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Burson Soloist 3X Performance Head/Pre Amp - 8Wpc XLR with MUSE72320 volume control
Nov 5, 2020 at 10:12 PM Post #152 of 3,132
Mine arrived a day early. And no customs fee in spite of shipping from Hong Kong.
 
Nov 6, 2020 at 4:10 PM Post #154 of 3,132
There was no printed user manual. But there’s the PDF document on Burson’s website.
 
Nov 7, 2020 at 2:36 PM Post #157 of 3,132
goreshade said:
Is the Burson Max Current Power Supply legit or gimmick ? Does the amp still benefit from a linear power supply ?
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Here's my take on it. I think the power-supply design is legit, but the marketing is kind of a gimmick. Their explanation of more instantaneous current being available is a legitimate. An inductive load (like transformer windings) will resist changes in alternating current through the load. Using a higher alternating frequency (like in a switching supply) allows using smaller inductors to smooth out the output, thus presenting lower impedance through the power supply. In Burson's case, I *think* they're using an off the shelf switching regulator with a switching frequency of about 170 Khz, which should be well above the audible range. Being that these are off the shelf solutions, acting as if it's a revolutionary new design is a little disingenuous from a marketing perspective, IMO. That's where the "gimmick" is to me. On the other had, I understand why they feel inclined to do so, since the audio community tends to have an automatic bias against switching power supplies, however well designed. From my experience so far, I think they made the right decision with the power supply from an engineering standpoint.

If you were to add your own linear power supply, it would likely be detrimental, and it's unclear whether doing so may damage the unit, as it has with some recent Monoprice/Cavalli designs with similar implementations. With an external linear/regulated supply, you'd lose the low impedance benefits, while the internal switching regulators would still convert the input to a high-frequency AC waveform regardless. I can see no benefit being gained from doing so.

To be honest, I'm starting to be convinced that with a well designed switching supply, there's almost no case where a linear supply would be a better design choice; you would have to spend so much more in parts cost and space (as a designer), to achieve equal or better results as the well-designed switching supply. You have to remember that Burson used to be one of most ardent advocates of big, discrete, linear power supplies. The fact that they're changing their mind says something. Even the upcoming dedicated power supply for the Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk.2 is a hybrid-switching design. These aren't "your grandfather's" switching supplies haha.
 
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Nov 8, 2020 at 4:45 PM Post #158 of 3,132
I’ve been burning the Soloist in since it arrived last Thursday. No idea if this helps in any way but it’s only a few pennies of electricity to do so why not; if nothing else it serves as an extended quality control step. I’ve never heard my old HD580’s sound so good, audibly better everything.
Once enough of us have them in hand and have had a chance to use them for a while, I look forward to hearing about how the amp pairs with various headphones.
 
Nov 8, 2020 at 8:43 PM Post #159 of 3,132
sonicsailor said:
I’ve been burning the Soloist in since it arrived last Thursday. No idea if this helps in any way but it’s only a few pennies of electricity to do so why not; if nothing else it serves as an extended quality control step. I’ve never heard my old HD580’s sound so good, audibly better everything.
Once enough of us have them in hand and have had a chance to use them for a while, I look forward to hearing about how the amp pairs with various headphones.
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What did you upgrade from? Still no shipping on mine yet :slight_frown:, but I hope this week.
 
Nov 8, 2020 at 11:32 PM Post #161 of 3,132
Ghooost said:
Likewise no shipping information on mine either, I'm normally not so impatient but I'm very eager to hear the device already!
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I placed my order on 09/25 and received it on 10/05, about a six week turnaround.

This is my first headphone amp, I previously only drove the HD580’s, which I have had for over 20 years, on the jack built into an Adcom preamp/receiver, which had a decent dedicated headphone amp stage. A recent upgrade to an Anthem STR integrated has left me without a headphone output, thus after much research, the Soloist. The improvement is amazing, as the adage goes “it’s like hearing everything for the first time.”

Next move, new headphones.
 
Nov 9, 2020 at 4:16 PM Post #162 of 3,132
Once more owners get their Soloist 3 I would love to hear feedback. Specifically any users with harder to drive headphones (Susvara, 1266, HE6se) on how the performance/synergy is. How does the Soloist compare to the usual list of suspects (Conductor 3XR/P, V281, Phonitor, A90, FA-10, Ifi Ican Pro, GSX Mkii, GSX Mini, etc..). What Dac pairings have worked well and which struggled? (R2R Dacs and delta sigma dacs).
 
Nov 9, 2020 at 9:43 PM Post #163 of 3,132
My Soloist & Composer 3X Performance Combo stack got delivered today. My initial impressions, with default settings, compared to the iFi iDSD Micro Black Label is that everything sounds better. If I had to quantify it, maybe 25-35% better in overall listening experience right off the bat -- it's significant but the returns do diminish somewhat at nearly 4x the price. It brought sound from amazing to holy crap.

Before any "brain burn-in" while I get used to the sound, my feeling is:
  • Detail retrieval is immensely better -- the LCD-3's come alive and transform into what I believe is closer to a TOTL-level of audio quality. They sounded fantastic before, particularly the bass and overall tone, but now they add gorgeous treble to the mix and are taken to a new level. I have not detected any harshness.
  • Treble sparkles. The LCD-3's were much "darker" before and had smooth, non-emphasized treble. This stack is much more treble-forward. I've only listened to 3 songs and I've already heard mastering flaws that I have never heard before.
  • Bass quantity and slam is still there, without EQ. One thing I love about my iFi iDSD Micro Black Label is the bass and 3D switches. I like lots of bass but don't want to sacrifice other parts of the spectrum (hence LCD-3 planars) and the Burson delivers without any audio tricks. It sounds better on bass right out of the box without extra emphasis on other parts of the spectrum. Bass slam comes immediately and startingly quick out of complete darkness.
  • Separation is improved. LCD-3's with adequate power are very immersive. The Burson stack kicks it up another notch. Coupled with the detail retrieval, the movement of sound left, right, and around is joyous. This setup commands your full concentration. Songs with channel separation like Pink Floyd's Money are absolutely outrageous.
  • Soundstage seems unchanged, possibly a hair larger on Dave Brubeck's Take Five and Yosi Horikawa's Bubbles.
  • Musicality is superb. Every recording so far sounds phenomenal. I haven't yet heard any snippet of sound that is not an absolute pleasure to experience, nor any sound that doesn't immediately immerse you in the music.
Overall: A+ pairing with LCD-3's. I have likely found my end game, at least for now. Before, I was missing that top-end sparkle and reference level of detail retrieval. It turns out that the iDSD Micro BL was indeed the bottleneck in my audio chain and the LCD-3's were capable of a whole lot more.


Headphones - Audeze LCD-3 @ medium gain setting
XLR interconnects - Stage Right by Monoprice 1.5ft XLR Male to XLR Female 16AWG Cable (Gold Plated) - $7.99 each
Headphone cable - NewFantasia HiFi Cable 4-pin XLR Balanced Male for Audeze LCD-3 (via Amazon) - $79
 

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Nov 9, 2020 at 9:54 PM Post #164 of 3,132
Holy smokes! This amp is good. I'm noticing new things in every old, favorite song I play. More body to the sound, more detail, and an overall effortlessness (everything seems easy to this amp). All listening via Dan Clark Audio Ether C Flow 1.1. These headphones like the power and control of this amp.

I've tried two sources (both via RCA for now):
  • Naim Uniti Atom via Pre-outs. Better than the built-in headphone out. Going to the high gain setting adds noticeable hiss. I'm fine on the medium setting where this is a non-issue. I love the power amplification mode where I can still control volume using the nice wheel of the Uniti Atom.
  • Computer (iTunes) to Doge 7 (tube & chip DAC). The DAC is brand new and the tubes need to find their groove but lots of detail and space come through. Bass is well defined and strong on songs like Royals (by Lorde). There's a sense of the recording room on Fever (by Valerie Joyce).
The best I've heard these headphones sound was out of an Innuos Zen + Chord Hugo TT2 stack. I'd love to try with a better transport than my computer. The amp is not the weakest point in my chain, that's for sure.
 
Nov 10, 2020 at 7:33 AM Post #165 of 3,132
I received mine this morning.
It's definitely a huge improvement over the Soloist SL MKII which I've always had in such high regard.
I'm not going to do a detailed, full review. I just want to mention the depth and sense of space.
In Passion for Sound's review, Lachlan compared it to the A90, saying it gave a slightly more sense of space. That was Lachlan being nice. The difference is huge.
The A90 has a terrific timbre and width, but everything is pushed to the front, whereas the Soloist lets you feel the performance space, the placement and depth with a much better sense of realism.
Of course, the Soloist 3 costs twice as much. But for the same price as the A90, I'd prefer the Soloist SL MKII over the A90, every time.
 
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