[bhanja_trinanjan]

Hello,
 
      I am over the top with this combo in a number of ways... those who keep bashing the K-702 for fake soundstage, bad bass and plastic mids will be surprised with what the Burson does to them!
 
I was listening to some large scale orchestral (Brahms' Hungarian Dances and Mahler Symphony No. 5) and I am awe-struck with the huge soundstage, exceptional treble, resolution and timing of the Burson.
 
There is an ocean of space between the individual players and the soundstage is very very similar to that of a good pair of speakers!
 
The K-702 could probably do with some additional lower mid body... but what the heck!
 
That oceanic soundstage and airiness just works with large scale orchestral... and this is coming from an user who already has a Beyer T1 in the house....
 
Hats off to Burson once again... and those who are about to sell their K-70x, just try them off the Burson HA-160!

 

[VALIENTE]

Thank you for the info. It only shows that not only the K701 but also K702 paired well with Burson HA160. Guys, I assume that its time to save some money for HA 160.

 

[kool bubba ice]

I have no doubt the 160 is a excellent amp.. I heard the 701 on the BADA12 (great synergy, & hybrid tube amp.) & the GS1.. Both are excellent amps.. I still found the large SS to sound fake & artificial.. Not enough to dislike the 701.. I enjoyed the 701 on both amps very much.. But the flaws are still there, even on excellent amps.. My main problem.. Songs meant to be intimate are distance due to the cavernous & artificial like SS.. Like hearing a small quartet.. Of course, if you listen to a lot of large symphonies, then yes, the large SS fits in very well.. I just never found the 701 to be very transparent in that regard..
 
About the 'plastic' mids.. Erik is very harsh towards the 701, & you cannot use the excuse of him using a poor amp.. He has one of the best tube amps in production today.. Bare none.. I know you have the 702 NOT the 701, but I doubt they vary THAT much.. I could be wrong.. Either way, the 701 doesn't deserve the flack it gets, & the quality does vary from amp to amp..But some of the flaws or 'perceived' flaws will always remain..
 
I am a 701 fan..

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

 
Quote:

I have no doubt the 160 is a excellent amp.. I heard the 701 on the BADA12 (great synergy, & hybrid tube amp.) & the GS1.. Both are excellent amps.. I still found the large SS to sound fake & artificial.. Not enough to dislike the 701.. I enjoyed the 701 on both amps very much.. But the flaws are still there, even on excellent amps.. My main problem.. Songs meant to be intimate are distance due to the cavernous & artificial like SS.. Like hearing a small quartet.. Of course, if you listen to a lot of large symphonies, then yes, the large SS fits in very well.. I just never found the 701 to be very transparent in that regard..
 
About the 'plastic' mids.. Erik is very harsh towards the 701, & you cannot use the excuse of him using a poor amp.. He has one of the best tube amps in production today.. Bare none.. I know you have the 702 NOT the 701, but I doubt they vary THAT much.. I could be wrong.. Either way, the 701 doesn't deserve the flack it gets, & the quality does vary from amp to amp..But some of the flaws or 'perceived' flaws will always remain..
 
I am a 701 fan..

KBI, regarding the fake SS, you need to hear the Burson. That amp has pristine treble extension and sparkle and recreates 'space' in a truly special way... The transparency and the openness of the Burson is a real delight.
 
And I do not find Mozart to sound as big as Mahler either! The SS just shrinks and grows proportionately with the recording.
 
And I still admit that the K-702 could improve further in the midrange and offer better octave to octave transition.
 
But that glitch is pardonable, considering the other strengths that the K-702 has.
 
 
But, here is the paradox. My Beyer T1 just sounds like crap out of the Burson, sounding way better out of my little Headroom Ultra Micro.
 
But the Ultra Micro is nowhere as open, spacious and extended as the HA-160; leaving me to miss the HA-160-K-702 pairing as soon as I don the T1.
 
Maybe I need a Phonitor to wake my Teslas up!

 

[kool bubba ice]

I would love to hear this combo.. Sounds surreal.. So the SS does shrink & grow according to the recording? Can't say I really experienced that wit my Bada12 & DAC1.. & I only auditioned the GS1 with one CD, so it's possible..
 
People need to realise that a amp can make or break a headphone. I loved the 701 on the BADA12 & hated it on the DAC1..So I sold it when I sold my Bada12..
Quote:

 

KBI, regarding the fake SS, you need to hear the Burson. That amp has pristine treble extension and sparkle and recreates 'space' in a truly special way... The transparency and the openness of the Burson is a real delight.
 
And I do not find Mozart to sound as big as Mahler either! The SS just shrinks and grows proportionately with the recording.
 
And I still admit that the K-702 could improve further in the midrange and offer better octave to octave transition.
 
But that glitch is pardonable, considering the other strengths that the K-702 has.
 
 
But, here is the paradox. My Beyer T1 just sounds like crap out of the Burson, sounding way better out of my little Headroom Ultra Micro.
 
But the Ultra Micro is nowhere as open, spacious and extended as the HA-160; leaving me to miss the HA-160-K-702 pairing as soon as I don the T1.
 
Maybe I need a Phonitor to wake my Teslas up!

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

 
Quote:

I would love to hear this combo.. Sounds surreal.. So the SS does shrink & grow according to the recording? Can't say I really experienced that wit my Bada12 & DAC1.. & I only auditioned the GS1 with one CD, so it's possible..
 
People need to realise that a amp can make or break a headphone. I loved the 701 on the BADA12 & hated it on the DAC1..So I sold it when I sold my Bada12..

 

 
Yes, you would love to, but you also have to watch the volume.
 
That fully extended top end means that you can get that sense of spaciousness and sparkle at 5-7 clicks on the stepped attenuator... anything more and you have too much of a good thing. But within that volume range, the combo just works with classical with a large SS and top end sparkle.
 
This is with the K-702 on the low impedance jack.
 
The HA-160 majors on timing, openness, treble extension and soundstaging; sacrificing a wee bit of midrange warmth. (but it is not lean/malnourished in the mids either and the excellent instrument separation means that you can hear everything in the mix -- But the K-702 could do with more low mid fullness)
 
Bass is also first rate with awesome growl and slam.
 
Just add a good CD on a nice CD player!
 

 

[leeperry]

 

 
People need to realise that a amp can make or break a headphone. I loved the 701 on the BADA12 & hated it on the DAC1..So I sold it when I sold my Bada12..
 

 
I think ppl need to realize that the DAC1 has LM4562 used as DAC LPF and NE5532 used for headphone driving(the "best" opamp for the job from what Benchmark recently said here on head-fi).
 
comparing those crappy sounding cheap IC opamps to the ±18V full discrete design of the HA-160 doesn't make much sense. there's a guy who compared a lot of DAC on his blog and he said that the DAC-1 was harsh sounding, figures! The sound of those burson discrete opamps is as 3D and holographic as can be, the SS surrounds you completely.

 

[Vincent01]

My friend bought an HA-160/K702 combo from a Portland retailer and he loved it! I had a chance to listen to it a while back and also found it very impressive.  I will probably go for a similar combo or a HA-160/ Sen 800 combo before the year ends.
 
Are they also developing a USB DAC? I want to move on from soundcards but so far, most USB DAC fails to impress.  

 

[winma]

I have read reviews on that setup before, and the HA-160 seems like it can drive the hardest headphones to drive. Nice work. 

 

[JamesChappell]

Does the Burson HA-160 work well with Grados?