Burson Audio - Conductor SL 1793 - Headphone Amplifier and DAC

Amp/DACs item created by joe, Oct 15, 2013

Average User Rating:
5/5,
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  1. nadman12
    5.0/5,
    "Simply one of the best amp/ dac's in the world"
    Pros - Wide soundstage, airy midrange, well controlled bass
    Cons - A little bit on the arm side so headphone match should be considered with that in mind
    I've hear better separates but for a 2 in 1 this is one of the best ever made. Soundstage is huge, very three dimensional. Treble is delicate without any harshness. Bass and upper bass well controlled. Prat could be a bit better but other than that this unit is sheer perfection. Paired with my Sennheiser HD600's I'm very happy.
    nadman12, Dec 13, 2015
  2. 24Bit
    5.0/5,
    "Simply Outstanding"
    Pros - Stereo Imaging, Warmth, Dynamics
    Cons - Price, lack of headphone outputs
    preview spot for my Conductor SL review on the 1793 chip
     
     
     
     

    Burson Conductor SL - 1793 Chip

    The original Burson HA-160 has been my absolute favorite amplifier...well, ever really.  Perfect amount of warmth, beauty and style in a small package.  Lacking the power to drive the greedy Planar Magnetics out there like the LCD-3 and similar, the HA-160 house signature faded out in the first incarnation of the Conductor, which was an amplifier that sounded more pure, less warm and offering a ton more wattage output over it's little brother the HA-160.  The 1793 is a blatant upgrade over the HA-160s dac chip.  It respects the original HA-160s amazing warmth and flavor and provides a hefty increase in overall clarity.  Warm headphone lovers should opt for this chip over the 9018 if that is what you prefer.  Expect a colored experience with plenty of that original HA-160 flavor and stlye.  Headphones like the Denon D-5000, the MrSpeakers Mad Dog 3.2, JVC-DX700 and any other slightly colored and warm, bassy headphone would be very at home with this version of the Conductor SL.  Nothing short of stellar with a relaxed upper region, an almost tube like euphoric feeling in the airiness and with a gentle coloration to the sonic experience, the 1793 will make musical headphones sound that much more musical, or even add musicality to a more neutral or dry sounding headphone like the LCD-2, Hifiman HE-500 and the AKG K-712.  The low end on this headphone works very well with basshead headphones like the Denon D-5000 and even adding a much needed warmth to my Denon D-7000, in turn providing a broad and silky smooth, lighter less precise bass experience with most headphones I've tested with.  
    24Bit, Oct 15, 2013