Burson Audio HA-160D $1250
Special Package deal. The Burson will come with either a Free 1m Cardas USB cable or 3ft pair of DH Labs BL-1 Interconnects. Buyers Choice!! And free shipping!!
When something is designed with ideals and custom made the old school way, the end result will always surpass anything that is mass produced and profit driven. This simple rule applies to all things, from carpentry, and masonry to automobiles, and it is certainly the rule for the world of music and audio design. Our HA-160 headphone amplifierwas painstakingly hand built, with each component exhaustingly matched. It was based on a design with only sonic purity in mind and free from the constraints and downfalls of standard production building blocks such as ICs and 3 pin power regulators. The end result has been applauded by many audio critics around the world and more importantly appreciated by fellow headphone audiophiles who share our passion for music. Through the HA-160D, we hope to deliver even more of our idealism and understanding through a single machine that is unmistakably Burson.
The HA-160D (DAC / Headphone Amp / Preamp)
The HA-160D took over 18 months to realize. Apart from the DAC chip, the entire machine was meticulously hand assembled with top grade, perfectly matched discrete components. It is powered by 5 sets of custom built low noise power supplies to eliminate noise pollution. We have also employed two custom built transformers to ensure the job was done properly. One transformer is used to power our HD Audio DAC, while the other purely supplies power to the hungry Class-A amplification circuitry. It ensures that the DAC stage and the headphone amp stage are working independently and at an optimum level, while still in complete synergy.
The result is a high definition DAC, headphone amp, preamp 3 in 1 machine that is entirely uncompromised. To better serve the growing popularity of PC based audio systems, the HA-160D also features a USB input function which is compatible with both Mac and PCs.
Burson HD Audio DAC
While most of the marketing spin centers on the DAC chip, the I/V stage is in fact one of the critical stage in any audio DAC design. It is not getting the air time that it deserves because a properly designed I/V stage is not simple, and the concept is harder to sell to a customer compared to a DAC chip model number.
After the digital signal (0s and 1s) is converted by the DAC chip into stereo analogue signals, it is in the form of a current rather than voltage, and a conversion is needed. Any distortion and signal loss during this conversion stage is irreversible. Unfortunately, due to the lack of customer awareness on the I/V stage, this is where most audio companies cut their costs, and it is common to see an I/V stage designed around a cheap IC opamp.
The HA-160D has a fully discrete I/V stage that is independently powered. It has a high slew rate and fast recovery time. Combined with our fully discrete Class A output stage the HD Audio DAC ensures the highest level of signal preservation. The result is higher resolution audio playback, with a completely transparent sonic signature consistent with our ideals.
The HD Audio DAC by Burson Audio was custom designed for a single purpose of extracting all the musical detail from any digital format with maximum dynamism and accuracy. The entire design is free from the constraints of standard circuit building blocks such as IC Opamps or low cost 3 pin regulators.
The well known Burr Brown PCM1793 DAC chip sits at the heart of the HD Audio DAC. This classic 24 bit DAC chip is well known in a number of reference class audio designs. While it lacks some of the Wow effects of its counterparts, sonically the PCM1793, struck the right balance between musicality and accuracy and presents music consistent with the preferences of team Burson Audio. The DIR9001 USB receiver chip allows 24-bit/96kHz sampling rate.
It was not easy to realize the full potential of this classic DAC chip and the low noise power supplies were designed to operate in Constant Current Source (CCS) mode, in order to eliminate noise and distortion at each stage of DAC processing. Our trade mark HD opamp is fully utilized from the critical I/V stage to the output stage, to ensure that untainted and completed sonic information is passed down to the headphone amp stage and preamp stage.
Burson HD Audio Opamps
The function of Opamps at the output stage is as important as the lens on a cinema projector. Regardless of the analytical capability of the audio gear, an inferior opamp will halve a machine’s performance, and distort every dB of sonic imagery. Just like our acclaimed P-160 amplifiers, the HA-160 features our Burson HD audio opamp. It enables the HA-160 to reproduce music in superior resolution and accuracy. Building of HD Audio Opamp
The team at Burson Audio has been developing the HD Audio Opamp project for a number of years now. From the first version to the current production, improvement has been made along the way, as part of the quest for perfection. The foundation of the HD Audio Opamp is a sophisticated Voltage Differential Amplification network. The entire opamp is constructed from audio graded transistors and resistors. Such a design will ensure minimal coloration and maximum dynamics, but this design feature also posed a great challenge to production; without rigid component matching, it would be easy for sonic imbalance to occur. We only use a 1% tolerant resistor. Before soldering them onto the PCB, we put them through a component burn-in module. After 50 hours of burn-in, each resistor will then be retested and matched before proceeding to our assembly line. The result of such a quality control process, is a further 10% of component rejection. This strict and very expensive BURN and MATCH process ensures the stability of the circuit. It ensures a perfect balance of sonic imagery across the entire frequency spectrum. It also guarantees a stable and realistic sound stage between the speakers.
Furthermore we insisted on a top quality lead free solder and temperature controlled soldering process. This was the only solution to reducing heat stress on our components, and minimizing short circuits caused by a soldering bath used in large-scale production. Cost focused manufacturers would never adopt such an approach due to the significant increase in production costs. Burson Audio on the other hand knows that only our level of quality control can produce opamps worthy of our badge. Only our level of quality control can produce the best Opamp in the market.
Low Noise Power Supply (LNPS)
Just like an athlete needs clean air to perform at an optimum standard – audio equipment needs clean power toreproduce transparent and natural
music. Utilizing the Burson Audio discrete (IC free) low noise regulator technology we have ensured that only the cleanest power is running through every component of our HA-160. Instead of depending on a standard regulator like most audio brands, we have developed a sophisticated noise filter and voltage stabilization network that perfectly matches each circuit design. Our low noise regulator is able to filter over 99% of unwanted noise and keeps the voltage fluctuation to less than 1% of our target benchmark. The Burson power filtering system ensures that music is reproduced with natural color, texture and emotion. We recognized a need for clean power long before it became the world’s talking point. When power leaves the generating station it is pretty clean. Unfortunately, every device attached to it draws a current which corrupts the purity of the voltage wave form. Open air high voltage cables can pick up radio signals from all kinds of sources. Transformers throughout the national grid are running close to saturation point, which creates more distortion. From large electric motors such as those used in factories, to baby alarms and hairdryers, all can pollute to intolerable levels. It does not end there! The power supply from most hi-fi equipment are amongst the worst polluters. A large amount of interference is generated by the standard voltage regulators; they inject noise of their own due to the nature of their operation, blocking out musical detail that we work tirelessly to preserve.
A performance focused volume control
At the time when an audio signal is passing through the volume control, it is still at its weakest. At this stage, the audio signal is very vulnerable to noise pollution and interference. A major source of such distortion is the commonly used remote volume control adopted by most manufactures. Burson Audio recognized the drawbacks associated with remote volume controls and deemed them unacceptable. Instead, we developed a 24 stepped attenuator, constructed with the best quality components available. Our Burson stepped attenuator ensures preservation of even the weakest audio signal; The air between instruments, the decay after an attack and all micro details that makes music enjoyable. The Burson stepped attenuator is built with premium quality components combined with our solid machined aluminum knob. It ensures a smooth and well controlled mechanical movement. The volume curve was tailor made to suit our 160 line giving the user a smooth control over the entire spectrum. The decision to adopt a custom built step attenuator over a remote volume control was controversial but the result was certainly not.
Resonance Free Aluminum (RFA) Enclosure
The HA-160 is housed in a 6mm case, constructed from high precision machined aluminum. This enclosure allows the AB-160, to achieve a very high mechanical damping factor, which reduces any microphonic effects, that may degrade the clarity of sonic performance. The enclosure was also constructed to act as a giant heat-sink, which allows the Class-A headamp to run cooler, and remain optimized at all times.
Resonance Free:
We took great care during the design process to ensure the thickness of each wall varied from each other to increase the mechanical damping factor. The RFA enclosure displayed superior mechanical noise rejection (internal and external) compared to the conventionally folded steal enclosure used by most audio manufacturers.
Optimizing the Idle Current:
The geometry of the case and the precision of the enclosure allow the entire case to disperse heat evenly, and act as a giant heat sink. A steel folded or thinly built aluminium case could never achieve this. The AF enclosure removes the need for those ugly heat sink fins and allows our machines to be set to a high idle current, which results in lower distortion, higher output and better overall dynamics.
Specifications
Input impedance: 47 KOhms
Frequency response: 5Hz (-0.3dB) to 35 kHz (-1dB)
Signal to noise ratio: >98dB at 0dB gain
THD: <0.001% at 6mW/300 Ohms
Channel separation: >70dB/10kHz
Output power: 650mW/300 Ohms, 800mW/60 Ohms
Output impedance: line out 60 Ohms, phones out 5 Ohms
Power dissipation: <25W, internal, regulated power supply
Dimensions: 265 mm x 250 mm x 80 mm
Connectors
Inputs:
1 x USB Connection
1 x Coaxial RCA
3 x gold plated RCA connectors with Teflon
Outputs
2 x headphone jacks 6.35mm
1 x pre -out gold plated RCA connectors with Teflon isolation
Weight: app. 7 kg
Color: silver anodized aluminum
