Review Burson Audio
Supreme Sound
A few weeks ago i’ve been contacted by Charles from Burson Audio in which he was asking me to review their new V5i in exchange of my honest review. I was happy for the opportunity and i gladly accepted. After 10 days i received a small parcel in which was a small plastic case containing one v5i.
For those of you familiar with op-amps in general, here it is a pleasant surprise, packed in a custom gold plated dip 8 package in a taller and bigger aluminium case with on top the ‘Supreme Sound (SS)’ logo.
They look very good and they leave a perception of high quality and durability in time. Compared to others op-amps out there on the market they’re quite expensive. Now the question is besides the look and the build is it worth to spend around $40 + freight for one of this ? Let’s find out....
I have a few toys at home in which i could try to swap this op-amp the first one is the famous xDuoo xd-05, Objective 2, Asus Xonar Essence One. Unfortunately for me i received just 1 pcs so i start with the only option available the Xd-05.
The first negative note is the gain switch which stops to work properly. The second note is that this op-amp inside the xDuoo design doesn’t sit (for those familiar with the NwAvGuy articles) comfy (good for us) which make the sound presentation different. Is this an upgrade or a downgrade or none of those I will let you decide.
During my intensive test (for which my unit gave up and decided to quickly reach the cemetery of audio electronics, peace to you’re soul dearie)* i could notice quite a few differences in sound presentation between the stock op-amp and the V5i.
* i would like to precise the fact that my unit is actually in RMA in china and i’m quite certain the the v5i is not involved in any way in the malfunction of my unit, which gave up on me too soon due the a defective QC
For the comparison i’ve been using my HD600, DT 990, AT m40x. The HD 600 are my favourite for any kind of comparison due to the fact that are flat headphones. The first thing that i noticed was a darker background and i might say that i like this kind of sound. The bass is a bit more punchy which make my HD600 more funny and engaging to my ears than before. They say about the HD 600 that are headphones which need to be tubed, because tubes does things, isn’t it ? Well i will say that this V5i does a couple of things too.
I put together my fiio X1 + Xd05 and the HD 600, and the results was a warm dark background with a powerful bass, a combination good for bass heads.
The voices are clear and a bit more engaging to my ears than before. The highs are clean and crisp. Voices like Michael Jackson in ‘Speechless’ or Mariah Carey in 'MusicBox' or Whitney Houston in her 'Best of' they shine like the stars that they are and always be.
The soundstage is always consistent in the 600 the imaging is always good in the same consistent way.
Personally i’m happy with the different presentation of my music with this op-amp and i feel is worth the extra amount of money to swap the op-amp inside the XD-05. To end I will like to show my gratitude, therefore, thank you Charles and the Burson Audio family for giving me this beautiful opportunity to deeply test you’re little monster (V5i) as usual Burson Audio does his best to never disappoint.
p.s. This is the last note, Charles gave me confirmation about the fact that this op-amp are 100% Australian Made which in my opinion this add some extra value to this op-amp, Thanks Charles !
Best, grig
Pros - build quality, warm sound, punchy bass, clear voices
Cons - a bit too big compared to regular op-amps, may not suit all the applications