[Yggy]

I had a Burson Conductor 3XR delivered today. Plugged my Susvara headphones in via 4 pin XLR and connected to the 3XR by Bluetooth from my Sony Walkman. Turned it on initially and it was fine for 15 minutes. Turned it off and then back on with the Susvaras still connected and there was a quiet pop on the left channel and that went dead.

Turned the unit off, switched the 2.5” connectors around to check if the problem was the headphones or the Burson and the right channel made a quiet popping noise and went dead. The Burson Conductor 3XR and Susvara headphones are both under warranty but the loss of my Susvaras and uncertainty around who fixes or replaces them is making me feel sick. I’ve driven the Susvaras with a Cayin HA-300 headphone amp for last 6 months and everything has been fine. I bought the Burson Conductor 3XR for its portability, ability to drive Susvaras, more neutral solid state sound signature, and Bluetooth connectivity.

Ironically, the purchasing choice was between the Burson Conductor 3XR and a second pair of flagship headphones so now I have no headphones. I decided that nothing could beat the Susvaras with my set-up and listening tastes so went for portability and a different sound signature to the Cayin HA-300. In the 15 minutes I got to listen to the Burson Conductor 3XR it sounded pretty good for an all-in-one and had a firm grip on the Susvaras. The alternative was the Chord TT2 but that was double the price with no Bluetooth and less power to drive the Susvaras. I thought I’d hit a home run and it’s turned into a nightmare.

Have been reading Burson “headphone destroyer” posts on other forums. I use an ISOL-8 power conditioner so I assume my unit has a faulty op amp and I’ve blown both drivers in my Susvaras. Elite Audio in the UK are collecting the Burson Conductor 3XR on Friday to investigate.

 

[Arniesb]

I had a Burson Conductor 3XR delivered today. Plugged my Susvara headphones in via 4 pin XLR and connected to the 3XR by Bluetooth from my Sony Walkman. Turned it on initially and it was fine for 15 minutes. Turned it off and then back on with the Susvaras still connected and there was a quiet pop on the left channel and that went dead.

Turned the unit off, switched the 2.5” connectors around to check if the problem was the headphones or the Burson and the right channel made a quiet popping noise and went dead. The Burson Conductor 3XR and Susvara headphones are both under warranty but the loss of my Susvaras and uncertainty around who fixes or replaces them is making me feel sick. I’ve driven the Susvaras with a Cayin HA-300 headphone amp for last 6 months and everything has been fine. I bought the Burson Conductor 3XR for its portability, ability to drive Susvaras, more neutral solid state sound signature, and Bluetooth connectivity.

Ironically, the purchasing choice was between the Burson Conductor 3XR and a second pair of flagship headphones so now I have no headphones. I decided that nothing could beat the Susvaras with my set-up and listening tastes so went for portability and a different sound signature to the Cayin HA-300. In the 15 minutes I got to listen to the Burson Conductor 3XR it sounded pretty good for an all-in-one and had a firm grip on the Susvaras. The alternative was the Chord TT2 but that was double the price with no Bluetooth and less power to drive the Susvaras. I thought I’d hit a home run and it’s turned into a nightmare.

Have been reading Burson “headphone destroyer” posts on other forums. I use an ISOL-8 power conditioner so I assume my unit has a faulty op amp and I’ve blown both drivers in my Susvaras. Elite Audio in the UK are collecting the Burson Conductor 3XR on Friday to investigate.

Yeah read it about that too. Well for prices like that i would buy Violectric amps for amazing quality they have.

 

[Yggy]

An update on how this was resolved. Elite Audio confirmed the Burson Conductor 3XR was faulty and that had caused the blown drivers on my Susvaras. I believe it was a faulty op amp.

Hifiman went above and beyond and replaced my Susvaras for USD 300 plus USD 90 postage even though blowing the drivers with a faulty amp wasn’t covered under my warranty. Very grateful to them for doing that.

Elite Audio said they’d reimburse me for my out-of-pocket costs but wouldn’t cover the GBP 244 VAT and import duties I had to pay because Hifiman declared a value of USD 1,500 on the replacement Susvara shipping paperwork. It took a while but they paid for the replacement Susvaras and a pair of Dekoni pads which came to around GBP 384.

Burson sent me an email saying they would cover any costs I incurred and then I never heard from them again. I wouldn’t trust a Burson amp again and their customer service was awful.

I paid just over GBP 1,500 for the Burson Conductor 3XR used with a 12 month warranty on eBay. Recently, I bought a used SMSL SA400 for GBP 400 and it completely destroyed the Burson. It has way more power, 110 watts into 8 ohms, far better clarity, and a nicer tone if you can live without the Burson’s inbuilt DAC and HD Bluetooth support. It makes my Susvaras slam nearly as hard as my 1266 Phi TCs whilst retaining the Susvara’s superior naturalness and mid-range.

https://soundnews.net/amplifiers/smsl-sa400-review-power-overwhelming/

 

[Yggy]

This EDM EP by Skrillex called Bangarang will blow your hat off with a speaker tap amped Susvara.

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/bangarang-ep-skrillex/0075679963352

 

[jjazzy]

Yeah read it about that too. Well for prices like that i would buy Violectric amps for amazing quality they have.

Problem is, I was looking for violectric too, but I really did not like there sound signature, the burson sounded like clear water. The violectric a little muffled to be honest

 

[Monsterzero]

Problem is, I was looking for violectric too, but I really did not like there sound signature, the burson sounded like clear water. The violectric a little muffled to be honest

Which Violectric were you looking at? The V550 is not muffled in the least, even when running a tube DAC into it.

 

[jjazzy]

Which Violectric were you looking at? The V550 is not muffled in the least, even when running a tube DAC into it.

The DHA v380-2 that is in the same price range as the burson conductor rx3 reference. The last one sounded
amazing.

Using the usb port and android usb player pro in bit perfect mode. On the Violectric the bass sounded way too much present (fatiqueing for me on the ears) pushing out the mids too much, with the vocal jazz, and instrumental jazz I listen to, I hated that.

It could be the Violectric build in usb dac, but then again, Burson got it right for the same price, all in one.

I listen to them with a Arya stealth (on Burson & Violectric amps balanced.

But I am open for any advice, when I started I expected to like the Burson the most, but ended (not expecting) liking the Burson the most (conductor 3xr reference and up, did not like the lower models).

But if Violectric can sound nice with a Arya Stealth balanced (and it needs usb-phone and coax dac) wireless is a nice(no must) to have. I am all ears. I also like it to replace my regular desktop dac.
(Seperates is not a real issue, but price as a total should not be exceeding
2100$ to much.

Haven’t bought one yet, in the meanwhile I am listening with a xdsd gryphon untill I found the best combi.
Burson conductor xr3 reference has a big change. I loved the stage and air in the sound.

But honestly did not rule violectric away, but the v380 through usb I did not like!

To give a idea regarding my prefered sound, I love the ifi xdsd gryphon, or diablo sound signature. but hate the micro idsd signature sound (too much focus on the low end, and low mids)

 

[Monsterzero]

The DHA v380-2 that is in the same price range as the burson conductor rx3 reference. The last one sounded
amazing.

Using the usb port and android usb player pro in bit perfect mode. On the Violectric the bass sounded way too much present (fatiqueing for me on the ears) pushing out the mids too much, with the vocal jazz, and instrumental jazz I listen to, I hated that.

It could be the Violectric build in usb dac, but then again, Burson got it right for the same price, all in one.

I listen to them with a Arya stealth (on Burson & Violectric amps balanced.

But I am open for any advice, when I started I expected to like the Burson the most, but ended (not expecting) liking the Burson the most (conductor 3xr reference and up, did not like the lower models).

But if Violectric can sound nice with a Arya Stealth balanced (and it needs usb-phone and coax dac) wireless is a nice(no must) to have. I am all ears. I also like it to replace my regular desktop dac.
(Seperates is not a real issue, but price as a total should not be exceeding
2100$ to much.

Haven’t bought one yet, in the meanwhile I am listening with a xdsd gryphon untill I found the best combi.
Burson conductor xr3 reference has a big change. I loved the stage and air in the sound.

But honestly did not rule violectric away, but the v380 through usb I did not like!

To give a idea regarding my prefered sound, I love the ifi xdsd gryphon, or diablo sound signature. but hate the micro idsd signature sound (too much focus on the low end, and low mids)

Violectric amps do lean warm with +bass, with the 281, 202, 222 being the warmest and bassiest. From my understanding the v380 amp section should sound similar to the v550, which i'm listening to as I type. I don't find it muffled, but it does have a slight warm titlt and hefty bass. I'm feeding it with a tube based DAC, so I can roll tubes on my DAC to fit the sound I prefer.

FWIW, the comments I've read on the internal DAC on the Violectric gear is decent, but not great. I haven't heard their internal DACs so I can't really comment further. It might also be a case of the Violectric not being burned in fully as well. My v550 sounded pretty good out of the box, but has defintely opened up.

It could also be that you prefer a more neutral sounding system. Always trust your ears, but the comments above on their customer service would give me second thoughts.

 

[jjazzy]

Violectric amps do lean warm with +bass, with the 281, 202, 222 being the warmest and bassiest. From my understanding the v380 amp section should sound similar to the v550, which i'm listening to as I type. I don't find it muffled, but it does have a slight warm titlt and hefty bass. I'm feeding it with a tube based DAC, so I can roll tubes on my DAC to fit the sound I prefer.

FWIW, the comments I've read on the internal DAC on the Violectric gear is decent, but not great. I haven't heard their internal DACs so I can't really comment further. It might also be a case of the Violectric not being burned in fully as well. My v550 sounded pretty good out of the box, but has defintely opened up.

It could also be that you prefer a more neutral sounding system. Always trust your ears, but the comments above on their customer service would give me second thoughts.

Muffled maybe the wrong word, I propably don’t like the bass+, I’m really sensitive to that, and seems like I propably have sensitive eardrums (that’s why it is even impossible for me to listen to closed back).

I don’t like is thin clinical either, neutral with a hint of warm is my preference, Burson has that. But the Burson headphone killer stories do worry me some.

Chord not my sound, to my ears it has a sort of unnatural sound. Hard to explain, but don’t like it.

But if not Burson the market gets small. So are there more brand that are neutral(not clinical) musical with just a hint of warmth, that can run planars decently?

 

[hk29]

Sorry to hear about all the troubles!! Good to hear hifiman did you right.

 

[Monsterzero]

Muffled maybe the wrong word, I propably don’t like the bass+, I’m really sensitive to that, and seems like I propably have sensitive eardrums (that’s why it is even impossible for me to listen to closed back).

I don’t like is thin clinical either, neutral with a hint of warm is my preference, Burson has that. But the Burson headphone killer stories do worry me some.

Chord not my sound, to my ears it has a sort of unnatural sound. Hard to explain, but don’t like it.

But if not Burson the market gets small. So are there more brand that are neutral(not clinical) musical with just a hint of warmth, that can run planars decently?

I haven't heard every amp out there, but have you considered a SET or TC tube amp? Unlike an OTL tube amp, SET amps do a great job running planar headphones, and by rolling tubes you can get the sound you prefer. Cayin makes some decent stuff for not too much $, relatively speaking. Something like the Cayin HA 6A?

 

[jjazzy]

I haven't heard every amp out there, but have you considered a SET or TC tube amp? Unlike an OTL tube amp, SET amps do a great job running planar headphones, and by rolling tubes you can get the sound you prefer. Cayin makes some decent stuff for not too much $, relatively speaking. Something like the Cayin HA 6A?

Looks like a lovely piece of kit, but see no shop around where I van audit one?

 

[Monsterzero]

@Cayin might be able to assist with that

 

[Arniesb]

Problem is, I was looking for violectric too, but I really did not like there sound signature, the burson sounded like clear water. The violectric a little muffled to be honest

It can sound that way with muffled dac... Clean dac with Vio amps wont leave you dissapointed.
Most of time there is no better... Just different.

 

[jjazzy]

It can sound that way with muffled dac... Clean dac with Vio amps wont leave you dissapointed.
Most of time there is no better... Just different.

Then you suggest ignoring build in dac of the violectric and use a seperate dac. Which on would fit if you like the burson style sparcle and clearness. Why I give burson still a change, because I don’t want to have that feeling what if, if I go strait just for one option.