Background
The V5i was sent to me by Charles at Burson Audio. I was contacted due to my participation on the Little Bear B4 thread located here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/626237/portable-tube-amp-from-china.
I was asked if I would be willing to write a review and provide my honest feedback which is what I intend to do here. I have told Charles that I am reviewing this item with the understanding that it is still Burson Audio's property and can be returned at any time. I'm extremely thankful to Burson for letting me participate in this process. I honestly would have considered the V5i out of my price range despite how badly I wanted to try it.
A quick bit of background on me. I'm a lifelong music fanatic and have been seriously collecting records since I was about 16 (20 years ago), but have only started paying attention to the equipment I listen to music on in the past two years. I would consider myself a very budget conscious audiophile who likes building and modifying both amplifiers and headphones. I do not have any real measuring equipment, so all impressions are based solely on my listening experience.
Also please note this is my first official review so go easy on me so I'm sure there will be some amateur mistakes.
Product
This is by far the best and most protective packaging I have ever seen for an opamp (OK not really an opamp in the strictest sense of the word, but you know what I mean).
Test Setup
For this particular review I performed all of my listening tests on the very budget friendly Little Bear B4 amp in tandem with the VE Zen 2.0 ear buds. I decided to base my review on a comparison of the V5i to that of the MUSES02. Since these two are both in relatively the same ballpark price wise (approximately 40 USD) I felt this a better and more useful comparison than comparing to standard opamps such as the NE5532 or LM4562. I did some A/B testing with those as well and the differences were so stark compared to the V5i that I'm not sure they are worth mentioning in this review. The V5i bested them in every conceivable way.
In order to perform this comparison as fairly as possible, I listened to a track with one opamp and then the same track immediately after with the other. I realize this is not the most accurate or scientific way to perform this type of listening test due to the one minute gap between listening to each opamp. However, it was the best I had to work with since I don't own two of the same amp.
Impressions
My musical tastes tend to lean towards the punk and metal end of the spectrum but I made sure to include classical, jazz, folk, country, indie and just straight up rock in my listening tests.
When it comes to almost any type of rock music, I have found the V5i to outshine the MUSES02 in most every regard. In my rock based test tracks, the presence of all of the instruments increased tremendously. The mids were brought front and center. The low end became slightly more pronounced but not in any sort of unpleasant way. The soundstage seemed to be accurate or perhaps slightly narrower. On Neurosis' "Times of Grace," the V5i really brought out Steve Albini's masterful recording of drums. Listening to Earth's "The Bees Made Honey in the Lions Skull" was a real treat. The sense of desolation became very real as the whole soundscape opened up and yet the instruments lost nothing. These same tracks with the MUSES02 were less impactful, distant and relatively cold. I think this is largely due to how well the V5i reproduces the sound of an electric guitar. Simply gorgeous.
That said, with acoustic and classical tracks I feel like the Burson is perhaps not quite as refined. Sure the MUSES02 seems a little colder but with the addition of a sense of airiness and wider sound stage. The dynamics of the Revenant soundtrack with both the MUSES02 and the Burson are extremely impressive but the MUSES02 comes out on top.
With jazz I would say it's almost a toss up. I tested with some "Bitches Brew" era Miles, Coltrane "Live at the Village Vanguard" and Kamasi Washington's "Epic". The Miles and Kamasi records were stellar with the V5i while the Coltrane record was best with the MUSES02.
Conclusion
In summary, the V5i is a great pick. It's a solid performer and is built like a tank. It is so easy to take this thing in and out of an opamp socket without fear of bending one of the legs like on a standard opamp. It is a very solid upgrade over any of the cheaper opamps that typically come in less expensive headphone amps. It is a tougher call against the MUSES2, but the chance of getting a fake Burson are slim to none where as counterfeit Muses are fairly common unfortunately.
Overall the V5i has an extremely satisfying sound that just wants to reach out and hug you (or perhaps slap you depending on how aggressive your music is).
The V5i was sent to me by Charles at Burson Audio. I was contacted due to my participation on the Little Bear B4 thread located here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/626237/portable-tube-amp-from-china.
I was asked if I would be willing to write a review and provide my honest feedback which is what I intend to do here. I have told Charles that I am reviewing this item with the understanding that it is still Burson Audio's property and can be returned at any time. I'm extremely thankful to Burson for letting me participate in this process. I honestly would have considered the V5i out of my price range despite how badly I wanted to try it.
A quick bit of background on me. I'm a lifelong music fanatic and have been seriously collecting records since I was about 16 (20 years ago), but have only started paying attention to the equipment I listen to music on in the past two years. I would consider myself a very budget conscious audiophile who likes building and modifying both amplifiers and headphones. I do not have any real measuring equipment, so all impressions are based solely on my listening experience.
Also please note this is my first official review so go easy on me so I'm sure there will be some amateur mistakes.
Product
This is by far the best and most protective packaging I have ever seen for an opamp (OK not really an opamp in the strictest sense of the word, but you know what I mean).
Test Setup
For this particular review I performed all of my listening tests on the very budget friendly Little Bear B4 amp in tandem with the VE Zen 2.0 ear buds. I decided to base my review on a comparison of the V5i to that of the MUSES02. Since these two are both in relatively the same ballpark price wise (approximately 40 USD) I felt this a better and more useful comparison than comparing to standard opamps such as the NE5532 or LM4562. I did some A/B testing with those as well and the differences were so stark compared to the V5i that I'm not sure they are worth mentioning in this review. The V5i bested them in every conceivable way.
In order to perform this comparison as fairly as possible, I listened to a track with one opamp and then the same track immediately after with the other. I realize this is not the most accurate or scientific way to perform this type of listening test due to the one minute gap between listening to each opamp. However, it was the best I had to work with since I don't own two of the same amp.
Impressions
My musical tastes tend to lean towards the punk and metal end of the spectrum but I made sure to include classical, jazz, folk, country, indie and just straight up rock in my listening tests.
When it comes to almost any type of rock music, I have found the V5i to outshine the MUSES02 in most every regard. In my rock based test tracks, the presence of all of the instruments increased tremendously. The mids were brought front and center. The low end became slightly more pronounced but not in any sort of unpleasant way. The soundstage seemed to be accurate or perhaps slightly narrower. On Neurosis' "Times of Grace," the V5i really brought out Steve Albini's masterful recording of drums. Listening to Earth's "The Bees Made Honey in the Lions Skull" was a real treat. The sense of desolation became very real as the whole soundscape opened up and yet the instruments lost nothing. These same tracks with the MUSES02 were less impactful, distant and relatively cold. I think this is largely due to how well the V5i reproduces the sound of an electric guitar. Simply gorgeous.
That said, with acoustic and classical tracks I feel like the Burson is perhaps not quite as refined. Sure the MUSES02 seems a little colder but with the addition of a sense of airiness and wider sound stage. The dynamics of the Revenant soundtrack with both the MUSES02 and the Burson are extremely impressive but the MUSES02 comes out on top.
With jazz I would say it's almost a toss up. I tested with some "Bitches Brew" era Miles, Coltrane "Live at the Village Vanguard" and Kamasi Washington's "Epic". The Miles and Kamasi records were stellar with the V5i while the Coltrane record was best with the MUSES02.
Conclusion
In summary, the V5i is a great pick. It's a solid performer and is built like a tank. It is so easy to take this thing in and out of an opamp socket without fear of bending one of the legs like on a standard opamp. It is a very solid upgrade over any of the cheaper opamps that typically come in less expensive headphone amps. It is a tougher call against the MUSES2, but the chance of getting a fake Burson are slim to none where as counterfeit Muses are fairly common unfortunately.
Overall the V5i has an extremely satisfying sound that just wants to reach out and hug you (or perhaps slap you depending on how aggressive your music is).
