[DAC/Headphones Amplifier] Burson Conductor Grand Tourer 4

Burson Conductor GT4 Review – All Business

Big thanks to Burson Audio for letting me live with the Conductor GT4 for the past couple of weeks, and now I want to share my thoughts on this absolute unit. If you're looking at high-end all-in-ones and considering the GT4, especially something with gobs of power to make most headphones vibrate with energy, then this just may be the DAC/Amp for you.

To start, this thing is a beast! But in the best possible way. The industrial design is all angles and raw aluminum, and it feels like it could survive a drop kick from your desk. It’s pretty weighty with an attractive copper knop that turns smoothly and feels equally weighty… doesn’t feel cheap at all. It actually made me not care about the included alumnum remote, because I just enjoyed the feel of turning the big ‘ol knob. Internally, it’s just as serious, delivering 10 watts of pure Class-A power and 6, yes 6 of Burson's legendary v7 Vivid opamps, with the option to opamp roll, which the GT4 sounds so impressive I don’t know that I’d have a desire to change out the opamps. But it’s great to have that option at least!

Ok so what about the sound? Well, it’s outstanding. With my OG Focal Clear, the synergy is the best I’ve ever heard and a “clear” favorite of mine when using the GT4. I found myself reaching for the Focal Clear the most when using this amp. It’s simply a terrific pairing. I wish so much I could hear the Focal Utopia on the GT4, but sadly, I don’t have a Utopia to test. The GT4 adds even more slam and fullness to the Clear’s bass, which is no small feat, seeing how punchy they can get even on much less powerful amps. The midrange is just about perfect, everything has a nuanced spaciousness, and the imaging is first class, with every piece of the music sounding full-bodied and precise. Treble remains crisp and detailed but without any edge or fatigue. The GT4 doesn’t color the sound dramatically- it’s all about control, texture, and scale. What I noticed most was the sense of effortlessness. It powers the Clears like they're a $20 pair of IEMs, and even with planars like my HE-1000 V2 or LCD-3 it never breaks a sweat. Every headphone I tested across all genres of music sounded at their very best...like Burson slapped a tuxedo on them and sent them off to the ball. Everything is always effortlessly controlled, energetic, and resolving. All the best aspects of your headphones are heightened by the Conductor GT4, but it is also revealing of poor source material if your music isn’t up to snuff.

This is a one-and-done piece of gear…for a hefty price.



Vs. Tubes:
The thing that stood out when pairing the Burson Conductor GT4 with various ZMF headphones and my DNA Sonnet 2 (in this case, the Atrium Open and Bokeh Closed) was how tactile and controlled the bass became. Coming from years of tube amp listening, which tends to give ZMFs that rich, gooey warmth, the GT4 trades some of that romantic warm tone for high precision and texture. You lose a bit of the encompassing musicality, but gain excellent speed, punch, and detail in the low end. Kick drums hit with more definition, and the sub-bass feels buttoned up and more articulate. It’s genuinely a different flavor…but if you’ve only ever heard ZMFs through tubes, the GT4 offers a different and surprisingly engaging perspective on the sound.


Vs. Topping DX9 Amp/Dac combo
I spent a good bit of time A/B testing with the Topping DX9, which is a slightly more modern, sleekly integrated unit in some ways. The DX9 has a smoother, ever so slightly warmer presentation by comparison. Technically, the DX9 is no slouch: it images well, and detail is all there, but it lacks a touch of that engagement and dynamic punch the Conductor GT4 delivers. Burson’s analog stage just feels more a bit more alive, while the DX9 leans slightly more toward its neutral-warm presentation. The DX9 also has a better UI to be sure- bigger screen, more intuitive menus, and cleaner interface—so if you're into fine-tuning or want something user-friendly, Topping wins there. But for pure musicality and energy, the GT4 is the one I’d keep if given the option between the two.

Other Thoughts:
The Conductor GT4 also has a plethora of inputs. Balanced and single-ended inputs and outputs, pre-outs, a dedicated sub-out, and also Bluetooth support, which was handy for casual listening from my phone running Tidal. Compared to the Topping DX9, which also offers a rich interface, the GT4 holds its own in terms of I/O options, but leans more towards brutalist analog with a minimalist interface.

One cool feature I unfortunately didn’t get to try is the GT4’s ability to pair a subwoofer with your headphones. Burson claims it adds a physical dimension to listening, where sound isn’t just heard, but felt. It’s a unique option that could make movies, games, and bass-heavy music way more immersive, and it's neat to see that level of flexibility baked into the design.

That said, it’s not all cupcakes and rainbows. As alluded to previously, the GT4 interface is barebones at best. You scroll through menus with small little buttons, and it’s pretty easy to get lost or accidentally change something without realizing it. And without a guide, it’s impossible to know what some of the icons on the screen even mean. It’s a learning curve, and over time of ownership it wouldn’t matter much, but it’s worth noting. Compared to the much less expensive Topping DX9 with its easy-to-read, full navigation menus, there’s no fancy screen or visual feedback beyond the small blue readout on the GT4. At this price, I think Burson could step it up a bit. The remote also feels like an afterthought and has a slightly cheap feeling. It’s functional, but a bit out of place given the otherwise premium feel of the unit itself.

Also…the Conductor GT4 runs hot. Not "warm to the touch"... no it gets hot…like hot-hot. You’ll definitely want it in a well-ventilated space and definitely not stacked under other gear. It’s not dangerous but definitely noticeable, especially during longer sessions. Luckily, this hot metal hunk is also an attractive one, so you shouldn’t have too many issues with showing it off on your desk in all its authoritative glory.

And yes, the price. It’s up there. For what it offers, I think it's mostly justified… this is some serious power; clean, natural, energetic, and profoundly intoxicating sound with tons of input and output options, all in a single, tough, machined chassis. Honestly, it’s amongst some of the best amps I’ve ever listened to music from, solid state or otherwise. But when you stack it against something like the Topping DX9, which is considerably cheaper and arguably more flexible feature-wise, the GT4 can feel a little niche. You’re paying for that Class-A muscle and Burson’s unique flavor, which I personally fell in love with, but others might find better value elsewhere.

In the end, though, the GT4 has become my go-to desktop unit for the past handful of weeks. It brings out the best in just about every headphone I threw at it (especially the Focal Clear and ZMF Bokeh) and makes high-quality music of all genres feel energized, immersive, and weighty without being overbearing or fatiguing. It’s not the slickest or most modern amp/DAC out there, but if you value sound quality above all else and don’t mind some minor quirks, the Conductor GT4 is all business.

This is a big one. The Burson's GT4, kindly given to me on the EU tour, just got delivered. Now this thing is anything but easy to review first and foremost because it has a dumptruck of functions. Headphone, headphone+subwoofer, pre-out, DAC out, this thing is so packed of functions it's taking me forever to learn them all. And on hardware of this level, it's needed to study a little to squeeze every euro worth of sound quality from them.
Now, here we're in TOTL territory, and as hardware of my own i have an humble Topping E70V velvet with an AK4499EX and A70Pro AMP. This has been my reference, and it's been quite a satisfactory build. This review focuses on my feelings on what the burson is, what i think the target audience is and what i think are its best features and what i feels lacks.

First off it's a sturdy built unit, very sleek. It has fewer (headphone) outputs than my A70 pro, since it lacks the 4.4mm balanced out on the front. This was a letdown, since i usually put on the 4.4 for my headphones on the go, and not having to change cables is something i prefer. but i also use the XLR termination at home so it's not like it's a dealbraker, just a minor inconvenience.
On the hardware side, three more details:
It runs hot fast, even while not playing music
The screen when turned to "OLED: HIGH" there seems to be small flickering sometimes, near the bottom
Volume knob feels premium on the surface but sometimes the volume has a small "float" backward when turning it too fast.

While exploring the settings menu and the manual, one item stuck me: there is NO WAY to put the DPLL to "Low". On the manual, it's explained as a filter to "reduce jittering". And it "should" be possible to turn it off. Meanwhile, i had no way to do so, if i turn it off the burson stays silent. Only thing i could manage was to just put it on "low". Why is it relevant? Because i feel i should have been able to review the unit with zero "software" mingle. THis way i could have maybe seen better what the hardware does and what portion of the experience i had was due to software. Thus i set it to "Low", and got reviewing.

I chose some songs that i feel can highligh pros and cons of the device

All the listening has been done with my TOTL headphone: Audeze LCD5. It is the best and my most beloved headphone, and i feel it's extremely "revealing" in how it handles the sources.


Songs:
(Don't) Give Hate A Chance
The sparkle of the songs at the beginning is incredible on the burson, the percussions feel controlled, well rounded but i feel they lack that extra-depth. It's like when a screen has absolutely gorgeous detail but it has less contrast. In this case, you feel a really good bass but, compared to my A70pro and my C9, it's like it lacks a bit of extension.
Another chapter is the voice. A strange phenomenon, and the reason why i looked at turning off any software altertion, was that i feel something awkward from them. Mind you they are detailed, they are nice but when switching from the other sources, i feel the voice lacks....something. Hard to express, when comparing it the voices feel fuller. Meanwhile on the burson, they seem more "digital", as in you feel like it's not the "whole" voice but like it was artificially reconstructed. I would "think" that the filtering does something like "smooth" the sound in a way that subtracts some character from it, even with the incredible detail overall it feels like there's something amiss.

Beethoven Sypmhony No.9 in D Minor OP.125 Choral
Classical music, here the burson shines. Less voices and a good bass control, not to mention great treble extension make for an incredible musical performance. Here i feel like that the burson was ment to be made into a real-life orchestra to put in your home. And it COULD explain why of that "aggressive" filter: there's plenty of wonderful old recorded orchestral music and some digital cleanup can help with the sound.

Mon Coeur S'ouvre A Ta Voix:
a fantastic rendtion, but i still feel there's a slight "lack" in the voice. The rest of the frequencies are perfect, but there's always this....slight lack in the voice that feels more "digital" than it ought to.

Nighthaws (Lifelike Extended MIX) - The Midnight
Synthwave songs shine on the burson, that keeps showing great treble and bass control.


To sum the experience i had with the burson, it would boils down to advice you to carefully think your musical preferences. This wonderful amp/dac shines better when the type of music selected is more "compatible" with the hardware/software combo. It focuses heavily on detail, first and foremost, trying to "isolate" the various sound sources to a stunning degree.
To further analyze this "effect" i played some online FPSs and it turns out it really feels like cheating when you can pinpoint steps direction and distance with such stunning accuracy.
This effect better empasizes orchestral music and its complexity, making it a sure-purchase for those who heavily favour such music.
For those who are more into vocals and bassy music, i'd advice you try the unit first.
I myself am not a fan of re-tuned music, i prefer the units to be as transparent as possible. There is some colouring with the burson, and while it helps improve instrument/sound separation, i feel it has the side effect of stifling some of the more "vivid" characteristics of music, more apparent with vocals.
Some say in the TOTL territory, it's hard to make a bad choice and i agree. But as someone who tries to get the "best bang for the bucks" i would reccomend listening to the unit first. Might be the best thing on the planet for your musical tastes, or "just" really great. But TOTL territory doesn't just settles for "great" i think.

I just got one of these a few days ago with the loaner tour program. I have some similar stacks to compare it to like the SMSL H400/D400SE and Topping A70Pro/D70Pro Octo and also Sabre versions. The Class A nearest I have is the Singxer SA-1 V2 and the Topping A30Pro when it detects the HD650 which is 300ohm, then goes fully class A mode. I've been using it 4 days just to get over the initial wow factor and swap it for some other things to compare on the same day. qsk78 really covered everything on it in the last amazing review.



The sound is more detailed than other class A amplifiers I've had, no fuzziness or overly smooth sound, crisp and clean. The sound reminds me most of the Gustard X26Pro with the Singxer SA-1 V2. I've tried a variety of headphones so far, Focal Utopia (original not the 2022 which I thought was a little more V shaped), Hifiman Edition XS, Dan Clark Aeon 2 open, Fiio FT3 350 ohm, Sennheiser HD650, and a couple of Beyerdynamics (DT770 and DT880 250 ohm). Any headphone, dynamic or planar was great with it. To test noise floor I used the 18 ohm Moondrop Chu 2 (the same pair Amir did review and measurements on) and I also wouldn't recommend for really sensitive IEMs. If it had a medium gain and a true low gain mode it would really help. For IEMs my first pick is always the Topping L30 II, so plugging one to this for dedicated IEM use is the ideal setup.

Thermals and power consumption: I have a laser thermometer and in a 75F room the temps blowing out the sides were 127F and on top measured 120F. I put it on a slotted monitor riser, to see if airflow helped but it was the same. The feet on this seem to be the right size for maximum airflow.
I have a Sinewave UPS with a power meter in watts, so it's 90w at idle and in operation 96w, this is not something most would want to leave on 24/7. A 100 watt traditional light bulb draws 78 watts, so it's not the end of the world for your electric bill, but worth mentioning since there's no standby mode.



Technicalities: Some things worth knowing is it comes with a 3 year warranty, but it's not transferable. It also mentions no modifications or it's void. It's also important to only use their XLR to RCA cables/adapters which are designed specially for this unit. Don't use off the shelf ones or you'll damage it. This came shipped in high gain mode, but the volume was at zero so no risk. Just check it in the setup menu since you might never need it. The drivers are hosted with a Google drive link, small thing, but I wish they just did a direct download since Google was having technical problems and it took a while to get it (and 3 different browsers, Edge worked best).

Is it worth it? If it's not a financial stretch, you have room on your desk, and enough air conditioning to keep the room cool then yes. The sound is Goldilocks, not too smooth or too bright, they really nailed it. Competition is tough those, the Topping DX9 is right up there at lower cost (and the tacky diagram cover on it). If you like the class A sound/smoothness, it's hard to do better (the Singxer was fun, but I wouldn't keep it for myself, this one I would use for a daily driver easily). It's well made, sounds great, and looks higher end than most of the matte black offerings. The price is premium, but if that's not a deal breaker I recommend it based one how clean it sounds (and effectively unlimited power). There's a Fusion power supply upgrade, with the base power supply it competes with anything else I've heard.