Hello again,
My
heavily modified ASUS Essence One MUSES MKii just got modified again recently and became
ASUS Essence One BURSON MKii.
I've used for this the following BURSON opamps:
- 4 x SS V5-D in I/V stage
- 2 x SS V6-D Classic in Low Pass Filter stage
- 2 x V5i-D in Voltage Amplification stage
After several hours of usage and intensive testing I found no oscillations when using the above combination, no opamp overheating and on top of this I got
1st class quality sound!
I was listening to many songs like Chesky, hip-hop/dance, rock, jazz, classic etc. and I realized that changes in Low Pass filter are subtle indeed, like other Head-Fiers noticed too, but these changes can make the sound a bit mellow or perhaps a bit rough, depending on the opamps used, and can also modify the scene and how instruments are perceived.
I was swapping the above opamps for several times and I've lost many nights to do happy listening and to test these babies until I got the above "opamps-arrangement". Yes, indeed, SS V6-D when used in LPF stage sounds better than anything else I've tested and combining them with SS V5-D in I/V will amplify the beneficial effect.
What I got after this modding is:
- Neutral sound with a bit of warmth and lot of details.
- A bigger scene, sound is more wide open and very spacious.
- Voices are very clear, a bit more upfront, but with a very good clarity.
- Sound is less fatiguing, more peaceful, voices are not shouting at you...even when screaming, shouts are smoother and music is more enjoyable.
- Sub-bass seems a bit more present, though all-round bass is having normal "size" and impact.
Now speaking about how these opamps sound inside the Essence One, I'll try to summarize below:
- 2 x V5i-D in VAS: 100% compatible, not much sound changing over the stock opamps (LME49720), just a tad on the bass side, but could be my ears; however, sound is accurate and pleasant.
- 2 x V5i-D in LPF (Low Pass Filter): compatible, but sound was a bit bright and sparky, so you might need some "dark" headphones to pair with.
- 2 x SS V5-D in VAS: 100% compatible, not much sound changing over the stock opamps (LME49720), but I liked the clarity and sound-stage.
- 2 x SS V5-D in LPF: not 100% compatible (when moving pot. volume from 90% to 100% some oscillations could be present; however, at least opamps are not overheating and music could be reproduced perfectly), but sound was neutral with very good clarity, sound-stage increase, perhaps a bit bright but not as much as the V5i.
- 4 x SS V5-D in I/V stage: 100% compatible, lot of details and very good clarity, increase in sound-stage, better instrument separation, maybe a little bit on the bright side, so could be picky by someone with Grado headphones or Beyers DT 880 for example.
- 2 x SS V6-D Classic in VAS: 100% compatible, very detailed with neutral sound, very good sound-stage, every instrument sounds perfect and is positioned where it should be on the scene.
- 2 x SS V6-D Classic in LPF: 100% compatible, very detailed, good instrument separation, totally neutral and a very good sound-stage too.
Bottom of line I can totally recommend BURSON SS V6 Classic solid-state opamps, especially for those trying to upgrade regular opamps by replacing them with real high quality solid-state devices, but also for those of us wanting to get the best from their Hi-Fi gears. Seems that SS V6 Classic is compatible with all I've got at home (Matrix M-Stage, Objective 2, DIY headphone amplifier) and sound is just perfect. I also did a test recently with my
Matrix M-Stage HPA-3B and paring was like siblings.
Below is how the SS V6 Classic looks inside, in case you want to check the solid-state quality components from inside Burson opamps.
Do not open up the protective plastic shell like I did! It will void opamp warranty and you'll risk to short-circuit your device.
To properly close the top case of Essence One you'll need to use Extension Lead wires from Burson or similar, but also 90 degrees DIP8 adapters could do.
Many thanks to Charles from BURSON who provided me these samples for testing!
Best regards and happy listening,
Raul.
