service.
This is a sweet amp with solid bass and lots of detail with all of my headphones (HD-600, Clears, AKG-702). My source is a Denon DVD-3109 universal player. I think I’ll be giving this amp a lot more attention!
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In my last adventure with a Burson Audio operational amplifier (op amp for short), we test drove the Burson V6 Vivid op amp in a $160 Little Dot I plus headphone amplifier.
Today, we begin a new adventure with Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps. Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps invite the promise of a fresh take on the modern op amp front. The Burson Audio V6 Classic is Burson Audio’s alternative to the Burson Audio V6 Vivid op amp for those of you seeking a change of flavor, or perhaps for those of you seeking to update an older or poor performing op amp.
To start with, we are going to liven up this experiment by utilizing a Ray Samuels HR-2 solid state headphone amplifier. The HR-2 is an $875 ultra-detailed amplifier which has been in production for approximately two decades and is still manufactured and sold today. However the stock op amp, an AD797, is twenty years old. The AD797 op amp was one of the finest available op amps at the time that this amplifier was introduced back in 2003. But much can change over twenty years. While able to reproduce extreme detail and clarity with the stock AD797 op amp, presentation can sound a bit lacking compared to many modern headphone amplifiers that contain newer op amps. Many headphone enthusiasts are able to remedy this by simply swapping out their old op amps with modern offerings.
Reflecting back upon the year 2003, I recall a prominent intense focus of many on a quest for improved detail and clarity from their audio gear. Today, audio enthusiasts along with modern headphone gear, have evolved to expect vast spectrums of heightened characteristics from what has grown into today’s vast array of enormous selection of radically evolved audio products. When listening to newer headphone amplifiers side by side to the Ray Samuels HR-2 containing the original stock AD797 op amp, one can readily hear the greater extreme detail that the more expensive HR-2 is able to reproduce. However, the HR-2 presents this detailed sound with comparatively less dynamics, and dimension, leaving much to be desired. In it’s old stock form, this headphone amplifier lacks excitement, yielding a very lackluster unentertaining presentation.
In spirit akin to Dr. Frankenstein, will a pair of cutting edge Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps bring the dead back to life? Can the Burson Audio V6 Classic op amp transform this dated amplifier to relevant modern standards? To find out, we need only swap in the new Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps to observe improvements. By simply removing the top cover of the amplifier (held by four screws), I easily pulled out the old pair of AD797 op amps from the 8-pin sockets and then replaced them in the correct orientation with a brand new pair of Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps. Repeating this installation process multiple times, I was able to note various listening comparisons going back and forth between the old op amps and the new Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps.
Did it work? To begin with, music definitely took on new characteristics. The Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps brought on psychedelics, intimacy, and coziness to name a few of the newly realized improvements. The sound stage became seamless and enveloping. The imaging grew from zero to ultra intense imaging. Rich dynamics improved drastically. Overall, the Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps had made this old amplifier sound like a much modern expensive amplifier. At one point, crazy good imaging fooled my brain into thinking someone was in my hallway. I took off my headphones revealing that what I had heard was from the Adelle track I had been playing. This had most definitely been an improvement.
I continued to complete more comparisons with my modern amplifiers to the newly installed Burson Audio V6 Classic op amps. This upgrade sometimes did yield a narrower sound stage compared to many modern amplifiers, but the imaging abilities of the Burson Audio V6 Classic performed marvelously. Within an imagined matrix of the perceived sonic environment of each recording, an image would fill coordinates in perceived space unconstrained. Where many of my modern amplifiers restricted this to a horizontal plane of perception of left to right, the Burson Audio V6 Classic upgrade formed entirely audible holograms seemingly existing in distinct perceived space containing virtual performers and instruments. With the Burson Audio V6 Classic, violins and orchestra could also project up above the stage to accompany a singer instead of remaining an afterthought placed behind them as backup. The chorus could fill airiness with echoes instead of dull stationary reverberations remaining next to the singer on the stage. Like a fog, sound rolled onto the foot of the stage. Sound also rose up above filling caverns of reflected micro reverberations opening up perceived virtual spaces. A much larger accompaniment projected deeper emotion from the music. It had become much easier to connect with the music or get momentarily transported away with envelopment. Sometimes, I was inadvertently, effortlessly carried away with Burson Audio V6 Classic.
Additionally, the Burson Audio V6 Classic recreated realistic reproduction of prerecorded environments. With a couple of amplifiers, my brain is cognizant that I am listening to a recording and cannot be fooled by their overly forward presentation. The Burson Audio V6 Classic’s enveloping presentation will persuade me to lose myself within the realism. It’s envelope of realism is off the charts. Individual piano strings resonate around me. Instrumentation seemed to be fuller. Even low frequencies typically from bass and tuba appear to fill the environment.
Finally, I would like to make one more distinction about listening at lower volumes with Burson Audio V6 Classic. I often find that I enjoy listening at lower than average volumes. With some amplifiers, I find that I have to raise the volume level to compensate for the loss of clarity. I am pleased that with Burson Audio V6 Classic, my amplifier was able to return to lower volumes while maintaining buttery smooth performance, retaining dynamic punch, pop and clarity. In the long run, listening at these lower volumes could prove safer for the health of my hearing.
Where could the Burson Audio V6 Classic improve? Some very high end amplifiers exhibit more refined highs compared to what I was hearing from Burson Audio V6 Classics. As a personal preference, I have developed an appreciation for clear refined high frequency reproduction. I have friends that prefer recessed treble for a darker or smoother relaxed presentation such as the well known characteristic some find appealing in the Sennheiser HD650 headphone. This might be good for someone looking for a non fatiguing listening session or perhaps someone that likes to listen at higher volumes without the toll of shrieking treble. Some seek this characteristic in order to listen over longer listening periods or perhaps to remove shouty-ness from their system. Conversely, some would describe this as losing its sparkle. I am of the latter group. A minority that happen to dislike the HD650 headphone on all solid state amplifiers because I do not enjoy overly dark or mellow presentations. It is a personal taste that one determines individually. In this case, with the Burson Audio V6 Classic, I do hear this recessed treble characteristic. So, I prefer the Burson Audio V6 Vivid over the Burson Audio V6 Classic. The Burson Audio V6 Vivid being more brilliant and sparkly. Which my brain translates to liveliness.
As you can see, the Burson Audio V6 Classic succeeded in reviving my classic headphone amplifier. I am, however, going to have to give the nod to the Burson Audio V6 Vivid over the Burson Audio V6 Classic as my preferred op amp. You however may prefer the Classic, as we all have different ears and each have our own unique personal preferences.
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Has anyone with an RME ADI-2 got it hooked up to one of the Burson amps?
If yes, which Burson, and what can you tell me about the sound from that combination?
Thanks.
That was my main setup some time ago but not anymore…
Soloist 3xp. It’s not something I’d recommend tbh but it will sound fine if you already own it. It’s been awhile since I last used this combo but generally speaking, it sounds flat (stage-wise and presentation-wise) and sharp. Relatively neutral overall, leaning more into the analytical lean side of things but with decent body to the bass. I personally would want something tilting warmer paired with the soloist. I don’t think you get that with the rme imo. Not a very detailed response in terms of sound, but hopefully that gave you a general idea.
What hps are you planning on pairing it with?
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I had the same combo. first of all I listen to 95% electronic music and for me the Burson (Soloist 3xp) in combination with the RME was too warm. also the highs and lows were too smooth and round for me. I have the RME now combined with a Topping A90 and so it is perfect for me at least in the electronic field.
if you tend towards vocals the RME / Burson combo is certainly the better choice.
Headphones I had only the LCD-X (2021) to listen to.
Hope that helps you further.
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Was going to use it mainly for my Sennheisers and ZMF’s, but have now learned it doesn’t perform well with 300 ohms, so will no longer consider it. Plus, you comments re warmth and sounding flat lead me to the same conclusion. Thanks for your help.
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Yes, helpful Neo. Thanks.
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Finally got a quick listen in a slightly noisy enviroment to HD660S and Burson Playmate 2. Dynamic, quite hard hitting, detailed. Different from HD6xx/650. A nice listen I wonder how the HD660S sound with a proper tube pairing. The Burson felt like a solid unit, I really liked the esthetics, knob and sense of quality.
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