Burson Conductor 3 Performance & Conductor 3X Performance

[Sam Spade]

Mine Pops. Always turn on power amp last. Plug in headphones last

 

[walkmanforever]

BTW quick question for you folks here who owns the Conductor 3 (X or XP). My start up and shut down sequence has always been to plug the headphones in (stereo jack or XLR) prior to turning on the amp. The instructions caution about plugging in the stereo jack when it is turned on especially when you have music playing. So I decided to just plug in before turning on the amp and turning off the amp before unplugging. However doing so produces pop. I know it is somewhat normal and my iFi iDSD BL does this too. But I wanted to be sure, that this is also normal for the Burson? It pops when turning on and off. The only way to reduce this, is to turn the volume all the way down to 0 and the mute it. Its still there but not as loud.

I always turn on the unit first, then press the volume knob so that it's on mute and then plug the headphones in. While turning off, reduce the volume or put it on mute, remove the headphone in and then turn off the mains. Never turn on an amp with headphones plugged in.

 

[Hinomotocho]

I've just found this thread, it seems there are also individual threads for these?
I own the RME ADI-2 but although the specs on paper make it adequate for my MDR-Z1R I just don't feel much magic happening there - otherwise it is a fine device.
From the description of another Z1R owner's experience adding the Soloist 3X to the ADI-2 it has me interested in the Burson range. I would sell the ADI-2 but instead of the separate components I thought these may be my best option.
Does anyone use either of these with the MDR-Z1R?
Other dac/amps I have tried are the DX7 Pro and the iFi NEO, is anyone able to share their opinions please?
(I did read the review linked in an earlier post but as reviews and opinions can vary greatly I like to hear as much feedback as I can).

 

[Mightygrey]

I always turn on the unit first, then press the volume knob so that it's on mute and then plug the headphones in. While turning off, reduce the volume or put it on mute, remove the headphone in and then turn off the mains. Never turn on an amp with headphones plugged in.

I'm finding that the new Playmate 2 also has an audible 'pop' when powering-off with both headphones and when pre-amping speakers. I'm also having to get into the habit of unplugging/switching-off my power amp before switching-off the unit.

 

[iFi audio]

Other dac/amps I have tried are the DX7 Pro and the iFi NEO, is anyone able to share their opinions please?

If I may ask, did you enjoy them ?

 

[Hinomotocho]

If I may ask, did you enjoy them ?

Yes, I did.
To get maximum listening time and to keep things simple I have always used a high end Sony Walkman so I don't have much experience with different amps etc I am just looking for a step up from a portable dap since getting my overheads.
I tried the DX7 Pro a few months back and remembered enjoying the sound. Last Saturday I finally got to try the NEO (Covid delays last year) and it is definitely between this and the idea of trying some of the Bursons to see how they sound. From having owned an xDSD before I have fond memories of the Burr Brown sound so the NEO was very pleasing to my ears. The features are ideal too as I am all 4.4mm and have found for movies bluetooth would serve a purpose.
My MDR-Z1R are 'easy to drive' and even sound very good from my WM1A but after feedback from another owner with a Burson product I am interested to see how they sound as I have read explanations of what a more powerful amp can do besides volume.
If the Burson knocks my socks off, I'll weigh up the cost and may go that way, otherwise I see the NEO as catering very well to my needs.

 

[iFi audio]

Yes, I did.
To get maximum listening time and to keep things simple I have always used a high end Sony Walkman so I don't have much experience with different amps etc I am just looking for a step up from a portable dap since getting my overheads.
I tried the DX7 Pro a few months back and remembered enjoying the sound. Last Saturday I finally got to try the NEO (Covid delays last year) and it is definitely between this and the idea of trying some of the Bursons to see how they sound. From having owned an xDSD before I have fond memories of the Burr Brown sound so the NEO was very pleasing to my ears. The features are ideal too as I am all 4.4mm and have found for movies bluetooth would serve a purpose.
My MDR-Z1R are 'easy to drive' and even sound very good from my WM1A but after feedback from another owner with a Burson product I am interested to see how they sound as I have read explanations of what a more powerful amp can do besides volume.
If the Burson knocks my socks off, I'll weigh up the cost and may go that way, otherwise I see the NEO as catering very well to my needs.

Thanks a lot. It's fair to mention that we have our own house sound and Burr-Brown's hybrid DACs play a part in it. Many folks here on HF like Burson's DAC, so I look forward to your impressions upon comparing your NEO to it. Enjoy!

 

[davesday]

Mine Pops. Always turn on power amp last. Plug in headphones last

I always turn on the unit first, then press the volume knob so that it's on mute and then plug the headphones in. While turning off, reduce the volume or put it on mute, remove the headphone in and then turn off the mains. Never turn on an amp with headphones plugged in.

Thanks for the reply. So just to be clear. That is turning the on the Burson first without anything plugged in. Then mute or reduce volume to 0, before plugging headphones in. Question. Wouldn't that create the momentary short circuiting when plugging in? Or it is just when music is being played?

BTW, does Burson's rep hang around here? I ask a number of questions regarding the product but nothing gets replied. I also asked about the 'file icon' that blinks all the time. Do we know if thats just because it is constantly detecting the file sampling rate?

 

[walkmanforever]

Thanks for the reply. So just to be clear. That is turning the on the Burson first without anything plugged in. Then mute or reduce volume to 0, before plugging headphones in. Question. Wouldn't that create the momentary short circuiting when plugging in? Or it is just when music is being played?

BTW, does Burson's rep hang around here? I ask a number of questions regarding the product but nothing gets replied. I also asked about the 'file icon' that blinks all the time. Do we know if thats just because it is constantly detecting the file sampling rate?

Yeah, turn on the unit first and then either reduce the volume or put it on mute before inserting the headphones. I have had a few instances when the power went off while I was listening from my headphones. The headphones were still plugged in (high gain, around 55 volume) when the power came back and I did not hear any pop or static. So, it works both ways but just to be safe and not fry your expensive drivers, I plug them in at the last.

The blinking issue is a normal behavior and was discussed and clarified on this thread or the Burson Conductor Reference thread. And what you said is correct, it keeps on checking the sampling rate constantly.

 

[realmassy]

I see I'm not the only one having issues with the Conductor: I bought a used Conductor XP a couple of months ago, the unit is supposed to be a replacement for a defective one (and that should have been already a concern!), but after a week of usage I heard some loud pops into the headphones. This happened just after powering up the unit.
No damage done to the HEDD Heddphones and thankfully I wasn't wearing them, so no damage to the ears either, but I immediately realised the unit went very very quiet .

I contacted Burson and initially they have been very helpful, they suggested to replace the op-amps with the black spare ones in the box and the unit has been OK since.
I also had to replace the PSU as the stock one was very noisy.

After this Burson stopped answering my emails: I politely asked what I could do to troubleshoot the op-amps, so that I could get a replacement... but no answer.
I can't really complain about the sound of the unit, at least until I could use it with the Vivid op-amps, but all these problems are not reassuring...and so the lack of customer service support.

EDIT: I got a reply from Burson, so that's positive, I hope that I can use it with the proper op-amps soon.

 

[davesday]

I see I'm not the only one having issues with the Conductor

I wouldn't say mine is a major issue but rather questions around the use of the product which was later clarified to be 'a behaviour' of the design (if I can say so). From reading your post, I feel the 'pop' occurence on your unit isn't the same 'pop' that happens with our units. The Burson rep clarified that the 'pop' in my case happens with the charging and discharging of the amp circuits. Could they design around this problem? I think so because the Focal Arche has no such problems. But being a trained EE engineer, I also understand that adding mechanisms to work around this also adds output impedance. There are workarounds such as the ones suggested by a few owners here. I can live with that.

I also had to replace the PSU as the stock one was very noisy.

When you said yours are noisy... do they hum when you get close to the power brick? Or they 'add noise' into your setup?

After this Burson stopped answering my emails:

Yeah they tend to go quiet for a period of time. You just have to be persistent and keep following up with them. Perhaps they are busy. They are located in Melbourne, Victoria and they were affected by the COVID lockdown. Went through 2 hard lockdowns. They seem to have a team in HK/China though. Anyway glad that they responded to you now. A Burson rep also followed up with my question. It took almost 6 days for someone to get on my questions and from then on, I get constantly replies until my matter was resolved.

 

[realmassy]

When you said yours are noisy... do they hum when you get close to the power brick? Or they 'add noise' into your setup?

Noise from the power brick, it was humming.

 

[realmassy]

I feel officially dumb!
A few posts above I wrote about noise popping into the headphones and about replacing the op-amps with the black spare ones. Well, I did that, a few times in fact, on the two stages of the Conductor and I didn't realise one of the op-amps wasn't fully inserted

I suspect that the pins were not completely straight or maybe something went a bit loose/bent during the shipping...but in any case, I decided to push the op-amp a little bit harder and this time the Conductor is singing beautifully, no hiss or noises.

I actually feel sorry for the Burson customer service and Charles in particular...they spent a lot of time answering my questions and helping me troubleshooting the problem...only to find out they were dealing with an idiot

There is quite a bit difference in sound using the Vivid instead of the black spare one, it is indeed a good match with the HEDDphone

 

[Pakrin]

Mine Pops. Always turn on power amp last. Plug in headphones last

Burson has just announced two new Conductor models. This time it seems that Conductor family got a little brother too.



Conductor Performance

https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/conductor-3-performance/







Pre-order price is $835 https://www.bursonaudio.com/product/conductor-3-performance/


Conductor 3X Performance

https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/conductor-3x-performance







Pre-orderprice is $1.075 https://www.bursonaudio.com/product/conductor-3x-performance/

Tags: Burson C3P, Burson C3,

 

[Pakrin]

Hello All –

I have a vintage Thorens TD-160 I would like to connect to a Burson 3P. My thinking is I can run this chain:

Thorens RCA OUTPUT – INPUT RCA Creek OBH-08 phono preamp RCA OUTPUT/USB-C cable – INPUT USB-C Burson 3P

I would use an RCA/USB-C connector like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/PPTVC-Type-C...QXB1/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1

Any thoughts on this chain? I’ve sent a note to Burson asking this very question.

Thanks and cheers!