Sounds great w/ aeolus imo. The aeolus is pretty dang forgiving w/ source gear but it did work well w/ soloist from my experience.
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Thanks Hifi. I love the sound of my Aeolus, so if it sounds so good with the Burson 3x that is a big factor in whether I’ll buy that amp. Thanks again.
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What can anyone tell me please about how the Burson Soloist 3x sounds with the ZMF Aeolus and/or Auteur?
(I’ve just spent 3 hours reading every post in the official Soloist category and found only one very short reference to an Aeolus.)
Thanks.
I am away from home, but as soon as I’m back I can give some impressions. I own both the Aeolus and Auteur, but my Soloist 3XP is almost exclusively used with an Arya V3. The Aeolus and Auteur get listened to exclusively on a Bottlehead Crack.
From my recollection, they both sound fine on the Burson, but with the very low output impedance of the Soloist and high impedance of the ZMF’s, the sound isn’t as lively and energetic as on the OTL Crack. I seem to remember the sound being a little dampened while being quite clear and tactile. Again, I can say more when I get back next week!
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Thank you. That will be very helpful and I’m looking forward to hearing more next week.
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I can’t recall if crossposting is allowed, but I am selling my little-used 3XP. Perfect condition.
it did come with a knob and no op amp issues to date.
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Can’t find the post explaining xlr connection.
As you look at the back of the Soloist 3x (with inputs for xlr and rca on the left, and pre amp connections shown on the right) which xlr input is for the positive/R connection and which is for the negative/L?
Thanks if you can help.
I like to think of it as the right side is the one closest to the power input in both XLR inputs and outputs. The RCA should be color coded, red for right and white for left, respectively.
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So, does the cable from the right channel of my DAC plug into the Soloist xlr input connection on the left (the connection closest to the edge of the Soloist housing)?
Thanks.
Yup, so when the back (where all the connections are) is facing you the right input is on the left. When the front (where the screen is) is facing you the right input will be on your right.
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Thank you HiFi DJ.
In other words, when looking at the back of the Soloist 3x, the right channel xlr input in the connection on the left…the xlr connection closest to the power plug. Correct?
Correct…
I found the post where there’s an image you can reference.
https://forum.headphones.com/t/burson-soloist-3x-performance-class-a-headphone-pre-amplifier/9115/76
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Yes, that link makes it clear too. Thank you very, very much for your help. Why in the world Burson doesn’t label those inputs , like every other manufacturer, is crazy.
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Ok, just hooked up the Auteur (eikon lambskin) and Aeolus (universe suede) to the Burson, and I’m actually really loving it!
On the Auteur, I still prefer the Crack (it’s the only other amp I have atm to compare it with), just for the sense of warmth and smoothness it imparts, as well as a sort of vocal clarity that really pops out. But the Burson is a great experience as well. It imparts the same sense of midrange “realness,” or “tactility” that it does to my Arya. You actually feel the guitar/bass strings. I can’t say the same on the Crack, which is warmer, but not as visceral and “live” sounding. The bass is tight and well-controlled, and the highs are detailed and smooth, but not rolled off. Overall very dynamic sound, with lots of detail and clarity, but missing out on the depth and layering the Crack gives it. Things just seem a tad one-dimensional.
The Aeolus I actually really, really like with the 3XP. It can sound a tad soft and veiled at times, even with the suede perforated pads, so the Burson actually gives it a lot more clarity and that same sense of visceral impact in the midrange. Bass isn’t as full or impactful as on the Crack, nor does it stand out quite as much, but it has so much more texture, and is very well-integrated into the track. I really love this combo. More so than the Auteur. I love the detail and clarity, without sacrificing any of the richness of the Aeolus’s midrange, as well as the bass texture. Because of the Aeolus’s mid bass hump, added texture the Burson brings really stands out. I’m definitely going to listen to this combo more often now!
I’m sorry I don’t have another solid state amp to compare it with (my FA-10 is all packed up and ready to ship out to a new owner tomorrow morning), but hopefully these impressions were helpful. This is all right off the top of my head after a long day of teaching, so feel free to ask any questions for further clarification! It’s so hard to be clear with this stuff.
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I’ve received my Conductor 3XR about 2 weeks ago. Great dynamic sound but the ess dac is a bit too fatiguing for long listening. My first thought to remedy this was to swap out 2 of my vivids opamps for 2 classics in the LP stage, this sounded so much better for the Susvaras, sound was lush and the treble glare was gone. The problem started when I tried them in the I/V stage. There was a continual radio static that got louder and louder…I was super afraid and unplugged the xlr. The volume was at zero which was weird.
So I stopped using the Susvaras and tried a cheap speaker through the 6.3mm Jack. Static still continues, especially when I start turning the knob from zero.
Contacted Burson and they told me to double check of the opamps were loose. I doubled checked and tried my best to push it in even more…same static.
So I’ve since switched the classics back to LP stage and everything is all good but I still get some rare cracks and pops from ever couple of hours of listening…
I gotta say, this dac/amp scares the shit outta me, reminds me of my old 98’ Honda Civic, never know when it’s gonna blow up…I tread this device like it’s a mine field every day, powering on, volume zero, plugging in. When done, volume zero, plug out, turn off. This is insanity lol.
It can blow itself up, just please don’t take my Susvaras with it…
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Hello hifiDJ,
Your posts on this subject have all been so correct (and, so helpful). As confirmation, here’s what I just got in an email from Ryan, who is tech support at Burson in Australia.
"Hi Lee,
I apologize for any confusion caused.
Please refer to the image below to find which is the left and right input for the XLR connection."
Being technically challenged, I wasn’t able to copy the image he included, but here’s what it depicts. A Burson Soloist 3xp is shown from the rear, and looking west to east this is what it looks like. #1, above the first XLR input is the capital letter R (i.e., Right, aka positive channel cable connection). And above the second XLR input is the capital letter L (i.e., Left, aka negative channel cable connection). #2, there are no added letters or symbols for the RCA terminals–which makes sense, as these were never in question. And #3, above the first pre-amp XLR output is the capital letter R and above the second pre-amp XLR output is the capital letter L.
So everything you said in response my questions was absolutely correct.
With luck, maybe Burson will add the R and L references Ryan sent me to future versions of their Soloist 3xp housing and instructions. I’m sure their customers would find it helpful.
For now, thanks again hifiDJ for your expert assistance. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate it…Lee
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Hi Haasaaroni,
Great post. Thanks for your insightful, helpful comments–today as well as last week. I have a lot to say in return, but first would like to ask a few more short questions.
What DAC are you using with your Soloist 3xp?
What interconnects are you using? And are they XLR or RCA?
What headphones cables are you using, first on your Auteur, and second on your Aeolus?
Thanks again…Lee
Sure!
Let’s see…interconnects are both Morrow MA1, XLR into the Soloist and RCA into the Crack, both fed by a Bifrost 2. Also the BF2 is using a Pangea power cable, the Crack is using the Bottlehead DIY cable, and the Soloist the Super Charger. I’ve found the bottlehead cable to make an especially noticable difference.
For headphone cables, I was using the single ended output of the Soloist (I have balanced cables for the ZMF’s but they’re just the stock cables). The Auteur has a Forza Noire Hybrid cable and the Aeolus has a ZMF OFC.
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Hi Aaron,
Based on info from the internet and comments on this thread—especially yours and from hifiDJ—I bought a Soloist 3XP over the week-end. It arrives Thursday and will replace my Schiit Jotunheim in a system that also includes a good Marantz CD player, RME ADI-2 fs and Beyer A20 amp.
I’ll be using the 3XP for some of my ortho’s that sound best with a lot of power (like your Arya) as well as some other low impedance favorites such as the Audio Quest NightOwl (with a Cardas Clear light cable) and Focal Clear (with a Forza Noir HPC cable and Dekoni earpads). But from what your post said yesterday, it sounds like my Aeolus will go well with it too.
Before buying the new Soloist I looked at upgrading both the Jotunheim and A20 with Moon Audio cables, their Black Dragon XLR’s and RCA’s respectively. And before that I tried using some of my Pangea, Cardas Cross and FanMusic cables. But the Moon Audio Black Dragon interconnects really outshined all three, so you might want to consider them to get some fairly substantial improvement from your Soloist and/or Crack. I know these cables to be very good, as they also sound great with my Sennheiser HDV 820 amp and WA6 with Woo Audio’s upgraded tube set.
Another thought you might want to consider is getting another Forza cable—the Noir HPC. I use it with my Aeolus and their Noir Hybrid with the Auteur. I tried both cables with both headphones and liked that combination best. I use the Auteur for instrumental music, mostly classical, and it’s wonderful—especially on the Senn HDV 820 which has 270 ohms of output impedance and really makes them sing. The Aeolus I use mostly for vocals, and the Noir HPC is a great match to them. Since you already have the Hybrid, you know Forza makes a good cable. Before getting the Forza’s, I had the ZMF stock cable, their OFC upgrade and also their next level copper upgrade—none of which came close to the Forza for SQ or flexibility.
In a related vein, if you are ever in the market for another amp, consider the Beyer A20 if you can find one. As several people have posted on this thread, Zach himself thinks very highly of this amp with his ZMF headphones, in part I’d guess because the A20 has 100 ohms of output impedance. As you mentioned in a prior post, that’s important for driving the Auteur and Aeolus. Your Bottleneck Crack, I found, has 120 ohms. And the ZMF Pendant has 300. Other high impedance amps I have include the WA6, which has 50-60 ohms in high gain, and the Schiit Valhilla 2 OTL amp with 1960’s NOS Telefunkin tubes has 14 ohms in high gain. Another good aspect of the A20 is that it has 2 single ended outputs and enough power to fully drive the Auteur and Aeolus at the same time. Plus it sounds really good with the Black Dragon interconnects. I first learned of the A20 in 2019 when I read that the Beyerdynamics reps used it at shows and exhibits to demo their headphones, instead of their more expensive A2 amp (which I think is priced at about $1200). Beyer was closing out the A20 about then and I got it on Amazon for about 50% off at a little less than $350. (It sounded so good with my original Beyer T1, the T2S and DT880 that I bought a second A20 as backup). Finally, the A20 is still in production. It too has dual single ended outputs and I think a switch for lower impedance headphones.
Finally, a question about the Super Charger you have for your Soloist. About how much, in rough percentage terms, would you say it improves the sound of your 3XP? I know electricity is important and therefore use Furman power conditioners for all my rigs. But the Super Charger is specifically built and matched for Burson amps, and I might want to consider it if you feel it gives a lot of improvement.
Sorry if I’ve written too much here Aaron. And thanks again for all your helpful comments…Lee
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Thanks Lee! This is super helpful actually. I’m not really looking to upgrade my system at the moment (trying to treat my own case of “upgrade-itis”), but I’ll keep in mind your comments about the black dragon interconnects, a20, and noire mkII cable (which I have been considering, especially given how stiff and microphonic the OFC cable is). What do you find the black dragon does for the sq over other interconnects?
And you know, I wish I could tell you the difference between the stock adaptor and the supercharger, but I got a good deal on both as a package and went straight with the supercharger. From what I’ve read it smooths out the treble response a bit, which is needed a little with those V6 vivid opamps. I’d say that if you hear the treble a but uneven, the supercharger would be a good investment. I’m also using a power conditioner btw, from Emotiva. It made a noticeable difference in my whole system that I wasn’t expecting.
You’ll be super happy with the 3xp with your ortho’s. I’m curious to hear your impressions!
Happy listening,
Aaron
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