Burson Composer 3X Performance (ESS9038, DSD512, Bluetooth, balanced output...)

[Sam Spade]

It's interesting, to say the least, that other than a couple of reviews, no one, not one person has posted a single opinion about the Composer in any website, as far as I know.
The Composer was supposed to have been sent to buyers a few weeks ago.

when I pre ordered my Conductor3XR/Audeze LCD3 combo from Burson late last year it took 2-3 months to get to me. And Burson are in Melbourne in the state of victoria 800km from me in Adelaide.

Australia is doing geat with covid But melboure is a hot zone. Lots of Covid and they have been in complete lockdown. Including 5km travel limits, compulsory masks outdoors, curfews. But now It looks like it is improving and restrictions are lifting. It seems that Australia now has a really good chance to get to eradication of covid like NZ have.

The cause of the 2nd wave...... apparently Victoria had a second wave due to a security guard shagging someone in quarantine in a hotel. Then that spiraled downwards (or upwards in numbers) exponentially.

Victoria has closed borders at the moment.

Any Australians that get back here to Oz from overseas, or anyone from anywhere have to go into isolation for 2 weeks.

So the point of this comment is that Burson have been under the pump caused by the lockdown. They also possibly could have had staff come down with Covid. It's been incredibly difficult to live a normal life in Melbourne. I've spoken to alex and normally he answers emails straight away, but its longer at the moment.

And transport world wide has suffered, plus their package load has increased dramatically due to increased online shopping. . I had some Brax and helix gear for my car that had to come from Germany. It took 3 months.

So I wouldn't worry you are certain to get your gear.

But email them, att Alex if you need some comfort and an updated estimate of delivery time. He's really good and straight up front. If you haven't dealt with him before tell him I suggested you contact him.

Next time I'm in Melbourne I'm going to visit them in person

regards
Sam

 

[ishmaelk]

when I pre ordered my Conductor3XR/Audeze LCD3 combo from Burson late last year it took 2-3 months to get to me. And Burson are in Melbourne in the state of victoria 800km from me in Adelaide.

Australia is doing geat with covid But melboure is a hot zone. Lots of Covid and they have been in complete lockdown. Including 5km travel limits, compulsory masks outdoors, curfews. But now It looks like it is improving and restrictions are lifting. It seems that Australia now has a really good chance to get to eradication of covid like NZ have.

The cause of the 2nd wave...... apparently Victoria had a second wave due to a security guard shagging someone in quarantine in a hotel. Then that spiraled downwards (or upwards in numbers) exponentially.

Victoria has closed borders at the moment.

Any Australians that get back here to Oz from overseas, or anyone from anywhere have to go into isolation for 2 weeks.

So the point of this comment is that Burson have been under the pump caused by the lockdown. They also possibly could have had staff come down with Covid. It's been incredibly difficult to live a normal life in Melbourne. I've spoken to alex and normally he answers emails straight away, but its longer at the moment.

And transport world wide has suffered, plus their package load has increased dramatically due to increased online shopping. . I had some Brax and helix gear for my car that had to come from Germany. It took 3 months.

So I wouldn't worry you are certain to get your gear.

But email them, att Alex if you need some comfort and an updated estimate of delivery time. He's really good and straight up front. If you haven't dealt with him before tell him I suggested you contact him.

Next time I'm in Melbourne I'm going to visit them in person

regards
Sam

Oh, I know I'll be getting my gear. I wasn't worried about that at all. I trust the people at Burson, and my experience with Alex has always been impeccable. He's attentive, kind and honest. And really patient!
I was just wondering how come there weren't any Composer buyers posting their impressions anywhere. I think it's a very exciting new dac, and it just felt weird no one was saying anything about it.

 

[Sam Spade]

Oh, I know I'll be getting my gear. I wasn't worried about that at all. I trust the people at Burson, and my experience with Alex has always been impeccable. He's attentive, kind and honest. And really patient!
I was just wondering how come there weren't any Composer buyers posting their impressions anywhere. I think it's a very exciting new dac, and it just felt weird no one was saying anything about it.

I'm glad you weren't worried, but might not have realised how difficult it is in Melbourne at the moment.

Perhaps all the composer users are so busy listening they haven't had time to post

 

[ishmaelk]

I think it may be good to start with my setup:

• DAC: Compose
• AMP: Xiaudio Broadway
• Headphone: Diana V2 with the upgrade cable
• Interconnect: stock USB c cable between my laptop (MBP) and the composer; JPS labs superconductor V XLR interconnects between the dac and the amp.
• Source: some of my CD files and Tidal; feed to the DAC through Roon.

The composer replaces the SMSL M400. Nothing wrong with that DAC, just want to try something new. I think the composer has several features that clearly set it aside from the SMSL M400: (1) you can roll the opamp; (2) there is a usb-c input which fits with my preference of keeping all my digital cables and connections to be usbc.

I am also new to the world of desktop gears (I used to drive my diana with WA11) so the M400 and the composer are my first two DACs. Since I have already sold the M400, there is no way for me to do direct comparison, so all of the comparisons below are based on my recollections and could be affected by my personal preferences. For this afternoon I mostly listen to female vocals and some classics.

Let me begin with the commonality. Both DACs have done an excellent job in delivering the details. Meanwhile, both of them are not dry or sharp. My comparison point is with the Lotoo PAW Gold Touch (LPGT), which I used as the DAC with the Broadway AMP while waiting for the composer to arrive. It is certainly not a fair comparison since I am comparing a DAP with a desktop DAC, but I think the contrast gives me interesting results. The LPGT is known for being analytical, precise in delivering quality sound. However, in this semi-desktop setup, the sound can get dry and overly sharp for female vocals. I also feel that the two desktop DACs give me a better overall presentation of the music.

Between the M400 and the composer, I think the M400 is more on the clear and precise end of the sound, and as some reviewer puts it, more neutral and being truthful in delivering the recording. The composer seems richer, has more textures, and is even more enjoyable to listen to. However, I want to note that both are very good DACs, and I am not confident that I will be able to tell them apart if I do a blind test.

Thanks for the post.
Now that's amazing equipment.
That comparison to the M400 is very interesting and, if one can't go wrong with either of them (Composer and M400, that is), then obviously the M400 is the better value.

 

[bluestorm1992]

Thanks for the post.
Now that's amazing equipment.
That comparison to the M400 is very interesting and, if one can't go wrong with either of them (Composer and M400, that is), then obviously the M400 is the better value.

I would agree. In my case, it is a preference of certain functionalities (usbc for example) over sound quality. I think Thomas mentioned in his review that the Burson Composer is just a bit better in his setup compared to M400, and he considered the Composer to be the best in the category of around $1000; he also mentioned that both of them beat DACs with values of 3-4 grand, and some of his friends sell their DACs within this value range and buy the M400/Burson instead.

After using the Composer for another night, I can say I am very happy with it and it will stay with me for quite some time now. I think for the people who do not want to spend over $5000 on DAC, the M400 or the Burson will be the "end game" for them.

 

[ishmaelk]

I've noticed the icon next to the bitrate, on the display, blinks a little.
It's the only one of the main screen that does it.
There's nothing about that in the manual. And I reset it to default but the icon still blinks.
It's not dependent on the type of bitrate (dsd or pcm).
Has anyone noticed this too?

 

[Xavilaw]

I've noticed the icon next to the bitrate, on the display, blinks a little.
It's the only one of the main screen that does it.
There's nothing about that in the manual. And I reset it to default but the icon still blinks.
It's not dependent on the type of bitrate (dsd or pcm).
Has anyone noticed this too?

Same thing happens with mine. I did notice it but it really doesn't bother me, but i'm curious now

 

[flitcroft]

Same thing happens with mine. I did notice it but it really doesn't bother me, but i'm curious now

Same thing on mine. I figured that was the rate at which it samples the number to display but that's a pure guess...

 

[DjBobby]

I've noticed the icon next to the bitrate, on the display, blinks a little.
It's the only one of the main screen that does it.
There's nothing about that in the manual. And I reset it to default but the icon still blinks.
It's not dependent on the type of bitrate (dsd or pcm).
Has anyone noticed this too?

That display icon on the Conductor 3 blinks the same way, as it already did on the Playmate and the Swing.
They are all using completely different displays, so it must be some intentional design of mysterious purpose.

 

[Sam Spade]

Hi all, i've started a thread on swapping op amps with Burson equipment. I'm getting some V6 classics and Sparko pros.

I have a Conductor 3x ref but it should apply to the composer too.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/spa...-actually-any-opamps-into-burson-gear.947874/

 

[bluestorm1992]

Hi all, i've started a thread on swapping op amps with Burson equipment. I'm getting some V6 classics and Sparko pros.

I have a Conductor 3x ref but it should apply to the composer too.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/spa...-actually-any-opamps-into-burson-gear.947874/

Swapping op amps sounds like a lot of fun! I am planning to order their new playmate 2 with 4*classic op amps. That way I will be able to swap them with the vivid op amps in my composer without having to order the op amps alone.

For anyone who is interested in similar exercises, just shoot Burson an email and they will be happy to include the classic op amp for you instead, which is currently not an available option on their website. You can even ask them to do the op amp pooling for you, i.e., two vivid and two classic.

 

[Sam Spade]

Swapping op amps sounds like a lot of fun! I am planning to order their new playmate 2 with 4*classic op amps. That way I will be able to swap them with the vivid op amps in my composer without having to order the op amps alone.

For anyone who is interested in similar exercises, just shoot Burson an email and they will be happy to include the classic op amp for you instead, which is currently not an available option on their website. You can even ask them to do the op amp pooling for you, i.e., two vivid and two classic.

Burson said to me with my Conductor 3X Reference: "The Conductor 3XR uses 4 dual opamps. 2 for the I/V stage and 2 for L/P stage. Change over the V6 Classic dual in the LP stage will be fantastic for your unit."

So Burson advised me to only change the LP stage and leave the V6 vivids in the IV stage. Lachlan at passion for sound said the same thing in one of his youtube reviews. I'll see if I can chase up that link.

So you might only have to change 2 op amps to get a good result.

Cheers
Sam

 

[bluestorm1992]

Burson said to me with my Conductor 3X Reference: "The Conductor 3XR uses 4 dual opamps. 2 for the I/V stage and 2 for L/P stage. Change over the V6 Classic dual in the LP stage will be fantastic for your unit."

So Burson advised me to only change the LP stage and leave the V6 vivids in the IV stage. Lachlan at passion for sound said the same thing in one of his youtube reviews. I'll see if I can chase up that link.

So you might only have to change 2 op amps to get a good result.

Cheers
Sam

My plan is to have op amp pooling for both the composer and the new playmate 2.

 

[Sam Spade]

My plan is to have op amp pooling for both the composer and the new playmate 2.

Cool. But if you decide to get some sparkos or other op amps for one unit apparently you only need two, for the LP stage.

 

[raphaelchan]

Just placed an order by taking advantage of the 20% discount. Can’t wait to get my hands on it. Alex has been very helpful