From my R2R-11 review, "I'll be very honest. One of my favorite sub-hobbies in the grand scheme of head-fi is auditioning and discovering giant-killing gear. To me it's pretty fun putting much less expensive gear up against bigger, fancier kits to see how well the David compares to the Goliath."
I'm quoting the above because the Soloist MkII from Burson is another piece of giant-killing gear. It's a diminutive solid state amplifier that offers the sound quality, build quality, and smart design that in a lot of places, costs much more money!
Instead of the normal breakdown - bass, mids, treble, soundstage, etc - I'm going to go through this review according to the pros and cons list above.
Value:
For the MSRP of $499, the MkII version of the Burson Soloist is a no-brainer if you're in the market for a solid state amplifier, especially if your primary headphones employ dynamic drivers. I've owned/auditioned several SS desktop amps from the likes of Schiit, Audio-gd, and Cavalli to name a few, and if you're in the market for something that does just about everything well, but can't drop more than $500, I heartily recommend this guy before anything else.
Sound Quality:
In a word, enjoyable. Compared to the RNHP from Rupert Neve (which ain't no slouch!) the Burson throws a more realistic soundstage, offers more texture on the low end, and contributes a bit more air in the upper regions.The Neve might be said to offer a more studio-quality sound while the Soloist pursues a audiophile-quality. I'm a Grado-head to be sure (let the ice-pick, shrill, science project comments fly!) and my go-to headphone is the original PS1000. While just about every other Grado is served best from an all tube design (MAD Ear, Kenzie, WA6), the PS sounds best out of something valve-less. Enter the Burson. It takes the PS deep, stays true to the Grado midrange, and very cleanly and enjoyably portrays a treble range that is neither abrasive nor shrill.
'Comfortable' power:
Here's what I mean by that: Everything I've thrown at it has been driven very well, and what I mean by that is not necessarily that there are gobs of power on tap (I've learned that gobs of power is not always better if it means I only have 10 degrees of play in the volume knob), but rather the drivers are firmly controlled and clean. No weird soundstage or low bass issue, both of which can be affected by insufficient powering. The most difficult to drive headphone that I've used is my pair of Paradox Slants and on hi-gain, these are plenty loud at 1:00. It bears mentioning also that music comes from a very black background. Better than the Schiit Lyr and RNHP for my Grados for sure. Not sure about IEMs because I don't use mine at my desk!
Versatility:
In addition to the aforementioned driving power, the Soloist offers two RCA inputs as well as a high/low gain button. I'll mention here that I appreciate the straightforward approach in this area. While sometimes things like crossfeed switches, additional gain levels, and other options are nice to play with, I generally like to 'set it and forget it.' The MkII lets me do that!
Cons:
Not really any that I can think of. I suppose that if you're strickly a planar guy, this might not have quite the power that you might want, but that's really a quibble at this point.
So in conclusion... the MkII version of the already acclaimed Soloist from Burson is a great choice for a desktop SS amplifier for the budget-conscious listener. You could certainly spend a lot more money and do a lot worse in this hobby. I bought it on a whim and it's not going anywhere anytime soon!
I'm quoting the above because the Soloist MkII from Burson is another piece of giant-killing gear. It's a diminutive solid state amplifier that offers the sound quality, build quality, and smart design that in a lot of places, costs much more money!
Instead of the normal breakdown - bass, mids, treble, soundstage, etc - I'm going to go through this review according to the pros and cons list above.
Value:
For the MSRP of $499, the MkII version of the Burson Soloist is a no-brainer if you're in the market for a solid state amplifier, especially if your primary headphones employ dynamic drivers. I've owned/auditioned several SS desktop amps from the likes of Schiit, Audio-gd, and Cavalli to name a few, and if you're in the market for something that does just about everything well, but can't drop more than $500, I heartily recommend this guy before anything else.
Sound Quality:
In a word, enjoyable. Compared to the RNHP from Rupert Neve (which ain't no slouch!) the Burson throws a more realistic soundstage, offers more texture on the low end, and contributes a bit more air in the upper regions.The Neve might be said to offer a more studio-quality sound while the Soloist pursues a audiophile-quality. I'm a Grado-head to be sure (let the ice-pick, shrill, science project comments fly!) and my go-to headphone is the original PS1000. While just about every other Grado is served best from an all tube design (MAD Ear, Kenzie, WA6), the PS sounds best out of something valve-less. Enter the Burson. It takes the PS deep, stays true to the Grado midrange, and very cleanly and enjoyably portrays a treble range that is neither abrasive nor shrill.
'Comfortable' power:
Here's what I mean by that: Everything I've thrown at it has been driven very well, and what I mean by that is not necessarily that there are gobs of power on tap (I've learned that gobs of power is not always better if it means I only have 10 degrees of play in the volume knob), but rather the drivers are firmly controlled and clean. No weird soundstage or low bass issue, both of which can be affected by insufficient powering. The most difficult to drive headphone that I've used is my pair of Paradox Slants and on hi-gain, these are plenty loud at 1:00. It bears mentioning also that music comes from a very black background. Better than the Schiit Lyr and RNHP for my Grados for sure. Not sure about IEMs because I don't use mine at my desk!
Versatility:
In addition to the aforementioned driving power, the Soloist offers two RCA inputs as well as a high/low gain button. I'll mention here that I appreciate the straightforward approach in this area. While sometimes things like crossfeed switches, additional gain levels, and other options are nice to play with, I generally like to 'set it and forget it.' The MkII lets me do that!
Cons:
Not really any that I can think of. I suppose that if you're strickly a planar guy, this might not have quite the power that you might want, but that's really a quibble at this point.
So in conclusion... the MkII version of the already acclaimed Soloist from Burson is a great choice for a desktop SS amplifier for the budget-conscious listener. You could certainly spend a lot more money and do a lot worse in this hobby. I bought it on a whim and it's not going anywhere anytime soon!