Burson Soloist 3X Performance Head/Pre Amp - 8Wpc XLR with MUSE72320 volume control
Apr 15, 2022 at 12:51 PM Post #2,476 of 3,087
I pretty much will only use power amp mode through roon exclusive mode with hard volume limits set for this very reason. For my LCD-3 on medium gain i set minimum volume on roon to -10. I then run optical into my bifrost 2 as the alternate output from windows. Whats cool with the bifrost 2 is the usb connection doesnt drop when you change inputs, so you can swap between USB for Roon, optical for windows/everything else.
Oh I'm using your same setup now too. My almost mishap was before I started using Roon in exclusive mode and before getting a Bifrost 2.
 
Apr 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM Post #2,477 of 3,087
It seems to me that the soloist is more dynamic and has better bass. I have switched back and forth between the singxer and soloist with the same song and headphones and I just like the dynamics and sound of the soloist better. the singxer seems more laid back and maybe smoother but to me the soloist is more engaging. I will say anyone who thinks the soloist doesn’t have a lot of power hasn’t used one. With hifiman he6se I have to turn the singxer to close to max volume on high gain to get 75-80 decibels but with the soloist In headphone amp mode I can barely turn it to 10 o’clock on the dial before it’s too loud On high gain. With Arya V2 I can barely use it on high gain at all. I assure you even with the he6se the soloist can make you deaf. I have also used the he6se on a speaker amp using the speaker taps but it sounds better to me on the soloist. Of course audio is strictly individual preference. I really thought I would like the singxer more than I do so you might feel differently.
Thanks for your input! Singxer is a great amp for its price point and it was a pretty large upgrade from my Magnius. The laid back smooth sound of the SA-1 paired with the laid back smooth sound of the LCD3 is great for some tracks, but I feel it leaves more to be desired from others. I do EQ a bass shelf in which certainly helps, but still feel it lacks dynamics that I know the LCD3 is capable of. Been also curious bout the GSX mini but its price point is a bit higher than what I want to pay right now. Lack of power from the Soloist is definitely not a concern haha.
 
Apr 15, 2022 at 8:16 PM Post #2,478 of 3,087
Thanks for your input! Singxer is a great amp for its price point and it was a pretty large upgrade from my Magnius. The laid back smooth sound of the SA-1 paired with the laid back smooth sound of the LCD3 is great for some tracks, but I feel it leaves more to be desired from others. I do EQ a bass shelf in which certainly helps, but still feel it lacks dynamics that I know the LCD3 is capable of. Been also curious bout the GSX mini but its price point is a bit higher than what I want to pay right now. Lack of power from the Soloist is definitely not a concern haha.


The SA1 has been great for me. I listen mostly to vocal jazz, blues, old school stuff like the Beatles and country.

Considering the price it's a awesome Machine.

(500€ for the Singxer Vs 1400€ Soloist 3xp without the supercharger)
 
Apr 16, 2022 at 4:24 AM Post #2,479 of 3,087
Yes. The sound / price ratio does not scale well.
In my opinion, the sweet spot is around 300 - 500 EUR. The steps above this are getting smaller and smaller.
But at the end, it is just a hobby and we pay for the last % of sound improvement even if it quite expensive 😅😁
 
Apr 16, 2022 at 10:04 AM Post #2,480 of 3,087
https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/burson-soloist-3x/ - need to translate the page unless you can read Mandarin. This is the only website I saw mentioned on ASR. And shows it can hit 8W out.

But the section you probably have the most interest in. Link to the top graph so you can zoom in- https://cdn.l7audiolab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/BAL-THDN-Ratio-vs-Measured-Level.jpg

1650032852726.png
Sorry we were talking about SMSL SH9 since i want this dislay and relay volume control feature.
 
Apr 17, 2022 at 4:33 AM Post #2,481 of 3,087
Question ... since I am lagging electrical engineering skills ... The Soloist 3XP has 24V/3A (can bee seen on the back of the unit as well). But Burson included a 24V/5A standard charger. According to Burson, their 3A and 5A Supercharger works with the Soloist. Fine so far. But Burson told me that there would be a slightly better sound improvement with the 5A Supercharger compared with the 3A Supercharger. But as far as I know, this can not be possible if the internal unit works with 24V/3A. You can take a charger with more Ampere, if the Volt is 24V, but it should not matter (does not make anythinkg better or worse). It just becomes a problem if you have a charger with less than 3A. Maybe they just want to sell the more expensive Supercharger to me?
Can anyone answer this (specially from the technical side)?
 
Apr 17, 2022 at 6:09 AM Post #2,482 of 3,087
Question ... since I am lagging electrical engineering skills ... The Soloist 3XP has 24V/3A (can bee seen on the back of the unit as well). But Burson included a 24V/5A standard charger. According to Burson, their 3A and 5A Supercharger works with the Soloist. Fine so far. But Burson told me that there would be a slightly better sound improvement with the 5A Supercharger compared with the 3A Supercharger. But as far as I know, this can not be possible if the internal unit works with 24V/3A. You can take a charger with more Ampere, if the Volt is 24V, but it should not matter (does not make anythinkg better or worse). It just becomes a problem if you have a charger with less than 3A. Maybe they just want to sell the more expensive Supercharger to me?
Can anyone answer this (specially from the technical side)?
I can’t speak for the 3a but the 5a sounds great. Burson told me the 3a provides a 10% improvement and the 5a a 15%. So I imagine there’s not much difference and it’s very possible most people wouldn’t hear the difference between the two.
 
Apr 17, 2022 at 9:36 AM Post #2,485 of 3,087
For me the Supercharger smooths the high frequencies without loosing detail and removes some of the glare I find common in delta sigma DAC’s - in my case the Benchmark DAC3. Makes the experience much more enjoyable and I can certainly hear a difference. I think Burson is somewhat right and I would quantify this as a 10% improvement but it certainly doesn’t fundamentally change the way the Soloist sounds. It’s the last upgrade if you want to reach the amps maximum potential. Similar to getting some high quality interconnects.
 
Apr 17, 2022 at 9:52 AM Post #2,486 of 3,087
Even Passion For Sound who seems to be a Burson Fanboy said he thinks it is a 1-2% improvement. And this is what I can confirm.
That’s why I want to understand this from the technical point of view. In my (brain) theory it can not make a difference if the charger has 3A or 5A if the device is build for 3A.

And I give a s*** what the manufacturers say. People who just repeat all the bu**s*** are not really helpful.
 
Apr 17, 2022 at 10:28 AM Post #2,487 of 3,087
Even Passion For Sound who seems to be a Burson Fanboy said he thinks it is a 1-2% improvement. And this is what I can confirm.
That’s why I want to understand this from the technical point of view. In my (brain) theory it can not make a difference if the charger has 3A or 5A if the device is build for 3A.

And I give a s*** what the manufacturers say. People who just repeat all the bu**s*** are not really helpful.
Sorry didn’t mean to sound like I was repeating Burson. I think it does help with digital glare, at least that’s how my ears hear it with the Audeze LCD4 which are extremely revealing. The LCD4 have a peak around 10k and excessive air beyond 16k which I always I have to equalise but not when I use the Supercharger 5a. I certainly don’t think the Supercharger gives more detail or transparency but in my case helps smoothen the sound of the LCD4 which I find fatiguing otherwise. This to me is an improvement.
 
Apr 17, 2022 at 12:25 PM Post #2,488 of 3,087
I'm swapping op-amps for the first time and picked up a couple V6 Classics and Sparkos SS3602's. I opened this puppy up, and noticed the Vivids that come with the unit are zip-tied down. Didn't expect that! Carefully got them cut with a box cutter. Gonna test a few combinations out and can report back later.
 
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Apr 17, 2022 at 6:06 PM Post #2,489 of 3,087
I'm swapping op-amps for the first time and picked up a couple V6 Classics and Sparkos SS3602's. I opened this puppy up, and noticed the Vivids that come with the unit are zip-tied down. Didn't expect that! Carefully got them cut with a box cutter. Gonna test a few combinations out and can report back later.
Enjoy. The V6 Classics are fantastically lush and smooth once you get used to the sound. Many claim they don't like them but they have their place - especially as the *one* warm piece of gear in your entire chain.
 
Apr 18, 2022 at 12:02 AM Post #2,490 of 3,087

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