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Brian
Baltimore, Maryland

Equipment

Fiio R7 AIO or I use Questyle CMA15 as DAC or as DAC/HP AMP with Lenovo Laptop​

Headphones: Final Audio D8000 Pro, Neumann NDH-30​

 

[HeyWaj10]

Tour Participants List: We hope to gather our first list over the next week to build the logistics into our tour order.

Curious on whether sufficient tour participants has been reached for a tour to be set up? Thanks!

 

[gc335]

The GT has landed. Awesome build and looks. More than enough power for even the Tungsten.

 

[SS-Audio]

Guys,
Thanks everyone for your interest in our Soloist GT. As @gc335 mentioned units are being delivered, the good news is: we are sending a second unit so that everyone will have a chance to test our amp. @tvrboy is joining this list.

Looking forward to your impressions, happy listening!

 

[gc335]

So, my time with Soloist is almost over unfortunately. I've really enjoyed my time with it. Here are some thoughts.

Build
I really like the build of the Soloist. It looks and feels very premium. Everything from the jacks to the volume knob screams high quality. The volume dial has a beautiful red anodizing and has an ultra-smooth feel to it as you adjust the volume. I think this is one of the best-looking pieces of audio gear that I've ever seen. Clean and simple. The remote carries over the same look and feel of the amp. It's small and simple but of high quality.

UI
The UI is simple and easy to use. I had no issues figuring out how to change the amps settings. The volume knob doubles as an input device for the menu and can be pushed to make your selection.

Noteworthy Features
I really like the large number of inputs. Two RCA and two XLR. This gives a lot of option when feeding the device with multiple sources.
There are three headphone outputs on the front of the device. 3.5, 1/4" and XLR. A 4.4 would have been nice but an adapter works just fine.
The GT also has a sub output which I don't believe I have ever seen. I didn't try it, but it would be interesting to try a sub with headphones.
I also really like the fact that you can use the GT vertically. This gives you more options for arranging your listening space. One press of a button adjusts the display.

Power
Here is where the GT really shines. This thing has some serous power. Even with my super hard to drive Tungstens, it never broke a sweat. I was listening at around 33-40 for normal listening and never really got above 67/100. Extremely impressive. If you have hard to drive headphones or headphones that benefit from extra power, definitely consider the GT.

Sound
I tried the GT with a ton of different headphones, and all sounded great. The sound is clean and neutral to my ears. I never got the feeling that the amp is imparting its own signature on the sound. Nothing is harsh, mids and vocals are clear and natural. Bass is tight and controlled. The treble has a nice shimmer but never bright. Detail retrieval is good without coming across as clinical. The staging is wide but not too wide and also nice and deep resulting in a very immersive listening experience. I wish I could a little more specific but all I can say is that everything just sounded right.

Bottom line
The Soloist 3X GT is not cheap but if you're looking for a super powerful, feature packed clean and well-built amp for your set up, this Burson is worth a serious look.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

[gc335]

Alex
Virginia Beach, VA

The list of gear in my signature.

Would be great to test the Tungsten with this Burson

Nice Tungsten! Love the color. You'll like the Soloist with the Tungsten. Looking forward to your impressions.

 

[tvrboy]

Thank you very much to Burson Audio for allowing community members to experience this awesome product! Here are my impressions:

Intro

My interest in the Burson Soloist started off with a question: how much better can it get?

How much better than a pile of Schiit, that is. During the last couple years I’ve built my entire home setup with Schiit equipment, believing that although it may not be the best in the world, it represents the best value in our audio world. I happily upgraded from Magni to Gungnir Multibit and Lyr+ with stops for Magni Piety and Midgard along the way, as well as attending a local Schiitr meet to sample the entire line. With Gungnir and Lyr+ I finally had a setup that sounded “good enough” to my ears and worked with any headphone. But now and again, doubts entered my mind … what if there’s something better than Schiit? How much better would it be? Would it be worth the price to upgrade?

Fortunately, the Soloist 3X GT came along to help me answer that question. Unfortunately, we got off to a poor start. Upon plugging into my system with the Gungnir Multibit DAC, I found that the music was highly distorted in the bass around 100 hz. I tried everything including switching cables, headphones, headphone outputs, gain, etc. but nothing fixed the problem. Thus, during my evaluation I used the Topping D50 DAC from my office system which worked perfectly with the Soloist. I never received an answer from Schiit nor Burson about this issue, so I can’t say anything more than the Soloist may not work with all source components.

The complete system I used for evaluation was Qobuz > Bluesound Node > Topping D50 > Soloist 3X GT > ZMF Auteur Classic / Heddphone Two. I conducted level-matched back-to-back comparisons with Lyr+. Lyr+ was always in tube mode and only has single-ended output. I always used balanced output from the Soloist.

Overall Impressions

My overall impression of the Soloist is that it sounds like how I imagine a high-end solid state amp should sound: neutral, detailed, clean, with powerful bass. Neutral means that I don’t think it sounds like anything at all, which is what we expect from an amplifier. This contrasts with something like Magni Piety that is euphonic but obviously colored. Coming from the Lyr, at first I thought the Soloist was a little on the bright side but after some brain burn-in I got used to the sound and now it just sounds right to me.

Clean means that instruments are separated in space. If I were writing for The Absolute Sound or Stereophile, I would say “Images of each instrument emerged from a completely black background and occupied their own distinct space. It was as if Diana Krall had stepped into my living room and set up the members of her band in each corner, with exactly ten inches of floor space between them. The effect was truly breathtaking and made my Wilsons / Magicos come alive” or other such flowery prose.

The Soloist was also quite detailed. I’d love to trot out the cliche of “I heard things on the recording I never heard before” but when I switched back to the Lyr, I heard them too. The Soloist just does a much better job of presenting all the details. I think a good way to describe the added detail would be to say that with Lyr, it sounds like there's one very good microphone recording everything. With Soloist, it sounds like there are multiple mics next to the singer and every instrument in the band. In particular, reverb / echo effects are much more prominent on the Soloist. It’s quite impressive to hear a live singer with a little bit of echo on the Lyr, and then crank that effect up to 11 on the Soloist, to the point where it sounds like you are in the concert hall with them. The soundstage is noticeably wider than the Lyr and that may contribute to the sense of enhanced detail, especially with live concert recordings.

Below are my detailed notes from comparing the Lyr+ and Soloist with my two main headphones.

Detailed Impressions with Heddphone Two

Where is your Love by Luli Lee
너의 사랑을 보여줘 (Band Ver.) - YouTube
Both amps sounded a little harsh and sibilant, probably due to the D50's limitations and also just because sibilance is present in the singer’s voice. Lyr kept sibilance under control while I felt the Soloist emphasized sibilance. The vocals on Soloist seemed almost artificially boosted in volume. Both had great bass. I perceived Lyr’s bass level to be a little higher (could be imagination / placebo) but Soloist has more accurately defined bass (more sure about this observation). Soloist has square note transients while Lyr has rounded ones. Soloist has wider soundstage and details at the edge of the stage were easier to hear. Soloist seems to have better detail retrieval but it’s close. Reverb / echo effects are super pronounced on Soloist, that sounds impressive for many tracks but could become distracting over time.

Love Being Here With You by Diana Krall
Diana Krall Live in Paris: I Love Being Here With You (youtube.com)
Surprisingly, Lyr sounds more harsh and glaring on piano, while Soloist sounds more natural, which is the opposite of what I expected. Soloist also has a slightly more realistic sound from cymbals. Diana Krall’s voice is much more forward on the Soloist. Overall, both amps sound great and just give slightly different tonal shades of the same photo.

Bad Kid by Crystal Tea
크리스탈 티 Crystal Tea - 나쁜 아이 BAD KID - YouTube
Soloist sounds amazing with the drum intro, even though both amps give great body to the drums Soloist really packs in that extra detail where you can hear the different resonances of each drum after it’s been hit. Soloist does a better job of instrument separation so I can hear the bass guitar and guitar separated more clearly

Detailed Impressions with Auteur Classic

When I First Saw You by Seoulmoon
서울문(Seoulmoon) - 처음 봤을 때 (Official Audio) (youtube.com)
Technically Soloist sounds better. Better bass definition, better instrument separation. The singer’s voice is crystal-clear without harshness. The Soloist really has extreme definition and articulation of all sounds, making me aware of background synth effects that were audible but I never paid attention to on Lyr. In contrast, Lyr sounds more laid-back. The singer’s voice is sweeter and more romantic, background sound effects less prominent.

A Baptist Beat by Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
A Baptist Beat (youtube.com)
Soloist sounds a lot more incisive on piano keys, like mic is right up above the hammers. Also has way better bass definition. Lyr sounds really good, timbre is pretty close to Soloist, notes are just less well defined. In the sax solo, Soloist creates a lot more air around the saxophone player, but it’s hard to tell why. When I switch back to Lyr, it feels like the positions and layering of the instruments is the same, but the cushion of space around each disappears.

Chimes by The Joy Formidable
The Joy Formidable - Chimes (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)
Obvious advantage for the Soloist. Guitar and bass are more separated and drum hits have more impact and detail. Auteur Classic sounds a little confused on Lyr, like it’s always trying to catch up with the music.

Conclusion

So, is there something better than my Lyr+ and is it worth the money to upgrade? Starting with the former question, in my opinion the Soloist 3X GT is absolutely the better amplifier. It’s more neutral, more detailed, and has better instrument separation. During my casual listening (as opposed to comparative evaluation for this review) I always chose the Soloist which I think says a lot about my preference. The Lyr does have the edge in euphony, giving vocalists a saccharine voice and taking the edge off harsh treble. However, in most cases I preferred the Soloist’s manner of playing it straight. The Lyr is still a tremendous value and great amp period (not just "for the price"), and I will be totally happy using it when the alternative is removed from my home (there’s a life lesson in there somewhere…)

I was particularly pleased by how my ZMF Auteur Classic sounded with the Soloist. I was convinced to buy this headphone after hearing it in the ZMF room with the dCS Lina and T+A HA200, a couple of great solid-state amps more suited to Amex Platinum enjoyers than basic Visa holders like myself. Upon returning home to my Magni Piety, it did not sound good. I immediately upgraded to Lyr which sounds much better, but the Auteur Classic paired with Lyr still gets tripped up with very fast or complicated rock music. Luckily the Soloist 3X GT took the ZMF to its full potential with that gorgeous ZMF timbre but better separation of instruments and faster transitions between notes.

Is the Soloist worth the price? The current price from Bloom Audio is $2500 for the 2023 version, more than the Headamp GS-X Mini and Ferrum Oor, two popular high-end solid state amplifiers. Obviously I didn’t have those on hand to compare (sorry for being poor), but for me personally, the price puts the Soloist into heavy competition and “must audition along with competitors” category instead of “just buy it now” category.

Random Totally Subjective Things

• For $2500 can I please get a better screen? Sure the screen and menu interface works perfectly but it looks like a 1990s CD player. I’d rather see an LCD screen with customizable views (look at Hi-Fi Rose products for an example) and I think that would go a long way towards building value in the price.
• It comes with a remote which is very convenient. I guess needing a remote for something that is three feet away from you is a first world problem, but it allows a lot more flexibility in positioning the amp around other stuff on / near your desk.
• This is the only amp I've ever heard make the dull HE-400se sound somewhat good. It definitely brings out the potential in every headphone.

 

[SS-Audio]

Guys, thanks for the nicely done impressions! We are soon posting the next participants on tour, if you want to jump in feel free to sign up

 

[Condocondor]

Got this amp today on tour. I'm used to listening to my Jotenheim 2 and wanted to see how this stacks up. Well, for $2500 I'm not that impressed for the money. Yes, it's cleaner. The midrange is pushed forward. There is a bit more low-end texture. But honestly, I like my Jotenheim 2. I like it's tonality. This Burson is kind of accurate but soul-less neutral. I've never heard any high end amps before so this is my first really high-end amp. Honestly, I'd rather spend my money on headphones and mid-fi dacs and amps. This thing is 3 times the size of my Jotenheim too and I just don't see the value here--too much diminishing returns for the money IMHO. I also may be a latent tube amp fan.

 

[quawn0418]

Hey guys, I've been with a demo unit for a bit and i can now confidently provide you with my impressions. Just a quick background if you will. I like to consider myself more of a mid-fi guy as i don't quite see the point is such high priced gear. I firmly believe that after about $1000 the improvements are too small for justify the price gaps. With that being said i will proceed with my impressions.

BUILD & DESIGN
The Burson Soloist GT is built like a tank. There are no issues here guys, seriously. It is designed very nicely. I'm not crazy about the red accents but overall it is a very well designed unit. I must also add that the internal fan can be a bit annoying depending on placement. The volume knob is solid but could use some resistance in my opinion, but thats a matter of personal preference ofcorse. The I/O ports are all of high quality and very sturdy. No issues with the display, i find it quite nice.

FEATURES
Feature wise, the Soloist GT lacks a bit if im being honest. It has some, like crossfeed (which works pretty well, just not a fan of it). Something that stood out to me though was that it has channel balance but ONLY for the preamp function. I found that quite weird to be honest. One thing i love is the dual XLR and RCA inputs, very nice.

SOUND
OK here we go. Simply put the sound quality of the Soloist GT is flawless. I mean this in the truest sense. It literally does nothing wrong, it lacks in no department. I would describe its sound signature as elegant. It doesn't give you too much of anything, i feel it is perfectly balanced. Timbre, control, and fluidity are all strengths here. Stage is can get pretty wide, imaging and placement are superb and background is as black as you'll ever need it.

I'll start with bass. The bass coming from this unit is simply well done, it hits when it needs to and never overdoes it. Its defined, it can be lively, its felt when necassary and out of the way when not.

The mids are gorgeous, very fluid like. There's no warmth here (and who doesnt love warmth) but at the same time you dont ever feel like your missing any either. As weird as that may sound its something you'll have to hear yourselves to understand. Besides, I have a warm amp and at times i get bored with it. So bravo to Burson for what they've done here.

The treble is excellent, very well controlled. It has more treble energy than my Aune S17 and somehow the S17 is still more sibilant than the Sololist GT, amazing really. The treble here may just be my favorite part of this thing. This is funny because im not usually a fan of treble and never really understood the fascination other people have with it untill now.

CONCLUSION
To conclude i'll say this. The Burson Soloist GT is the best amp i have heard to date, very impressive. I really enjoyed my time with it. I still believe it is overpriced and doesn't sound thousands of dollars better than some of the amps you can find for around $500 but i also understand that it is very special. I want to thank SS Audio and the Burson team for allowing me this opportunity. Happy listening everyone!!

 

[kadinh]

Hello I was just now able to open the box and noticed that there is no power cable to connect the unit

EDIT: to clarify, the part that connects to the amp is in the box, but the cable that connects from the brick to the wall outlet is missing.

 

[HeyWaj10]

Please remove me from the tour list...if there ever even was one.

Thank you

 

[SS-Audio]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the feedback on this tour. As you probably know, everyone will have a chance to participate. Most of you may have received a PM to confirm shipping details.
@HeyWaj10 sent you a PM mate

 

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My Preferences
I prefer neutral sound. Clarity, proper tonal balance, and good separation are essential to me. If these qualities are sacrificed then I am simply uninterested because it will fail to create realistic sound. The ability to provide slam and great dynamics are also very important, followed by soundstage and imaging. While neutral is my preference I would lean towards slightly bright rather than warm. Also, while v-shaped sound can be done well, I prefer midrange that is present in line with other frequencies, or even slightly forward.

My Headphones
I have many headphones, but did not test all of them with the Burson. I did, however, test some of my best. I tested Hifiman HE1000-v2, Susvara, and HE-560. I also tested what I consider my finest headphone, the Final Audio D8000 Pro. In addition, I very much like and tested my Neumann NDH-30. And finally, I had the opportunity to hear the RAAL CA-1. With some exception, I will describe overall sound, not sound specific to each if the headphones. What I will say, is having the immense amount of power on tap does make a difference.

Genres and Sources
I listened to Tidal, Qobuz, and Youtube. I listened to orchestral, classic rock, heavy metal, and what I would call easy listening, as well as a little jazz. I am pretty diverse in my musical tastes.

I used the Questyle CMA Fifteen as my DAC and also used it with the headphone output to do direct comparisons with the Burson. While I did not do a direct comparison, I also own the GS-X Mk2 amp and the Woo Audio WA5LE, as well as a Teton tube amp. I use an Oppo HA-1 and the Questyle as my DACS to feed those amps. I am very familiar on how each of these sound and feel comfortable talking about how the Burson compares, in a general sense. Due to a combination of convenience and performance, I have used the Questyle most often as both DAC and headhone amp so that should tell you just how highly i regard it,

My Take on Amps and DACs
Generally, if operating properly, I believe DACs are very similar sounding. I believe amps make a bigger difference, but still I would say maybe + or - 5% difference for a max of 10% swing between units - not scientific, obviously, but that's my take. I have many amps and a couple of DACs. I do feel that synergy, due to electrical properties being a match or mismatch, is a real thing and can also account for differences. I say all of this just to let you know where I am coming from when I review and compare the Burson.

UI and Features
The user interface is pretty straight forward. You select your input and gain level and you can select a crossfeed option. Perhaps a nicer/larger display with touch sensitivity could be used to simplify menu navigation but the truth is this is a headphone amp and so there is not a lot going on. In fact one could argue that with a couple more buttons they could do away with the screen altogether.

The crossfeed is done exceptionally well, sonically speaking. I have tried other crossfeed such as on the Chord products and I never cared for it. But I found the crossfeed added to the sound quality, and even added a bit of spaciousness, which is the opposite of what I normally experience with crossfeed. The affects are subtle and you can select how much you want and you can bypass the feature, completely. Being a purist, I typically left crossfeed disabled and so my review is based upon no crossfeed.

I did not try the balance control. Balance control is a great feature, but only if it controls balance on the headphone output and not just the preamp outputs. I have seen others mention that balance only works on the preamp outputs, but as I did not try I cannot say for sure.

Remote Control - I used the unit up close and did not try the remote. But if I was permanently installing this unit in my system I would defintely like the remote control as I listen far away on my main headphone system and value changing the volume without walking up to the unit.

Connectivity
Connectivity is pretty comprehensive. This is a balanced design and I used balanced inputs and a balanced headphone output, but it does have RCA unbalanced and multiple headphone output options. This is not a DAC or streamer so there is no digital connectivity. There is, however, a sub output which I did not use and, frankly, I thought having this feature is a bit strange. This device can be used as a preamp, but I think of it more as a headphone amp and so it's a feature I would have preferred not to have if it could save on cost. But for someone who is using as a preamp to a speaker system and as a headphone amp I suppose it does make this product somewhat unique.

Stock Chipset
I did not swap out the stock chipset but an alternate chipset was provided. I cannot comment on sound differences but I guess I would prefer a different approach to swapping chipsets, one that is more plug and play and does not necessitate opening the amplifier to access the innards.

Sound
Okay, now on to the most important aspect. Afterall, if the unit does not sound good the excellent build quality would be irrelevant. First, I'm not usually in favor of the use of fans, but let me say the fan is absolutely quiet and went unnoticed.

Sound is pretty much what I would expect from a high-end headphone amplifier. It doesn't do anything magical, but then again, would you want it to? I prefer it to present neutral sound and that is exactly what it does. But that's not to say that it doesn't possess special qualities. It does some things sonically that sets it apart from many other amps. These superior qualties are subtle but significant. The bass is strong, full bodied, clear, and tight; it is not overdone or bloomy but also not thin or hollow. It has good texture and you can tell the amp has a tight grip on the headphone drivers. Bass adds to a solid sound with excellent foundation, but it is only going to present bass exactly as the music dictates, no more or less. Slam comes from midbass and midrange and this amp possesses the right amount of slam. Slam will never be a limitation of the amp; again, it presents what the music dictates. Midrange is neither forward or recessed. It is present and rich (if the music is rich) and accurate. As with the other frequencies, the midrange is natural and is delivered as thin, thick or however the music is recorded. Treble is also good. Detail is great and is not achieved through excessive treble. Clarity is also very good. The entire frequency spectrum is cohesive. Nothing jumps out in regard to tonal balance. It's just incredibally balanced and satisfying. But there are many amplifiers that qualify as balanced sounding. So what separates this unit from other high-end amps? There seems to be excellent separation/space between instruments. Soundstage is excellent and size and positioning of instruments or people within the soundstage are well done. Depth is also good. There is just the right amount of "air" too - again, dictated by the recording and not be the amp, but the common theme is that the amp is never a limiting factor to musical enjoyment. It has no real weaknesses but does some things special, making this a really good choice for someone looking for a high-end amp, ESPECIALLY if you have a headphone (like Susvara) that requires power. Every headphone I tried sounded really good through this amp. And it isn't only because of power. My friend has a RAAL CA-1 and uses and 18 watt flux with the RAAL interface box. The Burson in this particular case is outpowered by the Flux, but I never heard the RAAL sound so clear and bold. My Susvara also benefited from the Burson. I found it less anemic with the Burson than with other amps that are very powerful like my GS-X MK2 or the Woo WA5-LE. My go-to headphone is the Final D8000 Pro. It's a very revealing headphone and it sounded great though, to be honest, it didn't sound any better through the Burson than it does through the other amps I use.

Comparisons
So I did most comparisons against the headphone amp portion of my Questyle Fifteen. The Questyle is very good. Unlike the Twelve, I find the Fifteen to be more neutral. A friend of mine thought the Questyle was very slightly brighter, but my opinion was that the overall sound of the Burson may have been SLIGHLTY more clear and open, with SLIGHTLY better treble and separation. Again, the differences were subtle. But where the Burson delivers is when you try powering a RAAL or Susvara. The current-driven Questyle does an excellent job and even with hard-to-drive headphones the Questyle is comparable to Burson, sound quality wise, but you are literally running out of power where the Burson has much more to give.

Recommended?
It really depends on what you are looking for. To be honest, if I had no dedicated power headphone amps already, I would say this would be on my shortlist. But while I think the Burson is a worthy competitor and maybe even superior in some ways, it isn't that much better that it warrants me to replace one of my others. And then there is the elephant in the room - what about value? This souped up Burson is good, but it is expensive. More importantly, you can get something like the Questyle that is competitive performance-wise and also includes a DAC, greatly simplifying the system. Sometimes I go over a friends house. Imagine taking the Burson, a DAC, a laptop, and the headphones with wires running all over the place. Now, picture me taking the Questyle. It has excellent bluetooth, but it benefits from wired USB, but for convenience it cannot be beat. Take the laptop, headphones and the DAC/Amp and you are set. Or even better, take a Fiio R7 and headphones and you are done. Fiio is powerful too. My point is that you can get components that have excellent sound quality with more inclusivity for far cheaper prices. And even if we focus on non-transportable systems, I use an OPPO HA-1 DAC with a Apex Teton tube amp, or my Woo, or the GS-X MK2. Woo is more than Burson, but the GS-X MK2 is excellent and powerful and critically acclaimed and competitive price-wise - not sure how much it is going for now and I know it is probably surpassed by more expensive amps but it defintely is compeitive with the Burson, though I must reiterate that I did not do a direct comparison.

So bottom line - Is the Burson excellent? Yes. If I was in the market for a dedicated amp/preamp or needed lots of power, I would defintely try to audition it. But at this point, if I had nothing I would be seeking, at a minimum, a DAC/Amp combo, if not an AIO streamer/DAC/amp combo for not much more. Burson makes those as well but I have no experience and so I am unable to comment on those.

 

[JL3001]

Hello all!

Many thanks to @SS-Audio for this loaner program. I just sent off the Burson to the next participant after a nice demo at home and it was a great experience. I'll keep my thoughts short and sweet about the amp. Here's the things I really enjoyed about it:

Build quality: The Soloist 3x Grand Tourer is absolutely built like a tank. A weighty device, and I love the metal chassis giving off the slight industrial look. I love the red potentiometer, though I wish the knob had a bit more resistance and smoothness. There is a Noctua fan built into the top shell of the case, which is a nice little touch, though the fan spinning can be a bit loud with open headphones.

Connections: On the back, XLR and RCAs, ensuring tons of flexibility for the audio setup. On the front, balanced, single ended, and a headset connection. I only utilized the single ended connection since that is largely my setup.

Interface: Fairly easy and intuitive to use. I love that it comes with a remote for added ease, and that the device can be turned vertically as well, with the display adjusting to the orientation. I also enjoyed the multiple gain stages and the crossfeed option was fun to engage for certain tracks.

Sound: Smooth, engaging, natural. Nothing particularly stood out, and my headphones flourished. Pairing with the ZMF Verite Closed, Hifiman Arya, and my old HE-500, were all stellar, particularly the 500, which is fairly demanding when it comes to power.

Overall thoughts: This is a phenomenal amplifier, one which I could envision myself building a very nice endgame solid state setup around. The incredible amount of power this amp puts out absolutely drives every headphone in my collection with ease, and doesn't break a sweat. Jeez, I wish I had an HE-6, Susvara, or Modhouse Tungsten to really put this thing through the paces, because with its gain settings and copious amounts of headroom, this amp could tackle those with little issue.