Burson Audio Playmate 2 - A Review
The Playmate 2 is a successor to the widely acclaimed Playmate from Burson Audio, a reputed Australian manufacturer of audio equipment and components. It is a Class-A Single-Ended Headphone DAC/Amp with pre-amp functionality. One of the important offerings of the Burson Playmates are the ability to switch the operational amplifiers (opamps) quite easily to tune the sound without complicated mods.
So when an opportunity came to demo the Playmate 2, not only because I had never heard a Burson product before this although heard a lot of good things about them, but mainly because I was looking for an all-in-one solution for my home office to power my headphones and a pair of active bookshelf speakers.
Disclaimer: This unit was provided to me by Burson Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you
@SS-Audio @suman134
Specifications:
Amplification: Class-A Single Ended Headphone Amp (3W per channel)
DAC: SABRE32/ESS9038Q2M
Inputs: USB-C (PCM 32bit 786K / DSD512)
Toslink (PCM 24bit 192K)
3.5mm Mic input (this also doubles as a 3.5mm output)
Outputs: RCA Preamp
6.3mm Headphone Jack
Input impedance: 38 K Ohms
FR: ± 1 dB 0 – 35Khz
THD: <0.002%
Output impedance: (HP Out) <2 Ohm
(Pre Out) 15 Ohm
Weight: ~3 KG
Dimensions: 190mm x 150dimm x 60mm
Full
specifications
Package:
The unit came packed securely in a sturdy big white box (packaged safely in another Burson shipping carton) but announced its content in a firm and tidy manner. Even though not as over the top as some of the other audio products I’ve unboxed, the Playmate 2 packaging was aristocratic. Inside were the following:
- Playmate 2 Pre Amp / DAC
- 100-240V AC External Power Supply
- USB-C to USB-C data cable
- Hex Key (for opening the unit to change opamps)
- 3.5mm TRRS splitter (to transmit via a microphone and receive audio through headphones)
- Spare fuse
- Burson V6 Vivid Dual opamps
Please note that the the V6 Vivid opamps were only included in the review unit, retail unit contents will depend on your choice – for example remote is an optional accessory.
Build Quality:
The Playmate 2 is not only a treat to the eyes, but also the build and feel is top-notch. It is made out of machined aluminium which is, so as to say, battle-ready, but is not very heavy. The outer body is not only a casing for the internal components, but also acts as a heat-sink for the Class-A amplification. This product makes for a statement piece on your desk as it stands out in its design. The dimensions are such that it does not occupy much of your desktop real estate, and we all know how precious our desktop space is!
The inputs and outputs are neatly arranged on the unit:
Rear: digital inputs, preamp outputs and power supply input
Front: headphone out, mic-in, display, menu & power on/off button, volume knob, IR receiver for remote
The LED display is functional – the volume level is shown in big digits. Input/output selection, PCM/DSD sampling rate and menu items like filter selection etc. are also displayed here.
Usage:
The Playmate 2 is plug and play. You power on the unit using the provided power supply, connect your digital signal into the USB-C or Toslink input, connect your headphone to the 6.3mm jack and you are good to go. My source was a Macbook Pro, so I used a USB-C to USB-C cable to connect it to the Playmate 2. Roon on macOS Catalina detected it easily, and I could start playing music in a matter of minutes. I did not use the pre-amp outputs, but its easy to switch to pre-amp out using the menu. There are multiple digital filters provided and it is easy to switch between them using the menu button and the volume knob/selector.
The grooved volume knob is a free rotator which means it does not have any defined start/stop. It also has very less tactile feel and while operating I found that rotation and the increase/decrease of volume did not correspond sometimes. There is also a very slight lag between rotating and change of the selection arrow on the display – not a big deal at all though. It would have been nice if the attenuator had better feedback – would have really made changing the volume a pleasurable experience.
I also missed the presence of an analogue input on the device – which means that we would not be able to use it only as an amplifier. It would have been nice to couple this unit with stand-alone DACs or fed line-out signal from a DAP – to try a variety of sounds. I strongly feel this is something Burson should consider for future models. Bluetooth also would have been nice to have, especially since this model is targeted towards those looking for all-in-one units to connect with their mobile devices.
Strangely enough, the outer packaging mentions Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD! Wouldn’t that have been great?!
Sound Impressions:
I did not spare for any burn-in timer, mainly because this being a review unit my previous reviewers had already put some hours on the unit. Out of the box, when I plugged in my Focal Clear, fired up Tidal from Roon and played Paradise by Goerge Ezra, it was a amazing revelation on how good the chain sounded. As I have mentioned, I was looking for a DAC/Amp for Clear for some time now, and as I moved on to the next song, Jump by Van Halen, I heaved a sigh of relief. I said to myself, I want this! Even those strictly speaking the amp is on the warmer side, but those guitar strums and cymbal slams sounded very nice. I did not switch the opamps to Vivid V6, because at that point of time I was considering purchase of the basic package which came with NE5532 opamps.
I am not very good in articulating sound impressions from an audiophile point of view, but I would say that the Playmate 2 is excellent. At High gain, I kept the volume somewhere between 35-42. On older recording I had to turn I up a little bit. The thing had some power, Class-A was doing its magic. The dynamics and slam were mesmerizing, without being fatiguing. One of the important requirements for me as a consumer is that I should be able to plug in my headphones and listen to playlists over longer periods of time while I was working, and the Playmate 2 provided exactly that kind of non-fatiguing experience. One will probably get tired of their heavy headphones or sweaty earpads, but not the sound from the Playmate 2. At one listening session at night while working on very boring documentation work, I had the Clear on for more than 2 hours at a stretch out of the Playmate 2 – zero fatigue! Again, this reinforces its suitability for gamers and work desks. A major point to be noted, due to the “cool case”, even after extended playback sessions, the unit was only slightly warm on the outside.
The bass was sufficient and in good quality. I would have probably liked the sub-bass rumble to be more on certain tracks, but all in all it was pleasing to my ears. As far as the soundstage is concerned, it was balanced neither intimate nor holographic. Since I was using an open-back headphone it was not a problem for me, even if I could have enjoyed a bit more of depth. The instrument separation was remarkable, something that I really enjoyed.
I listen to a lot of acoustic and unplugged music, so vocals were an important parameter for me to judge. And surely enough the Playmate 2 did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the intimate presentation of the vocals. There are many songs in Bengali (my mother tongue) which are not available in any of the streaming platforms apart from YouTube/YouTube Music – even these sounded good despite being badly recorded. So, the Playmate 2 is quite forgiving in nature, something that you do not see in Sabre DAC implementations.
Comparison:
The last chain that I demoed was Schiit Audio Multibit (DAC) -> Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear (Amp) -> Focal Clear. I must say that the Playmate 2 sounded a lot better than that. Even though the Solo is a very reputed Class A amp, it probably did not pair well with the R2R Modi Multibit, and the experience left a lot to desire. So, one can imagine how pleased I was to listen to the Playmate 2 – this chain had better dynamics, better “slam” and better soundstage. The vocals, however, of the Solo seemed better.
Conclusion:
This is a no-brainer for those who are looking for a single unit solution for their headphones which could provide excellent sound reproduction. At 544$ for the basic package, this is as good as it gets. Cannot recommend it enough for people like me who are looking for a hassle-free plug and play solution for their desks which sounds like a bomb but doesn’t cost like one!
Will post my inputs after a week's worth of listening and how this Aussie stands up to other class A amps in its bracket.
