Neal
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2009
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Not long ago I purchased two components from Burson Audio; the AB-160 Audio Buffer and HA-160 Headphone Amp. I recently provided feedback to Burson Audio regarding my listening experience with them. Here is an excerpt:
"I promised to give you an opinion of the AB-160/HA-160 set-up so here it is. The two components have been burned in continuously for 240 hours. As you recall, the source component is a Sony SCD-XA777ES SACD player the output of which is fed to the AB-160 and the output of that to the HA-160. It's a simple listening station dedicated to headphone listening only. The following headphones have been used with this set-up:
Ultrasone LE-9
Sennheiser HD650
Grado PS-1
Grado HP-1
To be perfectly honest, I have not been unhappy with my prior headphone amps. However, one does not know what one is missing until you realize you've been missing things. That is the case with the Burson set-up.
Detail
I've become more aware of the nuances associated with each instrument. Tambre is more individualized, trailing reverberation is more audible and so one gets the feeling as if you were there in the recording studio right next to the players and their instruments. The plucking of strings and tapping of keys are more audible now and provide a very realistic listening experience.
Head-stage
In a single word...enormous. The result is that there is more distance between each instrument and each instrument is better defined in space. It is easier than before to focus on a single instrumental voice, even when subtle. Yet, despite the large head-stage, voices travel from one ear to the other perfectly smoothly.
Frequency Extension and Balance
Clearly, this is the most variable of my perceptions. I believe it is not so much to do with the Burson set-up but rather to the individual voicing of the four headphones. As one would expect, the PS-1 has deepest bass extension yet the detail is not as precise as the HP-1 which has less bass extension. The detailed sound from the HP-1 rivals that of my Stax Omega electrostatic phones with the Burson set-up and did not sound this way before. The HD650 provided the most balanced sound in that bass was deep, mid-range was full and sweet, and high frequency extention was clear without any hint of stridency. The LE-9 sounded very similar to the HD650 with two exceptions being the larger head-stage and slightly less sweet and thinner mid-range.
Overall impressions
The Burson set-up has become my primary headphone listening venue. For all the reasons stated above, you have produced a fine set of components that bring out the best in recordings. I have begun enjoying my music all over again and I'm now discovering the hidden voicing I never knew existed. Thank you for your dedication and your focus. Its great to be listening to my new old music."
The feedback was not meant to be exhaustive. That's pretty obvious. But I was so impressed with this combination and there is some interest on Head-Fi regarding Burson Audio that I thought others would like to know.
Has anyone else had any experience with either the Audio Buffer, Headphone Amp, or the combination of the two?
For those who would like to know more, here is their link:
Home
"I promised to give you an opinion of the AB-160/HA-160 set-up so here it is. The two components have been burned in continuously for 240 hours. As you recall, the source component is a Sony SCD-XA777ES SACD player the output of which is fed to the AB-160 and the output of that to the HA-160. It's a simple listening station dedicated to headphone listening only. The following headphones have been used with this set-up:
Ultrasone LE-9
Sennheiser HD650
Grado PS-1
Grado HP-1
To be perfectly honest, I have not been unhappy with my prior headphone amps. However, one does not know what one is missing until you realize you've been missing things. That is the case with the Burson set-up.
Detail
I've become more aware of the nuances associated with each instrument. Tambre is more individualized, trailing reverberation is more audible and so one gets the feeling as if you were there in the recording studio right next to the players and their instruments. The plucking of strings and tapping of keys are more audible now and provide a very realistic listening experience.
Head-stage
In a single word...enormous. The result is that there is more distance between each instrument and each instrument is better defined in space. It is easier than before to focus on a single instrumental voice, even when subtle. Yet, despite the large head-stage, voices travel from one ear to the other perfectly smoothly.
Frequency Extension and Balance
Clearly, this is the most variable of my perceptions. I believe it is not so much to do with the Burson set-up but rather to the individual voicing of the four headphones. As one would expect, the PS-1 has deepest bass extension yet the detail is not as precise as the HP-1 which has less bass extension. The detailed sound from the HP-1 rivals that of my Stax Omega electrostatic phones with the Burson set-up and did not sound this way before. The HD650 provided the most balanced sound in that bass was deep, mid-range was full and sweet, and high frequency extention was clear without any hint of stridency. The LE-9 sounded very similar to the HD650 with two exceptions being the larger head-stage and slightly less sweet and thinner mid-range.
Overall impressions
The Burson set-up has become my primary headphone listening venue. For all the reasons stated above, you have produced a fine set of components that bring out the best in recordings. I have begun enjoying my music all over again and I'm now discovering the hidden voicing I never knew existed. Thank you for your dedication and your focus. Its great to be listening to my new old music."
The feedback was not meant to be exhaustive. That's pretty obvious. But I was so impressed with this combination and there is some interest on Head-Fi regarding Burson Audio that I thought others would like to know.
Has anyone else had any experience with either the Audio Buffer, Headphone Amp, or the combination of the two?
For those who would like to know more, here is their link:
Home
