[bluestorm1992]

Going to be a good day today!

Congrats! I am enjoying my Playmate 2 as well.

 

[niji]

@bluestorm1992 and @dosley01, curious for your thoughts with your new Playmates.

 

[bluestorm1992]

@bluestorm1992 and @dosley01, curious for your thoughts with your new Playmates.

Forgot to post my impressions here. This was posted in Mike's IEM thread a while ago when I first got it.

Got my Burson Playmate 2 today and I am like... WOW. This thing works better than almost all the expensive DAPs I have tried. It drives both IEMs and power-hungry headphones (Diana V2) well in such a small form factor.. I am pleasantly surprised.

Its SQ is not too far behind the Hugo 2. Considering that it can very well drive the Diana V2 while the Hugo 2 is somewhat lacking behind in this aspect, the Burson Playmate 2 is a winner to me. And, it is also a lot cheaper...

The playmate 2 in the pic is the device between Hugo 2 (in black case) and its bigger brother the Composer DAC.

 

[bluestorm1992]

@bluestorm1992 and @dosley01, curious for your thoughts with your new Playmates.

Forgot to mention, I got good performance with the stock op amps already. The classic Op Amps when mixed with Vivid Op Amps just bring it to a different level.

 

[dosley01]

@bluestorm1992 and @dosley01, curious for your thoughts with your new Playmates.

Writing up a full review, hope to post next week. Initial impressions are really great!

 

[niji]

The playmate 2 in the pic is the device between Hugo 2 (in black case) and its bigger brother the Composer DAC.

Thanks for those impressions, much appreciated. I keep thinking the one box solution would have been so convenient. How does the Composer 3X stack up to other DACs you have tried?

 

[bluestorm1992]

Thanks for those impressions, much appreciated. I keep thinking the one box solution would have been so convenient. How does the Composer 3X stack up to other DACs you have tried?

I have had the SMSL M400. Ended up returning it and get the Composer 3X instead. I really like the warm and lush sound signature of the Composer, or for Burson’s products in general. The M400 on the other hand is a bit too cold and clear to me and, as some others may have put it, too neutral.

 

[belmont831]

How is the Playmate 2 compared to Schiit Hel and to EVGA Nu Audio Pro

 

[Huntersknoll]

This seems like it would pair perfectly with my Audeze GX. I was looking for an all in one with a remote since I play on consoles games not at a desk. I don’t know much about op amp rolling but that seems fun to get into

 

[bluestorm1992]

This seems like it would pair perfectly with my Audeze GX. I was looking for an all in one with a remote since I play on consoles games not at a desk. I don’t know much about op amp rolling but that seems fun to get into

The stock op amp works great enough for me already.

 

[bluestorm1992]

This seems like it would pair perfectly with my Audeze GX. I was looking for an all in one with a remote since I play on consoles games not at a desk. I don’t know much about op amp rolling but that seems fun to get into

Another funny thing is, originally I was worried about its lack of ability for further upgrade: It does not take audio input so you cannot use it as a dedicated AMP. However, after using it as my daily driver, I find that this does not bother me at all because the playmate 2 is so compatible as a one-box solution.

 

[Huntersknoll]

Another funny thing is, originally I was worried about its lack of ability for further upgrade: It does not take audio input so you cannot use it as a dedicated AMP. However, after using it as my daily driver, I find that this does not bother me at all because the playmate 2 is so compatible as a one-box solution.

That is great because that is exactly what I am looking for. One box does it all.

 

[bluestorm1992]

That is great because that is exactly what I am looking for. One box does it all.

I just noticed that you may want to order the version with upgraded Op Amps to be able to get the remote with it; if you don't want to do this, maybe you can email Burson and see if they sell the remote separately at a price.

Now that I bring up the topic of Op Amps, I think I will also share how they should be installed in the Playmate 2 in case you or other people find this useful. Playmate 2 requires customers to install the upgraded Op Amps by themselves. In general, there are basically two things to pay attention to:

• You will receive two single Op Amps and two dual Op Amps; make sure you distinguish them when installing them. To put them in the right place of the machine, see the attached pic taken from Burson's user manual.
• There is direction to these Op Amps for them to work properly. For the upgraded Op Amps, the direction that has worked for me is as follows: For the single Op Amps, the side with a notch should be facing each other. For the dual Op Amp, the side with a notch should be facing outward.

 

[belmont831]

Where i can find the review of playmate 2

 

[gearocdguy]

Forgot to post my impressions here. This was posted in Mike's IEM thread a while ago when I first got it.

Got my Burson Playmate 2 today and I am like... WOW. This thing works better than almost all the expensive DAPs I have tried. It drives both IEMs and power-hungry headphones (Diana V2) well in such a small form factor.. I am pleasantly surprised.

Its SQ is not too far behind the Hugo 2. Considering that it can very well drive the Diana V2 while the Hugo 2 is somewhat lacking behind in this aspect, the Burson Playmate 2 is a winner to me. And, it is also a lot cheaper...

The playmate 2 in the pic is the device between Hugo 2 (in black case) and its bigger brother the Composer DAC.

@bluestorm1992 I considering taking some money out of my system and selling my Hugo 2 and getting a playmate. I am really only using the Hugo 2 as a desktop solution and think the playmate 2 is really all I need. What do you think is the biggest between the two? Thanks.