[bluestorm1992]

I am sharing some op amp-related information for people interested in it. I email Burson earlier about the op amp that comes with the playmate, and they said that it is possible to order it with the classic op amp instead (which is currently not an option on their website). All you need to do is just shoot them an email about your order. Also, they can even do the op amp pooling for you, i.e., two vivid and two classics.

 

[JWahl]

I recently received a Soloist 3X, so I'm not in the market for this, but I reviewed a loaner of the original Playmate and it's great to see they're adopting the aesthetics of the higher-end components. I wasn't a fan of the DVD-drive style case. I think that a lot of people who use custom-built desktop PC's nowadays use PC cases without any 5 1/4" drive bays anyways. Looks slick; keep it up, Burson!

 

[JWahl]

I've been looking for an to upgrade to my XDuoo 05 DAC/Amp with burson v5i op amp, and I don't know if this would be the right move. I mean, if I pick up the Burson Playmate 2 with the discount, including 4 burson v6 vivid, which would cost $531. I does look like a pretty good deal and after watching/reading review, evidently it'll sound way better than what I have. But, for that amount of money, could I get something a lot better with even the op amps included?

I'm not usually buying much headfi equipment, my headphones are the shure 1840, including my current XDuoo DAC/Amp. I was also watching the Ifi micro iDSD DAC/Amp. but I have no idea which one would sound better. Or if there's any other one which could be around that price and sound a lot better.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

I previously owned the Micro iDSD (non-black label) when reviewing the original Playmate and directly compared them here. I personally considered the Playmate as an all-on-one to be in a class above the Micro iDSD. The latter was more comparable to the Grace M9xx, which I also owned and compared. This was comparing to the Playmate with stock op-amps and no upgrades. The V6 Vivid would likely widen the gap further. Or you could go for SparkoS, which a lot of people like as well. Add in the much nicer case and volume knob and you've got a winner here, IMO. The newer Micro iDSD Signature or iDSD Neo might compare favorably, but I'd still put my money on the Playmate 2 with upgraded Op-Amps. I may be a bit biased, though. I've been a bit of a fanboy lately, to be honest.

 

[BSOD0x]

I previously owned the Micro iDSD (non-black label) when reviewing the original Playmate and directly compared them here. I personally considered the Playmate as an all-on-one to be in a class above the Micro iDSD. The latter was more comparable to the Grace M9xx, which I also owned and compared. This was comparing to the Playmate with stock op-amps and no upgrades. The V6 Vivid would likely widen the gap further. Or you could go for SparkoS, which a lot of people like as well. Add in the much nicer case and volume knob and you've got a winner here, IMO. The newer Micro iDSD Signature or iDSD Neo might compare favorably, but I'd still put my money on the Playmate 2 with upgraded Op-Amps. I may be a bit biased, though. I've been a bit of a fanboy lately, to be honest.

Thanks a lot for info! The Playmate 2 looks very promising, I really hope it would be.
Quick question, when having op amps setup, I've read some people might actually combine 2 vivid and 2 classic, instead of only 4 vivid or 4 classic. Maybe to get the best of both sound signatures? I have no idea and I wish I could hear the difference before, but I of course can't. Do you think mixing classic and vivid op amps would be a good idea? Important to mention, I've never heard any of them and it's not like a could pay a bunch more to get more extra op amps than the ones offered in their sale.

 

[JWahl]

Thanks a lot for info! The Playmate 2 looks very promising, I really hope it would be.
Quick question, when having op amps setup, I've read some people might actually combine 2 vivid and 2 classic, instead of only 4 vivid or 4 classic. Maybe to get the best of both sound signatures? I have no idea and I wish I could hear the difference before, but I of course can't. Do you think mixing classic and vivid op amps would be a good idea? Important to mention, I've never heard any of them and it's not like a could pay a bunch more to get more extra op amps than the ones offered in their sale.

There's no reason why you couldn't mix and match to experiment, but if your budget is tight, the V6 Vivid I think have a wider appeal, which is why they are stock on the higher-end units. I've tried the V6 Vivid, Classic, and SparkoS in the Burson Fun but not the Playmate. I prefer the Vivid and SparkoS to the Classic, personally. I think I recall someone saying in another thread that it's best to leave the V6 Vivid in the I/V stage slot, and then roll op-amps in the buffer stage instead. If you just want to maximize bang for the buck, the V6 Vivids in all 4 slots are a safe bet. If you can stretch, a single pair of SparkoS in the buffer stage might be nice to try. Shameless plug, I'm probably selling my Fun soon along with the op-amps I described. I have the Soloist 3X now and none of the single-channel opamps are compatible.

 

[niji]

This looks like a interesting option, great size and aesthetics. One thing keeping me from the Conductor 3P is the lack of an analogue input should I want to use a different DAC down the track. It feels more palatable to be missing this option at the lower price point. How would the Playmate 2 go I wonder driving two sets of headphones simultaneously, say a Meze 99 and HD 6XX.

 

[bluestorm1992]

This looks like a interesting option, great size and aesthetics. One thing keeping me from the Conductor 3P is the lack of an analogue input should I want to use a different DAC down the track. It feels more palatable to be missing this option at the lower price point. How would the Playmate 2 go I wonder driving two sets of headphones simultaneously, say a Meze 99 and HD 6XX.

I doubt it can drive two headphones simultaneously given that it has only one headphone out (the other output is to be used with the microphone). Maybe this can be done with an adapter?

 

[niji]

I doubt it can drive two headphones simultaneously given that it has only one headphone out (the other output is to be used with the microphone). Maybe this can be done with an adapter?

My understanding was that the microphone input on the Playmate had become a 4-pole headset plug on the Playmate 2. The Meze 99 Noir has this connector due to the inclusion of an inline mic.

 

[bluestorm1992]

My understanding was that the microphone input on the Playmate had become a 4-pole headset plug on the Playmate 2. The Meze 99 Noir has this connector due to the inclusion of an inline mic.

I think you are right! Just read the review of another Burson product, and the mic input there can indeed be headphone output as well so that the device can drive multiple headphones simultaneously.

 

[niji]

I placed a pre-order for the Playmate 2 on the weekend with the V6 Vivid opamps. Though I am tossing up whether to request the Classics in the buffer stage. I like a more relaxed sound as I find sparkle fatiguing. Currently using the Mezze 99 Noir (with Yaxi stPad2 to tame the treble and bass), have ordered the Hifiman HE-4XX, saving up for the Audeze LCD-2.

After JWahl spoke highly of the Soloist 3X I made cardboard boxes representing the sizes of all the Burson units and placed them in situ. Alas all the bigger models were rejected and only the the Playmate 2 and Topping units met with my wife's approval, "there's no place for my cup of tea."

 

[bluestorm1992]

I placed a pre-order for the Playmate 2 on the weekend with the V6 Vivid opamps. Though I am tossing up whether to request the Classics in the buffer stage. I like a more relaxed sound as I find sparkle fatiguing. Currently using the Mezze 99 Noir (with Yaxi stPad2 to tame the treble and bass), have ordered the Hifiman HE-4XX, saving up for the Audeze LCD-2.

After JWahl spoke highly of the Soloist 3X I made cardboard boxes representing the sizes of all the Burson units and placed them in situ. Alas all the bigger models were rejected and only the the Playmate 2 and Topping units met with my wife's approval, "there's no no place for my cup of tea."

Now it's the wait for it to arrive.

I ordered the Playmate 2 with 4 V6 Classic opamps, and will share some comparison thoughts here after getting it.

 

[niji]

Now it's the wait for it to arrive.

I ordered the Playmate 2 with 4 V6 Classic opamps, and will share some comparison thoughts here after getting it.

I hear you on the wait, being in Melbourne I at least hope to save on the shipping period, though everything I have ordered from overseas recently gets here relatively smoothly, then takes 1-2 weeks for the local carriers to process.

Looking forward to your thoughts, I only have an FX Audio DAC-X6 MKII for comparison.

 

[niji]

I ordered the Playmate 2 with 4 V6 Classic opamps, and will share some comparison thoughts here after getting it.

In the end I specified 2 each of the Classic and Vivid.

And perhaps this is psychosomatic, but every since placing the order I can no longer ignore the electrical noise from the FX Audio DAC-X6II that is masked by any music, but increasingly noticeable between tracks now.

 

[bluestorm1992]

In the end I specified 2 each of the Classic and Vivid.

And perhaps this is psychosomatic, but every since placing the order I can no longer ignore the electrical noise from the FX Audio DAC-X6II that is masked by any music, but increasingly noticeable between tracks now.

Hopefully the Playmate 2 does not have the noise issue so you can replace it.

On a related note, could the noise be caused by the noise from power supply or usb data transmission? Fixing these may help the Playmate 2 as well.

 

[niji]

On a related note, could the noise be caused by the noise from power supply or usb data transmission? Fixing these may help the Playmate 2 as well.

The noise is present even when the FX Audio device is not connected to anything on, but the pitch changes when the connected Raspberry Pi switches on. It remains at the same level no matter what the volume is.

After some mid-message testing of power adapters and different power points in the house, it seems the noise is related to the 3.5mm 4-pole to 6.35mm 3-pole adapter that came with the Meze 99 Noir. Trusting the Playmate 2 native 4-pole headset socket manages this without issue, and good to know I can probably fix the issue by swapping to standard stereo cables (or trying other adapters).

Thanks for the trouble shooting guidance .