Reviews by Vincicoustics
To begin with, happy to be part of the Funk experience review, thanks again to @SS-Audio for letting me listen and test the Funk. I will not delve onto the specs as it has been discussed already in prior reviews so I'll be going direct to my impressions. For the unboxing and contents, check out @d m41n man 's unboxing video as it is comprehensive and covers all the contents.
Build and Package
The Burson Funk comes in a white box with the unit housed in thick foam and its accessories in another white box inside. Like its breathren of the same generation of products, the casing also acts like a heatsink but for most of the testing, it does seem that it does not get hot like other amps. And it does look the combination of classy and rugged, which will fit most workstation aesthetics.
Sound and Connectivity
You'll find the speaker binding posts and stereo inputs at the back. So we hooked it up to some of the most popular bookshelf speakers from Q Acoustics, JBL, and Revel - driving those to loud levels without distorting and maxing out the potentiometer. They also sing with utmost transparency of your music source while giving you a really good stage presentation, being able to pinpoint instrument placements with the vocalist front and center.
With its headphone amp section, it is also reflective of its transparency and is able to power even the most demanding headphones at single-ended (except electrostats probably) Listening to the Hifiman Edition XS, Sennheiser HD650 and Grado SR225e, it drives these headphones with ease without pushing past the potentiometer. The sound output is basically dependent on your sound chain going in, yet it never sounded dry with every setup we tried like a DAC dongle (Dragonfly) or a DAP (Fiio X3 line out). That class A (headamp) and class AB (speakeramp) topology does wonders to its musicality while still being exciting and energetic. Compared to the Toppings and SMSLs that I've heard back then, this outshines most of them as both brands were somewhat leaning to be analytical and digital sounding. Turning that volume knob is really satisfying while getting onto the music at its volume peak. It is to note that despite having a low-gain, always start at low volume levels as this unit gets really loud with IEMs. This may work with earphones but be careful when turning that volume knob. Also, unplug your headphones before turning off and on because it makes a 'pop' sound whenever you turn it off and on.
Conclusion
Just go ahead and buy it especially if you chance upon it discounted. If you happen to own or plan to get a non-powered bookshelf speaker for your desktop and would like to have an all-in-one amp then you've found it. What I love about the Funk is it does what it's supposed to do without the complexities. The Funk just works as it is meant to be, no fuzz. And it performs beyond expectations without needing a balanced output. I did not even mention that you can play around with the opamps to further tune your sound as it is functional in its core package. If it ticks all the boxes of your requirements, then you won't be disappointed.
Build and Package
The Burson Funk comes in a white box with the unit housed in thick foam and its accessories in another white box inside. Like its breathren of the same generation of products, the casing also acts like a heatsink but for most of the testing, it does seem that it does not get hot like other amps. And it does look the combination of classy and rugged, which will fit most workstation aesthetics.
Sound and Connectivity
You'll find the speaker binding posts and stereo inputs at the back. So we hooked it up to some of the most popular bookshelf speakers from Q Acoustics, JBL, and Revel - driving those to loud levels without distorting and maxing out the potentiometer. They also sing with utmost transparency of your music source while giving you a really good stage presentation, being able to pinpoint instrument placements with the vocalist front and center.
With its headphone amp section, it is also reflective of its transparency and is able to power even the most demanding headphones at single-ended (except electrostats probably) Listening to the Hifiman Edition XS, Sennheiser HD650 and Grado SR225e, it drives these headphones with ease without pushing past the potentiometer. The sound output is basically dependent on your sound chain going in, yet it never sounded dry with every setup we tried like a DAC dongle (Dragonfly) or a DAP (Fiio X3 line out). That class A (headamp) and class AB (speakeramp) topology does wonders to its musicality while still being exciting and energetic. Compared to the Toppings and SMSLs that I've heard back then, this outshines most of them as both brands were somewhat leaning to be analytical and digital sounding. Turning that volume knob is really satisfying while getting onto the music at its volume peak. It is to note that despite having a low-gain, always start at low volume levels as this unit gets really loud with IEMs. This may work with earphones but be careful when turning that volume knob. Also, unplug your headphones before turning off and on because it makes a 'pop' sound whenever you turn it off and on.
Conclusion
Just go ahead and buy it especially if you chance upon it discounted. If you happen to own or plan to get a non-powered bookshelf speaker for your desktop and would like to have an all-in-one amp then you've found it. What I love about the Funk is it does what it's supposed to do without the complexities. The Funk just works as it is meant to be, no fuzz. And it performs beyond expectations without needing a balanced output. I did not even mention that you can play around with the opamps to further tune your sound as it is functional in its core package. If it ticks all the boxes of your requirements, then you won't be disappointed.
Glad to be part of the Playmate 2 tour here in the PH, thanks in part to @SS-Audio and @d m41n man for letting me experience this gear as I have been hearing of the Burson name. Most of the in-depth details have already been mentioned in the reviews below so here is from a newbie's point of view of Burson's all-in-one DAC/amp:
Build and Package
The Burson Playmate 2 comes in a white box with the unit housed in thick foam and its accessories in another white box inside. This is just basic package (without the V6 vivid opamps and remote) so it is just the unit, power supply, USB-C cable, tool, headset w/ mic splitter and fuse. The housing also serve like a heatsink hence it is only warm even during my hours of listening.
Sound Quality and Connectivity
Upon connecting via an android phone (Huawei Mate 20), I find it a bit iffy to connect since the USB Audio Player Pro often indicates Android instead of USB DAC so it means it's using the onboard Android to pass through sound. I have to disconnect then connect again, close and restart UAPP to sync it to use USB DAC mode. On a PC though, it has no trouble connecting so this is a good unit to be a mainstay on soemone's workstation due to its headset and mic capable port, which is very useful without switching headphones much even when gaming.
Listening with my trusty HD6xx and Grado SR225e with their contrasting signatures, I put the Playmate 2 to the test. What I like about this unit is I can listen with it for hours and both multitask or just enjoy the pleasure. It does not make me nitpick the music itself and has enough volume and power with enough room on the volume pot. It is at most times smooth but also a bit grainy on some, but not as grainy compared to a Schiit Magni/Modi stack on higher volumes. It is never sibilant or harsh but I can't help noticing there were details that I've heard on my headphones but somewhat subtle or not as standing out with this unit. Not sure if it's the DAC (which is a ESS Sabre) but it sure can't be helped to be compared to stacks I've heard with Topping stack and Chord Mojo bringing out more details that I somehow missed here, considering the former two are lower in price. Hence, here's wishing there's a line input so we can use a different DAC or preamp with the amp section since it is a very capable one.
Therefore, this is a unit I would not hesitate having its own space on my desk with its function and connection to a worktation or media PC. It may be pricey compared to some stacks in the market or some all-in-one units but it still has that Australian-made premium feel and plays well with all genres I've listened. It is quite a performer and I am left wishing it has the V6 vivid opamps and wanting more what it can offer at its optimised setup.
Build and Package
The Burson Playmate 2 comes in a white box with the unit housed in thick foam and its accessories in another white box inside. This is just basic package (without the V6 vivid opamps and remote) so it is just the unit, power supply, USB-C cable, tool, headset w/ mic splitter and fuse. The housing also serve like a heatsink hence it is only warm even during my hours of listening.
Sound Quality and Connectivity
Upon connecting via an android phone (Huawei Mate 20), I find it a bit iffy to connect since the USB Audio Player Pro often indicates Android instead of USB DAC so it means it's using the onboard Android to pass through sound. I have to disconnect then connect again, close and restart UAPP to sync it to use USB DAC mode. On a PC though, it has no trouble connecting so this is a good unit to be a mainstay on soemone's workstation due to its headset and mic capable port, which is very useful without switching headphones much even when gaming.
Listening with my trusty HD6xx and Grado SR225e with their contrasting signatures, I put the Playmate 2 to the test. What I like about this unit is I can listen with it for hours and both multitask or just enjoy the pleasure. It does not make me nitpick the music itself and has enough volume and power with enough room on the volume pot. It is at most times smooth but also a bit grainy on some, but not as grainy compared to a Schiit Magni/Modi stack on higher volumes. It is never sibilant or harsh but I can't help noticing there were details that I've heard on my headphones but somewhat subtle or not as standing out with this unit. Not sure if it's the DAC (which is a ESS Sabre) but it sure can't be helped to be compared to stacks I've heard with Topping stack and Chord Mojo bringing out more details that I somehow missed here, considering the former two are lower in price. Hence, here's wishing there's a line input so we can use a different DAC or preamp with the amp section since it is a very capable one.
Therefore, this is a unit I would not hesitate having its own space on my desk with its function and connection to a worktation or media PC. It may be pricey compared to some stacks in the market or some all-in-one units but it still has that Australian-made premium feel and plays well with all genres I've listened. It is quite a performer and I am left wishing it has the V6 vivid opamps and wanting more what it can offer at its optimised setup.
