[Dark Ayla]

  I wouldn't worry about the "noise floor"-thing unless a pitch black background for ALL headphones is one of your key requirements, and it would be my guess that the list of amps to choose from wouldn't be very big.
 
I can hear a faint noise floor in the DT770's (80ohm/96db) when there is no music playing or there is a pause in the music, but it does not get higher when the volume is turned up. It is higher, and uncomfortably so, with the FA-002W (64ohm/105db) and IEM's (Dunu DN-2000 16ohm/102db), but the amp is clearly not designed with these in mind. I would expect it to be dead silent with less efficient headphones.
 
As far as efficient planar headphones go, I have no first hand experience yet. However Mike Mercer has been very positive about his experience with this amp and the open back Audeze EL-8 in another thread. For example:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/749214/audeze-el-8-the-el-8-is-a-must-hear-at-ces-2015/2700#post_11354436
http://www.head-fi.org/t/749214/audeze-el-8-the-el-8-is-a-must-hear-at-ces-2015/2715#post_11356084
 
Would love to hear from anybody using Fostex TH 900 with this amp..?

I want to understand the floor noise. So when there is no music is playing there is a slight noise which doesn't increase with increasing the volume, right?
My question, can I say that while playing the music the floor noise is still there but we don't hear it due to the presence of frequencies from the music? If yes, I assume this affects the fidelity of the music due to the presence of extra frequencies at the background.

 

[PetarCV]

Yes, the floor noise is the same regardless of the volume level. I find it annoying with low impedance headphones: when I use the Virtuoso with Grado PS1000 (32ohm), the floor noise is pretty high, although it does get more or less masked when the music is on. However, If you tend to listen to music which has a lot of changes in volume levels (for example, orchestral and classical music), then you might find the background noise quite audible and interfering with quieter parts of music. When I use it with the Beyer DT990 (250ohm), the floor noise is very low and barely audible. So, I am also wondering how it would act with a 100ohm headphone like the LCD-3.

 

[Dark Ayla]

  Yes, the floor noise is the same regardless of the volume level. I find it annoying with low impedance headphones: when I use the Virtuoso with Grado PS1000 (32ohm), the floor noise is pretty high, although it does get more or less masked when the music is on. However, If you tend to listen to music which has a lot of changes in volume levels (for example, orchestral and classical music), then you might find the background noise quite audible and interfering with quieter parts of music. When I use it with the Beyer DT990 (250ohm), the floor noise is very low and barely audible. So, I am also wondering how it would act with a 100ohm headphone like the LCD-3.

I contacted Burson about it.
 
They confirmed that the Conductor can pair nicely with the LCDX that has 20 Ohm.
According to them low impedance is not an issue at all. 

 

[PetarCV]

Pairing well and producing no floor noise are not synonymous. Tokoyo brought up this issue in the first place in regard to his LCD-X. Burson also said that there will be increase in the noise level with more sensitive headphones.

 

[Frank I]

The Burson does very well with any headphone so far I used it with. The LCD X and Xc does very well indeed  with the headphone.  It even doing well with the He1000 prototype so it a terrific all rounder and happy to say is doing well as a dac in the two chaneell system

 

[Dark Ayla]

  The Burson does very well with any headphone so far I used it with. The LCD X and Xc does very well indeed  with the headphone.  It even doing well with the He1000 prototype so it a terrific all rounder and happy to say is doing well as a dac in the two chaneell system

Which DAC do u have? PCM or ESS? Please provide a brief comparison if you can.
 
Please please  please tell me about the He1000 vs LCD, just one sentence 

 

[Frank I]

The ESS dac  in this unit. Magnificent -one word

 

[JackarlTwo]

 
 
Would love to hear from anybody using Fostex TH 900 with this amp..?

 
Not with Virtuoso, but the previous Conductor. Very nice pairing. If Virtuoso sounds anything like the previous Conductor it's a great pairing. Zero issues with noise levels, (as far as I'm aware), despite TH900 high sensitivity and low impedence.

 

[PetarCV]

That's due to the previous Conductor's three level gains.

 

[Burson Audio]

  More questions 
a- Why there is no gain selector on the amp?
b- What is the minimum and maximum impedance headphones this amp can drive?
c- Does the sample rate appears on the amp? 
d- Does this amp/DAC support DSD? If not, is it true that you will release a new amp/DAC that supports DSD?
e- Can I use the amp ONLY or DAC ONLY?

 
Thanks Xident, your informative posts are much appreciated. The Burson Conductor Virtuoso sounds great on Audeze LCD-Xs, listening to that combo now and find there are no noise issues. 
 
To cover one or two more of Dark Ayla's questions, there is no gain selector because the NEW VOLUME CONTROL is a full 100 steps and already optimized for all gain settings, unlike the earlier Conductor, and there are no longer any clicks when changing volume. We're looking into DSD but at the moment have no plans to implement it. You can of course use the Conductor Virtuoso as a DAC/Amp/Preamp or as a DAC alone or a headphone amplifier alone but we recommend using the Conductor Virtuoso with its DAC and Amp sections which have been optimized with discrete circuitry (no op-amps). I'll check on min and max impedance but the CV should drive all headphones to sufficient levels and quality of sound. Regarding the LCD-3, it's a fine match, and Burson and Audeze exhibit together at shows so we're confident of winning performance with all their products. 
 
If you have suggestions for what we can add to the Burson website you only have to let us know. But in the meantime we're including links here for you to answer some of your questions about the ESS Sabre DAC HERE and the Burr Brown PCM17893 HERE. Given your preferences we recommend the 1793 for you. No matter the DAC all Conductor Virtuosos are very analog sounding, the 1793 more so. You can also learn more about the solid, RFA anti-resonance build HERE. And find out how Burson eschews op-amps and instead uses all-discrete circuity HERE.  
 
The clear-top units are for display at shows or dealer showrooms only and are not available for purchase. 
 
Thanks, feel free to ask as many questions as you like. 
Burson Audio

 

[PetarCV]

A nice short comparison of the Conductor's DACs: http://headmania.org/2013/08/26/new-burson-1793-dac-pcb-review/

 

[Dark Ayla]

   
Thanks Xident, your informative posts are much appreciated. The Burson Conductor Virtuoso sounds great on Audeze LCD-Xs, listening to that combo now and find there are no noise issues. 
 
To cover one or two more of Dark Ayla's questions, there is no gain selector because the NEW VOLUME CONTROL is a full 100 steps and already optimized for all gain settings, unlike the earlier Conductor, and there are no longer any clicks when changing volume. We're looking into DSD but at the moment have no plans to implement it. You can of course use the Conductor Virtuoso as a DAC/Amp/Preamp or as a DAC alone or a headphone amplifier alone but we recommend using the Conductor Virtuoso with its DAC and Amp sections which have been optimized with discrete circuitry (no op-amps). I'll check on min and max impedance but the CV should drive all headphones to sufficient levels and quality of sound. Regarding the LCD-3, it's a fine match, and Burson and Audeze exhibit together at shows so we're confident of winning performance with all their products. 
 
If you have suggestions for what we can add to the Burson website you only have to let us know. But in the meantime we're including links here for you to answer some of your questions about the ESS Sabre DAC HERE and the Burr Brown PCM17893 HERE. Given your preferences we recommend the 1793 for you. No matter the DAC all Conductor Virtuosos are very analog sounding, the 1793 more so. You can also learn more about the solid, RFA anti-resonance build HERE. And find out how Burson eschews op-amps and instead uses all-discrete circuity HERE.  
 
The clear-top units are for display at shows or dealer showrooms only and are not available for purchase. 
 
Thanks, feel free to ask as many questions as you like. 
Burson Audio

Thank you so much Burson!
 
I love when a company stands behind a product and reach all customers to clarify and answer all questions/concerns.
I really wish if all companies have the same premium customer service as Burson. 
Thanks again and I am eagerly waiting to put my hands on the wonderful Conductor V 

 

 

[Beginner008]

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.
 

 

[PetarCV]

Thanks for the suggestion, Beginner008. Was the background noise that your Soloist had the same with all gain levels and different headphones?

 

[Beginner008]

Hi PetarCV, on my Soloist, the ground hum sound like a faded Morse code transmission. I could hear it on normal volume level and it will go louder as the volume go up. With the ground floated, it's dead quiet on all volume level. (Sony MDR-Z7)
 
I could not hear it on my AKG K240DF even in maximum volume, but its a 600 ohm headphone and it doesn't go very loud even at maximum volume!