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Burson V7 Classic Pro and V7 Vivid Pro - Hi-Fi audiophile solid-state op-amps
Feb 23, 2024 at 11:37 AM Post #46 of 189
Dramlin said:
I've been looking forward to the V7's for years. The V6's are great-- my 3rd favorite op amp in terms of sound reproduction, and my top pick when a smaller form factor is required. I think the big question is how the V7's compare to the Sparkos SS2590's. As much as I like the sound of the SS2590's they are difficult to install due to their size. The SS2590's almost always require extension leads (which does degrade the sound quality just a little), and there is always a concern that they will short circuit with another component or the case. I'm afraid to move my amps at all out of fear that the op amps will shift. If the V7's are able to alleviate those issues while being close in sound quality, then I'm all in.

From everything that has been said thus far it seems that the V7's are a step up from the V6's, but outside of that I haven't seen comparisons with any other op amps. Is anyone planning on comparing the V7's to the SS2590's?
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Have you tried and compared Sparkos SS3602 to SS2590? I'm more interested in comparison V7 to SS3602 regarding the size and ease of instalation 🤔
 
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Feb 23, 2024 at 12:20 PM Post #47 of 189
Yes, the SS3601/3602's are also good but I prefer the V6 Vivids over them by a small amount. The SS3601/3602's are clearer sounding with the impression of slightly more detail, but that is mostly because they lean the sound out more compared to the V6's. The 3601/3602's also push the stage out a little, and have reduced dynamics compared to the V6. The V6's are more realistic IMO, but overall both are close enough that it's going to come down to preference.

That said, the SS2590 & SI 992/994's are a big leap over the others in sound quality. The SS2590's are better across the entire range compared to the SS3601/3602's. My entirely subjective ranking would be:

1) Sparkos SS2590
2) SI 992/994
...
...
...
3) Burson V6 Vivid
4) Sparkos 3601/3602
5) Burson V6 Classic. These would be #3 but the staging is too close for my preference compared to the more accurate Vivids.

Both #1 and #2 are larger op amps though, and won't fit in many applications. If the V7's can bridge the gap between the V6 Vivids and SI 992/994's, then that will be a huge deal to me since the V7's have a much smaller form factor.
 
Feb 23, 2024 at 12:23 PM Post #48 of 189
Dramlin said:
Yes, the SS3601/3602's are also good but I prefer the V6 Vivids over them by a small amount. The SS3601/3602's are clearer sounding with the impression of slightly more detail, but that is mostly because they lean the sound out more compared to the V6's. The 3601/3602's also push the stage out a little, and have reduced dynamics compared to the V6. The V6's are more realistic IMO, but overall both are close enough that it's going to come down to preference.

That said, the SS2590 & SI 992/994's are a big leap over the others in sound quality. The SS2590's are better across the entire range compared to the SS3601/3602's. My entirely subjective ranking would be:

1) Sparkos SS2590
2) SI 992/994
...
...
...
3) Burson V6 Vivid
4) Sparkos 3601/3602
5) Burson V6 Classic. These would be #3 but the staging is too close for my preference compared to the more accurate Vivids.

Both #1 and #2 are larger op amps though, and won't fit in many applications. If the V7's can bridge the gap between the V6 Vivids and SI 992/994's, then that will be a huge deal to me since the V7's have a much smaller form factor.
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Thanks a lot for clarification! 👍👍👍
 
Feb 23, 2024 at 5:19 PM Post #49 of 189
There is a lot of talk of swapping the V7 with amps but, I am more interested in knowing the difference in the Geshelli JS2 DAC. I should have it in a week or two but I ordered them with the 3602. Should I stand in line for the V7s?
 
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Feb 25, 2024 at 1:17 AM Post #50 of 189
For best performance you might chose the OPA1656 while with V7 you should get a slight increase in details and scene. The Sparkos are somewhere in the middle. Ideally would be to try out the V7 and see if there're any improvements in the output sound.
 
Feb 25, 2024 at 1:58 AM Post #51 of 189
raoultrifan said:
For best performance you might chose the OPA1656 while with V7 you should get a slight increase in details and scene. The Sparkos are somewhere in the middle. Ideally would be to try out the V7 and see if there're any improvements in the output sound.
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I have OPA1656 - these are cheap op-amps and I would say - these are nothing special in terms of sound. I think that Sparkos and Burson is in another, much higher grade.
 
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Feb 27, 2024 at 10:25 AM Post #56 of 189
Dramlin said:
I've been looking forward to the V7's for years. The V6's are great-- my 3rd favorite op amp in terms of sound reproduction, and my top pick when a smaller form factor is required. I think the big question is how the V7's compare to the Sparkos SS2590's? As much as I like the sound of the SS2590's they are difficult to install due to their size. The SS2590's almost always require extension leads (which does degrade the sound quality just a little), and there is always a concern that they will short circuit with another component or the case. I'm afraid to move my amps at all out of fear that the op amps will shift. If the V7's are able to alleviate those issues while being close in sound quality, then I'm all in.

From everything that has been said thus far it seems that the V7's are a step up from the V6's, but outside of that I haven't seen comparisons with any other op amps. Is anyone planning on comparing the V7's to the SS2590's?
Click to expand...

Just for the peace of mind, convenience but also for the slight noise that comes with each extension lead like you mentioned I would gladly swap the SS2590 for the V7 without a second thought if the latter perform as good or at least very close to the Sparkos. But I won't do the same if it turns out to be on par with the Sonic Imagery.

Speaking of SIL 992/994, this op amp completes a cat's life cycle very soon. :worried: Even though it plays better than V6 overall, tech weaknesses are easily discernable especially in the bass. I'm almost certain that V7 will be the preferred choice for most people, but what matters the most and what we would like to see like you said is if this new long-awaited Burson release is good enough to dethrone the 2590!

My instinct tells me it won't, but I hope it does!
 
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Feb 28, 2024 at 2:21 AM Post #58 of 189
Looks like the upgrade packs are a bit cheaper, see here: https://www.bursonaudio.com/shop/v7-pro-upgrade-packs. So, it's about 72 USD each opamp in case of a Soloist/Conductor/Timekeeper GT model that required a 6-pack of V7 Pro, so a 16% discount instead of 10% is you only buy single or a pair. We're used during Christmas Eve and Black Friday to get even better discounts. Meanwhile, "money wise" would be to sell our older V5/V6 op-amps and buy the newer V7 Pro, which would make it a very good deal.
 
Feb 28, 2024 at 2:28 AM Post #59 of 189
It's nice that they made quite detailed pics about how to properly mount these op-amps: https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/supreme-sound-opamp-v7/. I'll also attach a couple of pics below and a short movie I recently made about it, hope this helps:

V7-Opamp-Install.png
V7-Opamp-Install2.png


​

I've tested the new V7 Pro op-amps under various placement conditions: mounted vice-versa in the socket, then mounted with only 6 pins out of 8 and in both cases the SP2 regulators from my Soloist 3X GT 2023 entered in protection mode, so with other words, I couldn't damage these op-amps nor the amplifier.

However, when swapping the op-amps in your audio equipment, do take extra care and:
  1. Power Off the audio device first.​
  2. Disconnect headphones or speakers.​
  3. Unplug the power adapter and/or the power cable from the mains socket.​
  4. Carefully swap the old op-amps with the new ones by properly positioning pin #1 according to the op-amps and socket markings (see the above picture).​
  5. Double check for pin #1 op-amp positioning again.​
  6. Triple check if the op-amps were properly placed in their socket prior to power On the device.​
  7. Power On the audio device and check for proper functionality and for op-amps overheating (up to 50-55C is the proper operating temperature).​
  8. Use common-sense or ask here in the thread for any help required.​
Otherwise you might damage the op-amps and your audio device and the warranty will also get voided!
 
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Feb 28, 2024 at 2:34 AM Post #60 of 189
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