[bpiotrow13]

I also have a tube headphone amp the Rogue RH-5 which I was very happy about. I had made some big changes in my set up purchasing the PS audio power strip conditioner and the shunyata plug in filter for filtering noise. Then I purchased the Harmonic tech ac 10 Fantasy IEC power cord and used it to feed the PS audio power strip. I was really happy with the results once the Harmonic Tech cord broke in. I was using my rogue Rh-5 single ended with my AKG 712 headphone . When I was using my old Burson Ha-160 I had a different power strip. So out of curiosity I dragged out my Burson HA-160 and plugged it into the PS Audio strip conditioner. Wow the Burson sounded so much better than before. After using my Rogue Rh-5 which is a pretty good headphone amp in its own right I had been pretty happy with the sound. But when I hooked up the Burson to the new strip I was shocked at how much better it sounded. I had not expected it to compete with Rogue but I have to say my expectations were far surpassed. The Burson is giving my new and much more expensive Rogue Rh-5 some serious competition . Not bad for a ten year old design. In fact the burson is way better in the bass department and has better dynamics and has lower noise than the Rogue. Surprising for a 700 dollar amp compared to the rogue which is 2499.

I guess not all new products are better than old ones. The main driver for producers is sometimes not improvement but making people to buy new products. I have an impression that burson cv2 is not worse than cv3

 

[buson160man]

I guess not all new products are better than old ones. The main driver for producers is sometimes not improvement but making people to buy new products. I have an impression that burson cv2 is not worse than cv3

I never having heard the virtuoso model am curious about how it sounds myself. It does have a bigger analog power supply than the ha-160. But I am pretty sure the newer ess sabre 9038 dac chip is better sounding than the older 9018 chip that is in the conductor 2. But I am curious about how the headphone amp section of the virtuoso 2 sounds.

 

[Strat1117]

I know I’m a little late to this party, and I did browse through this 85 page thread enough to understand the practical differences between pre-out and dac-out (and to realize, much to my dismay, that the original head-fi reviewer was DEAD WRONG in stating that the dac-out was fixed volume), but I still don’t understand the purpose of two variable outs, albeit with different specs and the need to unplug your headphones in order to use pre out. I’m trying to integrate the unit into my existing stereo system, with a 200 wpc Plinius integrated amp at its heart. The lack of a fixed output signal post dac seems like a curious choice and, certainly, creates an unnecessarily complicated interface in my situation. Is there a reason why @Burson B chose this method? I feel like I am missing something. Anyway, while the headphone amp is lovely and a no-brainer, any advice for integrating this wonderful dac as a source in my stereo system (integrated amp and speakers) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Neil

 

[jellofund]

I know I’m a little late to this party, and I did browse through this 85 page thread enough to understand the practical differences between pre-out and dac-out (and to realize, much to my dismay, that the original head-fi reviewer was DEAD WRONG in stating that the dac-out was fixed volume), but I still don’t understand the purpose of two variable outs, albeit with different specs and the need to unplug your headphones in order to use pre out. I’m trying to integrate the unit into my existing stereo system, with a 200 wpc Plinius integrated amp at its heart. The lack of a fixed output signal post dac seems like a curious choice and, certainly, creates an unnecessarily complicated interface in my situation. Is there a reason why @Burson B chose this method? I feel like I am missing something. Anyway, while the headphone amp is lovely and a no-brainer, any advice for integrating this wonderful dac as a source in my stereo system (integrated amp and speakers) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Neil

Not sure if you caught this post but might at least offer a manual work around. I rarely use the DAC out and could have sworn it was fixed myself!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new-burson-conductor-v2-and-v2.798772/post-15913303

 

[Strat1117]

Not sure if you caught this post but might at least offer a manual work around. I rarely use the DAC out and could have sworn it was fixed myself!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new-burson-conductor-v2-and-v2.798772/post-15913303

Thank you. I did catch that, so I understand the factual difference between the two, but I still fail to understand why @Burson B left out a fixed dac out in favor of the variable dac out (which, btw, has a 25 ohm impedance making it an automatic impedance mismatch with just about anything you’d hook it up to). I’m sure there’s an explanation, but it eludes me and, from my perspective, the conspicuous absence of a fixed out makes it an unnecessarily and unfortunately inelegant kludge to incorporate into a full-blown, living room stereo system (as opposed to a desktop). I have to use the pre-out to get enough volume out of my speakers, and, perforce, I have to unplug the headphones too (something I’ve never been in the habit of doing). It works, but it’s clumsy to say the least. I was hoping someone had a better idea.

Thanks again.

NSC

 

[18inch]

Thank you. I did catch that, so I understand the factual difference between the two, but I still fail to understand why @Burson B left out a fixed dac out in favor of the variable dac out (which, btw, has a 25 ohm impedance making it an automatic impedance mismatch with just about anything you’d hook it up to). I’m sure there’s an explanation, but it eludes me and, from my perspective, the conspicuous absence of a fixed out makes it an unnecessarily and unfortunately inelegant kludge to incorporate into a full-blown, living room stereo system (as opposed to a desktop). I have to use the pre-out to get enough volume out of my speakers, and, perforce, I have to unplug the headphones too (something I’ve never been in the habit of doing). It works, but it’s clumsy to say the least. I was hoping someone had a better idea.

Thanks again.

NSC

I use the preout aswell, ive tried both many times and the preout always seemed more lively whereas the dac out is more sterile sounding! So from my understand i believe the preout goes through a different output stage.. i think everyone should use that for the full potential of this amazing device! I think i would use the dac out only if i had a good, dedicated preamp in my setup!

 

[raoultrifan]

Thank you. I did catch that, so I understand the factual difference between the two, but I still fail to understand why @Burson B left out a fixed dac out in favor of the variable dac out (which, btw, has a 25 ohm impedance making it an automatic impedance mismatch with just about anything you’d hook it up to). I’m sure there’s an explanation, but it eludes me and, from my perspective, the conspicuous absence of a fixed out makes it an unnecessarily and unfortunately inelegant kludge to incorporate into a full-blown, living room stereo system (as opposed to a desktop). I have to use the pre-out to get enough volume out of my speakers, and, perforce, I have to unplug the headphones too (something I’ve never been in the habit of doing). It works, but it’s clumsy to say the least. I was hoping someone had a better idea.

Thanks again.

NSC

Implementing a fixed-out volume means a dedicate preamplification/gain stage, while CV2+ has one one preamp which is the integrated chip itself which has the input pins connected to the DAC chip and the output pins are connected to the input stage of the headphones amplifier.

RME and Benchmark guys are offering > 9V RMS DAC-output as well, for compatibility with some studio devices. In the case of CV2+ the PRE-Out is tied to the headphones-out, something common actually.

 

[Strat1117]

Implementing a fixed-out volume means a dedicate preamplification/gain stage, while CV2+ has one one preamp which is the integrated chip itself which has the input pins connected to the DAC chip and the output pins are connected to the input stage of the headphones amplifier.

RME and Benchmark guys are offering > 9V RMS DAC-output as well, for compatibility with some studio devices. In the case of CV2+ the PRE-Out is tied to the headphones-out, something common actually.

Yes, I get that, thank you. I suppose my issue boils down to the lack of a fixed out which, given the existence of the pre out, seems like an odd choice on Bursons part. But I am looking at it from the perspective of using the dac as a source in a stereo system. I suppose there is some other use for the variable dac out in computer audio, that I don’t understand. In further reading, more than one reviewer had the same complaint and/or incorrectly assumed that the dac out was fixed volume which, in my opinion and theirs, would make much more obvious sense. Either way, it seems the CV2+ is just not a good match for a home audio system (as opposed to a desktop system) which is a shame, because it is certainly built to high end audio standards, both physically and sonically.

 

[18inch]

But what makes a fixed volume dac out better though for home audio system? Cant u just set the volume on the cv2+ to level your system with ur needs and then forget about it, it comes down to the same thing and if anything thats actually more versatile than a fixed output!

 

[jellofund]

I'd imagine it's one of convenience foremost. Having to set the volume (72 on the dial) to get 2Vrms and then dial it back down whenever you want to use headphones us likely a hassle and there's the risk you forget to do so l

That said having a fixed line out providing the equivalent 2Vrms wouldn't resolve the issue Strat117 has, which if I understand it correctly is more a lack of volume when feeding his speaker system.

 

[headyhead]

Sorry if I missed some obvious posts - has anyone here compared Conductor versions directly, how does the Conductor V2+ hold up against the 3R? Thanks

 

[raoultrifan]

I remember I did an A/B test between CV2+ and C3/C3X (had them both) on Head-Fi and I couldn't find any noticeable differences. Of course, with really power-hungry headphones C3/C3X will win due to a higher output power.

 

[up late]

^ that was also my experience when i used both units to compare the diana v2 and utopia

 

[up late]

most definitely not the latest or greatest but i recently had the opportunity to audition the questyle cma 800i at home and compare it to my cv2+. like the cv2+, the cma 800i is an aio dac/amp/preamp and i have coveted it for years. the cma 800i's build quality, fit and finish is superb, although the frosted surface appears to be prone to marking. the cma 800i is sleeker and a couple of kilograms lighter than the brawnier cv2+.

as for the sound, while the differences in presentations between both units were subtle to my ears, there was nothing about how the cma 800i paired with my headphones that i preferred to the cv2+. and while i lurved the feel of the cma 800i's potentiometer, it had too much gain, thereby restricting the useable range of the volume control with my dynamic headphones. so it has been returned to the dealer. i am glad that i could finally satisfy my curiosity (and end my obsession) after all of this time. i still think that it's a lovely piece of audio kit but as is often the case in this hobby, 'the grass isn't always greener on the other side'.

 

[jerick70]

most definitely not the latest or greatest but i recently had the opportunity to audition the questyle cma 800i at home and compare it to my cv2+. like the cv2+, the cma 800i is an aio dac/amp/preamp and i have coveted it for years. the cma 800i's build quality, fit and finish is superb, although the frosted surface appears to be prone to marking. the cma 800i is sleeker and a couple of kilograms lighter than the brawnier cv2+.

as for the sound, while the differences in presentations between both units were subtle to my ears, there was nothing about how the cma 800i paired with my headphones that i preferred to the cv2+. and while i lurved the feel of the cma 800i's potentiometer, it had too much gain, thereby restricting the useable range of the volume control with my dynamic headphones. so it has been returned to the dealer. i am glad that i could finally satisfy my curiosity (and end my obsession) after all of this time. i still think that it's a lovely piece of audio kit but as is often the case in this hobby, 'the grass isn't always greener on the other side'.

You should get a Conductor 3XR and compare. Burson has outdone themselves with the 3 series. I’ve owned every Conductor since Burson released them and the 3 series is by far superior IMO.