[jerick70]

I installed my Burson kit today in my H10.  I need to let them burn in before I review them in detail.

 

[freak]

what is burson kit? is it another name for 797/823 combo?

 

[jerick70]

  what is burson kit? is it another name for 797/823 combo?

This is the v4 kit.  I purchased the v5 kit. http://www.bursonaudio.com/gustard-h10-high-current-discrete-class-a-headphone-amplifier-opamp-mod/.

 

[stuartmc]

Glad to see a lot of swabbies tweaking their sound with op-amps.   As my dear departed friend Harvey "Gismo" Rosenburg would say, "there is nothing quite like 'tuning your bow' to make you live the hunt, rather than just being a hunter."  I always enjoy my tunes more when I've become part of the process, like a recording engineer at the mixing board.  Op-amps are a great way to do that.
 
I had an email exchange with Analog Metric and they apologized for the dead dual 797BRZ module and are sending two new ones in the mail. It will be about two weeks before I get them, so meanwhile, I'm slumming it with the full Burson setup. LOL.   I've got nearly 85 hours on them and have been using my Purist Audio Enhancement disc, so I'm pretty sure there is no more burn-in changes to be had.  I will be posting my full impressions quite soon.  As I reported earlier, my listening/evaluation process for op-amps goes something like this -  I put the new op-amps in and give them a reasonable break-in period, then I listen to some familiar music and relax without being analytical. I go for the gestalt experience because I truly believe that my auditory subconscious knows more than I do. Later, I go back and analyze what I'm hearing with specific tracks for soundstage, dynamics, treble, midrange and bass.  
 
I haven't even completed the gestalt phase, but I already know that the Bursons are doing something VERY right and dare I say it, much more right than I have heard with any other op-amp combo, including my beloved 797BRZ/823 combo.  The words that first came to mind were "natural," "holistic, ""holographic" with effortless extension at the frequency extremes and "weight" - a superb bass floor and real meat on the midrange bones.  Whew!...I'm going to be re-listening to an awful lot of favorites tonight.

 

[swannie007]

Good to hear that the Bursons appear to be worth their considerable asking price! Right now I am loving the 793/823 combo. The sound is definitely more "holographic" with details in the music that I have heretofore not heard. Re-listening to a lot of my old favourites and loving them even more. The details I am hearing now are truly amazing! Got Fleetwood Mac going in the ears as I type this and they sound so different to what I remember as there was so much of the background detail that was smeared but is now being presented in a new, clear light without being too bright and sibilant, which I hate as I have sensitive ears and sibilance tends to set off my tinnitus. Greetings to all swabbies from the "Bosun In The Bush" with special greetings to our "Captain" and thanks for the recommendations on op amps as well as some fine "ear candy". Cheers.   

 

[jerick70]

I wanted to share some pictures from my install of my Burson v5 kit.  I installed this yesterday. 
 
The install took about 10 minutes.  Items needed for the install:
 
1) torx #8(for rear torx screws) and torx #10 (for side torx screws) screw driver. 
2) Pair of needle nose pliers.  I used a PLLC puller but I wouldn't recommend it.
3) Burson Supreme Sound v5 kit from http://www.bursonaudio.com/products/supreme-sound-opamp-v5/.  2 Dual SS Opamps and 2 Single SS Opamps.  If you contact Burson before you buy they may give you a discount.
 
Before the install...
 

 
The package that the Opamps are shipped in.
 

 
Removing the back screws with torx #8 screwdriver.
 

 
Removing the side screws with a torx #10 screwdriver.
 
 

 
Single SS Opamps installed.
 

 
Dual SS Opamps installed.  The fit is a little sung for the dual opamp at the back of this pic next the the volume pot.  It has to be install at a small angle.
 



 
I really like getting my hands dirty.  No wonder I like DIY audio so much!

 

[jackharm]

^
Nice pictures.

 

[stuartmc]

  Good to hear that the Bursons appear to be worth their considerable asking price! Right now I am loving the 793/823 combo. The sound is definitely more "holographic" with details in the music that I have heretofore not heard. Re-listening to a lot of my old favourites and loving them even more. The details I am hearing now are truly amazing! Got Fleetwood Mac going in the ears as I type this and they sound so different to what I remember as there was so much of the background detail that was smeared but is now being presented in a new, clear light without being too bright and sibilant, which I hate as I have sensitive ears and sibilance tends to set off my tinnitus. Greetings to all swabbies from the "Bosun In The Bush" with special greetings to our "Captain" and thanks for the recommendations on op amps as well as some fine "ear candy". Cheers.   

 
I have to agree on price/performance value of the 797/823 combo. When I first discovered it, I knew I had something that I could live with for a very long time.  I would encourage you to try the 797BRZ instead of the 797ANZ. You can get them pre-installed in adapters from Analog Metric and the price is very reasonable.
The BRZ variant is very similar in character to the ANZ, but IMO provides a little more of that "holographic" mojo.  I'll be going back to the 797BRZ/823 for more direct comparisons to the Bursons.

 

[stuartmc]

 
I really like getting my hands dirty.  No wonder I like DIY audio so much!

I don't know, it all looks pretty clean in there to me...ha ha.

  I can never get enough of this H10 porn! 

 

[jerick70]

  ^
Nice pictures.

Thanks jackharm.
 
One other observation from the install.  My H10 seems to be getting much warmer with the Burson v5 installed.  Not like a class A tube amp that you can cook an egg on, but much warmer than it did when swabbing other opamps like the AD797/AD823.

 

[jerick70]

  I don't know, it all looks pretty clean in there to me...ha ha.

  I can never get enough of this H10 porn! 

He He. Love H10 p0rn.

 

[jerick70]

One photo I didn't share is the final resting place of my H10.  I use it at work with my Yulong Sabre DA8 and Oppo PM-3s.
 

 

[moriez]

Would just one pair of Burson opamps give a worthwhile improvement? You know comparable to swapping AD797's only? To me ~$200 for all four isn't a good deal considering what a H10 goes for.

 

[stuartmc]

  Would just one pair of Burson opamps give a worthwhile improvement? You know comparable to swapping AD797's only? To me ~$200 for all four isn't a good deal considering what a H10 goes for.

The jury is still out for me on that question.  I haven't done the evaluation of just the single op-amp Bursons or the dual op-amp ones.  My guess from previous experiments is that the final set of op-amps in the signal path (that is the single op-amp opa134 replacement) may make the most difference and are the least expensive.  Getting a set of Burson v5S for this spot isn't all that expensive. If you can't swing that, I'd get the 797BRZ's from Analog Metric.

 

[moriez]

Waiting for you to get around to some testing then stuart. Cheers.