Thank you very much to Burson Audio for allowing community members to experience this awesome product! Here are my impressions:
Intro
My interest in the Burson Soloist started off with a question: how much better can it get?
How much better than a pile of Schiit, that is. During the last couple years I’ve built my entire home setup with Schiit equipment, believing that although it may not be the best in the world, it represents the best value in our audio world. I happily upgraded from Magni to Gungnir Multibit and Lyr+ with stops for Magni Piety and Midgard along the way, as well as attending a local Schiitr meet to sample the entire line. With Gungnir and Lyr+ I finally had a setup that sounded “good enough” to my ears and worked with any headphone. But now and again, doubts entered my mind … what if there’s something better than Schiit? How much better would it be? Would it be worth the price to upgrade?
Fortunately, the Soloist 3X GT came along to help me answer that question. Unfortunately, we got off to a poor start. Upon plugging into my system with the Gungnir Multibit DAC, I found that the music was highly distorted in the bass around 100 hz. I tried everything including switching cables, headphones, headphone outputs, gain, etc. but nothing fixed the problem. Thus, during my evaluation I used the Topping D50 DAC from my office system which worked perfectly with the Soloist. I never received an answer from Schiit nor Burson about this issue, so I can’t say anything more than the Soloist may not work with all source components.
The complete system I used for evaluation was Qobuz > Bluesound Node > Topping D50 > Soloist 3X GT > ZMF Auteur Classic / Heddphone Two. I conducted level-matched back-to-back comparisons with Lyr+. Lyr+ was always in tube mode and only has single-ended output. I always used balanced output from the Soloist.
Overall Impressions
My overall impression of the Soloist is that it sounds like how I imagine a high-end solid state amp should sound: neutral, detailed, clean, with powerful bass. Neutral means that I don’t think it sounds like anything at all, which is what we expect from an amplifier. This contrasts with something like Magni Piety that is euphonic but obviously colored. Coming from the Lyr, at first I thought the Soloist was a little on the bright side but after some brain burn-in I got used to the sound and now it just sounds right to me.
Clean means that instruments are separated in space. If I were writing for The Absolute Sound or Stereophile, I would say “Images of each instrument emerged from a completely black background and occupied their own distinct space. It was as if Diana Krall had stepped into my living room and set up the members of her band in each corner, with exactly ten inches of floor space between them. The effect was truly breathtaking and made my Wilsons / Magicos come alive” or other such flowery prose.
The Soloist was also quite detailed. I’d love to trot out the cliche of “I heard things on the recording I never heard before” but when I switched back to the Lyr, I heard them too. The Soloist just does a much better job of presenting all the details. I think a good way to describe the added detail would be to say that with Lyr, it sounds like there's one very good microphone recording everything. With Soloist, it sounds like there are multiple mics next to the singer and every instrument in the band. In particular, reverb / echo effects are much more prominent on the Soloist. It’s quite impressive to hear a live singer with a little bit of echo on the Lyr, and then crank that effect up to 11 on the Soloist, to the point where it sounds like you are in the concert hall with them. The soundstage is noticeably wider than the Lyr and that may contribute to the sense of enhanced detail, especially with live concert recordings.
Below are my detailed notes from comparing the Lyr+ and Soloist with my two main headphones.
Detailed Impressions with Heddphone Two
Where is your Love by Luli Lee
너의 사랑을 보여줘 (Band Ver.) - YouTube
Both amps sounded a little harsh and sibilant, probably due to the D50's limitations and also just because sibilance is present in the singer’s voice. Lyr kept sibilance under control while I felt the Soloist emphasized sibilance. The vocals on Soloist seemed almost artificially boosted in volume. Both had great bass. I perceived Lyr’s bass level to be a little higher (could be imagination / placebo) but Soloist has more accurately defined bass (more sure about this observation). Soloist has square note transients while Lyr has rounded ones. Soloist has wider soundstage and details at the edge of the stage were easier to hear. Soloist seems to have better detail retrieval but it’s close. Reverb / echo effects are super pronounced on Soloist, that sounds impressive for many tracks but could become distracting over time.
Love Being Here With You by Diana Krall
Diana Krall Live in Paris: I Love Being Here With You (youtube.com)
Surprisingly, Lyr sounds more harsh and glaring on piano, while Soloist sounds more natural, which is the opposite of what I expected. Soloist also has a slightly more realistic sound from cymbals. Diana Krall’s voice is much more forward on the Soloist. Overall, both amps sound great and just give slightly different tonal shades of the same photo.
Bad Kid by Crystal Tea
크리스탈 티 Crystal Tea - 나쁜 아이 BAD KID - YouTube
Soloist sounds amazing with the drum intro, even though both amps give great body to the drums Soloist really packs in that extra detail where you can hear the different resonances of each drum after it’s been hit. Soloist does a better job of instrument separation so I can hear the bass guitar and guitar separated more clearly
Detailed Impressions with Auteur Classic
When I First Saw You by Seoulmoon
서울문(Seoulmoon) - 처음 봤을 때 (Official Audio) (youtube.com)
Technically Soloist sounds better. Better bass definition, better instrument separation. The singer’s voice is crystal-clear without harshness. The Soloist really has extreme definition and articulation of all sounds, making me aware of background synth effects that were audible but I never paid attention to on Lyr. In contrast, Lyr sounds more laid-back. The singer’s voice is sweeter and more romantic, background sound effects less prominent.
A Baptist Beat by Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
A Baptist Beat (youtube.com)
Soloist sounds a lot more incisive on piano keys, like mic is right up above the hammers. Also has way better bass definition. Lyr sounds really good, timbre is pretty close to Soloist, notes are just less well defined. In the sax solo, Soloist creates a lot more air around the saxophone player, but it’s hard to tell why. When I switch back to Lyr, it feels like the positions and layering of the instruments is the same, but the cushion of space around each disappears.
Chimes by The Joy Formidable
The Joy Formidable - Chimes (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)
Obvious advantage for the Soloist. Guitar and bass are more separated and drum hits have more impact and detail. Auteur Classic sounds a little confused on Lyr, like it’s always trying to catch up with the music.
Conclusion
So, is there something better than my Lyr+ and is it worth the money to upgrade? Starting with the former question, in my opinion the Soloist 3X GT is absolutely the better amplifier. It’s more neutral, more detailed, and has better instrument separation. During my casual listening (as opposed to comparative evaluation for this review) I always chose the Soloist which I think says a lot about my preference. The Lyr does have the edge in euphony, giving vocalists a saccharine voice and taking the edge off harsh treble. However, in most cases I preferred the Soloist’s manner of playing it straight. The Lyr is still a tremendous value and great amp period (not just "for the price"), and I will be totally happy using it when the alternative is removed from my home (there’s a life lesson in there somewhere…)
I was particularly pleased by how my ZMF Auteur Classic sounded with the Soloist. I was convinced to buy this headphone after hearing it in the ZMF room with the dCS Lina and T+A HA200, a couple of great solid-state amps more suited to Amex Platinum enjoyers than basic Visa holders like myself. Upon returning home to my Magni Piety, it did not sound good. I immediately upgraded to Lyr which sounds much better, but the Auteur Classic paired with Lyr still gets tripped up with very fast or complicated rock music. Luckily the Soloist 3X GT took the ZMF to its full potential with that gorgeous ZMF timbre but better separation of instruments and faster transitions between notes.
Is the Soloist worth the price? The current price from Bloom Audio is $2500 for the 2023 version, more than the Headamp GS-X Mini and Ferrum Oor, two popular high-end solid state amplifiers. Obviously I didn’t have those on hand to compare (sorry for being poor), but for me personally, the price puts the Soloist into heavy competition and “must audition along with competitors” category instead of “just buy it now” category.
Random Totally Subjective Things
- For $2500 can I please get a better screen? Sure the screen and menu interface works perfectly but it looks like a 1990s CD player. I’d rather see an LCD screen with customizable views (look at Hi-Fi Rose products for an example) and I think that would go a long way towards building value in the price.
- It comes with a remote which is very convenient. I guess needing a remote for something that is three feet away from you is a first world problem, but it allows a lot more flexibility in positioning the amp around other stuff on / near your desk.
- This is the only amp I've ever heard make the dull HE-400se sound somewhat good. It definitely brings out the potential in every headphone.