Burson Conductor 3 Reference Review

My written review can be found here: soundnews.net/sources/dacs/bu...
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Desktop headphones I’m using:
🎧 Audeze LCD-4: bit.ly/35LFYAK
🎧 Quad ERA-1: bit.ly/3fE50pV
🎧 Hifiman Arya: amzn.to/3eQEsS6
🎧 Erzetich Phobos: amzn.to/2SbbMcQ
Portable headphones I’m using:
🎧 Meze 99 Classics: bit.ly/3bjTqwX
🎧 Sennheiser Momentum 3: amzn.to/2SrzzWf
🎧 Sony WH1000XM3: amzn.to/35b9pfa
IEMs I’m using:
👂 FiiO FH7: amzn.to/2VDw0xU
👂 Moondrop Starfield: bit.ly/2Ah3wlv
Loudspeakers I’m using:
🔊 KEF LS50W: amzn.to/2y3IPIP
🔊 Buchardt S400: bit.ly/2xTOCkt
Integrated/Power Amps I’m using:
💪 Hegel H190: bit.ly/2yQboK8
💪 KECES S125: bit.ly/2W5mMJZ
Best DACs I have tried:
🥇 Matrix Audio Element X: bit.ly/2xU6hbC
🥇 Gustard A22: bit.ly/2WExwPK
🥇 Topping D90 MQA: bit.ly/2zHWSo2
🥇 Audio-GD R7 (2020 Version): bit.ly/3fpNUfl
🥇 Denafrips Venus: amzn.to/35kgHh7
Best Mid-Fi DACs:
🥈 Topping DX7 PRO: bit.ly/2Lh5S67
🥈 SMSL M500: bit.ly/2WlPbwC
🥈 Mytek Brooklyn DAC+: amzn.to/3aHGuAw
🥈 Benchmark DAC3B: amzn.to/2KC5saf
🥈 Chord Hugo2: amzn.to/2Y88T05
Best Entry-Level DACs:
🥉 Topping E30: bit.ly/35OWW1p
🥉 SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII: amzn.to/3cSe1tC
🥉 Loxjie D20: amzn.to/3cSaqM1
Best DAC + Headphone Amp combos:
🎶 Flux Lab Acoustics FCN-10: bit.ly/2Y74daK
🎶 Burson Audio Conductor 3: amzn.to/2xcfSKx
🎶 Audio-GD D.28 Full: bit.ly/359E6S5
Best Headphone amps:
💣Benchmark HPA4: bit.ly/2xb6hn5
💣Sparkos Labs Aries: bit.ly/2xcOps1
💣Kinki Studio THR-1: bit.ly/2y2fVZL
Best DAPs:
🎵 FiiO M15: amzn.to/2SdxxIX
🎵 FiiO M11 PRO: amzn.to/2Y8n31i
🎵 Shanling M6: amzn.to/3eXG8Jq
My Video/Photo Gear:
📷 / 🎥 amzn.to/2VHeNnf
🔍 amzn.to/3eTCsZp
🔍 amzn.to/2yPR6A5
🔭 amzn.to/2zAuGn1
💡 amzn.to/2VEDC3l
☂️ amzn.to/2VETyT6
🎤 amzn.to/3aLjYXv
These are my honest opinions in different categories. Some of them are affiliated links that help me manage this KZbin channel at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
#BursonAudio #Conductor3 #Review
Music by: Kevin MacLeod - Inspired

[@vlad973]

Felicitari pentru prima mie de abonati, keep up the good work.

[@Soundnews]

Multumesc! I will keep rocking (air guitaring?) and doing my best ;)

[@Flavius7]

Well...I'm impressed! Is there anything these guys haven't thought about? Beautiful crafted ,very adaptable, powerful, top of the line specs, TRULY ALL IN ONE. DOESN'T seem that expensive now if you take all advantages in consideration. Also quality review, one of the most detailed you pulled out. Congratulations!

[@Soundnews]

Thanks Flavius, I highly rate your opinion! Maybe we should listen to your LCD-X on this bad boy sometimes when time permits? Should be fun. Booze is on me :D

[@Flavius7]

@@Soundnews Neah, Audeze is too mainstream this days. I'll get a pair of bright Beyerdynamics insted, I know you love those 😃😃

[@nicklittle2413]

I use this with Abyss Diana v2, pairs incredibly well, speechless every time I listen.

[@aceofspades6667]

This was a fun review... I went back and listened to it twice to soak in all of the details especially in comparison to the 3XP review that you just recently did. I hope you're able to get the Burson Soloist and perhaps composer at some point. TNBT and P4S just did recent review of the Soloist and Thomas got the Composer although none really compared that closely to the Composer 3XP / 3XR. The general assumption on headif is that seperates of Composer + Soloist should be better than the AIO Conductor but that isn't clear. Also it's called the Soloist 3XP but the power specs are that of the Composer 3XR so it's a bit mismatched on naming/performance. Finally a user on headfi called "Raoul" has measure the soloist to 15 watts per channel @ 32ohms so it's right up there with the FA-10 in terms of power but it's "fully balanced". Anyway might be some interesting content...

[@djuri1985]

First let me say that your reviews man are... What can I say... It's almost like going to a store and hearing the gear for yourself! Amazing job! But since it's not quite like that :) I have a question since I'm in your usual "audiophile virgin trying to figure out what gear to buy online" conundrum. I recently sold my Hegel H360 integrated. Wasn't happy with it at all, probably because they were driving towers that are quite hard to drive (Dynaudio Excite 44), but maybe it's over-hyped. In any case, I found a great deal on an old Karan dual mono amp (420watts into 8 ohms) - a real beast that was pretty serious gear back in it's day. So, now, together with my dilema, I'm sitting on a pair of speakers and an amp and some more of that "mortgage-free money". I will also be buying a headphone amp cos I have a pair of HD650s that I power off of my motherboard (I know right?). After extensive research things are definitely clearing up, I'm at the stage where I feel my trigger finger itching, but due to my lack of experience and knowledge and given my previous experience with the Hegel are still confused and would greatly appreciate your input! So (and please don't laugh if some of these options make no sense) I was thinking the following: 1: buy the Topping D90 and a let's say Violectric V200 or some other decent headphone amp with no dac (does it make sense to use the Topping as a preamp into the Karan?) How would the volume control on such a "cheap" dac perform in such a system? Would it be too big of a bottleneck? 2: buy the Burson Conductor 3 only and use it as a preamp and headphone amp. Is it's dac good enough to leave 700$ in my pocket? 3: buy both the Burson and the Topping D90 to have more "flavor" with the D to A conversion. The speakers lack soundstage (overall they are really nice but I have a hunch the Topping would add detail, warmth and width to them which I'd say would benefit a lot). 4: Buy only the Matrix Element X since it powers cans, is a tremendous Dac, streams and all the other good stuff. This option would be the most appealing if I didn't feel that the headphone amp part of it will not leave me satisfied, in witch case it's bad value for money cos I'd be left with a feature I paid a lot for and am not using at all. Also, for no reason I could explain, I'm more drawn to a AKM chip. If you were me what would you go for? Thanks in advance

[@kix-s]

18:08 와우^^ 너무너무 부러운 장비들 입니다 ㅠㅠ 너무 멋진 셋트 입니다 ^^ 나도 갖고싶은 장비들 ㅠ..ㅠ 항상 항상 너무 재미있는 장비 리뷰 감사합니다!!!!!!! 형님의 장비 리뷰가 진짜 최고의 채널 입니다!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 형님의 리뷰들 모두~~ 전부 다 차근차근 감상하는 중 입니다 ^^ 아주 재밌는 장비들 리뷰 ^^ 앞으로도 많이 리뷰 해주세요 ^^

[@caseyodonnell6621]

Very interest review. I have a Topping A30 with the Burson V5i opamps in it and it completely transformed that little amp. Given how good your review of the Topping D90 and A90 were (which weren't around when you did this review) I was considering that as my next step up from my current daily SMSL SU8 Massdrop THX AAA 789 setup. I'm getting too much gear on my desk so, if you were only going to pick one do you think you'd go with the Topping stack or the Conductor 3? My only experience with Burson was those opamps but if they can make a cheap amp like the A30 sound as good as it does I can only imagine what they an do with more of a budget. Cheers and thanks for the content!

[@airidaslaugalis74]

I found Burson released balanced version of Conductor 3. Which version would you recommend balanced or not balanced? Thanks.

[@larsv6144]

A year after this video, did you encounter another preamp DAC that is better than the Conductor 3 for a lower price? I have 3 amps I am experimenting with currently, XTZ Edge, Musical Fidelity M5si and the new NAD C298 (with Quad Z2 speakers). I steam from Tidal Hifi and Qobuz through the Bluesound Node 2i. I like a natural, slightly warmer sound, rather than overly detailed, lean, sharp (listening fatigue). Now testing a Topping E30 and a SMSL SU-9 dac. Have not found my preference yet (or lets just say I am still hoping to fine tune my system. Thinking about a Musical Paradise tube DAC or adding the Musical Paradise MP 701 tube pre amp. But the Burson Conductor 3R sounds very good as well. So would you, a year later, still refer the Conductor 3 or have you encounter another preamp DAC that is better than the Conductor 3 for a lower price?

[@Soundnews]

Hi Lars, if you need Only a preamplifier without the DAC part, look no further to the newest Topping Pre90 - its measurements are very close to my Benchmark HPA4. If you want a DAC + Pre combo, Burson units are still best at that, even a year later.

[@danzampich3792]

i picked up a reconditioned for $700 and was in awe

[@ozymandias7940]

What program do you use on your computer for your music?

[@slsmaster274]

Has the Conductor 3X Ref got more or the same Power as Soloist 3X Perf? I know that the Solist measured way higher than they mention in the spec Sheet

[@dejanstajic]

Hello Sandu thanks for the great review ! How will it pair with my Denon ah d9200 wich has the following specs Impedance 24ohm Sensitivity 105dB/mW Maximum Power input 1.800mW. I am afraid I will be subject to the hiss you mention ?

[@powermod6772]

Hi I am looking for something with wide and deep 3D soundstage, but still very detailed. I have the LCD-5 which have a more intimate character. Do you think the Burson can open their sound stage more?

[@Maaruks]

I have got this amp. There is very audible and annoying background noise with sensitive headphones like Stellia or HD515. I can't use C3Ref with those headphones. I listened to tracks you mentioned. You are right , C3Ref does sound better than my Topping Dx7 Pro.

[@Soundnews]

You should try an Ear Buddy from iFi Audio or a iEMatch, should solve your problems.

[@JasonDkiran]

i have the same issue, but when i turn the OLED brightness to low this goes away

[@Maaruks]

@@JasonDkiran LOL so much trouble because of OLED? Burson sent me two replacement units but nothing helped and I ended up selling the amp. I will never buy anything from Burson again.

[@ozymandias7940]

Noob question here... The RCA/Analogue outputs on the source i.e. CD player or whatever, has already been converted via the sources internal DAC, correct? So if I want to utilize the DAC inside the Burson ACV2+ I need to connect either the coaxial or Toslink output from the source, yeah?

[@Soundnews]

That is a very good question. Everything you've said is correct. If you use the analog outputs of a source as RCA or XLR - it means it was already converted and if you use any of its digital outputs as coaxial, optical, AES or I2S it means you will be using that source only as a transport for another converter that will do the heavy lifting.

[@marekkordzik7517]

I sold mine Conductor 3r and Im thinking about getting another Burson . Should I get conductor 3xr and use ballanced headphone cable or get conductor 3r gt for little extra money ?

[@nicholas802]

Does this have a 4.4 balanced input?

[@zeissiez]

Another great review by Sandu, thanks! Do you hear digital glare from the unit, given that it's based on Sabre DAC chips. Do you think they sound natural like those R2R or AKM based DACs? Thanks!

[@Soundnews]

Zero digital glare, this is the most natural sounding ESS Sabre design I've ever tested, even more natural than some AKM based DACs (more natural than Topping D70 for example)

[@zeissiez]

Soundnews I checked the link to the store. It’s a bit confusing. There were two models on the webpage, the Conductor 3 and Conductor 3X, but there’s no Conductor 3 Reference. To add to the confusion, the C3X is even cheaper than C3.

[@Soundnews]

@@zeissiez Conductor 3 is the C3Reference - they called it this way before announcing the C3X. Spec and power wise C3R and C3X are identical

[@zeissiez]

Soundnews Thanks for the explanation. It looks like the perfect desktop all-in-one, though it’s quite a bit more expensive than the likes of AGD R28, it’s much smaller and better designed.

[@greglee7759]

I listened to a friend’s Burson Conductor 3X (the balanced version) through a pair of Audeze LCD-XC, their original closed backs. I have to disagree about Sabre glare. The Conductor 3 was so harsh and almost painful to listen to. My normal rig is a Soekris R-2r DAC balanced output feeding a hand made Pure BiPolar headphone amplifier from Iceland’s Mjölnir Audio, finally outputting into a pair of Audeze LCD-4. The Pure BiPolar is fully balanced from end to end and is said to best Nelson Pass’s single ended headphone amp. (To be fair, I don’t think I have found a Sabre DAC that I personally liked by comparison to the Soekris) However, I’m wondering if the harshness that I heard was due to the stock red OP amps from Burson. I suggested my friend by the orange OP amps after he agreed that he found his brand new amp fatiguing for the very same reason. It might be a quality control issue from unit-to-unit, too.

[@gravity_not]

@Soundnews how does it compare with Chord Hugo 2? I am thinking between buying Chord Hugo 2 and Burson Conductor 3X - will probably listen to both of them next week - but would also like to hear Your opinion on this ;)

[@fwr00t]

I'm curious on what'd you pick Chord Hugo 2 or this Burson Conductor 3X Reference? Thanks

[@gravity_not]

@@fwr00t i ended up with Burson 3X Reference (XLR version), changed opamps (half of them - to V6 Classic) and i am pretty happy. The thing i noticed - using XLR cable changes sound quality a lot ;)

[@johnmckay428]

terrific unit from this Australian brand. mine did need 100 hours to break in...

[@henriksrensen3220]

Meze empyrian a good match??

[@JPZ-1986]

Paired with an amplifier to loudspeakers, is this DAC better than the Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro (MQA)? I am shopping for a stand-alone DAC, but then this comes out, and is cheaper, with included headphone amp.

[@JPZ-1986]

for rock and all types of music

[@Soundnews]

As a DAC only device, Element X is still the best DAC I have tested at my place.

[@alfredtolentino8614]

Do you know how this compares ‘musically’ to the Performance series?Also how well does it perform as a dedicated dac in my main system? Many thanks.

[@Soundnews]

I do think the Performance series offers about 90% of the Reference series. 1 DAC chip less and few less output transistors, but a big deal IMO. It should sound exactly the same with slightly less power and holography. In terms of naturalness and musicality, both should sound the same: warm, thick and enveloping. I will probably review a 3X Performance soon.

[@alfredtolentino8614]

Soundnews Thanks for the input. Looking forward to your review 👍

[@Beinhartwie1chopper]

How does the sound compare to the topping dx7 pro , less power but the PRO sabre chip ?

[@Soundnews]

When it comes to detail retrieval both are on the same level. DAC wise both are very close to each other. However, as a DAC/Preamp/Headphone amp "triple-combo", Conductor 3 is in another league. It is currently the most powerful 3 in 1 unit, depth is amazing, soundstage size resembles an all-tube design, driver control is amazing, slam is out of this world. It's a better unit

[@Beinhartwie1chopper]

@@Soundnews Thanks, a used burson Solist is for sale for 300 (1000 new). Maybe dx7pro into solist ( it is not the small Solist SL)

[@jcpocket9503]

@@Soundnews what about the c3 performance model it is only $1100 im thinking about that for meze elite

[@sebastianfilip1210]

Doar intrare coaxiala si optica ?

[@Soundnews]

and USB type-C

[@geremiasyaguana7156]

No USB input?

[@FreeD00M]

Type C

[@NaumHN]

This one + V6 vivid or Topping D90?

[@Soundnews]

As a DAC only device, D90 is better

[@nwestmoreland1]

Soundnews could elaborate at all? I am interested in the Burson as a stand-alone DAC as I can get one used which would still be more than the Topping D90. Was also looking at the RME ADI-2 for its extra features.

[@Soundnews]

@@nwestmoreland1 Burson are amazing engineers when it comes to analog amplification, but they are only good to great when it comes to digital...I consider its DAC section good but not great that is all.

[@nwestmoreland1]

@@Soundnews thank you

[@Lucas-ck1po]

The way you describe the soundstsging is similar to the Aune S6's. Although the Aune doesn't have the same output power or isn't that dynamic.

[@Soundnews]

Yep, good observation skills. That is because both have the same soundstage size and depth. Love both but of course C3R is in another league on everything else.