Conclusion
The Soloist and Conductor is a solid performer as a headphone amplifier. They match very well with most of the headphones in this review, and are absolutely defending its price tag when compared to relevant amplifiers. As for the Conductor; you pay quite a bit extra for that DAC-section. It is however, holding its own against a renowned piece of gear like the Violectric V800. You also get a great choice of inputs and outputs, making the Conductor a rare all-in-one piece. Sometimes it seems you get more if you put it in the same box, the Conductor certainly gives you a lot in a nice package.
Pros: Great headphone amplifier section. Great DAC section. Great choice of inputs and outputs. Great match for almost every headphone in the test. Great build quality. No audible airborne trafo-hum from the unit.
Cons: No remote control. On my review-unit the stepped attenuator made small audible clicks through headphones. POST REVIEW UPDATE: In the new version of the Burson Conductor (Conductor Virtuoso), they have swapped the stepped attenuator for a digital volume control – even adding a remote control.
Specifications
Output power: 4W at 16 Ohms
Output impedance: 30 Ohm
Output impedance: 30 Ohm
Frequency response: ± 1 dB 0 – 50Khz
Signal to noise ratio: >96dB
THD: <0.03% at 30ohm with 1W output
Channel separation: >73dB
Input impedance: >8K Ohm @ 1W
Input impedance: 36.5 KOhms
Dimensions: 265 x 255 x 80 mm
More info at Burson Audio
Playlist/mentioned music
Radiohead «Morning Bell» (Kid A)
Portishead «It Could Be Sweet»(Dummy)
Janácek: String Quartet No.1 – 2. Con moto” Emerson String Quartet & Leos Janácek (Intimate Letters)
Alban Berg «String Quartet, Op. 3: I. Langsam» performed by Alban Berg Quartett (Berg – Chamber Works)
Fire! with Jim O`Rourke «Happy Ending Borrowing Yours»(Unreleased?)
BMX «Bergen Open» (Bergen Open)
Mahler «Symphony No.2 in C Minor ‘Resurrection’: III» performed by Paavo Järvi/hr-Sinfonieorchester
Thomas Dybdahl «This Love is Here to Stay»(What´s Left Is Forever)
Olga Konkova «As Before»(My Voice)
The Splendor «Mystical Friend» (Sound Of Splendor)
The Smashing Pumpkins «Rocket» (Siamese Dream-Deluxe Edition)
Headphones used
Audeze LCD-2 rev.1
Audeze LCD-3 (50 ohm version)
Hifiman HE-500
Hifiman HE-6
Shure SRH-1840
Sennheiser HD650
Ultrasone Pro 2900
Beyerdynamic T1
The review unit was kindly lent out for the purpose of this review by Moiz Audio
