This is the first review I have ever attempted to submit. I'm a fledgling audiophile - I'm still working on the ability to hear and describe all the things I'm hearing like you folks often articulate so well. I love great sound and believe I can appreciate the subtle nuances I hear between different dac/amp offerings. I'm coming from the quintessential Schiit Stack and the Audioquest Dragonfly Red - my sense is that the "Burson Play" outclasses both of these dac/amp offerings.
Some Stumbles at the Starting Line
I ordered the Burson Play directly from Burson Audio online. I almost immediately received a "thank you for your purchase" email but I did not receive any information about when shipping would occur. I didn't even receive an invoice number or purchase order number. The only thing I had to even reference my order was the paypal transaction number but that was provided by paypal. It wasn't until 3-4 days later that I received an email from Burson regarding shipping and tracking info. Once that hiccup was out of the way, shipping was relatively quick despite the fact my shipment was dispatched from Hong Kong. It was shipped on September 29th and arrived on October 09th. Dang Amazon has me getting impatient on any package I have coming my way. I feel it necessary to note here that Burson's early lack of communication was not at all indicative of their overall customer service. It was, as the heading states, just a stumble.
Once my package arrived I was impressed by the clean-all aluminum-industrial look of the device. I know Burson designed this device to be placed in a standard drive bay of a computer but it looks really great out on the desk. Some folks have complained about the heat this device puts out. I have been running it now for 24 hours straight (I'm listening to it as I type this) and it feels no warmer than the Magni 2 I have after a few hours of use. That being said, I am a freak about my pc temps and I would not want this extra heat inside of my pc. That's especially true since it looks so good out of the case.
Another stumble was the shear lack of documentation that came with the device. So many cords come with the device but only 2 are pertinent to setting up the device if you have it outside of the case and that is the USB cord and the power cord. The remainder of the cords are utilized when you install it inside of the case. There are no instructions explaining how to go about installing the device inside of a pc case. There is nothing to let you know that a driver is needed for the device to work as it should. When you go to their website they suggest that there are two drivers you need for windows 10. I learned from Burson that for the play I only needed the xmos driver. This was after several hours trying to install the cmedia usb 2.0 driver. Windows 10 seems to have its own xmos driver now but at the time of typing this it was still having issues and device manager would say the device did not have a driver so I decided to use the driver provided by Burson. As I was figuring this all out Burson's customer service was on point. They were quickly returning my emails and answering my questions as I was struggling to learn how best to set it all up. I think much of our back and forth exchange could have been limited if Burson included some instructions or even a card saying go to this website for a manual.
The last gripe I have or stumble is the included usb cord is impossibly short. I have mine currently sitting on top of my pc chassis because it will not reach my desktop. Now granted this would be a none issue if my pc was on my desktop but it sits under my desk so the shortness of the included cable was painfully apparent. It would be nice if they could include a slightly longer USB cable.
Setup Complete - How's it sound?
For the Play Basic Burson recommends a burn-in period of 50 hours. This burn-in period is very important to accomplish prior to resting on any final decision about the Play. When I first got it set up and started jamming out to music and watching youtube videos I was fatigued by the harshness of the slippery S sounds. The device was sibilant and very bright by my estimation right out of the gate. It didn't help that I was listening with a pair of headphones that had a cable made from canare quadstar cable that is on the bright side. This sibilance and brightness became more subdued after the burn-in period was complete. The Play warmed up nicely, more bass came out of it then was previously there. Even after the burn-in period it remained on the bright side but it wasn't as in your face about it as it was before. I have really enjoyed the combo of my rather dark Audioquest Nighthawks and the Burson Play. I feel like they complement each other really well although the Play has way more juice than is needed by the Nighthawks. I routinely listen with the volume level at 15 with these headphones.
The headphones I used to test the Play out are as follows: Audioquest Nighthawks, AKG K712 Pro, Hifiman HE 400i, and Audio Technica AD900X.
The playlist I used to evaluate the Play is as follows: Riding for a Fall by Chris Ledoux, Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks, Hotel California by the Eagles, Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa, Mr. Bojangles by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dragonborn by Jeremy Soule, Forgot about Dre by Dr. Dre, In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins, Hallelujah by Pentatonic, and The Master's Call by Marty Robbins.
The thing that stood out to me the most in running through the above playlist with each of my headphones is how the sound seemed livelier, more energetic, and faster than when I listened to it on the modi/magni and dragonfly red. I'm not sure what accounts for this but the music was more engaging and for me fun to listen to. The drum riff in In the Air Tonight dang near got me up out of my seat with a "hell yeah" it was so awesome.
The sound stage on the Play is unreal. I included some songs in my playlist just to test the sound stage. Yosi Horikawa's Bubbles was so cool to listen to. With the clarity and sound stage the Play offers I felt like little balls were bouncing all around my head. At one point I even turned to look, slightly freaked out by how real the directional audio felt. Gamers will love the Play for the mic input as well as the solid directional audio that can be experienced while using it. The Master's Call sounded awesome too as the recording has the back up vocals coming from one direction and the instruments coming from another with Marty Robbins coming at you from the center. I felt transported to the Opry Stage as I listened to this track.
The mids and highs are clear and detailed and after burn-in, not overemphasized. The bass is a little lacking but becomes more apparent after burn-in. Listening to my playlist with my HE400i's, the planar magic really shines through as the amp supplies really clean and effortless power to them. I love how that planar bass sounds so smooth on the Play despite not having the greatest sub bass extension.
The included mic input pairs really well with my Mod Mic. Previously I've had to enable onboard audio or use a cheap usb dongle with mic input to use my Mod Mic. This is no longer the case as my high quality amp/dac is now also my mic input. I love this feature. I love that I can have audiophile grade sound quality with a class A amp and my mic input all in one place. It makes my mic sound so much better than before as well! The Play has it all for a gamers and music lovers alike.
Conclusion
I love this device! This is my end game... for now... lol! To me it's beats out the Schiit stack and the Dragonfly Red. I know at $299 the Play comes in at about $100 more than these two options, but it's really not even close in my mind. To me it is absolutely worth the extra $100 in sound quality alone but then when you throw in the mic input and the clarity it gives your voice then the raw value here becomes clear. I am excited about the prospect of opamp rolling. I'm satisfied for now but I know the upgrade bug will surely hit me soon and when it does instead of buying new hardware I can buy some opamps.
Some Stumbles at the Starting Line
I ordered the Burson Play directly from Burson Audio online. I almost immediately received a "thank you for your purchase" email but I did not receive any information about when shipping would occur. I didn't even receive an invoice number or purchase order number. The only thing I had to even reference my order was the paypal transaction number but that was provided by paypal. It wasn't until 3-4 days later that I received an email from Burson regarding shipping and tracking info. Once that hiccup was out of the way, shipping was relatively quick despite the fact my shipment was dispatched from Hong Kong. It was shipped on September 29th and arrived on October 09th. Dang Amazon has me getting impatient on any package I have coming my way. I feel it necessary to note here that Burson's early lack of communication was not at all indicative of their overall customer service. It was, as the heading states, just a stumble.
Once my package arrived I was impressed by the clean-all aluminum-industrial look of the device. I know Burson designed this device to be placed in a standard drive bay of a computer but it looks really great out on the desk. Some folks have complained about the heat this device puts out. I have been running it now for 24 hours straight (I'm listening to it as I type this) and it feels no warmer than the Magni 2 I have after a few hours of use. That being said, I am a freak about my pc temps and I would not want this extra heat inside of my pc. That's especially true since it looks so good out of the case.
Another stumble was the shear lack of documentation that came with the device. So many cords come with the device but only 2 are pertinent to setting up the device if you have it outside of the case and that is the USB cord and the power cord. The remainder of the cords are utilized when you install it inside of the case. There are no instructions explaining how to go about installing the device inside of a pc case. There is nothing to let you know that a driver is needed for the device to work as it should. When you go to their website they suggest that there are two drivers you need for windows 10. I learned from Burson that for the play I only needed the xmos driver. This was after several hours trying to install the cmedia usb 2.0 driver. Windows 10 seems to have its own xmos driver now but at the time of typing this it was still having issues and device manager would say the device did not have a driver so I decided to use the driver provided by Burson. As I was figuring this all out Burson's customer service was on point. They were quickly returning my emails and answering my questions as I was struggling to learn how best to set it all up. I think much of our back and forth exchange could have been limited if Burson included some instructions or even a card saying go to this website for a manual.
The last gripe I have or stumble is the included usb cord is impossibly short. I have mine currently sitting on top of my pc chassis because it will not reach my desktop. Now granted this would be a none issue if my pc was on my desktop but it sits under my desk so the shortness of the included cable was painfully apparent. It would be nice if they could include a slightly longer USB cable.
Setup Complete - How's it sound?
For the Play Basic Burson recommends a burn-in period of 50 hours. This burn-in period is very important to accomplish prior to resting on any final decision about the Play. When I first got it set up and started jamming out to music and watching youtube videos I was fatigued by the harshness of the slippery S sounds. The device was sibilant and very bright by my estimation right out of the gate. It didn't help that I was listening with a pair of headphones that had a cable made from canare quadstar cable that is on the bright side. This sibilance and brightness became more subdued after the burn-in period was complete. The Play warmed up nicely, more bass came out of it then was previously there. Even after the burn-in period it remained on the bright side but it wasn't as in your face about it as it was before. I have really enjoyed the combo of my rather dark Audioquest Nighthawks and the Burson Play. I feel like they complement each other really well although the Play has way more juice than is needed by the Nighthawks. I routinely listen with the volume level at 15 with these headphones.
The headphones I used to test the Play out are as follows: Audioquest Nighthawks, AKG K712 Pro, Hifiman HE 400i, and Audio Technica AD900X.
The playlist I used to evaluate the Play is as follows: Riding for a Fall by Chris Ledoux, Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks, Hotel California by the Eagles, Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa, Mr. Bojangles by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dragonborn by Jeremy Soule, Forgot about Dre by Dr. Dre, In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins, Hallelujah by Pentatonic, and The Master's Call by Marty Robbins.
The thing that stood out to me the most in running through the above playlist with each of my headphones is how the sound seemed livelier, more energetic, and faster than when I listened to it on the modi/magni and dragonfly red. I'm not sure what accounts for this but the music was more engaging and for me fun to listen to. The drum riff in In the Air Tonight dang near got me up out of my seat with a "hell yeah" it was so awesome.
The sound stage on the Play is unreal. I included some songs in my playlist just to test the sound stage. Yosi Horikawa's Bubbles was so cool to listen to. With the clarity and sound stage the Play offers I felt like little balls were bouncing all around my head. At one point I even turned to look, slightly freaked out by how real the directional audio felt. Gamers will love the Play for the mic input as well as the solid directional audio that can be experienced while using it. The Master's Call sounded awesome too as the recording has the back up vocals coming from one direction and the instruments coming from another with Marty Robbins coming at you from the center. I felt transported to the Opry Stage as I listened to this track.
The mids and highs are clear and detailed and after burn-in, not overemphasized. The bass is a little lacking but becomes more apparent after burn-in. Listening to my playlist with my HE400i's, the planar magic really shines through as the amp supplies really clean and effortless power to them. I love how that planar bass sounds so smooth on the Play despite not having the greatest sub bass extension.
The included mic input pairs really well with my Mod Mic. Previously I've had to enable onboard audio or use a cheap usb dongle with mic input to use my Mod Mic. This is no longer the case as my high quality amp/dac is now also my mic input. I love this feature. I love that I can have audiophile grade sound quality with a class A amp and my mic input all in one place. It makes my mic sound so much better than before as well! The Play has it all for a gamers and music lovers alike.
Conclusion
I love this device! This is my end game... for now... lol! To me it's beats out the Schiit stack and the Dragonfly Red. I know at $299 the Play comes in at about $100 more than these two options, but it's really not even close in my mind. To me it is absolutely worth the extra $100 in sound quality alone but then when you throw in the mic input and the clarity it gives your voice then the raw value here becomes clear. I am excited about the prospect of opamp rolling. I'm satisfied for now but I know the upgrade bug will surely hit me soon and when it does instead of buying new hardware I can buy some opamps.
