So small compared to the Burson op-amps…lol
Thank you for the pic!
Are you still using low gain on your stellia? I tried out medium gain on my clears (just because…) and it sounded slightly different. In particular, I found the clears to be more intimate and bass was slightly higher in quantity. In low gain, mids are recessed slightly and soundstage seemed to increase (probably due to the recessed mids). I’m guessing it’s because of the output impedance…maybe? Then again I don’t have anything to match volumes…
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I was using the Stellia mostly on low gain, but I tried it on medium gain just now, with Steve Earle’s Guitar Town (which is a “thin” 80’s digital recording) and that particular song does sound a little better on medium. The bass seems a little more well defined. Having said that, I have been enjoying the Stellia on low gain.
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I see, thanks for trying that out!
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As I just received Playmate 2, Conductor 3X Reference and Soloist 3XP/Composer 3XP combo, I will test those in terms of sound quality vs. price. Burson told me the Soloist 3XP/Composer 3XP combo is supposed to be the best in the line up which makes sense as those are specialized devices vs. integrated solutions. I will give my impression soon.
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I am curious how that composer dac is…right now I have my soloist fed through an rme which already sounds great. But maybe the soloist/composer might have better synergy.
I don’t have another non-Burson DAC to compare with unfortunately, but I would assume, they match their stuff as good as possible.
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Question to everyone:
I am planning to use mostly IEMs with the Bursons. I have 2.5mm to 4 pin XLR adapters for that. Obvious, that won’t work on the Playmate 2 with only 6.35mm single ended outputs. I would need a 2.5mm to 6.35mm adapter for that which is quite exotic. I refrain from using 2 adapters though as it hampers sound quality and usability.
Now to my questions:
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Do you have any advice connecting IEMs in terms of precautions, settings etc.? Don’t want to damage stuff…
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Do you have any suggestions regarding connecting 2.5mm balanced to 6.35mm single ended?
As always, big thanks in advance! I much appreciate the support of the forum. 
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One solution is the hart cables and interconnect set. It’s basically a set of cables for your headphones, that ends in a mini xlr. Then they sell sets of adapters that go from mini xlr to a large variety of jacks.
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Great. Thanks. I will look into it.
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Ok. I just setup the Conductor 3XR and looked into the manual. I figure for IEMs, one probably wants to go for low gain, right?
The manual says “gain” , but the menu on the device only has “HEA level”.
That the same? 
Where I come from, you are perceived more thrustworthy in our capital if you have a rural accent and not a local more intellectual accent. So… 
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Yeah low gain would be the one to use for iems…
Don’t know what HEA level is so I’d email Burson–their manuals aren’t the most comprehensive…
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Bursons answer: “That’s headphone amp gain level”.
Remark: They have great customer service indeed. Reply comes quick and reliable.
Thanks to Alex from Burson Audio!
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I would start on low gain with low or zero volume, and then raise the volume to get a feel for where it needs to be for your IEMs. Hopefully I’m not misquoting, but I believe @Torq posted recently that it’s better to turn the volume down to zero before plugging or unplugging an SE connector like 3.5mm or 6.35mm because those types of connectors have a risk of shorting. I actually hear a slight crackle in my Soloist when I plug or unplug my headphones using an SE cable, so I need to remember to do that going forward, although it’s not an issue for me now that I almost universally use my balanced cable.
How long do you have your Burson amps? If it’s just a few weeks, you may want to order something cheap from somewhere like Amazon. Once you’ve decided which amp to keep, you may find you no longer need that adapter, e.g. if you keep the Soloist or Conductor, then you can use the balanced output.
The Burson customer service team is really good, and very friendly. I’ve sent them a few questions and their turnaround is quick.
Just as an FYI, in case you’re interested, I asked them if the amp was designed in such a way that it was better to use balanced vs SE inputs or outputs. They replied that the combination of balanced in and out should sound the best, but the differences in sound quality would be slight. Balanced out is better if you have a headphone that needs power, because the amp’s power is doubled. And that’s what I found in practice too, that it couldn’t really tell much of a difference using my Stellia and Verite. (LOL, not trying to open up a can of balanced vs SE worms that was previous sealed tight, just repeating what the manufacturer told me!)
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Don’t forget plugging into balanced is much more satisfying–well, at least to me. lol
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Wow. What an comprehensive answer. Thanks a lot! I usually go for balanced with my IEMs / DAPs and with most IEMs, the gain in sound quality ranges from noticeable to substantial.
Right now I only have adapters to connect the in-ears to balanced via XLR which works just fine.
Yes, there is sort of a slight cracking/popping nose when plugging the IEMs in. And there’s always a certain noise floor which disappears once music is played.
So far it works fine and the sound quality is great.
Still waiting for my Clear which should arrive tomorrow. That’s the second over-ear I had in 15 years. First was and still is an old K701. I loved the sleek design. I just don’t like those big and clunky looking black cans. So I went for Focal. I really dig their design approach. And from what I heard, SQ is great too. We’ll see…
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Quick question for soloist owners…do you hear a popping sound when you connect headphones via balanced? I emailed Burson and they said that it’s normal and harmless to the headphones. Just wanted to confirm if it’s the same experience…thanks!
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Yes, I get the popping sound with balanced.
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Thanks for confirming!
Last I heard you had a soloist review that was buried somewhere in your computer…haha
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