Burson Conductor Virtuoso Thread.

[RubyTiger]

  I hear no hiss with my active speakers through the pre out and I hear no hiss with my LCD-XC. 

Good. I never had any problems with mine either. See below my signature.

 

[iDesign]

I purchased the Conductor Virtuoso (ESS9018S) in September and it was a noticeable improvement over my old HA-160D. I looked over the entire market of affordable 3-in-1 integrated amplifiers and the Conductor Virtuoso seemed to offer the best value and solid performance across all three functions of USB DAC, headphone amplifier, and pre-amplifer. It is also nice to see the Conductor Virtuoso in InnerFidelity's Big Sound 2015 shootout which confirms the amazing value it represents-- it is among the least expensive amplifiers in their test yet includes a pre-amplifer and DAC. I added an in-depth review of the Conductor Virtuoso on Head-Fi: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/burson-audio-conductor-virtuoso-dac1-ess9018-dac-and-headphone-preamp/reviews/14244

 

[talon66]

Hello to all,
   I just purchased a Conductor SL 9018 and LOVE it!! I am listening with Oppo PM-3 cans and the sound is simply amazing. Coming from a Schiit stack (Asgard 2/Modi2), the improvement is well worth the $$. I picked the 9018 DAC chip because I prefer a clean, analytical sound and Burson's implementation of the SABRE chip is fantastic. 
 
By the way, I have been a long-time lurker on this forum and wanted to say thanks to you all - I have learned a great deal from all your posts. You guys really know your stuff!
 
Woody

 

[oatp1b1]

I purchased the Conductor Virtuoso (ESS9018S) in September and I have been astounded by how much of an improvement it is over my old HA-160D. I looked over the entire market of affordable 3-in-1 integrated amplifiers and the Conductor Virtuoso seemed to offer the best value and solid performance across all three functions of USB DAC, headphone amplifier, and pre-amplifer. It is also nice to see the Conductor Virtuoso in InnerFidelity's Big Sound 2015 shootout which confirms the amazing value it represents-- it is among the least expensive amplifiers in their test yet includes a pre-amplifer and DAC. I added an in-depth review of the Conductor Virtuoso on Head-Fi: 

http://www.head-fi.org/products/burson-audio-conductor-virtuoso-dac1-ess9018-dac-and-headphone-preamp/reviews/14244

Damn, I shouldn't have read your review. Now I want to upgrade my HA-160D..

 

[iDesign]

Damn, I shouldn't have read your review. Now I want to upgrade my HA-160D..

I decided to write the review in comparison to the HA-160D because I assume many owners of Burson's Classic HA-160 series are considering upgrading after five years. The most appreciable differences between the HA-160D and the Conductor Virtuoso are in the improved soundstage and mid-range detail that I refer to as a "dense center" (specifically with the Sennheiser HD-600 and HD-650). Tyll Hertsens stated in his final review that the Conductor Virutoso was "less engaging" than the other significantly more expensive amplifiers evaluated in InnerFidelity's Big Sound 2015. I disagree and found the Conductor Virtuoso is ideal for long listening sessions which sometimes can be an issue with more engaging amplifiers like the HeadAmp GSX. However, I'm still undecided about the using the Conductor Viruoso with the Analixus modified HD-800 for long sessions and feel it is a better match to the HD-600 or HD-650 (I based my listening impressions on classical recordings that Stephan Flock engineered using the HD-650). I would like to test the Simaudio Neo MOON 230HAD against Conductor Virtuoso because it is likely the best head-to-head challenger. And I think that point was somewhat missed in the Big Sound 2015 review-- the Conductor Virtuoso is punching outside of its weight class and when you consider the Conductor Virtuoso in context, it is among the best choices of fully integrated 3-in-1 amplifiers in its price range. The option to add the Timekeeper Viruoso is also compelling because Burson designed the enclosures to match. The MOON Neo 230HAD is not the same size as the 330A or 400M and both of those amplifiers are more expensive. In that sense the Conductor Virtuoso very well may have set the benchmark because Burson did a good job conceiving an entire package that is both capable and affordable. 
 
If you're considering upgrading from the HA-160D I'm confident you will immediately see the same value and leap forward that I wrote about in my review. 

 

[BeatsWork]

Just posting as courtesy - don't own or know anything more
 
http://www.partsconnexion.com/index.html
 

 

[BennyG]

Hi guys
Long time lurker first time poster and all that.
I've just got the conductor virtuoso.
 
Sounds incredible.
 
The volume knob wobbles side to side like crazy, is this normal?
I notice it as soon as I touch it. I can take the knob off easily, the movement is in the spindle. side to side by about 1mm each way, so when the knob is on, it just feels very loose and a bit crap.
 
cheers
 
edit: wow they are onto it already, getting some help from Burson support.
just thought I would ask here also for some feedback

 

[Rainstar]

Mine is similar. Slight nudge left and right will move the nob I can also pull it out slightly and it goes back to normal by itself.

 

[BennyG]

cheers Rainstar.
this is much worse I think, it feels like it is going to fall off when I touch it.
thanks for the feedback

 

[BennyG]

got word back from Burson - apparently it is supposed to be like this to allow for the push in and out of the volume knob. So maybe I have made a big deal out of nothing?

 

[Rainstar]

I can rattle it strongly to the point where it seems like it would come off but it wont. it is preety "loose" and can give about 5-7degrees back and fourth or up and down.
 
I believe they are correct in designing it because it Pauses when you press it in. this is a much smaller nob than the one from the previous conductor/160d/soloist

 

[BennyG]

yeah that sounds exactly like mine. I thought some ppl here would have mentioned it. (I didnt read the whole thread but I have read an awful lot of it.)
It makes sense and I am ok with it now that they explained it is like that for a reason, it just seemed too loose to me.
But I think I was making too much out of it
 
But you know what it's like when you get something finally and expect it to be perfect... I have been wanting to get this now for over a year, and got if for a great price because the v2 came out, and was devastated to think that I had got a faulty one.
 
All good though, now I can get back to enjoying the sound, which is fantastic. (Upgraded from a matrix mstage and dacmagic that I have had for about 5 years!)
 
thanks again for the help

 

[18inch]

  Anyone with the background noise problem may try to float the ground (disconnect the ground wire from the main) to see if the noise go away. If it did, you can get one of the HumX as a safer long term solution. I don't have a Conductor, but its work the magic on my Soloist.
 

 
how do you disconnect ground wire from main?

 

[mikemercer]

Just busted-out my Virtuoso again - and havin' a terrific listening sesh!!
I have the Questyle Gold Edition CAS192D DAC (ROGERS Ceramic boards - + THE WORKS - amazing kit) for a bit and wanted to put the Burson on it.
 
LOST in Radiohead right now...  

 

[Beginner008]

Hi 18inches,

If you don't know how to disconnect the ground, don't try it, you may get yourself kill if you do it wrong! Just buy a HumX and keep your fingers crossed! According to this forum, Conductor could have other noise then ground loop!