Hello,
I just wanted to add my impressions of the Burson Conductor SL 9018. I just upgraded from a Schiit Asgard 2/Modi 2 Uber and the change is phenomenal.I understand this is not an apples-to-apples comparison, as the Burson is in a whole different class, but it is not my intention to argue one vs the other, only to relate my experience.
About a month ago I purchased the Oppo PM-3 planar headphones for use at work. I have loved music all my life, and played in several amateur symphonic bands over the past two decades. I was looking for a desktop system that I could enjoy at work without disturbing my officemates, so I settled on the (relatively) inexpensive planar magnetics from Oppo. Paired with the Schiit stack, I could tell a definite improvement over my older Shure 940s, but something was missing. The sounds were there, but the music wasn't. The Oppo cans were very detailed and nuanced, but something wasn't coming through like I knew that it could. So.... the hunt began for a new headphone amp. After researching and doing some listening tests, I decided to go with the Burson. I picked the 9018 version because I really like detailed, clean sound. I want to hear the source material....not the equipment. My philosophy is that no component, no matter the cost, can IMPROVE the quality of the source material. At best a component "stays out of the way", and at worst it can absolutely clobber the music.
Let me state that the Burson is a superbly crafted device that presents low-level detail with absolutely gorgeous realism. One of the things that really jumped out at me right away is that the background vocals sound as good as the lead vocals. Usually, I can hear the fundamental tones of the background vocal, but the nuances don't come through very well. I do not know the reason for this - perhaps it is because they are recorded at a recessed level relative to the lead vocal. But with the Burson, I can clearly hear much more inflection and tonal character in the background vocals. It was a very pleasant surprise, as I was not expecting this.
Another treat is hearing bells, chimes, and triangles rendered with stunning, crystal clarity. Having played in bands that have chimes, triangles, and bells in them, I know what they sound like in real life. They sound "round", if that makes any sense. They are not 2-dimensional... they have a bloom to them that is hard for most equipment I have heard to reproduce accurately. I apologize for mixing physics and psychoacoustics, but I really don't know how else to explain these subjective observations.
Bass is tight and punchy with good extension. I would describe it as realistic and full-bottomed. It blends perfectly with the midrange and treble. If I had to pick one adjective to describe the sound in totality, it would be "stunning".
To summarize, I highly recommend the Burson, as it is a great-sounding, accurate unit. I am looking forward to many hours of enjoyment using this setup.