Reviews by Dawgfish
Introduction and Background
Burson contacted me about reviewing one of their opamps since I owned a Little Dot 1+. I jumped at the chance to try one of their opamps with the Little Dot 1+ since I've tried many other opamps (all the usual suspects from Burr Brown, Muses, LMI, etc.) in the past with this great performing yet inexpensive tube-hybrid amp. I decided to try the V5i-D.
A few weeks went buy and I received the V5i-D. Initial impressions were this thing is built much better than your typical chip based opamp. I opened up the bottom cover and removed the Muses 8820 I had in place and inserted the V5i-D. Replacement was super easy with no issues.
I connected the Little Dot 1+ to a MHDT Steeplechase DAC and fired both up for warm-up. After warm-up I plugged in a ZMF Auteur Classic headphone and settled in for initial listening. I have to say from the get-go I was surprised with what I heard!
(Little Dot 1+ paired with Topping D50s and Sundara or HD6XX for travel setup.)
I normally prefer to run my ZMFs with pure tube amps whether they are OTL or transformer coupled designs. After spending some time with the Little Dot 1+ with the V5i-D opamp I'm going to have to reintroduce this amp into the regular home rotation. For the last year or so I have been using the Little Dot mainly for traveling paired with a Topping D50s DAC and usually a HD6XX, Sundara, or Aeon Flow X. I could throw everything into a back pack and easily set everything up in a hotel room. The humble Little Dot 1+ is transferred to a higher level when using the V5i-D opamp. It really makes a big difference. More on that and specific aspects of the sound below.
Bass
Both bass quantity and quality are improved with the V5i-D. Bass lines that could be lost in the mix with other opamps are easily heard and followed with the V5i-D. Bass slam also increased as well as speed. Very nice job Burson!
Mids
Mids become much more lush and liquid while not becoming to slow or losing any detail. Simply put the increased lushness in the Mids while running the V5i-D makes the Little Dot 1+ sound much more like a full tube amp and not a hybrid. That is a very positive change imho.
Highs
Highs become more extended without adding any harshness with the V5i-D. I'm a drummer and enjoy hearing the decay and shimmer of cymbals in well recorded tracks. This makes a recording sound much more life like imho. This shimmer and decay was much easier to hear with the V5i-D.
Soundstage, imaging, and Resolution
Soundstage width and depth both increased with the V5i-D. Imaging also becomes more precise as its easier to place respective instruments and voices. Overall resolution of the Little Dot 1+ also increases when using the V5i-D.
Final Thoughts
I really like the changes the addition of the V5i-D brings to the Little Dot 1+. To my ears it increases the performance across the board to the point where the Little Dot sounds like a much higher priced amplifier. I was only listening to the Little Dot when travelling for the last year or so but now I'm introducing it back into the regular rotation. If you own a Little Dot 1+ you really owe it to yourself to try it with the V5i-D opamp. It really transforms the amp.
Burson contacted me about reviewing one of their opamps since I owned a Little Dot 1+. I jumped at the chance to try one of their opamps with the Little Dot 1+ since I've tried many other opamps (all the usual suspects from Burr Brown, Muses, LMI, etc.) in the past with this great performing yet inexpensive tube-hybrid amp. I decided to try the V5i-D.
A few weeks went buy and I received the V5i-D. Initial impressions were this thing is built much better than your typical chip based opamp. I opened up the bottom cover and removed the Muses 8820 I had in place and inserted the V5i-D. Replacement was super easy with no issues.
I connected the Little Dot 1+ to a MHDT Steeplechase DAC and fired both up for warm-up. After warm-up I plugged in a ZMF Auteur Classic headphone and settled in for initial listening. I have to say from the get-go I was surprised with what I heard!
(Little Dot 1+ paired with Topping D50s and Sundara or HD6XX for travel setup.)
I normally prefer to run my ZMFs with pure tube amps whether they are OTL or transformer coupled designs. After spending some time with the Little Dot 1+ with the V5i-D opamp I'm going to have to reintroduce this amp into the regular home rotation. For the last year or so I have been using the Little Dot mainly for traveling paired with a Topping D50s DAC and usually a HD6XX, Sundara, or Aeon Flow X. I could throw everything into a back pack and easily set everything up in a hotel room. The humble Little Dot 1+ is transferred to a higher level when using the V5i-D opamp. It really makes a big difference. More on that and specific aspects of the sound below.
Bass
Both bass quantity and quality are improved with the V5i-D. Bass lines that could be lost in the mix with other opamps are easily heard and followed with the V5i-D. Bass slam also increased as well as speed. Very nice job Burson!
Mids
Mids become much more lush and liquid while not becoming to slow or losing any detail. Simply put the increased lushness in the Mids while running the V5i-D makes the Little Dot 1+ sound much more like a full tube amp and not a hybrid. That is a very positive change imho.
Highs
Highs become more extended without adding any harshness with the V5i-D. I'm a drummer and enjoy hearing the decay and shimmer of cymbals in well recorded tracks. This makes a recording sound much more life like imho. This shimmer and decay was much easier to hear with the V5i-D.
Soundstage, imaging, and Resolution
Soundstage width and depth both increased with the V5i-D. Imaging also becomes more precise as its easier to place respective instruments and voices. Overall resolution of the Little Dot 1+ also increases when using the V5i-D.
Final Thoughts
I really like the changes the addition of the V5i-D brings to the Little Dot 1+. To my ears it increases the performance across the board to the point where the Little Dot sounds like a much higher priced amplifier. I was only listening to the Little Dot when travelling for the last year or so but now I'm introducing it back into the regular rotation. If you own a Little Dot 1+ you really owe it to yourself to try it with the V5i-D opamp. It really transforms the amp.
