@PoSR77 I'm not much of IEM user, but I have some noise on mid and high gain with Soloist with full size dynamic cans. If you would like to control volume using Soloist knob be aware that sometimes circuitry gets lost and setups wrong volume value for a while. This is quite annoying. Some Soloists have problem with volume jump, however Burson helps to fix it.
Overall I would reconsider getting Burson Soloist especially for IEMs. Have not experience with Funk.
Which cans are you getting noise on? I do get a little noise on high gain (never really use it though as it was never needed), but on Medium I turned the volume to its max on the meze elite and zmf eikon and never heard any noise. I know some people say op amps being not well seated could cause noise
I have read and watched reviews in which reviewers specifically note that the Funk or Soloist does not have background noise even with IEMs. That's one thing that drew me towards Burson. I have seen some quality control issues mentioned though.
I should mention that I'm currently using (and have for months) full sized amps to drive my Odins as they sound much better with them: they really take the Odins to another level, at least compared to my iBasso DX160. So in my view it isn't overkill at all. In fact, many Odin (and other IEM) users are driving them with full sized amps as they really scale up well.
So as of now I use my Gilmore Lite Mk2 in the bedroom, and Cayin iHA-6 in my main office setup, to drive the Odins. The sound stage is small and congested with the 160 (it’s just ok for portable use); with the Mk2 the sound stage is pushed too forward (not enough depth...kind of "in your face") but there is more power and control, a much wider stage, better layering, etc. and with the powerful iHA-6 the sound stage really opens up, control and transients are superb, layering, instrument placement and depth are much better, and the bass is much more powerful…the problem is there is a hardness/glare/metallicness to the iHA-6 I’ve never liked.
I have no problem with background noise on any of these full sized amps with the Odin, they're all black/silent.
So I'm just looking for the right sound signature, and it seems Burson has a slightly warm and more refined house sound that seems just what I'm looking for.
Which cans are you getting noise on? I do get a little noise on high gain (never really use it though as it was never needed), but on Medium I turned the volume to its max on the meze elite and zmf eikon and never heard any noise. I know some people say op amps being not well seated could cause noise
I have read and watched reviews in which reviewers specifically note that the Funk or Soloist does not have background noise even with IEMs. That's one thing that drew me towards Burson. I have seen some quality control issues mentioned though.
I should mention that I'm currently using (and have for months) full sized amps to drive my Odins as they sound much better with them: they really take the Odins to another level, at least compared to my iBasso DX160. So in my view it isn't overkill at all. In fact, many Odin (and other IEM) users are driving them with full sized amps as they really scale up well.
So as of now I use my Gilmore Lite Mk2 in the bedroom, and Cayin iHA-6 in my main office setup, to drive the Odins. The sound stage is small and congested with the 160 (it’s just ok for portable use); with the Mk2 the sound stage is pushed too forward (not enough depth...kind of "in your face") but there is more power and control, a much wider stage, better layering, etc. and with the powerful iHA-6 the sound stage really opens up, control and transients are superb, layering, instrument placement and depth are much better, and the bass is much more powerful…the problem is there is a hardness/glare/metallicness to the iHA-6 I’ve never liked.
I have no problem with background noise on any of these full sized amps with the Odin, they're all black/silent.
So I'm just looking for the right sound signature, and it seems Burson has a slightly warm and more refined house sound that seems just what I'm looking for.
I have Fiio FH5 and can later check if there is any noise.
If you like a bit of warmth I would also check out second hand ifi Pro iCan (just keep in mind it has iem match). Ifi micro line amps all have channel imbalance at low volumes.
I would also consider Chord Anni. Haven't test it yet but I've spend some time with Hugo TT2 and therfore Anni maybe interesting but it is probably very transparent and detailed without any coloration.
Coming back to Soloist: I and few others head-fiers came to a conclusion that it is better to control volume using your dac and putting Soloist into power amp mode. However YMMV and than you are using like only 50% of Soloist features. It is also very dependant on how much happy you are with your dac volume control.
Last but not least: Soloist needs at least 30 minutes warm up IMHO to sound really good. It is not an amp you turn on and enjoy music right away. It also gets very hot.
So I'm just looking for the right sound signature, and it seems Burson has a slightly warm and more refined house sound that seems just what I'm looking for.
It will have the sound signature of the DAC connected to it... the Soloist does not bring much of its own signature. You can play with opamps a bit but the main signature will depend on a DAC used. I can tell that the combination of Violectric DAC V800 + Soloist 3XP sounds different from Composer 3XP + Soloist 3XP. The first pair would be on a warm side while a pure Burson combo is more on a neutral and transparent side.
It will have the sound signature of the DAC connected to it... the Soloist does not bring much of its own signature. You can play with opamps a bit but the main signature will depend on a DAC used.
Coming back to Soloist: I and few others head-fiers came to a conclusion that it is better to control volume using your dac and putting Soloist into power amp mode.
I have Fiio FH5 and can later check if there is any noise.
If you like a bit of warmth I would also check out second hand ifi Pro iCan (just keep in mind it has iem match). Ifi micro line amps all have channel imbalance at low volumes.
I would also consider Chord Anni. Haven't test it yet but I've spend some time with Hugo TT2 and therfore Anni maybe interesting but it is probably very transparent and detailed without any coloration.
Coming back to Soloist: I and few others head-fiers came to a conclusion that it is better to control volume using your dac and putting Soloist into power amp mode. However YMMV and than you are using like only 50% of Soloist features. It is also very dependant on how much happy you are with your dac volume control.
Last but not least: Soloist needs at least 30 minutes warm up IMHO to sound really good. It is not an amp you turn on and enjoy music right away. It also gets very hot.
I much prefer to buy new, and I'm not willing to spend that much (re the ifi Pro iCan) on an amp. The 1kish mark for the Soloist is actually more than I want to spend; it would be nice to get it on some holiday sale. Maybe I will get to the point where I finally sell my lesser headphone amps to justify purchasing something around 2k. I just don't think great sound in headphone amps should cost that much; some of my speaker monoblock amps don't!
I'm sure Chord makes good stuff; but I can't stand the aesthetics.
My RME Dac is pretty flexible, so no problem with volume adjustment through it if need be.
TIA if you check your IEMs for any noise you might hear. (If not, don't worry about it: we're all busy!).
It will have the sound signature of the DAC connected to it... the Soloist does not bring much of its own signature. You can play with opamps a bit but the main signature will depend on a DAC used. I can tell that the combination of Violectric DAC V800 + Soloist 3XP sounds different from Composer 3XP + Soloist 3XP. The first pair would be on a warm side while a pure Burson combo is more on a neutral and transparent side.
I won't argue this, but I'm of the "all decent DACs sound the same" view. (I also highly doubt different opamps make any difference to the sound; I have not switched any, and would be willing to try with a Burson amp, but I have had experience with expensive tube gear and tubes and I never heard any difference swamping them). All of my DACs in my various systems sound the same, but the amps can color the sound, thus my issues with each of my headphone amps not quite sounding how I'd like them to for instance.
Anyway, neutral/revealing is what I prefer, but a slight neutral-warm is the best (that's what I aim for with my speaker setups). Right now the best amp I have for headphones/IEMs is the Cayin iHA-6, but it really has a digital-esque hardness or coldness or glare to it, especially in the upper mids to highs. It still sounds great, but it's just not quite good enough for me.
@PoSR77 I am listening with Fiio FH5 right now to amazing Misty album by Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio. The piano sounds great if not amazing sometimes, however both in power amp mode and in medium and high gain the background is not black and I do hear some noise. I have Soloist connected to Mytek Brooklyn Bridge and I hear the same issues regardless of used volume control: digital or analog (I prefer analog). Keep in mind it maybe a problem in my system.
Even on low gain I can hear music at volume level set to 1. I can not cross 50 so there is planty of headroom.
Just for clarification: my Soloist runs on stock opamps and is currently connected with RCA inputs to the dac.
Currently trying to decide between this or the Funk. I don't need the extra power as I'll be using it primarily for IEM's (Odins), but if the Soloist has better sound quality too (on the single ended out) it would be worth it.
Kind of wondering if I should just get the cheaper Funk first to try the Burson sound and then later use it in a bedroom set up if I decided to go up the the Soloist for my main.
Anyone compare the Funk to the Soloist? Is the Soloist about the same sound with just more power, or better sound as well? Again, really only concerned with comparing the single ended outs on both for now. Thanks for any help.
Honestly I wouldn't get either if I was listening to iem's. I would buy a dx300. I highly enjoy my dx300 and enjoy it more with iem's than I do when paired to my Soloist. The dx300 pairs better with iem's.
I have read and watched reviews in which reviewers specifically note that the Funk or Soloist does not have background noise even with IEMs. That's one thing that drew me towards Burson. I have seen some quality control issues mentioned though.
I should mention that I'm currently using (and have for months) full sized amps to drive my Odins as they sound much better with them: they really take the Odins to another level, at least compared to my iBasso DX160. So in my view it isn't overkill at all. In fact, many Odin (and other IEM) users are driving them with full sized amps as they really scale up well.
So as of now I use my Gilmore Lite Mk2 in the bedroom, and Cayin iHA-6 in my main office setup, to drive the Odins. The sound stage is small and congested with the 160 (it’s just ok for portable use); with the Mk2 the sound stage is pushed too forward (not enough depth...kind of "in your face") but there is more power and control, a much wider stage, better layering, etc. and with the powerful iHA-6 the sound stage really opens up, control and transients are superb, layering, instrument placement and depth are much better, and the bass is much more powerful…the problem is there is a hardness/glare/metallicness to the iHA-6 I’ve never liked.
I have no problem with background noise on any of these full sized amps with the Odin, they're all black/silent.
So I'm just looking for the right sound signature, and it seems Burson has a slightly warm and more refined house sound that seems just what I'm looking for.
Do you really need the GT for IEM? I use iDSD Diablo for IEM which is basically an overkill too but works fine with not very sensitive IEM like Etymotic Evo
I need the GT for my planars to "squeeze the rest of the juice"...
Honestly I wouldn't get either if I was listening to iem's. I would buy a dx300. I highly enjoy my dx300 and enjoy it more with iem's than I do when paired to my Soloist. The dx300 pairs better with iem's.
Do you really need the GT for IEM? I use iDSD Diablo for IEM which is basically an overkill too but works fine with not very sensitive IEM like Etymotic Evo
I need the GT for my planars to "squeeze the rest of the juice"...
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) in a few weeks.
