Burson V7 Classic Pro and V7 Vivid Pro - Hi-Fi audiophile solid-state op-amps

[Edward Ng]

I'm also unsure about the bass of V7 Vivid, ie if it's strong enough or whether it's just a hair too light. It's certainly less punchy than my other op amps, but the ones I'm comparing to are also worse in every other respect, meaning they're not as fast or detailed anywhere in the frequency band as V7 Vivid. In the midrange V7 Vivid have extraordinary dynamic range, which I noted when I recently listened to a recording of Swan Lake. A lot of classical music can have jump-scare type orchestral attacks, maybe to wake up the audience after a more delicate passage. I listened to the same passage with V7 Vivid vs MUSES03, and it was like MUSES03 removed half the dynamic range during the most extreme volume swings. The advantage of V7 Vivid was simply massive in classical music. I have also noticed in jazz that V7 Vivid give drum lines more forward attack and dynamism. This makes me wonder what's going on in the lower bass, because it's very detailed and fast, but sometimes not as satisfyingly full as other op amps. It's only by a very narrow margin though. If I put my dac in non-oversampling mode it seems to fill out the bass and balances out the sound nicely. Therefore I think it's a case of synergy. If the bass feels too light, it might be possible to fix it by changing something else in the setup.

I’ve found a similar…benefit…from the V7 Vivids with regards to bass, making it easier for me to blend my subwoofer in with my main speakers more evenly/naturally. Part of the reason I prefer the V7 Vivids over SS3602 on my setup.

-Ed

 

[Ichos]

Full house! Need to find some time to write my impressions.

 

[sawindra]

a v7 classic would be nice here, for volume buffer

 

[TheRealDz]

Full house! Need to find some time to write my impressions.

Looking forward to seeing your impressions...

 

[Ichos]

Looking forward to seeing your impressions...

First impressions are very positive.

 

[TheRealDz]

First impressions are very positive.

I got great results with my Violectric V222 and Burson V6 Vivids - now I am eager to try V7 Classics.

 

[andrewchoppa]

Hi all,

I’ve been heavily into music and gear all my life, recently headphones and gear, and very recently, a 2 channel system.

I love tube amps (OTLs and Hybrids) but my goto solid state amp is a 2023 Burson Soloist 3XGT with upgraded power supply and SP02 silent power modules. It’s converted to analog by a Geshelli J2S Dac with upgraded Sparkos SS3602 op amps and my source is an Eversolo DMP-A6 streaming transport. I have Utopia 2020, ZMF Verite Open and Hifiman HE1000 Stealths amongst other cans.

I’m still completing my 2 channel but so far I have a pair of Elac Solano BS283s, run by a Fosi ZA3 amp, a Eufonika OTC hybrid tube preamp, and a Geshelli J2 Dac. I plan to use 2 x ZA3s with 48v 5a power supplies as monoblocs and upgrade the op amps.

The sound as is (1 ZA) with stock opamps (NE5532) is bloody amazing!!! The last time I had a 2 channel was 20 years ago – it was a pair of (medium quality) JBL 3 way100w front ported stand mountables, fed by a low powered Rotel receiver (50w pch or similar) and Yamaha cd player.

Wow, times have certainly changed! And sonically, for the better!!!!!

Well today I just got a pair of Burson V7 Vivid Duals and inserted them into the left and right ZA3 volume slots. From what I’d read and heard, I thought I’d hear a difference but I was genuinely shocked at the amount of difference I actually heard. As I already said, the sound prior was just amazing. Without comparing, I would not have guessed I needed anything better. Friends advised to get a better amp. I argued, saying the ZA3 sounds great as is!!

Well - now, the ZA3 sounds phenomenal! It takes a couple of minutes to turn off, swap op amps and re-listen but oh my giddy aunt – the V7 vivids bring a noticeable difference in clarity, dynamics, placement. I was shocked. Instruments were separated well and clear prior but now they (and sounds like slaps, whistles, synth notes and sound effects) were exact. I can see a slap over the PS5, a repeat synth key over the Eufonika amp on Yello’s Planet Dada and vocals sit over the J2 Dac.

I kid you not, everything got clearer and cleaner (but NOT brighter) and separated better. Between tracks, at high volumes, there is an absolute black background. With the V7s, the whole sound was clearly more dynamic too. It had more punch. I didn’t think it was lacking before, but now I can actually see it was.

I liken it to swapping out Hifiman Edition XS for HE1000 Stealths. The difference honestly is huge. I LOVED my Edition XS but going to the Stealths was chalk and cheese.

Next track was Primus – My Name is Mud. Massive bass, huge distortion, frenetic while guitar is being tortured haha. Vocals were 6 inches to the right of the left speaker, drums were 6 inches to the right again. Bass was right of centre and cymbals were at the right speaker. Separation and clarity were amazing. This wasn’t the case with the NE5532s. Everything was separated with the 5532s but not nearly to this degree.

Blacktop Mojos cover of Aerosmith’s Dream On was sublime with the V7s. Guitar was crystal clear, lingering from the left speaker to about 6 inches over. Vocals were left of centre. Bass and drums to the left and higher vocals and high hates to the right, 6 inches from right speaker).

Regarding soundstage, I didn’t hear a difference in height, depth or width, and I don’t know if this is something that upgraded op amps can improve. It was all about clarity, dynamics and separation.

Well I can now highly recommend the Burson V7 Vivids in the Fosi ZA3. My plan is to now get 2 more pairs, 1 for the volume in the 2nd ZA3 and 1 pair to put in each XLR slot of each ZA3. I cannot wait to hear this combo!! I’ll report back.

On a side note, I got so excited that I tried to swap the V7s into my Geshelli J2S (which currently has Sparkos SS33602s) but this failed (crackle and sound in 1 headphone cup only). I can only surmise that the J2S needs 2 singles in its XLR slots, not Duals?? Can anyone confirm??

 

[andrewchoppa]

a v7 classic would be nice here, for volume buffer

I have compared the classics and vivids before and there is a big difference imo. I'm 53 and need a bit more treble, so the Vivids work beautifully for me. But I have a friend into high end gear who absolutely loves the mid-range warmth of the Classics.

 

[Mista Lova Lova]

I have now compared V6 Vivid vs V7 Vivid. I tried to do it properly, so I prepared demo material of various genres and listened with the V7 Vivid first, then switching to V6 Vivid and testing the same music again. V7 Vivid is essentially a higher fidelity version of V6 Vivid, in some ways sounding very similar.

Their soundstage size is exactly the same. Unlike the chip amps I listened to recently, V6 Vivid doesn’t sound veiled or like there is a barrier between you and the music. Instead, it’s like all the music was recorded and performed with slightly worse microphones and speakers. They still convey a sense of realism, but with extra distortion. Sibilants are more prominent with V6 Vivid, and pianos can have flinch inducing glare that’s completely absent with V7 Vivid. A positive thing about V6 Vivid is their firmness and bass. Whereas V7 Vivid can feel a bit gentle at times, V6 Vivid are really good at emphasizing physicality in drums, guitar distortions, and so on. If all you listen to is metal and EDM, then V6 Vivid are great. But anything more nuanced like a person singing, unamplified instruments like pianos, then V7 Vivid deliver far more nuance in every way. V7 Vivid unlock several extra layers of reverb and effects in the midrange and top end. If someone sings loudly with V6 Vivid they can project the sheer physical force of the voice better than V7 Vivid. V7 Vivid instead project the emotion of the singing better. Somehow both sound just as “realistic” in how the energy is projected, but the emotional effect on the listener is different. V6 Vivid is more shouty, whereas V7 Vivid makes voices sound more human.

In many ways V6 Vivid was a pleasant surprise, because I think their sound is far more enjoyable than OPA1611. Just like V7 Vivid the sound feels authentic and raw, without a feeling of having a veil or fakeness. Basically, when I listen to live music and close my eyes, my brain is convinced by the soundstage illusion, just like with V7 Vivid. That’s where I hear a clear lineage in sound and intent between the op amps. V7 Vivid is the same, but better. I think they’re a huge improvement over V6 Vivid, because they make more genres of music fun to listen to. The only thing they’ve lost is the ability to elevate more simple and humble music whose only intent is to sound badass or hype.

Thank you for sharing your detailed impressions. I'm considering upgrading the V6 Vivid op-amps in my Burson 3XP to V7 op-amps. What I would be hoping to achieve is less "glare" (treble), even more detail and transparency and for that slight "haziness" to be removed which seems to be most obvious in the treble, but I think that there's traces of it in the other parts of the spectrum, too. Getting the Supercharger and bypassing volume control have helped a lot but having heard more gear now, I know that things can get better still.

These op-amps aren't cheap so I've been wondering if the differences would be worthwhile. Am I right in thinking that you find that to absolutely be the case?

 

[TheManko]

These op-amps aren't cheap so I've been wondering if the differences would be worthwhile. Am I right in thinking that you find that to absolutely be the case?

Yes. The price is high, but the improvement in sound quality is dramatic compared with V6 Vivid. I think you will get exactly what you're hoping for, ie both far greater transparency and also a sound that's easier on the ears.

 

[sawindra]

Thank you for sharing your detailed impressions. I'm considering upgrading the V6 Vivid op-amps in my Burson 3XP to V7 op-amps. What I would be hoping to achieve is less "glare" (treble), even more detail and transparency and for that slight "haziness" to be removed which seems to be most obvious in the treble, but I think that there's traces of it in the other parts of the spectrum, too. Getting the Supercharger and bypassing volume control have helped a lot but having heard more gear now, I know that things can get better still.

These op-amps aren't cheap so I've been wondering if the differences would be worthwhile. Am I right in thinking that you find that to absolutely be the case?

i assume you have the solist # xp? get a pair of v7 vivids for the input stage and Muzg audio jfet op-amps for the volume buffer stage. the Muzgs will kill all the haze, glze and sibilants in the sound.

https://muzgaudio.com/en/produkt/efficient-jfet-operational-amplifier/

 

[Mista Lova Lova]

i assume you have the solist # xp? get a pair of v7 vivids for the input stage and Muzg audio jfet op-amps for the volume buffer stage. the Muzgs will kill all the haze, glze and sibilants in the sound.

https://muzgaudio.com/en/produkt/efficient-jfet-operational-amplifier/

Sorry for the late reply - yeah, it's the Soloist 3XP. Thanks, I'll take them into consideration.

I love the soundstage/spatial presentation of the Burson with the V6 Vivid op-amps (never tried any other ones); however, what over time has started annoying me slightly is the gently V-shaped sound (at least that's my perception of it) and the the level of clarity not quite reaching my Topping A90, which in turn sounds a bit "muted" in the top region (more air on the Burson) and flat in the soundstage.

If I could have the Burson's presentation but with even more clarity and "directness" of sound (what the Topping takes to the extreme), this could really be something else. I'm wondering if the V7 op-amps can get me there or if the Soloist is simply designed to always sound this way.

V7 Vivid shares one key character traits of V6 Vivid, which is the size of the sound stage. It gives the impression that you’ve taken a step toward the music. Going back and forth comparing op amps makes this trait obvious and unique, as no others sound like this. The center image is larger, sounds to the far left and right seem further away, and out of phase sounds seem to wrap around you a bit more. It’s a very nice enhancement to the sound, and I don’t think it comes with any downsides. You just get a more immersive sound. I don’t know if this enhanced size has something to do with the relatively gentle attack and more airy sound character.

This makes me wonder if what I've described above is simply the trade-off that we pay for that unique and often very enjoyable presentation.

 

[sawindra]

Sorry for the late reply - yeah, it's the Soloist 3XP. Thanks, I'll take them into consideration.

I love the soundstage/spatial presentation of the Burson with the V6 Vivid op-amps (never tried any other ones); however, what over time has started annoying me slightly is the gently V-shaped sound (at least that's my perception of it) and the the level of clarity not quite reaching my Topping A90, which in turn sounds a bit "muted" in the top region (more air on the Burson) and flat in the soundstage.

If I could have the Burson's presentation but with even more clarity and "directness" of sound (what the Topping takes to the extreme), this could really be something else. I'm wondering if the V7 op-amps can get me there or if the Soloist is simply designed to always sound this way.



This makes me wonder if what I've described above is simply the trade-off that we pay for that unique and often very enjoyable presentation.

Both the Burson v7 vivid and SIL 994Enh-Ticha will suit your needs, which one is better , is kind of hard to say. As time flyes by, i have become more fond of the linear,clean
and the more "hard hitting" sound of SIL.

 

[Thomastb]

Does anyone know which Op AMP should I use if I want more holographic sound and possibly some reverb as well. Thanks!

 

[sawindra]

Does anyone know which Op AMP should I use if I want more holographic sound and possibly some reverb as well. Thanks!

Alfa Rpar AS-402 for reverb tails and bigger room sound. Burson V7 classics for holography.