Burson Conductor 3 Reference

Burson Audio Conductor 3 Reference Review:

Over the past few years I've been afflicted with the op amp rolling bug. Similar to tube rolling, you can alter the sound of an amplifier by changing its op amps. The pursuit of the best sound (for me) led me to try 44 different op amps in the XDuoo XD-05+ portable amplifier until I found "the one". The winner in that setup was the Burson V6 Vivid, as it had the most engaging, detailed, and realistic sound of all the op amps I tried. After hearing how good the V6 Vivid was I started looking at higher end Burson amplifiers to see how far they could push that V6 sound. This led me to the Burson Conductor 3 Reference (C3R) which includes 4 V6 Vivid op amps inside.

The Conductor 3 Reference is Burson's flagship all in one DAC, Headphone amp, and preamp. There's two variants, the single ended Conductor 3 Reference (C3R) and the balanced 3X Reference. For my purposes I chose the single ended version as I wanted to use all of my headphones to their max potential (including those that are SE only). I also like the practicality of using one high end headphone cable across all sources instead of having to swap cables every time I want to use a different device. Now that I've spent a lot of time with the C3R, below is my review. Specs and is well documented in other reviews, so as usual I'll just be focusing on features, usability, & sound.




A quick note about my sound preferences so you know what I'm looking for in a headphone amp. My ideal sound is one that is completely clear but never bright, maximum sound stage, most detail possible, most separation possible, hard hitting textured sub bass, natural sounding instruments, and natural impact on every note. No soft or laid back listening here. I want everything to sound natural and engaging with maximum spatial cues all around.

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Unique or Special Features:
Most amplifiers have similar inputs, specs, and features. So instead of listing out all the C3R can do, I'm only going to focus on what is different or mostly unique. After all, there's a lot of amplifier choices out there, so what matters most will be what an amplifier does different from the rest:

7.5W of single ended output power at 16 Ohm (5W at 32 Ohm). Most amplifiers only output large amounts of power in balanced mode, so it's a bit rare to see this amount of power in a single ended setup. With this much power you know for sure your headphones are going to be driven to their max potential.

Remote Control: Yes, a lot of amplifiers do have remote functionality, but a surprising amount of amplifiers do not. This is absolutely critical if you are planning on using a headphone amplifier in a home theatre setup.

Swappable op amps to fine tune the sound to your liking. I can't stress how big this is, as it changes the potential of the amplifier quite a bit. When buying a high end solid state amplifier you research as much as possible, reading reviews to get an idea of how it will sound. You make the purchase, burn the amplifier in, then find that the sound is close but not quite what you had hoped for. You've then got the dilemma of whether to send it back and try a different amp, or hopefully get used to the sound over time. An even worse scenario is if after enjoying the amplifier for a year or two you simply decide it's time for a different sound. Being able to change the op amps fixes all of these issues as you can alter the sound as your tastes change. As long as the base unit has a very good DAC implementation and enough clean power delivery, you can change the tone, sound stage, and overall presentation to fit your tastes at any given moment.

Microphone input: I personally don't have a use case for this feature, but I'm sure there are others out there that will benefit from this. Quite interesting to see in a high end product.

Two headphone outputs: This may sound odd, but this is wonderful for comparing headphones, cables, and also a perfect Y splitter for two individuals who want to watch a late night movie without disturbing others.

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Usability:

The C3R is easy to use, but does have a few odd quirks here and there. No deal breakers, just the experience isn't as smooth as it could be in some spots. In the end it's easy to ignore any issues since they are minor and brief

• Digital Volume: The volume is digital, and the volume steps are very small. It's very easy to get to your exact desired listening level.

• Numerical OLED Display: The volume is displayed numerically, and is saved when you turn off the unit. Thanks to this it's easy to get right back to your exact desired listening level. At all times the display will show you the volume, input, output, and bitrate. The system does not let you turn off the screen, but you can set it to low brightness. Low brightness is just right for me in both light and dark environments. The display is clear and easy to read from a distance.

• Smooth Scrolling Overly Sensitive Volume Knob: The volume knob is a bit too sensitive in the way it registers changes. Not that it changes the volume too fast, just that the slightest of movement will register as volume up or down. It's so sensitive that as you are turning the volume up the system will occasionally register the stopping movement as turning the volume down. So you will be turning the volume up and occasionally see it go down by one step in the process. Since the volume doesn't change too rapidly this isn't a big deal, just not ideal. The knob feels good, turns smooth, and is not too finicky with the sensitivity issue. Overall it's easy to fine tune your volume.

• Front Buttons: The buttons under the front display are input, output, settings, and display orientation. Gain is hidden in the settings menu. In my opinion the orientation button would have been better as a gain instead. To change gain you click on the settings button, press in on the wheel to select gain (luckily it's the first option), spin the wheel, and click the wheel in again. Not bad, but having gain as a button with an automatic decrease to zero volume on button press would be ideal.

• Remote Functionality: The remote case is solid metal and fairly small. It's just a bit bigger than your index finger (yes, we are all different but it gives you an approximation). It looks and feels fairly high end, but in actual use it is a bit unrefined. The remote buttons are a bit wobbly, click hard, and have a tendency to occasionally get stuck on the remote casing. It works though, no complaints with the effectiveness of it. The C3R responds swiftly and easily to any remote commands as you would expect in an IR remote (line of sight required). I used the stock remote to teach another universal remote the commands, and with that setup I have absolutely zero complaints. As for what the remote can do, it allows you to cycle the input, volume up, volume down, and mute. You cannot turn the unit on or off via the remote control, which isn't a big issue as you will likely be inserting or removing your headphones at the start and end anyways. In my experience most other amps with remotes don't seem to allow on/off either, so the remote setup here is fairly typical. Still, in a perfect world I'd like to control more via the remote (On/Off, gain, and specific inputs instead of an input cycle). Overall the basics are covered and they work well. I do love this as a feature as it can make or break some system setups.

• Low Gain: Low gain is great for everything. My sensitive headphones (115db per 1mW @ 32 ohms) reach my desired listening level (about 75dB) at volume 10 of 99. Moderately sensitive headphones (94dB per 1mW @ 32 ohms) are perfect at about 20/99. Demanding headphones such as the Hifiman Arya reach a good sound level around 60-80 depending on the source. Compared to high gain, low gain offers maximum detail and separation but at the trade-off of having the presentation sound leaner. For my sound preferences I prefer low gain.

• High Gain: High gain is a drastic change. The system doesn't reduce the volume level to zero when you change the gain, so if you go from low to high you will really want to turn the volume down to protect your headphones and hearing. High gain without an attenuator can really only be used by demanding headphones. On my moderately sensitive headphones volume level 0 is completely muted, and volume 1 is 80+ decibels loud. On the Hifiman Arya's a comfortable listening level is achieved at about 20-30. There's a lot of room left to spare on high gain; the C3R truly has a massive amount of power. For those that want to use high gain on their sensitive headphones, you can use an attenuator like the ifi ear buddy. When I tested my moderately sensitive headphones with the ifi ear buddy I reached a comfortable listening level at about volume 30. Compared to low gain, high gain trades out some detail and separation in favor of a much richer fuller bodied sound.

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Sound Impressions:

The sound of the C3R is heavily influenced by the installed op amps, so I'm going to be listing out the sound for each of the best op amp combinations that I've tried. Before getting to that I want to go over the general capabilities of the C3R, the baseline sound that is heard across all of the op amps. In short, the C3R offers hyper detail, layering, separation, stage, and really everything else you could ever want as an end game product. The DAC implementation is excellent, as the details you hear are beyond what is typically heard in this price range. The only criticism I can give here is that there is a faint audible background hiss with sensitive or moderately sensitive headphones when no sound is playing. This means that there will never be a completely true black background, but instead there's always a little hint of perceived warmth in the sound. Otherwise, the C3R is truly end game capable in all aspects. Any shortcomings or issues in one op amp setup is corrected with a different setup, so really the end sound is whatever you want it to be. All that said, let’s talk about different op amp combinations starting with the stock setup.

*Stock* V6 Vivid in both the LP and I/V stages:
The overall tone is warmer than neutral, definitely colored to noticeable degree. Added warmth will typically reduce detail, but in this case the detail isn't reduced at all. The micro detail is so good that when you hear someone play the flute you can hear the sound pressure being pushed into the flute as it's played. Every shift in tone of instrument is portrayed vividly with great dynamic range and impact. There's no flatness; when you hear an instrument play you can hear subtle dynamics that typically only exist in an actual live performance. There's zero compression, so every note is exactly as full and wide as it should be. General detail, layering, separation, dynamics, and timbre are all spectacular, reaching a point where I personally wouldn’t look for further improvements. The sound stage is top tier as well, with the borders disappearing as music is played. Notes just go wherever they are supposed to go, including full spatial effects of hearing noises behind and above you. The only area that isn't near perfection is a slight lack of sub bass texture. The stock configuration seems to emphasize mid bass over sub bass reducing the sub bass detail a bit in the process.

When the overall sound is 'correct', nothing really to fix, the next question is how is that sound presented? The V6 vivids have a fairly close presentation. Vocals are typically presented right in front of you. The sound stage seems as wide, deep, and tall as it should be, just you will just typically notice sounds being close to you unless if they are intended to be farther away in the recording. In my opinion this is the best type of presentation as it increases how engaging the sound is. When sounds are further away by default, you get an increased airyness but with a more laid back sound, closer to background music. It's easier to get into the music when the presentation is closer and more vivid.

In summary, the Stock C3R setup is an end game for someone who likes a warm sound signature, a close presentation, and an emphasis in dynamics on each note. I'm an individual who really likes a crystal clear sound, but even then I really like the stock sound. I was tempted to leave the C3R as-is without trying any other op amp configurations, but as always with this hobby the pursuit of 'perfect' pushed me to try a few different op amps. My end goal was to find the exact stock sound just with the warmth removed.

Sparkos SS3601 (Singles) and SS3602 (Duals):
Seeing that the Sparkos op amps are supposed to be clearer and brighter than the V6's, this was the first combination I tried. The main difference here is that the warmness of the V6 Vivids is completely removed to just a hint brighter than neutral, and all sounds are presented further away. This changes the presentation from a close immersive experience to more of a 'listening to music in front of you' experience. Another way of putting it is that the stock configuration is like listening to a band play in a small studio setup, whereas the Sparkos setup is like listening to a band play in a large concert hall. Both setups have the sounds in the correct placement, with correct separation between them, just they are presented almost with different acoustics. One other smaller difference is that the V6 Vivids have a little more impact on every note, and the Sparkos clear up any issues with the V6 Vivid bass. Otherwise the general sound (details, separation, etc..) is comparable and with that is excellent. Personally I like the clearer sound of this configuration with the increased sub bass texture, but I miss the close presentation and note impact of the V6 Vivids. This is end game perfection for someone who wants their amplifier to put out a bright clear sound where the presentation is pushed out a little bit. This would be perfect to pair with headphones that are a bit warmer than neutral that also have a close presentation.

Burson V6 Classic (Singles) and V6 Vivids (Duals):
This adds a little more warmth to the stock configuration, pulls the sound even closer to you (you are now IN the sound), adds more micro detail to each note, and fixes all bass issues compared to stock. In terms of hearing individual instruments play this is my favorite combination. Each note becomes quite beautiful in the way it's presented. Another way of putting this is that often in music you are waiting for that chorus line, or a specific series of notes to make you really enjoy the music. With this setup every basic note becomes that immersive and enjoyable experience. What you lose in this setup is some stage depth, especially behind you, and a little separation due to the warmth. The sound is a little more two dimensional versus the stock setup. I'd say this is end game perfection for someone who wants a warm rich presentation where the priority is on instrument reproduction.

Burson V6 Vivid (Singles) and Sparkos SS3602 (Duals):
The strengths of the V6 Vivid mixed with the strengths of the Sparkos, but with emphasis on the Sparkos presentation. Presentation is pushed out a bit, tone goes to neutral if not just the slightest hint brighter than neutral. The sound is clear, and the details just swirl around you as a full 3D experience on headphones that are capable of it. End game for someone who wants a clear sound, maximum perceived detail, maximum spatial cues, and likes their presentation to be pushed out a bit.

Burson V6 Classic (Singles) and Sparkos SS3602 (Duals):
Presentation is very close (again, you are IN the sound thanks to the V6 classics), tone is warm, bass is fully textured, and instrument reproduction goes to the next level. Only problem is that the weakness of the V6 classics is still present. There's a lack of depth in the sound stage, and the warmth isn't quite ideal if you are looking for a clear presentation. End game sound for someone looking for a warm experience focusing on instrument reproduction, but where they want a little bit of warmth removed from the V6 Vivid + V6 Classic setup.

Sparkos SS3601 (Singles) and Burson V6 Vivid (Duals)
Again the strengths of the V6 Vivid mixed with the strengths of the Sparkos, but this time with an emphasis on V6 Vivid presentation. Tone is absolutely neutral and clear without being bright or harsh. Notes are placed fairly close to you, not as close as the full V6 Vivid setup, but close enough that the sound is still plenty engaging. Notes get the full warm texture of the V6 Vivids while being clear and precise from the Sparkos. Overall this is just about the best of all worlds to me. If I could further perfect this sound I would add the instrument reproduction of the V6 classic and pull the sound in just a bit more, but otherwise this sound is pretty close to ideal for my tastes. This is the op amp combination that I’m sticking with, and recommendation for someone who wants a sound that is clear, not bright, ultra-detailed, layered, with a fairly close presentation.

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Sound Comparisons around the same price range (Stock C3R)

Questyle CMA Twelve:
The CMA Twelve is a fairly typical "AK" DAC sound presentation done very well. Compared to the C3R, the CMA Twelve pushes out the sound just a bit leading to more laid back listening experience. Detail and separation is close, with the C3R having a slight amount more. Sound stage is presented a little differently where the CMA Twelve is wide to the sides and pushed out in front like a half circle. The C3R stage limit just kind of disappears as the sounds go all around you, seeming to just go wherever they need to go. In terms of tone the CMA Twelve is flat neutral and very full sounding, whereas the C3R is on the warm side with a little less body to each note in low gain. Another difference is that the C3R doesn't feel limited in any way, whereas the CMA Twelve could use just a hint more power for demanding headphones. I wouldn't say that the either amp is technically better than another here, both are plenty capable offering differing flavors of an end game sound. All AK449X DAC's I've tried all have the same general sound, and the CMA Twelve is more of the same in that regard. So if your ideal sound is that AK house sound, then the CMA Twelve could be that ideal amplifier for you. Otherwise the C3R offers more detail, more power, a different presentation, and the ability to fine tune the sound to your tastes.

Cyrus One HD:
Tone wise both are surprisingly similar with the Cyrus being less clear compared to the C3R. The presentation on the Cyrus is pushed a little forward and up on the Cyrus which leads to a more diffused and less impactful sound. The sounds being pushed out also leads to the impression of a sound stage that is less wide on the Cyrus, as lateral sounds are pushed a bit forward instead of to the sides. Details are clearly better on the Burson, whereas the bass is moderately better textured and impactful on the Cyrus. Presentations aside, the C3R feels like a clear step up from the Cyrus One HD, which says a lot as the Cyrus One HD is a wonderful listening experience as-is.

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Closing Notes:

The Conductor 3 Reference has several unique things going for it, whether it’s the immense single ended output power, two headphone ports, or swappable op amps. The stock sound is warm, detailed, and has an engaging close presentation. The sound is excellent as-is, but if you decide to change the op amps then there are plenty of different end game flavors that you can try until you find your ideal sound. With this headphone amp I am retiring from the never ending upgrade-itis, as I’m finally at a sound where my mind can relax and enjoy the music instead of nitpicking that something isn't quite right. With the C3R I don’t feel the need to find something ‘better’, or improve any aspect to make the sound complete. The Conductor 3 Reference is my recommendation as an end game solid state headphone amp.

Burson Conductor 3XP ($1344): Burson just keeps producing winners



Conductor 3XP

Having reviewed the Play, Bang and Fun along with various OpAmps from Burson when the opportunity came through as tour to review a ware of the Conductor variety, I jumped. And if it was anything like the other fine wares of Burson, it would not only be a treat but worth a good long listen. From what I had read of the others in the line, the reviews were good, very good. And upon my initial listen, I can concur with those findings. Read on for the in-depth report.

I thank @Barra for the tour, and @Burson for the use and review of their product. The sample will be sent to the next reviewer after my time. I have not monetary gain from this, and I spent a total of approximately 100 hours of listening through the devices listed below.


Specs:




In the box: see above

Gear used/compared:

XDuoo TA-30
iFi Pro iDSD

MacBook Pro
Shanling M6 Pro
XDuoo X10T ii

ZMF Eikon
Audeze LCD3
Verum Audio Verum 1
Empire Ears Legend X
Mr. Speakers Aeon Flow Closed



Songs:

Dave Matthews-Come Tomorrow, Away From The World
Big Head Todd & The Monsters-Beautiful World, Midnight Radio
twenty one pilots-Blurryface, Trench, Regional at Best
Van Morrison-Three Chords & The Truth
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Ziggy Marley
Damien Marley
Bob Marley
Santana
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Whatever my fancy of the moment


Unboxing:

It’s a Burson, its packed and protected well, and it has what you need: The Conductor, a remote, the power cord. What more do you want? Or need? Use your own cables.



Construction/Build/Connections:

The Burson as per other models has a small footprint, which belies what goodies lie inside. What is different is that this is not your typical black box. No, this one is styled to showcase your desk at work, your workstation, or your listening area. With a multitude of connecting options, the Conductor would and does fit well pretty much everywhere.

In place of the typical aluminum black box, the case is replaced with what Burson calls the “Cool Case.” The whole case of electroplated space gray colored aluminum acts as a unified heat sink for the pure Class-A amplifier. Not really a novel idea, as this has been used for pretty much decades on high-end stereo amplifiers. But here, it not only looks good, but serves a purpose. Substance and style formed together to make a worthy desktop addition.

As per the Burson line-up, changing OpAmps is not only acceptable, but easy and is done in under five minutes just like the others. Burson now carries not only their OpAmps on the company website, but worthy options from other manufacturers can be purchased right next to the fine Burson ones. It’s kind of like having a tube amp from a manufacturer and getting various options of tubes as well. Or going to the Kit Kat factory and having a Reese’s Peanut butter Cup for sale right next to it. A cool idea, and it works.



Other inside notables are that this would be considered the “competition” version of the range, as opposed to the luxury version (the 3XR). Think of a stripped SCCA Miata versus the one “with the works” and you get the point. But as with the Miata examples, the main components, the ones that matter, are still there: power, control and a good amount of connectivity. Just not every version in the book, unlike the 3XR and the iFi Pro iDSD. In thinking and analyzing that, I’m OK with that because it worked with what I wanted, and it worked as well or better than some here. More connectivity is a good thing, but not if “it adds weight.”

This is probably the best sounding version of a SABRE chip I have heard as well. The 3XP uses the SABRE32/ESS9038Q2M DAC and XMOS USB receiver chips with a customized USB driver by Thesycon in Germany to ensure low latency bit-perfect audio playback. It just works, and it sounds fabulous from the off. Variations from the 3XR include a different power source (which the more I get into this makes a big difference in how the power is delivered to the amplifier end, just ask anyone on the tube side of things...), no analog inputs and a bit less power. But just like the stripped SCCA Miata, it does not seem to matter. Anything I listened to through the 3XP sounded good, without sounding underpowered in the least. I expected this, and it came to fruition time and time again. Starting along with the Vivid OpAmps, the 3XP lacked only those extra inputs, which come on the 3XR. As listed below though, it still had plenty and runs BT aptx HD, which is as good as it currently gets. Alas, no MQA is had within the confines of the 3XP. But, in my opinion that should not necessarily discount the purchase of said unit, for the sound will indeed make up for it in other ways.


The 3XP is built exceptionally well, as one would hope for the price and level and I saw no flaws. It is also a good-looking unit, with the aesthetics working well together. On the front, you have the small on/off button furthest left. A bit small for my tastes, it worked, nonetheless. Next to that is an XLR connection, which I personally was looking forward to using. Starboard of that you have the 6.3se and 3.5se jacks. Then a reasonably large LED display, which gives a decent look at the sub-menus changeable from the volume knob with a push.

The owner uses the small button on the far right to access the menus, and by pushing the volume button, the “active” sub menu can be changed by then using the volume button like you would raise or lower the volume. Not entirely intuitive, but once through my fumbling, I was able to change filters, input and other options easily. The back contains the connections and is easy to decipher. This is a good-looking, workable unit.



Sound:

I will mesh sources and headphones throughout this section, as I feel the freedom of listening outweighs the efficiency of organizing what I used and on what source.

Starting with the MacBook Pro & ZMF Eikon, I was immediately impressed with the clarity and rich nature of the sound. I will note that the unit arrived with the volume set at “1,” and Bill recommended I start it there, especially with sensitive IEM’s. Since I started with harder to drive headphones, I settled on about 15, raising it to 20-25 for some hard-working songs as I jammed. Not having MQA on Tidal was a bit of a letdown, but no matter; the sound was superb.

Sometimes things such as “balanced” or “MQA” might seem to sway people with “better” sound, but the 3XP seems not to care about fancy words (except balanced). For you see it just plays. Throw on a different filter for an effective change in tonality and it works. Automatically reading the recording frequency (as most do...), it just plays. Richness exudes from pretty much any song played through the combination. Nicely detailed as well, the mids do sing a nice song. And to top that off, the treble has a pleasant sound without being overwhelming or grating. Not really sparkly either, it satisfies these ears just right. I do not feel cut off or of any hiding up top either. Again, the overall signature emits a wonderful synergy that if one were to be truly picky and pick apart might be different.

But the 3XP must (and should) be taken as a whole entity. Too often of late a source may sound fabulous at some level, or individual tones, but fail to sway at the overall picture part. Here thankfully, the 3XP promotes, provides and permeates a full-on richness of signature that is detailed, crisp and has a certain cleanliness that not many can match.

Bumping the volume to 40, I relish the sound from Feynman in 1-800MYLOVE. The artificial trap set, and vocals are healthy and vibrant up top without being strident. The piano-chords hold the mids as the clapping comes in, and the bass drum and bass hold the bottom together without being boomy or loose. There is a tightness to this song anyway due to the instruments of choice, but the detailed piano chords lend a naturalness (even if artificial) to an otherwise artificially produced song.

Soundstage is about as even a box as I have heard of late. Not huge, but certainly not minuscule either, the width is about ideal for the songs played. As is height and depth. A bit taller than deep, I do wish for a bit more depth with this setup. Then Air comes on and all is pretty much well. Recorded to be more forward and higher of reach it does make me reach for the volume, lowering it 6 slots to 34. Still magnificent of presentation, the 3XP is growing well on me.



Moving to the LCD3 next, I found the song a bit brighter. More of a mid-centric than the Eikon, it did take a bit of time to adjust. Until the bass hit. The Audeze bass is near-legendary in the planar world, and the 3XP was glad to oblige and aid in repping it well. Almost a bit too forward before adjusting to the sound, the LCD3 quickly became one of my favorites on the Burson. I could see someone listening to this combo and realizing, “yep, I made a great purchase,” with regard to either the Burson or Audeze they fit together so well. The mids do seem a bit too elevated here, but it could just as well be the song. Due to circumstances, I did not accumulate nearly the same amount of time listening to this pairing as the Eikon (family and not wanting to intrude...). But I did have two full evenings of listening to verify what I heard. This is a magnificent duo. Repeatedly listening to Billie Eilish’s wish you were gay, I found her voice intoxicating and coming from a spot inside my head, which was all but sensual. The bass kicking in made the song go over the top in the best possible way, and her verbiage of words made for a satirically sad song all at once. She is such a hugely talented artist, that even after listening to many of her songs over and over, I still feel that I do not understand her enough to warrant decent conversation. She is phenomenal.

Switching to the more familiar to me Implicit Demand For Truth, I stopped writing, kicked the volume up, grabbed my Logboat Brewing Bobber Missouri Lager and listened. A cacophony of sound emits at the 1:35 point, which could be troublesome for many sources (it is complicated by nature), but the 3XP just plays. Discerning small differences does not matter, for the complicated song is meant to be enjoyed as a cacophony of calcitrant concentration. I stopped again.

Switching to the Shanling M6 Pro via BT, the sound noticeably dropped. One would expect that to happen due to BT limitations, but I can happily report that gap continues to shrink. I did note some drop out in the sound as well. If this were to be used as a desktop setup with a dedicated DAP, I would add the correct connectivity to accommodate what should be a wonderful addition to the sound stream.



Comparisons:

Burson Conductor 3XP ($1344) vs XDuoo TA-30 ($799):

After hearing @Wiljen ‘s TA30, I arranged for my own from Linsoul at a reduced price in exchange for a forthcoming review. Needless to say, the TA30 is a fabulous unit with the ability to change tubes at a moment’s notice. That is the fun of having a tube amp, besides the sound of course.

There is a level of detail, which accompanies that tube-richness that is hard to beat in the TA30. It is such a fine amp at an “affordable” price that one would be silly not to look at it when trying to find a fantastic amp. I will admit that the mids are more forward than the 3XP, which can make the TA30 sound either too far in your face, or sound unnaturally “better” when comparing back-to-back. But when you listen, that overzealousness combines with the Mullard tubes up front to present a brilliant synergy.

Turning 1-800MYLOVE up, I relish the sound. Without the bass push of the 3XP, but the added rich layers make for an impressive sound. I do appreciate the mids more in the Burson, as they seem better held in control than the XDuoo. That could very well be down to the tubes used. While the Mullard’s are wonderful with a rich bass few tubes can provide, they do seem to push the mids a bit up and forward. Not that I mind, just different than the 3XP. Seriously, I’m quibbling over small bits of “error” between two fantastic amps. Listening to the XDuoo again makes me appreciate why I purchased it.

Where the Burson bests the XDuoo (and should, really) is in the cleanliness of sound. Playing Air over and over, I am amazed at the almost surgical quality of the sound. Think of the most precise drummer out there, technique-wise and that could very well be the Burson. Think of the XDuoo as the more fun-loving street drummer, who still has tons of precision in their repertoire. Just not on the level of the Burson.



Burson Conductor 3XP ($1344) vs iFi Pro iDSD ($2200ish):

The iFi is most likely the highest priced amp I will ever purchase. And for good reason. It has multi-connections like no one’s business, can be run as either a hybrid, full solid state or genuine tube, and can drive everything I have sent its way with aplomb. Not always the best match for some I have used with it, but that can be overlooked based upon what it DOES sound good with: the vast majority of my headphones and higher-tiered IEM’s, as well as the sources of which I prefer.

It is for that reason, after listening to it, I purchased the model sent for review. And I do not regret it. Deep reaching rich bass exudes from the sound chambers, but without being overly drippy or dank. There is no overriding tonality of cover here, just a warmth, which can be heard from a manufacturers TOTL, which happens to have that tubey sound of which I love as well.

Almost a more “delicate” sound is wrought from the iFi when comparing to the others, until you listen. That delicacy is detail. And detail of the near-highest order. This is an incredible amp with which to listen. Yes, it may seem to be full of gimmicks, but those are all necessary to wring the last amount of detail from a song. Don’t confuse politeness with shyness of quality. One need only turn the volume up to realize that the Pro can compete with the big boys and do so on their level.

That said, is it worth nearly twice the price? Well, that 2x price comes with more options than the 3XP has, along with a reference-level of sound, but on the warmer side. I still value and relish my listening through the iFi and it is just about the perfect complement to the XDuoo. Maybe, just maybe there is room for the Burson as well, due to the differing qualities of all three...



Conclusion:

It seems more and more often in today’s audio world, that more is better. More options, more power, more technology, more cost. Well to a certain degree that is correct. When one spends for premium gear, your expectations reach a certain zenith. A certain level above the “common gear.” That is not unfounded either. But here is the beauty of the Burson Conductor 3XP. It does cost a good penny or two, and in this day may seem unattainable. Or even frivolous. But one should still consider the 3XP, because when placed against similar items costing up too many times more, the 3XP simply goes about its business like the pure SCCA Miata mentioned above. It excels. It has the power. It has enough connectivity to make your system worth it. And, here to me is the best part; it has the sound to back all of that up. As stated above, this is the finest iteration of this SABRE chip of which mine ears have listened. This is one fine critter, even to these tired ears. And I would respectfully add that this is becoming a trademark (become?) of Burson products. Starting “years ago” with the Play and moving upscale, Burson has added that offense to the scheme, which should have the other manufacturers scrambling. This is not like the 1-year-spectacle known as the “Greatest Show On Turf,” no. This is more like the long-term excellence of the New England Patriots (love them or hate them you cannot deny their greatness, which pains me to say, and the simplicity of their dominance is something at which to marvel) or the newer breed of the Kansas City Chiefs (hopefully). Modifying one’s schema takes great courage, and perseverance to rear successfully. And here, is where Burson shares that characteristic with the Patriots and the Miata. Sometimes simple is better, and it works long term. The Burson Conductor 3XP is a patented picture of that perseverance and dedication to providing the end user (you and me) with the best they know how. And doing it in a fairly simple manner (which is most certainly not a knock on them, for it works), which is about as high a compliment as one can offer.



I thank Burson and @Barra for the opportunity to use as my own an extremely fine product. One in which had I the need, I would not hesitate.

BURSON AUDIO CONDUCTOR-3XP HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
AUG 18 WRITTEN BY K. HEARTSONG for AUDIOKEY REVIEWS


A TRANSPARENT, MUSICAL, POWERFUL BEAST (IN A DIMINUTIVE PACKAGE)!

Burson Audio, based in Melbourne, Australia, has been in operation for nearly a quarter of a century. Burson prides itself on “quality build, thoughtful circuit design, value for money and elegant, engaging sound.” Additionally, Burson Audio espouses a low-key marketing paradigm which does not include advertising and relatively little actual marketing and PR. It is easy to understand the desire not to advertise, however, in a world with so very, very many audio/headgear choices, is this then not a zero-sum game for Burson Audio (relative to its many competitors)?

Case in point, the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP, which we now consider a very musical “killer of high-priced giants,” was almost virtually unknown, even among audiophiles and headfiers (via a non-scientific survey). Perhaps a rethink of the marketing campaign might well help to address this unfortunate dilemma.

Our time with the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP allowed us great insight into its voice, its power, and its ease of use. Its voice—musical, transparent, powerful, and yet delicate—as we have discovered fits very nicely into our “wheelhouse.” Its power finds it delivering six (6) watts into a 16 ohm, balanced load and three (3) watts into a single-ended load of the same impedance. There are few, if any, headphones that will not dance/sing to its dictates. And despite the fact that its instruction manual is, well, truly bereft of detailed instruction, we found that employing the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP was fairly intuitive and straightforward.

The Conductor 3XP is, by all means, a desktop solution, whether at home or at work. Of course, when allied to “open” headphone designs it becomes a decidedly at home, desktop solution.

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the headphones actually sound and not the process of physically “undressing” them and/or laying out their various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.


THE SOUND

The Burson Audio Conductor 3XP embraces iOS, Android, Mac, and PC alike and to them it will deliver a powerful, yet delicate, musical, and transparent experience. For this review, I utilized the services of the Meze Empyrean, the oBravo EAMT-2C, and the FiiO FH5 to gauge the Conductor 3XP’s ability to both scale and to lift, respectively, products a great deal more expensive and products a great deal less expensive.

I listen now to Olafur Arnald’s Written in Stone (The Chopin Project, Mercury (Universal France)). A cello, violins enter and they are brooding and melancholy, the stage holographic. An electronic keyboard soon joins the mix and brings tone, timbre, and weight, that act as anchor. It is a slow-motion waltz, that is haunting, somber, beautiful. The Conductor 3XP, via this track, weaves an emotional pastiche of notes, weight, air, timbre, and tone, that appear to free the music from both headphones (Meze Empyrean) and the Conductor 3XP’s pleated, aluminum container. Perhaps it is the power of the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP and/or its transparency and/or its delicacy via the Meze Empyreans, that renders unfamiliar, that which is very familiar to me. Perhaps you too will begin the rediscovery of your media, as you engage the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP for your home, office, bedroom. I listen through Olafur Arnald’s “The Chopin Project” in its entirety, hooked on the music rendered via the Conductor 3XP. Natural and transparent are the words that remain center stage, as I listen to album after album with the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP.

The Conductor 3XP’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is quite large. It is wide, though naturally so, deep, and with excellent height. Impressive. There is a profound unity/cohesion across its frequency range, that one remembers when forced to contemplate it. Otherwise it is simply there as the music plays and draws you in, naturally, transparently.

BASS

I listen now to Eiji Oue's Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 III Lento assai (Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Reference Recordings) a long, beautiful movement interwoven with transitions, complexities, dynamic swings, and the rumblings of thunderous bass notes. And they are all handled with aplomb via the Conductor 3XP. The Conductor 3XP places us, the listener, in the concert hall amid the music’s raw power and thunderous bass. Yet, it lays bare the sweet and delicate extension of strings and woodwinds, achieving a musicality and sophistication far beyond its price point. The Meze Empyrean is, of course, grateful for the power and is responding accordingly—sublimely. In sum, the bass of the Conductor 3XP is powerful and has great transparency, speed, musicality, and separation.

MIDRANGE

I return to Olafur Arnalds, but this time the song is Árbakkinn (Island Songs, Mercury (Universal France)). In this piece Icelandic poet—Einar Georg Einarsson—recites one of his poems in his native language. The Burson Audio Conductor 3XP brings a clarity of articulation, transparency, and naturalness to Einarsson’s recital that is, to date, unmatched. A piano soon enters to accompany and its timbre and tone are as well natural, engaging, beautifully melodic. As Einarsson ends his recital, a cello and violins join the mix and their truth of timbre, their tonality are sweet and delicate and ethereal. There is an analog-like warmth and, yet, crystal clarity rendered across this track. The partnerships of the Conductor 3XP as allied to the Meze Empyrean and the oBravo EAMT-2C have been sublime, beautiful. In sum, the midrange of the Conductor 3XP is transparent, natural, rich with very good layering, and separation. Impressive!

TREBLE+

The Conductor 3XP’s treble is sweet, extended, never fatiguing, and possesses very good transparency, air, and drive. Vilda Frang’s Andante (Veress: String Trio - Bartók: Piano Quintet, Alpha) brings a quiet dissonance, as interspersed notes from violin, viola, and violoncello compete amid a black-quiet background. The clarity and extension and speed of rendering are very good, as are timbre and tone. The Conductor 3XP empowers a wondrous transparency and immediacy to this track. And the sense of space and air and separation are, likewise, beautifully portrayed.



THE WRAPPINGS AND ACCESSORIES

The Burson Audio Conductor 3XP comes in a rather plain, white, cardboard box. Only its top is printed and that is with the Burson Audio trade name/logo and its byline—“A Lavish Musical Experience,” which, in this case, proves to be quite accurate.

Inside, the box top lifted, one finds the Conductor 3XP in the front most part of the box. A second smaller box, a few inches in width, spans the rear of the larger box from left to right. In it are the various items as listed below:

1-Slim, aluminum remote
1-Power cable
1-USB-C (male) to USB-C (male) adapter cable
1-OTG Adapter
1-24V Power Unit
4-Vivid V6 Opamps


DESIGN—LOOK AND FEEL

The Burson Audio Conductor 3XP is wrapped in a pleated, space-grey, high-density aluminum case, whose top, bottom, and sides have been fashioned as heat sinks, which Burson refers to as its “Cool Case.” The “Cool Case” is said to reduce the overall temperature of its Class A dissipation by “three (3) times.” Though the Conductor 3XP’s “Cool Case” will, indeed, still get warm, it will not singe small hands, sniffing noses, or curious paws.

Its front panel, from left to right, bears a small on/off button an XLR, 6.3mm balanced, and a 3.5mm single-ended headphone-out (PO) sockets, a small digital display, a volume knob to its right, and a selector button on the far right above its remote-capture eye. The Conductor 3XP’s back panel features a BlueTooth (BT) antenna, three digital inputs—USB-C, Coaxial, Optical—and RCA Preamp/DAC and XLR Preamp/DAC outputs.

The Conductor 3XP comes with a slim, elegant, aluminum remote control, that sports a mute button, an input selector (USB-C, Coax, Toslink) and up and down volume controls.

The design is straight-forward, nicely proportioned, and industrial, as in clean and quite handsome. It is by all means a desktop solution, as it will decidedly not fit in one’s pocket and will add a nice bit of weight to one’s shoulder bag, backpack, purse, etc.


FUNCTIONALITY

The Conductor 3XP via its SABRE32/ESS9038Q2M DAC supports up to DSD512 and 38bit/786kHz audio. The Conductor 3XP also contains a Qualcomm/CSR8675 Bluetooth 5.0 receiver, which is capable of 24bit/96kHz play back and it includes the aptX audio codec.

The Conductor 3XP’s input options consist of a USB-C (PCM 32bit 786K / DSD512), Coaxial (PCM 24bit 192K), Toslink (PCM 24bit 192K), and Bluetooth (PCM 24bit 96K). The USB-C option, in our testing, was optimal and sounded by far the best and most powerful. Whereas Bluetooth was apt to sound good at much higher volume levels compared to USB-C, but was still unable to match the weight of the USB-C’s rendering. The Burson Audio Conductor 3XP, however, does not enlist MQA.

The Conductor 3XP also houses Burson Audio’s Max Current Power Supply (MCPS), which Burson explains as follows:

“A technology developed, owned and used exclusively by Burson Audio, the MCPS raises voltage frequency from 50Hz to 170kHz, pushing noise beyond human hearing. It completely overcomes the disadvantages of both linear power supplies and conventional switching power supplies, resulting in incredible dynamic and micro-details ([+] Learn More).”

Click to expand...

The Conductor 3XP is powerful enough to drive even the demigods of inefficiency with its 330mW of XLR power and 115mW Single-Ended into 300 Ohms.

It features a PreAmp Output with volume control and a DAC Out at 2V RMS at line level (no volume control). It has two Gain levels—High, Low. High provides a maximum of six (6) watts and Low provides a maximum of three (3) watts.

The Conductor 3XP makes available a number of FIR Filters, that help to tailor the sound profile. Additionally, the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP can have its overall sound changed dramatically via Burson’s own Opamps, which are “specifically designed to optimize audio performance” and to change the tonality. And there are a range of Burson Opamps—Vivid V6, V6 Classic, V5, V5i—to chose from.


THE SPECIFICATIONS

Input Impedance: 39kOhms
Frequency Response: ±1 dB 0 —58kH
THD: <0.0015%
Output Impedance (Headphone amp): 0.5 Ohm
Output Impedance (Pre Out / DAC out): 1 Ohm / 25 Ohm
Inputs: USB, Optical, Toslink, BlueTooth 5.0, Microphone
Outputs: 1 x XLR Preamp/DAC
1 x RCA Preamp/DAC
1 x 6.3mm Headphone
1 x XLR Headphone
Weight: 3kg (approximately)
Dimensions: 200 x 250 x 60mm
Impedance (Headphone Jack) Power XLR/SE
16 Ohm 6 / 3 W
32 Ohm 3 / 1.5W
100 Ohm 1 / 0.5W
150 Ohm 660 / 330mW
300 Ohm 330 / 115mW

DAC Specs.
Channel Separation: 142dB @ 1kHz, 135dB @20khz
THD+N: 0.0005% @ 1kHz, 0dBFS
COAX & Toslink/SPDIF: up to 24bit 192k
PCM Support: 768kHz @ 16, 24 or 32bits
Native DSD: DSD 64 / 128 / 256 / 512
Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD
(Qualcomm CSR8675)
DSD over PCM: DoP64 / DoP128 / DoP256/Dop512



CONCLUSION

The Burson Audio Conductor 3XP ($1,399) delivers a transparent, natural, and highly engaging, musical experience, well beyond its price point. Further, it is coherent from top to bottom, provides a dead-quiet background, a very generous soundstage, and it has the ability to simply disappear, which is rare regardless of price. However, that the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP does not lend itself to MQA, at its price point, is disappointing, as far less expensive DACs and DAC/Amps do so and quite well (AudioQuest DragonFlys, iFi Hip-DAC, etc.). And, perhaps, a more ‘instructive’ instruction manual should, at some point, be addressed. That said, the Burson Audio Conductor 3XP is highly recommended!

NOTE: Comparisons Coming Soon.


MUSIC—QUBOZ, TIDAL EXCLUSIVELY

Alexander Tharaud—Tharaud Plays Rachmaninoff
Omar Sosa—Ballads, Calma
Patricia Barber—Verse
Rickie Lee Jones—Pop Pop
Sade—Lovers Live
Sheku Kannah Mason—Inspiration
Tracey Chapman—Where You Live
Olafur Arnalds—Island Songs
Olafur Arnalds—The Chopin Project
Melody Gardot—My One and Only Thrill
Melody Gardot—My Worrisome Heart
Eiji Oue—Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
Hilary Hahn—Tchaikovsky
Mechell Ndegeocello—Bitter
Jordi Savall—Tous les Matins du Monde
Maxwell—Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite
Sarah Jarosh—Undercurrent
Igor Stravinsky—Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring)
Annie-Sophie Mutter—Mendelssohn, Brahms: Violin Concertos
London Grammar—If You Wait
Stevie Wonder—Innervisions
Miles Davis—Kind of Blue
Jóhann Jóhannsson—Orphée
Alexis Ffrench—Evolution
Dave Holland—Emerald Tears
Gidon Kremer, Daniil Trifonov, Giedre Dirvanauskaite—Preghiera/Rachmaninov Piano Trios
Joan Shelly—Joan Shelly
Magdalena Kožená—French Arias
Andy Bey—American Song
Erykah Badu—Baduism
Kronos Quartet—Kronos Caravan


ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT

Meze Empyrean
OBravo EAMT-2C IEMs
Final Sonorous III
FiiO FH5
Cayin N6ii/A01
Cayin N6ii/E01
Burson Audio Conductor 3XP
AudioQuest Cobalt
AudioQuest Red
AudioQuest Dragon Tail
Samsung S10
Apple X iPhone


THE COMPANY

Burson Audio
Melbourne, Australia
team@bursonaudio.com
www.bursonaudio.com

To start off I want to thank Burson Audio and head-fi for the gear tour of the Burson Conductor 3X Performance. I reached out to Burson Audio to see if I would be able to demo one of their amplifiers and they responded by inviting me to join the gear tour. Then I was honored with the opportunity to get an extended time with the Burson Audio Conductor 3x Performance before the tour officially kicked off. So a huge thank you goes out to @Barra, Burson Audio and head-fi for this experience. I am sad to see my time with the Conductor 3XP come to an end, wish I could keep it

I find that DAC and Amplifiers are very hard to review. I have an extremely hard time explaining all the ins and outs of the power and specs along with each and every function. The Conductor 3XP is fully loaded and I didn’t use all the functions but I will try in this review to tell you how I used it and what my experience was like.

So with all that out of the way, here is my attempt at a review.

The Burson Audio 3X Performance is a DAC/PreAmp/Headphone Amplifier. Please see the link for all the details and specs.
https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/conductor-3x-performance/








Gear I compared to the Burson Conductor 3X Performance:

iFi Audio Pro iDSD
MyTek Liberty

Build and Design:

The Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance is built incredibly well. I love the design of it as well. I find that the aluminum chassis is sexy to look at. The grooved body is so enjoyable to run your fingers up and down. The smoothest turning volume knob and the feel with the diamond cut sides to help grip it easily. The screen is easy to read even though it could be a little larger for my old man eyes. The layout of the headphone outputs is spaced out well. The backside layout is also spaced out, making it easy to connect all the interconnects and cables that you need. And on top of that you get this little aluminum remote that is built just as sexy and elegant as the amplifier. The volume knob is somewhat slow to move up and down the range but it feels so good while you do it. Also, the use of a function button by pressing the volume knob is clunky and can be unresponsive. Many times I found myself getting annoyed when I clicked the volume knob and selected and then clicked again to confirm but I accidentally turned the knob and changed my selection. Implementing a remote that allowed more function changes and selections would have been welcomed. Overall, Burson Audio did a fantastic job making the Conductor 3X Performance look gorgeous on a desk but also be functional and easy to connect.

Comparison:

In comparison to the iFi Audio Pro iDSD; build quality feels more premium on the Burson. Even though the iFi Audio Pro iDSD also has an aluminum chassis it just doesn’t ooze the sexy, elegant look and feel of the Burson. Design layout on the front is very well down on the Pro iDSD but the switches can be hard to move especially when cables are in place. The circle display of the iDSD is lovely and shows more information and is easier to read. The backside of the iDSD is stocked to the gills and can feel cramped when you have all your cables connected.

In comparison to the Mytek Liberty; the build quality again feels more premium on the Burson but the Mytek has this simplistic look and feel to it. I love the sexiness of the Burson but the simplistic design of the Mytek calls to me as well. The Liberty lacks any sort of display screen but makes up for it with an array of LED lights that dance around in a pleasing way. The back of the Liberty is limited and feels cramped when using all the connections. The volume knob on the Liberty is somewhat slow in ramping up or decreasing volume but the click and selection function is a lot more responsive and pleasing then the Burson.

Abilities:

The Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance is a talented DAC/Amp that can handle all the common tasks that you ask it to do. The inputs are plenty with Bluetooth, USB (type C), coaxial and toslink. The outputs include the headphone outputs 3.5mm, 6.35mm and XLR variety, XLR and RCA for the preamp and DAC. There are plenty of filters at the ready and also the ability to swap opamps. But for my time with the Conductor 3XP I just kept it simple and connected via USB and Bluetooth. I output via RCA to my Kanto Yumi speakers and used all the various headphone outputs, along with connecting via XLR to the THX AAA 789. The 3.5mm also has the ability to do a mic input but I didn’t test that. Overall there are plenty of inputs, outputs and extras to keep everyone happy. I barely used any of them as they just aren’t something that I use. There is plenty of power on tap for headphones of any kind, single-end is 3w and balanced is 6w class A. The ESS9038 DAC chip keeps it all running smoothly. The ability to decode MQA and DSD is also available.

Comparison:

In comparison to the iFi Audio Pro iDSD the Burson will seem limited. The iFi Audio has both solid state and tube stages that can flavor the sound to your desire. The MQA, DXD and DSD decoding is stepped up a notch as well with the ability to change if you want DSD turned off, DSD512 or DSD1024. Also the iFi Audio has all sorts of filters to play around with. Inputs are bountiful with USB, coaxial, optical, AES and BNC. Outputs are loaded also with headphone outputs of 6.35mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced, XLR and RCA for DAC/preamp. With the iFi Audio Pro iDSD there is no shortage of inputs, outputs and extras. I found that I didn’t use much of them at all as I stuck with USB input and used the headphone outputs.

In comparison to the Mytek Liberty the Burson will seem like it is overloaded. The Mytek Liberty inputs are AES/EBU, USB, Coaxial and Toslink. Outputs are a 6.35mm headphone output and TRS ¼ balanced output and RCA output. The Mytek Liberty has a MQA and DSD decoder and the Mytek app can be used to control various settings and outputs. The Mytek is simplistic but easy to use whereas both the Burson and iFi have more of a learning curve.

The meat and potatoes of a DAC/Pre/AMP review is how does it sound? Did I enjoy my listening sessions with the Burson Audio 3X Performance? Before we get into the overall sound performance a bit of explanation as to how I used the Conductor 3XP. I will be honest, I didn’t test the Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance with each and every input/output/filter/opamp as I don’t use those options on a daily basis. But here are my impressions on my listening sessions.

How I used the Burson Conductor 3X Performance:

The Conductor 3X Performance rested on my review desk on the top shelf within arms reach. It was connected via USB to my MSI Cubi. I also connected it via Bluetooth to my MSI Cubi, my Samsung Note 10 Plus, the Pioneer XDP 30R and Sony NW-A105. I used the PreAmp output to connect via RCA into my Kanto Yumi speakers. I also connected the XLR outputs to the THX AAA 789.

Headphones I used to review the Burson Conductor 3x Performance:

MrSpeakers Ether C
Hifiman Ananda
Meze 99 Classic
Sennheiser HD600
VibroLabs Curly Maple
Massdrop Empire Ears Zeus
Meze Rai Solo

(I also tested various others randomly but those listed above were the consistently used)

Sound:

The Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance is an outstanding sound that tickles my ears everytime that I turn it on. The musicality and detail retrieval of the Conductor 3XP is pleasant on nearly everything that I used in my testing. There are moments that the revealing nature of the Conductor 3X Performance was a little too much, especially when using my Sennheiser HD600. But the imaging and spatial awareness that the Burson provides is crazy good and my Sennheiser HD600 would have the instruments and vocals dancing around my head in an immersive and engaging way. Bass is tight and detailed, never comes off as bloated or mushy. The mids have a slightly warmer tone to them with clean and clear details. Treble is well extended and detailed. Vocals have a weight to them and are full of life. The upper mids and lower treble has an energy and sparkle that keeps the music engaging. The soundstage has a smaller size then I expected but it doesn’t sound intimate. There is excellent spatial awareness and imaging, within the soundstage it is very easy to place where everything is and how close or far away it is. Sounds travel with ease, there are no gaps or empty spaces in the stage. I found that I really enjoyed the MrSpeakers Ether C, Hifiman Ananda, VibroLabs Curly Maple and Meze 99 Classic on the Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance. The Sennheiser HD600 had wonderful moments at times and then others were very unpleasant with harshness and sibilance. I found that the Conductor 3XP was decent with IEM but you had to use an iFi Audio IEMatch to remove the hiss but overall the sound was adequate for the Massdrop Empire Ears Zeus and Meze Rai Solo but the Conductor 3X Performance wouldn’t be my first choice for them. When using the balanced output the more power hungry VibroLabs Curly Maple comes alive and benefits from the extra oomph but the overall sound signature stays the same. When using the output to my Kanto Yumi the sound is lush and full but is hard to judge as the Kanto Yumi are a very colored powered speaker. Going balanced output to the THX AAA 789 is a pleasant experience that removes a little bit of the sterile edge off the 789. Overall, the sound is very pleasing in a slightly warm, lush, engaging but detail revealing way that plays with nearly everything I played on it. The Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance played well no matter the source music but it scaled with better file quality.

Comparison:

In comparison to the iFi Audio Pro iDSD, has a more analogue sound and is more laid back but still has fantastic detail retrieval. All the various filters and DSD remastering options are fun to play with and offer different changes to the sound. Along with the ability to be ss or tube is also an unique option. I find that the iFi Audio Pro iDSD is easier to listen to and plays with all my gear without having those little moments of oof like I had with the HD600 and the Burson. But, I feel like the Burson is the better in this comparison when it comes to overall sound quality. Don’t get me wrong, the Pro iDSD is an excellent amplifier and sounds fantastic but I feel that the Conductor 3X Performance is the better performer when it comes to technical capabilities. The iFi Audio is a fun, engaging and smooth sound but it doesn’t portray the natural tones and timbre as well as the Burson Audio. The IEMatch capabilities of the iFi Audio Pro iDSD make it the better option in my opinion for using an IEM.

In comparison to the Mytek Liberty, there is something about the way the Liberty fits my personal sound preference that makes it hard not to be bias. Plus, being born and raised in the greatest state of the USA, New York, may also add to my bias. With all that being said, in all honesty, the Mytek Liberty is my favorite DAC/Amp setup. I find that the Mytek Liberty displays a sound that is clean and clear, natural and accurate with incredible tone and timbre and a soundstage that lays out in front of you a complete picture with depth and layering. The Burson has a little more flavor and fun factor but lacks the soundstage capabilities and matches on detail retrieval that of the Mytek Liberty. In my opinion both of these surpass the fun and engaging Pro iDSD with their technical prowess but the Liberty is the more natural sounding of them all. Like the Burson, the Mytek needs an IEMatch to play with IEM but I find that Mytek is more pleasant sounding and less prone to hiss and is my pick between the two for IEM use.

Conclusion:

To wrap all this up; there is a lot more to the Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance than it is possible to discuss here in this review. I find the Conductor 3XP to be a very capable DAC and amplifier. I love the fact that you have multiple inputs that all work and stay connected with ease. I love the fact that the build quality is top notch and it looks sexy sitting on your desk or audio shelf. I love that the ease of use is pretty much a plug-n-play experience. I love the sound that is presented; slightly warm, thick and tight, romantic, detailed and revealing. I love that the device is worthy of the asking price. In fact, the price was so tempting that I nearly opted for one. If I hadn’t purchased the Mytek Liberty,I would have purchased the Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance, no doubt about it. Yeah, I can recommend the Burson Audio Conductor 3X Performance as I believe it is an amazing device worthy of the price. For me, the Conductor 3XP nearly hit the bullseye, while the Mytek Liberty was spot on.

Pictures:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6rti4Ge5QJYzNdPr5

YouTube Review:



Discord: https://discord.gg/kxdvdUU
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4LG7Kqp_7f/

DBS Tech Talk research and review process: https://youtube/UkSnoZZNyYc

Audio Terms and Definitions: https://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/index.html

Recommended Gear:

Music recommendations:

Burson has created another winning product with their new Conductor 3 Reference product. No...that’s not good enough - consider my mind blown. I tried all Burson products from the bottom up and Burson never fails to blow me away with sound quality. Just when you think they have reached a pinnacle, they do it again. This takes everything good that I have already said about the Fun, Play, and the Playmate – my current personal favorite – and takes it all to another level.

Redefining the Audio Term “Reference”
There is a lot of jargon thrown around in audiophile circles that are meaningless – “Reference” being on of them. It is often associated with orchestra and classic genres and butterfly wings types of thinner detailed signatures. Many times for me this can be a nice way of saying boring, but checks all the marks. However, in a more general sense, it is supposed to be associated with the pinnacle of achievement or the one to measure all others. This second definition is how I see the Burson. At first listen, it can fit the boring category as it doesn’t have the color or character of a “Fun” signature – it just effortlessly does everything so right. Listening for issues, I cannot hear any. It sounds incredibly great, but doesn’t stand out in any way. Over time – as with any outstanding product – you start to hear things differently as you go through your library. They are subtle at first, but then as you get drawn in, you start to wonder how you never heard it that way before. The problem is when you go back to the way things were before you got used to the Conductor 3 Reference…”it ain’t pretty! Nothing I used to listen to sounds as good any more as this new form of audiophile “Reference” is truly a pinnacle.

As a music nut, I have a wide variety of headphones and CIEMs to fit my various tastes and moods. They all have some form of color that requires careful pairing of source to get them to sound their best. Some need more power, some need more warmth, some need more soundstage that the source can help make right. However, as a “Reference” DAC/AMP, the Burson Conductor 3 References (C3R) makes them all sound their best taking many to exotic levels of performance. The closest I have come to this before is with my Burson Playmate that takes all my gear to top tier performance, although it can be bested with more exotic sources and pairings. The C3R makes everything I have sound its best making it my new “Reference” setup to beat.

Burson Product Line – The Reference Series
The Conductor 3 comes in two series; the Reference Series as described here as well as the lower priced Performance Series which is slightly scaled down into a smaller chassis with less power and a single vs. dual DAC. The Reference Series represents Burson’s top of the tier performance for those that want the best and can afford the highest price tag. As with the Performance Series, there are two models – 3R single ended and 3XR balanced models. The price and specification differences for both Reference and Performance Series are described in the table below.





As expressed in the configuration table, the biggest differences in the two series is that the Reference Series has dual DACs and a boost in power. Less obvious is that the Reference Series has an upgraded chassis. Together, these differences command a $700 price increase over the Performance series.

Conductor 3 Reference Configuration
While there is a lot under its hood, what I have always known Burson for was its incredible power handling and amplification. While 7.5W class A may seem like overkill, even for my 600ohm Sennheiser HD800’s let alone my sensitive CIEMs, it is not about power, it is about an iron tight grip on the drivers that stamp out any potential noise. Same goes with their power handling and quality of components, they stamp out any potential noise leaving a transparency and sound scape that is very unique. While the Sabre DACs almost seem old school any more with R2R ladder and advanced field-programmable gate array (FPGA) options, it is all about implementation. I have always had a lover hate relationship with Sabre-based products with bad implementations offering the dreaded bright signature – I won’t name names – and good implementations such as the C3R and my favorite Calyx M DAP implementations toping the charts.

As you can see in the graphics below, the Conductor ticks all the right boxes with features like most modern DAC/AMPs at this price point. However, we have come to expect that. It also is a handsome work of art, not funky like some, but impressive in its elegant simplicity.



However, what is more impressive is the build of this thing. While not ridiculous, this is a heavy desktop unit built like a tank taking me back to old school weights. Even the internal build is impressive enough that they proudly show off the innards.



Of note are the four tall red user replaceable opamps that allow you to tune the sound to your preference. They come in both VIVID and CLASSIC tunings for respectively audiophile/dynamic or warm/emotional sound characteristics. My preference is the VIVID offering optimal transparency and clarity with dynamics while still providing that tube-like texturing that I long for.



My Setup and Unboxing
To offer you a little insight into my setup, I have created a video pasted below. My digital source setup also consists of Sonarworks True-Fi sound optimization and Amazon Music HD streaming as a source. Find out more below.

Unboxing Video with Setup
To give you a sense of what is delivered to the door and how it is setup, I created an unboxing video. This is a bit of a walkthrough of my digital setup as well to provide reference to how I get my results.



Sonarworks True-Fi
While I have never been someone to use an equalizer, after getting exposed to Sonarworks products, I have decided that they are a keeper for my digital chain. Each headphone that they support has a predetermined setting to get a flat performance curve as you can see in the screenshot below which wildly alters the sound characteristics raising the performance a couple of levels. In addition, to further personalize the sound, it allows you to set you age to further adjust as well as to drive the bass levels to your desired happy space. Using the HD800 curves below and bumping up the bass several notches, I am getting performance from my HD800 that is close to my favorite Abyss headphone, through the Burson Conductor 3 Reference. I should also point out that you have to specifically request the unlimited correction curve from Sonarworks to capture the entire frequency curve or you will not get the thunderous sub-bass that I am talking about.



You will notice that there is an enable button on the bottom of the screenshot. This magic button is the best sales tool I have ever seen. Sonarworks has a free trial which I think everyone should use to see how good their headphones can sound. However, once you use this button to toggle the effect on and off a few times, you will never want to hear your headphone again without the effect toggled on. It is an in your face A/B tool that makes before and after instantaneous so there is no mistake what this application does for your sound quality. It is HUGE!

Amazon Music
I have never, never liked streamed music. Even HD streamed music as it comes at a steep cost. This is not the case with Amazon Music HD for whatever reason. In the past, this was an exploration exercise only where I would quickly buy and download an HD file for full fidelity. What made me look to Amazon Music HD was the clamor at HEADFI over a new digital music processing technology – I think from Sony – that made music sound otherworldly. When I heard that Amazon Music was implementing this technology, I liked the free trial option to try it out and have been hooked ever since. This is my primary source for music now. You have to hear it for yourself to understand what I am talking about. This tech is so good that my iPhone listening using the mobile Amazon Music HD app has taken my listening experience on the crappy phone to a Sony WM1A level experience. That is saying a lot.



The Sound
Considering that Burson’s $400 Playmate intense sound quality has already replaced all my much more expensive desktop equipment from my Chord H2 to my Eddie Current ZDs, I wasn’t expecting a large jump with the new Conductor 3….I was wrong. The jump to the Playmate was more intense where the jump to the Conductor was more subtle until I try to scale down to what I was using before. With the Conductor Reference, nothing pops out on first listen, everything just sounds right…and keeps sounding right. As I listen to other sources, there is always a flavor somewhere that makes it great for pairing with one headphone over another. In most cases if find that every source has a tradeoff, but I am not finding this with the Reference. Here are some pairing considerations that I typically judge my sources:

• Warm vs. bright: Given the Sabre implementation, you may assume this is a bright source…you would be wrong. Then it must be warm…again you would be wrong. This signature is more in the natural range or perhaps we can say studio-like due to the lack of noise. However, it has very lifelike tones and timbre that are thick, textured, resolute, and vibrant while being transparent enough to hear butterfly wings in the background. There doesn’t seem to be a tradeoff here, it just sounds right.
• Bass engagement: Many of the audiophile flat products actually sound bass light or have their bass pushed back to bring out the subtleties. This is always a problem for me as I like a more audiophile subwoofer engagement to my fun listening for lifelike sizing that I have to sacrifice for my critical listening. There is no sacrifice with the Reference as the lack of warmth and the resulting clarity/transparency bring out those butterfly wing subtitles while the incredible dynamics and the full ranging powerful sub-bass/mid-bass reproduction emerges effortlessly when call upon. I can use a single source to enjoy orchestra cannons, chamber music, and EDM without sacrifice. When bass is called upon, the Reference is my go to source.
• Solid state vs. tube: Solid state is often accurate but lifeless where tubes done right brings out gobs of romantic emotion to your favorite music. However, tubes often sacrifice accuracy and that butterfly wing delicate detail for fun. However, with the reference, even butterfly wings have textures making the intense detail more 3 dimensional and fun. The Reference offers sound that while large and full sized is still intimate and personal to drive an intense emotional response and involves you in the music. There is nothing clinical about the Reference while offering ideal critical listening as long as you can function with that tear in your eye.
• Large soundstage vs. intimate: Many fun sources are more intimate and personal – front row center or on stage throwing detail in your face – but are not good for larger symphony music which likes a front row first balcony positioning to take it all in. The Reference is full sized large, but morphs for the music to always portray the right positioning. It always has the correct positioning and sizing for each genre. I can jump from genre to genre and always feel like I have the best seats in the house. There is no compromise here either.
• Audiophile vs. fun: As you can guess from the previous bullets, there is no compromise here either. In fact, the Reference makes audiophile fun! It turns my butterfly wings, critical listening Sennheiser HD800 into an EDM party animal when in the mood while also allowing large hall orchestral critical listening to become fun and emotional…and bring those cannons to life.

The Signature
Like the Playmate, the Reference is a powerhouse that easily manhandles any headphone offering an iron grip on the drivers – but it takes it to another level. This iron grip eliminates noise and offers better dynamics allowing the headphones to work at its optimal for improved resolution and clarity. The Sabre line is known for a propensity for brightness in their implementation, but not here. This Sabre implementation offers a nice meaty character to the sound with detailed texturing offering an emotional character to music. This is why I say that the Reference is a top tier tube and solid-state amp love child as it has the best of both without any of the tradeoffs. For example, while offering tube like texturing and emotion, there is a deep black background for clarity and transparency to drive butterfly wings resolution with space for power dynamics that never steps on the butterfly wings. The power of the Reference is that it empowers your headphone to release their hidden character that is lost in underpowered or less resolving scenarios. For me, I am seeing my headphones being driven at full potential offering fully scaled up performance like I have never hear from them before…with no tradeoffs.

Comparing to the Playmate
The Playmate has the background blackness and a nice level of resolution, but the Reference is of higher resolution, greater size, and a more grownup effortlessness to its presentation. The Playmate is audiophile in nature staying reference while offering a fun bass and emotional element but seems like the Reference’s young apprentice in training. The Playmate is great, but the Reference is the Master of Performance with no equal. They share the same character, but the Reference is noticeably better at everything. If I was to split hairs, I would say that the Playmate is a little warmer than the Reference, but that is about all. If you cannot afford the Reference, the Playmate makes a great second choice.

Headphone Pairings
This is where the rubber meets the road as you cannot hear the Reference without a headphone. What is interesting is that my notes from my Playmate pairings are a pretty close match to the Reference pairings. The biggest difference is that the LCD2.2 sounds better with the Reference than with the Playmate which didn’t pair as well. Overall, every headphone pairing I threw at the Reference sounded top tier and as good as I have ever heard them. Keep in mind, that I frequent Audiophile and HeadFi events regularly as well as organize local HeadFi get togethers and have heard these headphones though sources worth tens of thousands. Having recently attended an event that allowed me to spend over an hour alone with the $60K Sennheiser Orpheus, I can say that some of my best CIEMs paired with the Reference come reasonably close in sound quality. This is quite a statement to both performance of the 7.5W Burson Conductor 3 Reference and the CIEMs scalability as well as the potential of overpowered setups done right. My listening notes for each headphone are below.

• Empire Ears Wraith CIEM: Comfortable but loud volume at 1/100, going over 2/100 is getting too loud. The SQ is so incredible, that I am willing to listen a little louder than normal, but this CIEM is very efficient leaving little headroom on the Reference volume. At this elevated volume, the detail is through the roof and quite exotic. As I have mentioned in the threads, this re-envisioning of the electrostatic sound competes with exotics like the 009 or the Abyss – two of my favorites. The power and resolution offered by the Playmate allows the Wraith capabilities to shine. I only wish I could lower the volume a little for easier listening when I am not rocking out.
• Empire Ears Valkyrie CIEM: Comfortable volume 10/100 but starts to get loud to my ears with no distortion at 25/100. The Valkyrie obviously likes the more power that the Reference offers. As a hybrid, both the dynamic subwoofer and the electrostatic drivers like the additional grunt becoming more lively and dynamic down below and more airy, detailed, and spacious on top. The Valkyrie is a very fun and in your face headphone that exudes energy and the Reference pairs nicely with this. I am already floored by its performance; the Reference takes this further making it top tier.
• Empire Ears Legend X CIEM: Comfortable volume 5/100 but starts to get loud to my ears with no distortion at 20/100. The Legend X is again a wonderful pairing with the Reference offering its full performance capabilities. Compared to the Wraith and the Valkyrie, the BA treble feels more laid back, but still very articulate and detailed. The bass really comes out to play on the Reference making it more of a warm and fun listen without feeling bloated in any way. Like with all the other CIEMs, the X feels fuller and more textured with the powerful Reference and offers top tier and almost exotic performance.
• Lime Ears Aether CIEM: Comfortable volume 5/100 but starts to get loud to my ears with no distortion at 15/100. The Aether sounds wonderful with a deep resonant growl way down for subs, nice soundstage, natural high-resolution full-sized sound. The Aether is known for a very musical natural sound – the Reference just boosts the Aether platform to be bigger and more effortless. The Reference emphasis is in the dynamics providing fuller sustain in the piano hits and surround acoustics. The added resonance adds to the Aether’s musicality. Nice pairing.
• Vision Ears VE8: Comfortable volume 2/100 but gets loud going any higher. The VE8 is a dream signature offering full-sized instruments even at low volume with an extraordinary bass that is very realistic and takes full advantage of the Reference power reserves. The sound stage on the VE8 is extra-large so the blackness in the Reference plays well for the VE8 offering it to rise to full resolution while maintaining its characteristic clarity. The VE8 on the Reference blew my mind, not much else to say.
• Vision Ears ELYSIUM: Comfortable volume 15/100 and gets loud over 30 or 40, but much more welcoming to volume than the other CIEMs. As a tribrid offering both a dynamic and EST driver complement, it enjoyed the 7.5-watts that the Reference had to offer. Right now, the ELYSIUM is my epidemy of EXOTIC sound quality and the Reference was up to the task of allowing the ELSYIUM to perform at its peak. This CIEM is mid focused driven by a dynamic driver offering the best mids that I have ever heard, and the Reference offered more girth to the texturing and a higher level of emotion. The iron grip from that 7.5-watt power supply gave the dynamic driver more snap and resolution. The ELSYIUM bass is driven by a single BA that sounds like a 10-inch subwoofer and the Reference power offered full slam. The Reference is by far the best pairing I have for this outstanding CIEM.
• HD800: The HD800 was typically played through my Hugo 2 > Eddie Current ZDs desktop setup that is exotic in nature, so the Reference has some tough competition. However, the Reference easily bests this pairing and I prefer the simpler setup. In contrast with my Hugo 2 DAC, the Sabre implementation is more textured and more fun while offering similar butterfly wing detail. The Reference is just more musical. The ZDs of course is a tube amp which changes the character with tube rolling and right now I am listening to a more analytical tube so this could change with a different tube pairing. Just sayin’
• HEX: What can I say, the HEX is the HEX. It is easily driven and sound the same on my DAP as it does on my H2 > ZDs setup. It is a wonderful headphone and I love the signature a lot, but the only thing that changes its sound is the cable. My upgraded cable gets rid of some of the treble glare that can be prominent otherwise. However, with the cable upgrade it sounds wonderful on any setup. If you are driving the HEX, just get the Playmate and save the difference.
• LCD2.2: Now this is a picky headphone. It can be bright or warm depending on the setup. In this case, the Reference optimizes the sound quality for a neutral warm approach that is highly textured and offers a controlled bass. The LCD2.2 does sound better with higher wattage so the 7.5-watt power supply works wonders. This is one case where the Playmate and the Reference vary in that the Reference does the LCD2.2 right where the Playmate was just ok. If you are an Audeze lover, then the Reference is the way to go unless you already are happy using speaker taps.

Reviewing my comments above, the Reference turns my CIEMs into full-sized headphone killers. The CIEMs just seem to reach another level of performance with the Playmate. The only word of caution is that the Playmate is overpowered for some CIEMs not allowing low level listening. The flipside to that is that harder to drive CIEMs do not seem to reach peak performance without the power that the Reference has to offer. If you are more of a headphone listener than CIEMs, the Reference has 7.5w to drive even the hardest to drive headphones to top tier or exotic performance. For my CIEM use case, the Playmate works well, but the Reference takes them even further. For my full-sized headphones, upgrading to the Reference is a no-brainer. This a very convenient way to listen to music compared to my H2 > ZDs option that requires turning on both and waiting for the ZDs to warm up. With the Reference, my H2 > ZDs setup is just collecting dust.

Pictures

My source setup

Conductor 3 Reference

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Comparing the Burson units - top: Playmate, middle: C3 Performance, bottom: C3 Reference


Comparing from front


Comparing from top

Conclusion
Those that want to bring emotion back to their music, look no further, the Reference offers emotional audiophile performance that feels like the love child of an exotic tube and solid-state amp. While the Playmate will do the same for less money, the difference in performance is quite noticeable. If you are a CIEM lover like me, you have to at least audition the Playmate to drive them to their fullest, but the Reference is truly at another level. If you are a headphone lover as well, the Reference goes another couple levels and becomes a must have. Now owning a number of their product, Burson’s combination of sound quality and quality power have become the cornerstone of my listening experience. The Reference is now my “reference” platform to judge headphone/CIEM performance for my reviews going forward. But more importantly, the Reference is FUN, so I can continue enjoying the music rather than just listening critically to the parts.

Burson Audio – Conductor 3 Reference – Headphone Amp / Pre-amp / DAC

I have had the good fortune to spend some time with Burson’s new Conductor 3 Headphone Amp. I was excited to hear the amp having previously spent time with, and absolutely loving their ‘Swing’ Pre-amp (Review HERE)

What is it and what does it do ? – From the Website:

The Best DAC / Headphone Amp / Preamp

Being the best of its time. This has been the sole design goal of each Burson Conductor since 2007. The C3 Reference took 3 years to built and it leaves the competition for dust.



Advanced Digital

The SABRE32 / ESS9038Q2M DAC and XMOS USB receiver chips are the most advanced and expensive in the industry. There are two ESS9038 DAC chips in our C3 Reference and its USB receiver comes with customised driver by Thesycon, Germany. The result is unsurpassed processing power, perfectly playing back DSD512 and 38bit/786khz audio. The C3 Reference also features a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver Qualcomm/CSR8675 [+] with aptX HD audio codec. It pushes Bluetooth playback beyond CD quality and ease of use to the highest level.
Max Power X 5

Max Current Power Supply (MCPS) [+] raises voltage frequency from 50Hz to 170kHz, pushing noise beyond human hearing. Its low impedance ensures abundant and instant energy for output transistors. The C3 Reference uses 5 sets of MCPS: Which means, Display/Functionality, DAC, analouge left and analouge right are all separately powered.

The Cool Case

Let’s face it, most audio equipment cases are ugly and impractical. They usually have visible screws everywhere, sharp corners and boring colours. Class-A amplifiers even have finger cutting heat-sinks! They diminish the aesthetic of any living space especially modern desktops where every other electronic is slick and refined.
Made from high-density aluminium and electroplated to space-grey. The Cool Case [+] has only 4 visible screws under its belly. It is also a unified heat-sink that is 300% more efficient than previous Conductors. It is audio jewellery at its finest and It looks and plays very cool.

Smooth Control

The all-new OLED screen and interface program deliver a calming and intuitive user experience. Its machined solid aluminium knob offers the fines control and feels luxurious.

The Review

[Disclaimer] - I have no affiliation with Burson and was loaned the amp for the duration of the review period only

As with my previous review on the Swing I will be focussing on the sound itself. There are other excellent reviews that cover the technical details especially by Head-fi member Darku

Equipment used:

For my source I used iBasso DX200 Line out and Coaxial output.
For headphones – Sennheiser HD 540 Reference 1 - 600 ohm - Sony MDR-CD900ST
For IEMs –- IMR Acoustics Beryllium/Piezo/Planar Hybrid - Sony EX800ST
+ Others

Reference Music:

A Winged Victory for the Sullen – S/T [24/96]
Crosby & Nash – Another Stoney Evening [24/96]
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories [24/192]
Joe Walsh – Country Fair [SACD]
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours [R2R]
Gillian & Welch – The Harrow & the Harvest [24-96]
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions [SACD]
Peter Gabriel – SO [SACD]
Steely Dan – Aja [24/96]
Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden [SACD / 24-192]
Tom Waits – Closing Time [24/96]

Just briefly to touch on the general operation of the BAC3. I had no problems working out how everything worked as BAC3 has a huge display, four buttons and a smooth and quick dial to make selections with. Each selectable item is represented by a large icon – simply moving the dial and pushing it in selects the item, turning the dial again once selected gives the different options and pushing in the dial again selects your new choice. Easy!

The Sound

Sound stage / Imaging / Layers

This is one area that immediately stands out as nothing short of extraordinary. Its difficult to fully appreciate just how profound music can sound until you experience it directly with an amp of this calibre. The one thing I noticed at first was how the BAC3 doesn’t immediately strike you as having an ‘excessively’ huge soundstage but this a real boon as it shows how great the imaging and separation is.
Sometimes companies use gimmicks to make areas such as soundstage and bass sound bigger than they actually are which initially can give a certain ‘wow’ factor but this is not realistic or true to the recording and so rarely stands the test of time.
The BAC3 however, is the real deal. Due to the three years of research and design, the best possible components used including the worlds most advanced DAC - the ESS Sabre 9038; the BAC3 gives a truthful representation that more than lives up to its Reference classification
The imaging in particular is exceptional. The BAC3 somehow manages to give each instrument its own unique place in the mix in such a way that you can focus in on and not only enjoy all the subtle and micro details, but also the special characteristics of each instrument.
With the track ‘Aja’ from Steely Dan you clearly hear the wood of the drum sticks hitting the cymbals both in the background, to the left and then the right and despite all the other instruments; the crash and full decay of the cymbals.
This level of detail and imaging is a clear indication of a great reference amp and really is the stuff of dreams as far as Audiophile listening goes

The depth and positioning of the instruments is also beautifully presented, again subtle but there to be enjoyed by the discerning Audiophile. The way instruments are separated is also presented in a layered manner, so not only do you have everything in its own position both from left, right and centre but you can hear instruments both in front of and behind each other in the space before you! Something I had as yet not had the pleasure to experience…until now

The instruments are also presented with firm authority. This is not as easy term to define. An analogy to try to illustrate is - like the difference between a timid and nervous singer and a singer on top of their game – in the sense that each note feels full, rich and supremely confident!

Highs / Mids / Low End

Sometimes I think that if you can hear certin characteristics with the highs then something is not quite tuned as well as it should or perhaps could be. With the BAC3 everything is extremely well balanced. You rarely hear anything other than the music. When you do hear the high frequencies it tends to come from the clear but brassy crash of a cymbal or the ‘zing’ of acoustic guitar strings – they always seem to be a part off the whole rather than trying too hard.

Again, with the Mids the vocals always sound clear as day, have a natural timbre but are so well balanced with everything else you tend to just get lost in the emotion of the song as a whole. Male and female vocals just sound ‘right’ . . . as they should coming from a Reference Amp.

The Low end is both deep, rich and very well textured, neither dominating the mix or surrendering any of its qualities to the mids. Listening to the rolling drum kit intros of Joe Walsh ‘Country Fair’ SACD and to the later rhythm drum / percussion sections of the song shows how good the ESS Sabre 9038 really is. The tonality of the drum hits are perfect, varied and textured whilst still maintaining the brass crash and full decays of the cymbals.

Where as with the Swing pre-amp I sometimes found this area could be a tiny bit weak with the BAC3 Im clearly hearing everything is now as near to perfect as I could wish for. Its very impressive how they have upped the game with the BAC3 in subtle but very meaningful ways

In fact the quality of the BAC3 has made writing a review particularly difficult in the sense that there is nothing I can find wrong with it. But here is the most important point that I would to make about the BAC3

1. It is a Reference Class Amp and performs perfectly in this role. I can reference any music I own, from DSD to Hi Res Flac to CD. I can listen and appreciate that the information the BAC3 is giving me I can use as a reference point to how the audio actually sounds and to measure other amps too.

2. The DAC chip is of the highest possible pedigree. The ESS Sabre 9038DQ2M is one ofm if not the best out there. I must confess to always liking the Sabre chips. They are not trying to be ‘clever’ or offer a special type of sound, they just want to give you the raw audio you have given them and give in return an honest, yet powerful and detailed sound. When these chips are tuned/implemented to perfection you find yourself with a powerful animal that can roar but that can also offer the sweetest quietest emotions when needed.

With the Swing Pre-amp, when initially listening with the V5 Opamps installed I found a nice neutral, soft, clean, yet analytical sound that had a defined Audiophile level of detail. Moving over to the upgraded V6 Opamps I found a more energetic powerful sound that seemed like going from a tight well executed orchestral piece to a top rock band. Both Opamps offered their own unique sound that was enjoyable for different genres. I enjoyed each one in its own way but felt they each offered at times something the other did not depending on what I was listening to

With the BAC3 I was very pleased to find they had somehow managed to combine the best of each of the Opamps characters and on top of that create an even more mature, reference level of quality. The detailed clear and almost delicate way each note is handled, reminiscent of the V5, coupled with a fuller and slightly more energetic sound, like the V6, negated the slightly negative aspects of the characteristics of the different Opamps that I had picked up on before. That they have managed to do this is a testament to the skill of the team of Burson! Whilst these improvements in one sense are quite subtle, at this level of quality even the smallest niggle can interfere with ones full enjoyment and absorption into the music.

In summary, Team Burson have taken the finest qualities of their Opamps, the ESS Sabre Dac Chips and along with their MCPS power supply and newly designed chassis have produced a market leading Reference Amp

Thank you to Burson for the opportunity to spend some time with this excellent Amp

This is a review of the Conductor 3 Reference, Burson Audio's newest 7.5W PC Class A, dual mono headphone amp / pre-amp / dac featuring dual ESS Sabre latest ES9038Q2M dac chips. The unit has been borrowed to me by a courtesy of a fellow HeadFier in exchange for an honest review.



BUILD QUALITY:

Hefty space-grey brushed aluminum case is indeed a looker and has a high-end feel to it. The Cool Case is used for smart cooling, necessary for such a powerful unit.

The Conductor 3 delivers 7.5W on 16Ohms and 0.58W on 300Ohms, an absolutely stunning power for a headphone amp. There is a switchable gain, low and high. The output impedance seems to be much lower now, less than 0.5Ohms and dual ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M dac chips offer maximum possible resolution.

The basic version costs $1744 and can be further upgraded with V6 op-amps.

There is a tiny and cute remote control, huge and informative display. The Conductor 3 is powered by an external switching power supply, made or tested by NTEK in Shenzhen, China. There is a certificate for the power supply in the box. Further you get a set of spare op-amps, blue RCA stereo cable, as previously seen with the Swing and an usb to usb-c cable.

The Conductor accepts usb, optical, coaxial, two pairs of RCA inputs. It can act as a Bluetooth receiver and also as a digital pre-amp. You can connect two pairs of headphones and there is a microphone input for gamers.

You can also change display orientation from horizontal to vertical if you want to use it so. The picture I made with vertical orientation suffers from some weird frame rate anomaly, in reality it looks perfect. Burson guys were thinking about everything, making pretty much full featured machine. All other specs you can read on their website: https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/conductor-3/



HOW IT SOUNDS:

Predominantly I was using the low gain for all listening sessions, which seemed to be more than enough power for any given listening situations. The high gain goes so loud, that I couldn’t get higher than 25% on the scale. I guess you can use high gain to power directly high sensitivity speakers, some Klipsch speakers coming quickly to my mind. There was just a hint of background noise, like a soft hiss, which wasn’t noticeable once the music started playing. It is interesting that the hiss was very headphones dependent. With some of them I couldn’t hear anything, while sensitive iems were clearly affected by the background hiss.
Different digital audio filters mildly affect the soundstage and the transients, so there is a plenty potential to fine tune the sound. I did all the listening using default Apodizing fast filter, which after switching back and forth, sounded most friendly to my ears.

As I am almost a sub-basshead, I have used a variety of double bass, stringed and plucked bass music from jazz, pop, electronic to orchestral music, especially big symphonies like Mahler and Bruckner.

MIDS:

I am starting with the mids, because for my ears, the Conductor 3 exceeds especially in portraying lush and almost euphonic mids without losing the articulation. The mids are airy, with plenty of character, a tad darker which is very good achievement with the Sabre chips, which tend to sound analytical. Both female and especially male voices sound very realistic and engaging.

TREBLE:

Treble sounds sweet, transparent and somewhat softened. There isn’t a slightest hint of glare associated with the ESS Sabre chip. With most of the recordings, the Conductor 3 manages to sound calm, non-sibilant and non-fatiguing. Sometimes you can miss some spark and then switching to the Fast Linear filter helps to get more shining.

BASS:

Bass is fast, punchy, focused and extremely well articulated. This is good for fast pace music, but can sometimes lack the body and weight to the sound. The sub-bass region is very well represented with plenty of tiny details I’ve never previously heard.

SOUNDSTAGE:

Soundstage is big, realistic with plenty of air and great instrument separation. There is an ambiance to the sound, which makes you forget that you are listening to the electronics.

BLUETOOTH:

Bluetooth works perfectly, pairs easily and sounds thanks to the aptx codec, the best you can got from a wireless connection.

CLOSING WORDS:

All in all, the Burson Conductor 3 sounds transparent, spacious, lush in the mids, sweet in the treble, and clean and fast in the bass. There is an immediate authority to the sound and you don’t need long to sense the sheer power this high-end machine is capable of delivering. I have noticed that I ended up listening to the Conductor 3 much louder than I am used to, because it sounds so clean and natural. On the other hand I got shocked and surprised a few times with explosive dynamic outbursts which the Conductor 3 effortlessly delivered.

Conductor 3 isn’t cheap, especially if you want the fully balanced version called 3X, which trades for $2144. There is no lack of features and sheer power and absolutely transparent sound makes Conductor 3 a real reference to be achieved. Is it worth it? No doubt.

Burson Conductor 3 Reference was loaned to me for a two-week evaluation in exchange for an honest opinion. Thanks a lot to Burson Audio for this opportunity.

Burson Conductor 3 Reference is the top of the range device of Australian Burson Audio Company and appears in two versions: Conductor 3 and Conductor 3X.
The Conductor 3 costs $1744 in the basic setup or $1944 upgraded with Burson V6 opamps.
The Conductor 3X is fully balanced, with XLR inputs and outputs, with one 6.3mm and one XLR headphone output. The 3X version costs $2144 in the basic setup and $2344 upgraded with V6 opamps.

I will be reviewing here the Conductor 3 in the basic version.



Burson Audio C3 Reference is a Class A working DAC/Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp in dual mono configuration with two SABRE32/ESS9038Q2M chips and XMOS-USB receiver with German Thesycon drivers. There is also a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver with Qualcomm’s CSR8675 chip featuring up to aptX HD audio codecs.

Power:

Burson uses 5 sets of Current Power Supplies (MCPS) which raise voltage frequency from 50Hz to 170kHz, separate for Display/Functionality, DAC, analogue left and analogue right outputs. Gone are hefty double toroidal transformers found inside the previous model and there is no linear power supply. Instead there is an external 24V switching power brick, following the philosophy which are recently preached by some other notable manufacturers like Chord Audio, Benchmark and RME, amongst others. As far as I understand, a properly designed switching power supply can be much quieter than the LPS, has higher energy efficiency and besides, moving the power supply out of the box reduces magnetic interferences with sensitive electronics.

Build:

Conductor 3 feels solid and strong, weighting stately 5kg. The Cool Case really looks cool and acts as well. It is made from anodized aluminum in space-grey color which looks for me personally a way better than shiny chrome look of the previous versions and miles away from boring industrial design used for Play, Fun, Playmate and Swing. The case acts as a heat-sink and Burson claims that is 300% more efficient than previous Conductors. After continuously listening for 2-3 hours it did get warm, pleasantly warm but never hot. It is also a looker on the desktop and the top can be used for placing the headphones stand on it.

There is a small, 4 buttons remote control.

Display

Finally! After complaining about really micro display on the Playmate and Swing, the Conductor 3 finally sports a new beautiful, big and easy-to-read OLED display. All settings are clearly visible. The Menu is so intuitive that you don’t need at all the manual to get along with it.
Nevertheless, the online pdf manual could be a little bit more informative.



I will just quote the most important specs:

Headphone output impedance: 0,5 Ohm (great!)

Plenty of Inputs: 2x RCA Line-Level, USB, Opt. Toslink, Bluetooth 5.0, Mic
Outputs: 1x RCA Pre-Amp, 1x Line-Level DAC, 2x 6,3 mm headphone jack

There is plenty of power, with 7.5w on 16 Ohm and 580mW on 300 Ohm.
All digital resolutions are supported.
Choice of digital filters and DPLL settings. Low and high gain.

The full specs can be found here: https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/conductor-3/



Sound:

Conductor 3 as a DAC/headphone amp:

I have used the AKG K701, Beyerdynamic T90, Sennheiser HD650 and Sennheiser Momentum 2 for listening over 20 different recordings I know by heart, mostly classical, opera, jazz, world music and hard rock. And the AC/DC. No, not because they are Australian but because I grew up on many of their recordings.

I was listening mainly using High Gain. There is huge difference between two gain settings, and while high gain might be able to power most difficult to drive planars, Low Gain setting is ideal for listening with low impedance iems. When listening to Momentum 2 with their high sensitivity and low impedance, I switched to low gain. There was no audible hiss and the sound kept the same signature.

First thing which you notice is a big soundstage, much deeper than with the Swing/Fun combo or the Playmate and precise instrument localization. There is an authority and calmness to the sound. Everything sounds smooth, clean, effortless and airy. There is no digital flavor, there is no robotic cymbals crash. You just get used to the clean, neutral sound quickly to the point that it sounds just normal. There is plenty of power reserve, I can’t imagine there is any headphone on earth the Conductor 3 couldn’t easily power up.

The bass is very fast, crisp, focused and precise. It is not overly warm but more on the energetic side. Only thing which I was missing was a little bit more sub-bass rumble. The bass extends very low, but doesn’t have quite a body and weight like found in latest AKM chips. Bass isn't lacking by any means, but it does tends just a touch to the leaner side.

The mids are clean and neutral with voices having a natural air and breath around them. The treble is smooth, non-fatiguing and much reminiscent of tuning already heard with the Swing and the Playmate. Burson techs did a veritable effort to escape the Sabre glare, tuning it to sound non-fatiguing.

In my review of the Swing back then, I wrote about the Swing being a sleeping beauty. Well now the Conductor is completely awakened, the beast relished. The Conductor paints also much more colors and exhibits more micro-dynamic which makes listening more attentive. It doesn't sound unnaturally warm, lush or euphonic. I would describe the sound as technical but not analytical, neutral and very clean. Comparing the Conductor 3 to other conductors, it isn’t technical Herbert Karajan nor emotional Leonard Bernstein, but rather energetic Carlos Kleiber.

With the Conductor 3, there is no hype to the sound, no special effects or new sound revelations. You just listen for hours forgetting that there is something between you and your music. The real impression how great does the Conductor 3 sound comes only AFTER listening to it for long. When you switch to something else after listening to the Conductor 3, is like falling down from 3D to 2D. You than suddenly realize that you are missing everything a little bit: from explosive dynamic, holographic and realistic soundstage and plenty of sound colors. First thing which came to my mind is like driving your car daily, to the point that you actually get forgetting about it. When you bring your car for the full car service, you get a replacement car to be used while your car is being maintained. Once you seat in an inferior replacement car, only then you realize how much you miss your own car. That was my exact feeling whenever I tried to listen to anything else, after listening the Conductor 3.

Conductor 3 as headphone amp:

Connecting few different sources like Chord Mojo, SMSL M9 dac with dual AK4490 chip and FiiO’s M11 dap with dual AK4493 chips, showed immediately the greatness of the amp section. I was amazed to hear how all the sources sounded exactly like the original, without any coloration. Like best magnifying glass. When connecting Chord Mojo and AKM based dacs to the RCA inputs, the bass got more fat, and overall sound got on body and weight. As the Mojo outputs highish 3V over line out, I had a feeling that the sound was a little bit distorted. Therefore I dialed it down to approx. 2V and immediately it sounded much cleaner to me. This is important when matching the source voltage with the RCA inputs of the Conductor 3. I would say that for my personal taste, the amp section of the Conductor 3 left an ultimate high-end felling, there were no wishes left. I definitely liked it more than minimally leaner dac/amp section.

Conductor 3 as a DAC with fixed line out:

Connected to my Marantz amp and Dali speakers which are slightly tending toward euphonic, this was a match made in heaven. Conductor’s dac section was highly precise, resolving and fast sounding, which superbly complemented the Marantz house sound. However if you already have analytic or bright sounding system, I would experiment with the choice of filters to tailor the sound of the dac to match your system.

Conductor 3 as a digital pre-amp:

I have connected the Conductor 3 used as a pre-amp to Burson Bang with V6 Classics and Epos speakers. Again it was a wonderful pairing, thanks to creamy V6 Classics in the Bang. With Bang's basic setup or with V6 Vivids, I have a feeling that the sound would be slightly on the brighter side.



Bluetooth connection

The Conductor 3 can act as a Bluetooth receiver, using BT 5.0 and few codecs including the aptX HD codec. While I was at first not overly interested in this feature, I have decided to give it a try. For me using a Bluetooth is great for outdoors like jogging, biking or working in the gym. Also for commuting I am using the Sony 1000XM3. As soon as I am indoor, I am switching to wired uncompressed connection. While having a DAP with Bluetooth function is great, I was not quite getting a point why would a desktop headphone amp use inferior compressed Bluetooth connection. Until I tried it with my Bluetooth compatible TV. The difference using the BT headphones receiving the audio directly from a TV and connecting the TV to the Conductor over the BT and using my preferred wired headphones amplified, was huge.

The BT connection is stable, without any stuttering with smooth and warm sound quality. This is a closest BT sound signature to the wired I have ever heard. Transients are somewhat softened and the bass a little bit blurred, otherwise there are no artifacts and overall sound quality is great for Bluetooth.



Conclusion:

The Conductor 3 is highly equipped, fully featured, high-end DAC/Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp with state-of-the-art audio technology. With the previous products like Play, Fun, Playmate and Swing, the Burson Team has been carefully listening to the vox populi, incorporating every single wish of the community. There is not a single detail left in producing their final masterwork. The Conductor sounds fast, dynamic, airy, engaging and colorful. It isn’t dry or analytical nor warm, lush and euphonic. It sound’s just right. There is nothing spectacular in the sound, actually it is an absence of any coloration which makes it sounding completely NATURAL.

Comparing to other Burson offerings.

The Play costs $245-399
The Playmate costs $399-539
The Swing costs $399-539
The Fun costs $199-245
The Swing/Fun combo, which comes closest to the Conductor 3 costs therefore $598- 784.

Is the steep price jump between of 2 to 4 times worth it?

Switching to any of these devices after listening to the Conductor 3, I would clearly say – yes indeed. Conductor 3 leaves behind the Swing/Fun combo with the V6 Vivids/Classics in resolution and soundstage depth. The Playmate with Vivids/Classics sounds flat and dynamically sterile compared to Conductor 3. The last comparison is with the Play with V6 Classic, which sounds surprisingly fresh and engaging but with literary no soundstage depth, everything is happening lateral.

On the other side, there is no shortage of other competent rivals in this price range. For less or little bit more money you get RME ADI-2 and RME ADI-2 Pro, Chord Hugo 2, Benchmark 3, Mytek Brooklyn Dac +, to name just few.

While writing this review, I was trying to follow the guidelines of one other company present on Head-Fi, which asks the following: “Reviewers should do the preview fairly and objectively….Reviewers need not overstate the advantages of the products."

The Conductor 3 doesn't hit you in your face but rather gets under you skin. And then goes very deep, until you simply can't get away or stop listening. I've definitely spent much longer listening sessions than previously planned. Thank you Burson!

My unboxing video:
My video Review:

It all started about 2 years ago when I sent an email to Burson Audio asking when Conductor 3 would make an appearance and I sent them a longer wish-list of what I would like to see implemented in it. All I got back was a wink, a smiley face and a “please hold the door” response – a clear sign that Conductor 3 is undergoing heavy development.

Before telling you more about Conductor 3, you first should know about its roots and where it is coming from. When I’ve heard about Burson Audio more than 10 years ago they were making discrete op-amps in single or dual configurations, those small little things led to other much bigger things and soon a dedicated DAC, a headphone amp and a combo of the two followed. Burson implemented their discrete op-amps in those units and obviously my curiosity couldn’t hold me too much and I purchased a Burson HA-160D DAC and headphone amp combo and later on I published my first ever review on soundnews.ro (our sister website). Two years later Burson improved that one, implemented a top-of-the-line ES9018 DAC chip, added even more power on tap and released their first Conductor 1, few more years and Conductor 2 (CV2 and CV2+) followed with a remote control that everyone requested, having a unique see though display, it had some advancements on the digital and analog side as well.



As you can see, Conductor 3 Reference (I will be calling it C3R from now on) is their fourth generation DAC/Preamp/Headphone amp all-in-one unit and if you are wondering what exactly was changed or improved, I think it’s time to have a closer look:

• One of the biggest changes is The Cool Case, it has that name not because it looks cool and unique, but for the reason that it is actually 300% more efficient at heat dissipation, the aluminum body that wraps it is actually a huge heat sink, I’m glad that this one has rounded edges so you will not cut yourself with those. You can read more about it here
• The second biggest change is that it lacks a big and heavy toroidal transformer inside. Before you raise your eyebrow looking at that external switching power supply you should know that - that one is only a very small part of the actual power supply and power filtering Burson Audio implemented in it. Inside the unit the self-developed 5 MCPS (Max Current Power Supply) will raise the voltage frequency from 50 Hz to 170 kHz pushing noise beyond human hearing. It has a low impedance that assures instant energy delivery for output transistor. No more tens of fat electrolytic capacitors in the signal path, no more killing dynamics and transient response. You can read more about Burson’s MCPS right here
• Third one is going from a single ES9038Q2M DAC chip to dual DAC chip configuration to extract the best channel crosstalk and SNR/Dynamic range out of it.
• C3R is futureproof as it uses socketed op-amps, more exactly two singe-V6 Vivid and two dual-V6 Vivid. When Burson Audio will release their next generation op-amps and you’ll want to upgrade to those, just use the included torx screwdriver, open-up the case and change those manually. it’s that simple!
• C3R has now a fourth feature: Bluetooth receiver! Burson implemented the best Bluetooth capable chip on the market: CSR8675 from Qualcomm – it features Bluetooth 5.0 a wide codec support as SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX-HD plus the included BT antenna will provide a strong and stable BT signal even with few concrete walls between the sender and C3R.
• There are many other improvements: like using 5 crystal clock-oscillators instead of just one on Conductor2, higher power delivery for higher impedance headphones, redesigned circuit board with the newest analog and digital circuitry from Burson, a big and bright LCD screen, USB Type-C on the back and the list goes on.

We prepared some questions for Burson Audio regarding C3R months ago when its web-page was not live, even the final specs were not revealed to me and I think we got some really interesting answers, let’s check them out.

Soudnews Q1: Is it obvious you have a strong collaboration with ESS Technologies as they are the only DAC supplier at the moment for you. ES9038Q2M is already implemented in the Play, Playmate and Swing and two of those chips are being used in the C3R, is there a reason you didn’t go for the desktop class PRO version instead?

Burson: In the Conductor 3 Reference, we use 2 pieces of ESS9038Q2M and achieved a desirable sonic performance. Furthermore, in our particular design, using ESS9038PRO brings no additional improvements.

Q2. This is the first Conductor that uses swappable op-amps, we think this its best feature yet, as it means it can be improved in the future. Can C3R use V6 Classic Single or Duals as well? Will future discrete op-amps from Burson Audio also be compatible with it?

Burson: The C3-Ref encourages op-amp rolling. You can certainly plug in our Classic op-amps or any other audio op-amps to tune the Conductor to your preference. We believe it is a great way for audiophiles to experience different sound without spending big on new equipment.

Q3. I think your Max Current Power Supply (MCPS) is a very interesting aspect that no one else adopted yet, the way it is implemented in C3R is on a much higher level compared to Playmate / Swing / Fun as it should be. If some of your potential customers will complain that it doesn’t house a big toroidal transformer inside how will you defend your clever design?

Burson: The big transformers + linear power supply were weaknesses, not strengths of our previous designs. They resulted in very high impedance and very slow delivery of current which meant big power caps were needed to smooth out current delivery. Our MCPS has no impedance and delivers energy directly into the power transistors. On paper the C3 delivers the same output as the C2 but because of the MCPS, the C3 feels like a much more powerful, responsive and accurate amplifier.

Q4. Here’s a tricky one: Since C3 is called Reference and not just C3, it means we have a chance to see another version of C3 in the future?

Burson: The C3-Ref is called Reference because we are throwing the kitchen sink at this one. It has all the power anyone ever needs. It has all the latest tech, specs, inputs and outputs so no one feels left out : ) Furthermore, it comes with our V6 Vivid op-amps which is the most accurate audio op-amp we have built. If we ever introduce other variations, we’ll first listen carefully to the wishes of fellow audiophiles and your readership. : ) Maybe you could organize a survey for us on this particular topic.

Q5. Headphone aficionados are very much into balanced drive, especially the ones that uses high- end headphones. Since C3R is a high-end design, did you ever considered implementing balanced drive as well via the 4pin-XLR or via 4.4mm Pentaconn connector?

Burson: The C3-Ref is a high-end design that is convenient to use. You can be a gamer with gaming headsets or you can be an old school audiophile with headphones purchased many years ago. The C3-Ref is designed to work with you instead of asking you to work with it. We like to think of it as the people’s Conductor.

Q6. I really appreciate that newest C3R is 300% more efficient at dissipating heat, can you explain a bit how it was possible? Conductor Virtuoso 1 and 2 already had thick aluminum cases but were always quite hot after an hour or so.

Burson: The Cool Case has a much bigger surface area when compared to the previous Conductors. Furthermore, due to a completely new structural design, heat transfers more efficiently from the power transistors to the rest of the case.

Q7. Does USB type-C on the back tries to tell something? Will the C3 Reference work with smart devices as well (smartphones, tablets)?

Burson: Yes, the C3-Reference works with just about any source components from iOS to Android devices to many Linux based devices. Furthermore, it has a top-quality BlueTooth receiver that features the Qualcomm CSR8675 receiver chip. Which means you can connect just about anything to it via Bluetooth or USB.

Q8. We never seen a DAC/Amp device that can be flipped with a dedicated button to flip the display as well. Was this decision made to save space on the desk or to better cool it down?

Burson: The C3-Ref is designed to fit into any living space. As such, you can even put the C3-Ref vertically if necessary. We don’t believe that buying a piece of Hi-End audio equipment should require you to rearrange your space or tolerate inconvenience.

End words: First review I ever did many years ago was for my own Burson HA-160D (that in few years was reborn as Conductor), as you might expect C3R awakened some nostalgic memories and I am looking forward to having a longer listen to it. Thanks for your time and I wish you good luck!

Burson: Thank you for your very long-term support. The HA-160D was introduced in a time when most audio equipment, even head-fi equipment were big, heavy and pretty harsh on the eye. Those qualities were marketed as necessary trade-offs for Hi-End audio performance. The HA-160D has shown fellow audiophiles that something that sounds great should also look alright and easy to use. We hope the Conductor 3 Reference can once again prove that point.



I didn’t know Conductor 3X with balanced inputs and outputs, including a 4pin-XLR headphone out is around the corner but I smelled something is cooking (again) in their labs so my question No.5 is invalid at this point.

Unboxing a Beauty, Unleashing a Beast

Of course, it came double boxed but what really caught my attention was that first bigger box has also foam inside to protect the smaller one. The product box has some heavy-foam inside to maximum protect all the contents. Inside the package you’ll find: The C3R unit, a high quality metal remote, an extra fuse, a torx screwdriver to open the case, a USB Type-C cable, a pair of RCA cables – that is always nice to have, an external power supply and the power cable that attaches to it, a certificate of compliance, two JRC 5532 and two JRC 5534 op-amps from New Radio Japan – Burson doesn’t recommend using those as they are worse sounding compared with V6 Vivid. However, you will need them to test the op-amp sockets if something goes sideways.



Design & Build Quality

Almost 10 years passed and finally Burson updated their good-looking case with a newer one that is much better at cooling the unit since those aluminum fins around it are doubling the contact surface to properly cool it down. The C3R as all previous Conductors is working in Class-A and moves to AB around the end of the volume wheel and as such it generates a lot of heat. Even at lowest volume setting it gets warm to the touch quite fast.

I think it looks unique, I always liked the raw aluminum look of previous Conductors, I really like the threaded volume wheel, it reminds me a lot about my tactical flashlights (another hobby of mine) and in general the whole unit seems really well made and put together. I’m glad the screws on the bottom can’t be misaligned and I’m glad those are hidden and can’t be spotted for a much cleaner look. The cleverly designed case is obviously milled on a CNC machine and first impressions it left on me are quite positive.

The case itself is quite big and heavy, at 255 x 270 x 70 mm and weighting app. 5 kg (11 lbs.) arranging it on a desktop table or in the living room can be a challenging. Burson came with a marvelous solution for that and put a button on the front plate that flips the screen 90 degree, flip the unit vertically and suddenly desktop space is not a problem anymore and by doing that the air flow will be even better, I think I will leave it this way.



Controls & Connectivity

On the front panel I am welcomed by two ¼” headphone outputs, both are capable of driving simultaneously two pairs of headphones – that is great especially while comparing two headphones or listening together with a friend. There is also a 3.5 mm microphone input, gaming headsets should pair nicely with it. As for buttons, from left to right there is the On/Off button, input selector, output selector, settings and flip the screen button. The volume wheel works in digital domain and has 100 steps, so no more guessing how much power is left on tap.

On the back, it has a trio of digital inputs: a USB type-C, Coaxial and Optical inputs. On the analog side it has two RCA analog inputs – it means it can also work as a dedicated preamp or headphone amp, it also has two analog outputs, a standard 2V line-out and a volume-controlled line-out.

As you can see C3R is super versatile, it can work as a stand-alone DAC, headphone amp, preamp or a combination of two.



Display settings

With the included metallic remote you can change its volume level, mute/unmute it or change the selected input, rest of the settings are controlled only by the buttons on front. First two buttons will help in selecting the desired input and output. Pressing the settings button enters the main menu where a lot of settings can be accessed as:

• Headphone level - High or Low, this is your headphone gain setting
• FirFilter – you can select a digital filter that are built-in directly in the ESS Sabre DAC chip, there are 7 filters to play with
• DPLL (DSD) – OFF, Low, Mid and High (default) – the higher this setting is the higher the jitter rejection will be for DSD files
• DPLL (PCM) – Off, Low, Mid (default) or High – the same but for PCM files
• Emphasis – Off (default), On – ON position rolls-off the treble by about 5db at 10 kHz and by about 8 db at 20 khz. I strongly recommend leaving it on OFF position.
• OLED Level – Low (default) or High – changes the brightness of the OLED screen
• Reset Set: No or Yes – resets to factory settings

Thumbs-up teams Burson for implementing a cool menu and some must-have settings. I think it’s time to sit down and have a longer listening session.



Sound Performance

I. Using sensitive In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs)

I used two super sensitive IEMs to test the noise levels of C3R. Both Simgot EN700 PRO and FiiO FH7 have an impedance of just 16 Ohms and FH7 has a sensitivity of more than 110 dB/1mW of power – very easy to drive and both work as a magnifying glass testing the noise floor of any headphone amplifier.

At max volume C3R is outputting exactly 7.5 Watts of power into 16 Ohms, out of all those 7500 mW of power, just one single mW is needed to reach the ear-bleeding level of 110dB so obviously extra care is needed while handling them since C3R can easily damage their drivers or worse, my hearing.

Putting it on low gain and staring with lowest volume settings there is a faint, barely audible hum, pausing the music and raising the volume the low intensity hum is not increasing at all. The High gain setting had absolutely the same result, no matter the gain or the volume level the hum remained at the same intensity but mind you I can barely hear it. It needs to be said that C3R was not developed for such super sensitive loads, it was made to drive heavy weight category of headphones, current driven planar-magnetics or just plain high-impedance and low sensitivity headphones.

With all that said, when I’m starting playing the music the hum can’t be detected anymore with IEMs and is not bothering me. The good thing is that Burson dropped the power a lot in the low gain mode, so I actually had about 30 steps of volume until it starts to be really loud, that is enough number of steps for me to find the best balance between loudness and relaxation.

Powering it by a Plixir Elite BAC400 passive power conditioner and then by a KECES BP600 power conditioner didn’t solve the low intensity hum, so I presume that the output stage is just too powerful for such an easy load like FiiO FH7.

Before you raise your pitchforks, I have a simple an elegant solution that will solve the hiss problem by the name of iFi Audio Ear Buddy or even better, their iEMatch (3.5mm version) is fabulous. Insert it and forget about you ever heard hiss on C3R, it is really that simple. It works with every IEM or ultra-sensitive dynamic headphones.



Now, powering my 20 Ohm Quad Era-1 was completely another story as the hum is nowhere to be found and the same story repeated itself with Sennheiser HD660S or with Hifiman Arya, the hum is completely gone and the noise floor can’t be detected even after pausing the music and completely maxing out the volume level.

What I observed on C3R is that no matter the volume level, the noise floor never increases, even on maximum volume. Not a single headphone amp I ever reviewed until now did the same, even the super technical $3000 Benchmark HPA4 increases the noise floor a tiny bit at maximum volume, yet C3R didn’t and stayed the same at all volume levels. I tend to believe the Burson’s MCPS is doing all this magic and kicks the noise away.

What was obvious to me while listening to IEMs is that on C3R those sounded technical, precise but also incredibly engaging and musical, had an impressive kick no matter the song I played. It was weird tapping my feet while listening to Celine Dion and having a wild smile like I was listening to some energetic rock tunes. It was like pumping energy not into my ears but directly into my brain. C3R awakened some serious impact in those IEMs and the control of the driver was just perfect. When the drum kick stopped, the sound stopped in an instant too, when dynamics rose high, I felt goosebumps on my hands. I am very glad that the energy, that incredible slam and impact Burson Audio is notorious for is still present in C3R and is pumping a lot of positive energy into any music I would listen to. Me gusta!



II. Using full-sized headphones

After listening for a while to a super revealing system like Matrix Element X and Benchmark HPA4 combo, the jump to Burson C3R is like eating some exotic food for the first time, it is exciting and pleasant in the same time. C3R is sounding similar on some things to the aforementioned system, yet it is so different, it has a unique character and it’s not shy showing it off. C3R sounds really vivid, very dynamic, explosive even on some tracks, it carries so much air, slam and impact that I’m not recognizing some of my music. Everything was just dialed up to eleven, I am hearing more body, more texture, more meat to the bone, more spatial cues, more dynamics, it pumps some serious power under its belt.

Conductor 3 Reference as a headphone amp only has clearly more power than Benchmark HPA4, more power than KECES S3 – that to this day was the most powerful and impressive all-in-one unit I tested at my place, it is even more powerful than Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, it has the most powerful headphone amp of any all-in-one units I tested of late. If you a really into headphones and consider yourself an enthusiast, at least give this one a listen, you will not regret it.

Powering Quad ERA-1 on high gain I couldn’t get past 45 volume position, I still had more than 50% power on tap, headroom was limitless, control was just outstanding.

When properly driven ERA-1 are literally transforming themselves into some brutal bass and midrange monsters. No only that, at optimal power ERA-1 will challenge even the fastest and the hardest kicking headphones in the business, forget dynamics those can’t achieve such slam, impact and speed. On faster paced music C3R with Quad Era-1 will sound like taking a beating, an enjoyable, dynamic, visceral and very natural beating. I am personally like this kind of approach and I am against slow, boring and overly smooth presentations.

Moving up to the hardest to drive headphone from my stable, the Hifiman Arya I could raise the volume up to 60 and that was by listening to Roger Waters, if I’d listen to some modern pop, I would lower the volume to 55 due to excessive loudness in newest recordings. I was pleased to hear Arya properly driven at their fullest potential, everything would just happen outside my head and I would pick notes from around me. The same visceral and impressive transient response was heard on Arya and I even observed some additional bass layers that were never present on past headphone amps I tested them with.

More than ever I felt that Burson Audio is somehow combining the technical and revealing nature of the dual ES9038 with the natural, visceral, open wide and airy presentation of their discrete class-A output stage and amplification of V6 Vivid. If you would listen to C3R with your eyes closed you would never guess this is an ESS Sabre based design, it sounds very different to one. I’m glad to report Burson managed to implement a very good balance between technical and musical, between detailed and natural sounding. Is it all of the above plus a lot more.



I will continue describing how C3R sounded on headphones and in a speaker-based setup using few tracks.

Rage Against The Machine – Calm Like a Bomb

This song exposes its true nature, its basic instincts, its unique character. It sounds easy going and calm until it explodes like a bomb with huge dynamics, it can be jumpy at times, especially the crowded chorus with that raw bass, electro guitar with tons of cymbal crashes and some additional electronic sounds around. Tom Morello’s amazing guitar skills hidden in the background are so clear and so outlined, I’m hearing them loud and clear in front of me to dissect without being hidden anymore.

I head-banged, I smiled, I shouted, I enjoyed every second of it. This is the most anti-boring approach I’ve tested in an all-in-one unit.

Roger Waters - Is This the Life We Really Want?

Even starting with Déjà Vu, this record shows how holographic and bigger than life a digital source can sound. There are so many things buried inside those songs that you need to listen to them several times to hear the all those micro-details thrown to your left, to your right or even behind you. This is a holographic experience, almost feels like a 3D binaural recording, sounds are born out of thin air and fly far away, they come from different angles and they fade away pleasantly smooth.

Radiohead – OK Computer

Starting with first seconds of Karma Police you hear those small hisses, like vinyl noises that were put there on purpose, beautifully rendered without bothering the listener. The mix between piano and guitars sounds life-like and pleasant. Listening to Lucky from the same album I felt how bass guitar was particularly outlined, sounded deeper that how I remember it to be. The more I listen to different tracks the more I feel C3R chooses to have a deep, layered and open wide presentation, it sounds weird saying it but it is like borrowing the good parts of a good tube amplifier and the good parts of a solid-state amplifier. C3R sounds decompressed and refuses to put you on-stage with the band, it puts you few rows deeper, so you can see a bigger picture and the full energy of the band.

Marcus Miller – M2

I especially enjoy Red Baron track, such an amazing recording, it is just perfect and captures all the strengths of C3R and highlights them. All those tiny details coming from all directions are so cleverly put around me that the more I listen to it, more tiny details I’m discovering, it’s like rediscovering this song every single time. It sounds super groovy, very pleasant and I’m glad that C3R can capture the material of each musical instrument, I’m feeling this is a wooden texture, this is a metallic one, those are some digital mixes and so on, so easy to spot and so enjoyable to discover them all.

Vivaldi - Recitative And Aria From Cantata from 2L Reference Recordings is probably the best recorded song I tested today. This is the most open and deep song as well. I know this one pretty well and on lower quality sources the notes just don’t fly too far away and don’t envelop me and can’t grab my soul. With C3R everything is just grand, transparent and emotional. This track has a single con – it’s too short, I am listening to it at least 2 times in a row and right now I want to listen one more time. Such an interesting and soul grabbing performance.



Wireless Performance

My smartphone is BT 5.0 and AptX-HD enabled so I could test the best codec C3R can offer. Connecting to it was much simpler than you might think, just select the BT input with the included remote or by pressing the input button, search for it with your phone, connect to “Burson BT” and this is basically it.

I fired Tidal Hi-Fi and streamed few songs from my phone to C3R and it worked perfectly. The wireless range was huge and more or less in line with Topping D50s and DX7 PRO that also had a BT antenna to boost the signal.

The signal was rock steady in my flat even with 2 concrete walls and 10 m distance between us, only in the last room about 15 meters away and with 3 concrete walls between the signal would drop few beats. In an open area I presume it will perform excellent even for more than 20 meters away.

In this regard it performed better than FiiO BTR1, BTR3 or Q5S, I’m sure the external antenna is doing a fine job in boosting the signal.

As for music listening, firing Tidal Hi-Fi and listening to regular CD-quality lossless files (16 bit, 44.1 or 48 kHz) I couldn’t make a difference between the wired and wireless performance. It sounds maybe just a tiny bit smoother, easy going and relaxing while in wireless mode, but the difference is really small. Going up to 24 bit and 32 bit files mostly in 192 kHz and 384 kHz and the difference grows in favor of wired.

While wireless, listening to 32 bit lossless files the performance is even smother and maybe I am not hearing the best driver control or the last word in resolution and detail retrieval especially in the treble area, but overall those are small gimmicks and many would probably not hear a big difference. It sounded great even with Hi-Res PCM files so no complains here. I just wish it could be updated with a LDAC codec in the future, CSR8675 supports it and it sounds better to me compared to AptX-HD.

All in all, C3R looks like a very good bed-side or living-room wireless receiver, just take you phone out of your pocket and press play, it’s that easy.

Comparisons



KECES S3 ($1400) VS Burson Conductor 3 Reference ($1800)

Spec wise S3 uses a lower grade DAC chip (ES9026), has less power on tap, about 2W into 32 Ohms, by comparison C3R offers 5W in the same load. S3 has a balanced headphone out, one balanced input and output.

On the other hand, C3R can also be a wireless BT receiver, offer much more power, has a beefier preamp, the same number of inputs and outputs and obviously uses famous Burson discrete op-amps. Build quality and spec wise C3R is already ahead.

When I reviewed the S3 I was actually surprised of how powerful its headphone section is, but unplugging it from my balanced power conditioner resulted in a higher noise floor with sensitive IEMs. C3R has it lower and has it constant, S3 is increasing it a lot at higher volume.

C3R has a better diaphragm control, it sounds faster and snappier, slams harder with the right music and every note just flies deeper into the mix. C3R is also clearly more natural, warmer sounding somehow, it has an impressive presence and a right tonal balance. S3 by comparison can sound a bit drier especially in the midrange and brighter in the treble. The low end doesn’t go as deep and doesn’t slam as hard. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed my time with S3 since it is quite linear sounding, so basically colorless.

C3R is vivid, natural, has a slight warmish tint and it’s never shy showing it, yeah C3R is colored sounding, but it’s a pleasant one.

In terms of detail retrieval and transparency, C3R breathes air a tad more and everything just flies further away, with it I have a little more time appreciating every note. Detail wise I would say both are almost on the same level, I’m hearing nuance and small micro-details pretty easily on both units. S3 has a small emphasis in the treble area and gives an (artificial) impression that it is more detailed sounding, but that is just a clever trick and I don’t like when manufacturers are doing it. C3R has the same treble information if not even more of it, it is not pushing it forward and as such never enters the spotlight, it is always there but is never screaming for attention.



Matrix Audio Element X ($3000) VS Burson Conductor 3 Reference ($1800)

Spec wise, Element X uses a single PRO version of ES9038, C3R uses the two chips of ES9038 but not the PRO version. Power filtering on Element X is done by a Noratel transformer and tens of voltage regulators, C3R is relying on its interesting MCPS. Besides being a DAC, Preamp and headphone amp, Element X has also a real Wi-Fi streamer inside controlled by a smartphone app, it has also an internal music player – just plug an external HDD or flash drive and listen to music directly from it. C3R has a BT receiver in its defense, uses discrete rollable op-amps, offers a lot more headphone power and costs a lot less.

Although Element X has a balanced headphone out, its power rating is shy, it can offer up to 1.7W in 32 Ohms, C3R has 5W in the same load. I can’t properly listen to Hifiman Arya on Element X because the volume is maxed out and I still want some more, headroom is week, dynamics as well. As a headphone amp this one will not work with proper headphones, an external headphone amp will be needed and this is exactly what I did by adding a Benchmark HPA4 on top of it. Element X does an OK job with Quad ERA-1 and a good job with Sennheiser HD660S. Using headphones it is not very punchy, nor too wide or holographic, it is quite up-front and lacks dynamics when needed.

Conductor 3 Reference is obviously a king in this department, carrying control, crazy dynamic swings, sounding wide open with its chin up, super detailed and yet musical and engaging. It will drive any dynamic or planar headphones to authority, slam and control, I can’t ask for more.

When testing their DAC only modes, I found that Element X extracted a bit more information out of my tunes and presented them straight as a line without adding character, it’s more detailed up top and has few sub-bass layers as well. It is currently the most detailed sounding source I tried at home.

C3R as a DAC only device, sounds a bit more imposing in the bass and midrange, it has them pushed forward a bit, it sounds more natural, carries more weight with every note and delivers a greater slam. It is however not as detailed, as transparent and not as linear sounding. Two different approaches to music reproduction. Both are not bright sounding so both units passed my DAC tests with flying colors.

I enquired for a Conductor 2+ (CV2+) from the local distributor, I don’t know if they still have one, if they do, I will borrow it for a week and compare it to Conductor 3 Reference. If that happens, I will update my article with a detailed comparison.



Conclusion

Here is a small hint for you, if Burson Audio guys are not very active on the forums or on social media it means something is cooking in their labs, if you get winks or smileys from them, run away as fast as you can or smashing piggy banks will surely follow. This is exactly what happened with C3R, on one hand I’m glad I asked about their future plans, on another hand my piggy bank doesn’t want to be smashed again.

I’m happy I was given the honor to present a premier review for Burson Conductor 3 and in the end I think it delivered everything I wanted it to be. All my fears I had when I sent those questions are now dust in the air. I am pleased to recommend the Conductor 3 Reference for headphone enthusiasts that are seeking for a great all-in-one unit and for speaker lovers who wants to spice thing up with some hard-kicking dynamics and fast transients.

Burson Conductor 3 Reference can be purchased directly from Burson Audio at $1800 by following this link or you can contact your local distributor for one or for a listening session.

PROS:

• Solid build quality, unique casework that doubles as a giant heat-sink.
• A feature-packed 4-in-1 device
• Extended frequency response, detailed and transparent sounding
• Presents an open wide soundstage and an amazing depth
• Very precise pin-point imaging
• Probably the best pace, rhythm and timing I’ve heard in an all-in-one unit with an excellent transient response
• An amazing headphone amp and preamp section: hard grip, control and tons of headroom left on tap
• Sounds natural and has a great tonal balance
• Leans towards an engaging performance, adds color and nuance to your music

CONS:

• Not the most linear sounding DAC (can also be a plus for somebody)
• Slight hiss with ultra-sensitive IEMs (solved by adding an iEMatch or Ear Buddy from iFi Audio)

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT:

• DACs: Burson Audio Conductor 3 Reference, Matrix Audio Element X, KECES S3
• Headphone amps: Benchmark HPA4, SMSL SP200, Erzetich Bacillus
• IEMs: FiiO FH7, Simgot EN700 PRO
• Full-sized headphones: Quad ERA-1, Hifiman Arya, Sennheiser HD660S
• Loudspeakers: KEF LS50W
• Interconnects: QED Reference XLR (x2), Aune AL3 XLR
• Power Cables: Isotek EVO3 Premier (x2)
• Balanced Isolation Power Conditioners: PLiXiR Elite BAC400, KECES BP-600