Burson Soloist 3XP vs Violectric V280 - $1k Amp Battle!

[@BlackthorneSoundandCinema]

The Violectric stuff is extremely nice. The features it has are perfect. The features it doesn't have are perfect for the sake of ruggedness and longevity. I think it makes for a timeless long haul end game amp that will have the longevity to be up to the task.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

Very helpful comparison. Your enthusiasm for V280 really had me battling it out with you! In the end,I went with the Burson, mostly for its flexibility/ tweekability, and now because I really like its sound, and even tho the ASR God's went all dark clouds and thunder on my mini parade.

[@TheBursonAudio]

Thank you for your in-depth and honest review. If you want mid-range texture I think you will really enjoy our V6 Classic Opamp in the Soloist :) If you want to do a follow-up review on that please let us know.

[@MrAyrit]

Hey, thanks for reaching out. Please send me an email if you’d like to talk more about sending something for review. An op amp rolling video would be quite interesting and informative!

[@TheBursonAudio]

@@MrAyrit Thanks for that, Charles from our office will be in touch very soon. Thank you for your support.

[@gunnarsandberg8132]

Learned so much from your reviews , appreciated! :]

[@MrAyrit]

Thanks. You’re welcome.

[@StrangerInParadise58]

Outstanding, thanks for posting! I just purchased a used (like new) Violectric V281 and can't wait to hear it! I have quite a few Headphone Amplifiers and I think the V281 will be my end-game SS amp for years to come. :-) I will set it right next to my Feliks Audio Espressivo Mk II OTL amplifier ... and I'm set!

[@MrAyrit]

Check in once you’ve got it. I’ve been continually impressed by the v280.

[@StrangerInParadise58]

@@MrAyrit Very encouraging, indeed! 😊

[@keiths5931]

I had the Conductor 3R. I prefered my Crack Amp With BiFrost gen 5. The amp is TOO refined. Its too liquidy and there was no bite or heft to the sound. I have a Vio V200 which I preferred. I might wanna try to pick up a V280. I prefer cans that are typically high impendence and tubes usually do better with them, along with the Vio amps and the Phonitor amps. I hope your hunt goes well and you dont get carried away (happens REALLY easily).

[@pr0gre551ve]

you should try op-amp rolling on Soloist, I love mine with sparkos labs on input.

[@cdbeen123]

Yep same , sounds awesome

[@MrAyrit]

Yeah, I thought about it, but ultimately didn’t feel the need. I can certainly appreciate that the option is there though.

[@SiG-Popart]

I guess it’ll also comes down to what dac you intend to pair either with 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@MrAyrit]

Probably.

[@MrAyrit]

I think I mentioned it, but I was using a Soekris 2541

[@pokrog]

Did you ever end up trying the volume bypass on the soloist? Really comes alive without over coloring like the volume stage does.

[@colinbuck8687]

Did you pick up any differences in the Soloist’s outputs - XLR, 1/4, and 3.5?

[@MrAyrit]

I did think the Balanced was noticeable better. I also thought the power amp mode was different, but whether I really thought it was better … idk, some of that stuff is too close to call.

[@x32i77]

I am using questyle cma 12 master 🙂 But when I need alot of power I use the burson conductor 3x performance

[@Terr0rSandmann-p3y]

@MrAyrit which SuperCharger have you used? 3A or 5A version? Because the Soloist 3XP has 24V/3A input, but my stock charger has 24V/5A. I borrowed a 3A SuperCharger and I do not hear a real difference compared to the stock 5A charger.

[@MrAyrit]

I want to say mine was the 3A, but I can't be super confident in that at this point.

[@gabrielmoreno5775]

Have you paired the soloist with the chord mojo? I just got the chord mojo2 and was wondering how it would pair with that amp thank you for the great videos one of my favorite reviews 👍🏼

[@MrAyrit]

I haven’t, and I have since sold the Burson. I could try Mojo to my V280 though.

[@mastaboog749]

oh no I just started the video when I noticed major channel imbalance in my loxjie p20, I'm hoping it's the shitty Chinese tubes I actually have some good GE ones coming but not for this reason. man if this was my only amp I'd be pissed right now, swapping to the CTH I guess because I wanted tube. I have a linear topping l30 but it's of the deadly serial number of the exploding amps that's ruins headphones and the amp so I'm more cautious with that guy now that I have options sorry I rambled lol but thanks for this because now that I got the taste I'm obviously going for the $1k+ buy next, just deciding on if endgame headphones or endgame amp first. endgame for me is like 3-5 years(atleast) of solid use no other buying products in that range for that time. I was thinking of headphone first because I actually like my cavalli tube hybrid and loxjie and I figure I could get a 500ish range amp if for some reason let's say I grab ZMFs and my amps can't run them or something *reseated my tubes and the channel balance came back*

[@colinbuck8687]

The CTH is a real workhorse - a trusted amp in my collection. Too powerful though for some of my easier to drive headphones like Nighthawks, Meze 99 Neo, etc.

[@brendanliddell240]

Thanks for your review and comparison. I recently bought the Sennheiser HD800S and am currently running off my Chord Mojo 1. It's quite good, but I'm planning my next upgrade :) Next I'm looking at buying an amp and using the Mojo as a DAC, then I'll look at replacing the DAC. What I'm thinking is maybe the Violectric V280 might sound good with the HD800S? What's your opinion. Otherwise, I'm looking at getting a tube amp, maybe an OTL like a Woo Audio 2. Them I'm looking at replacing the Mojo DAC with a Denafrips Ares II. Mostly listening to Jazz, Classical and Acoustic music. Thanks for your input.

[@MrAyrit]

I’d probably go for a tube amp if it was me. I’ve got the v280, but I’ve only been wanting to listen my 8xx on my tube stuff, even though it’s much less expensive than the v280.

[@Soundoverload]

I read somewhere that the new Hifiman EF400 (DAC/Amp) synergy with Sennheiser HD800S is really good

[@MistaLova-Lova]

Your description of the Soloist's sound character sounds in the same ballpark as the Topping A90. Are they quite similar to each other or is there something about the Soloist that makes it worth the extra money?

[@MrAyrit]

Have you watched my A90 review? I'm pretty sure I had it on hand when I was doing this review. It had me questioning things, just because the a90 is so affordable now, but ultimately I don't think it really competes with these two amps. More life in each of them. Plus, I'm kind of kicking myself for not trying any other op-amps in the Burson before I sent it down the road. I would say if you've heard any of the Topping stuff, and you kind of feel like you are missing something, that it's good, but just doesn't excite you, then what I'm saying probably jives with that. If you have something from Topping, and you don't feel like you're missing anything, then that might be more your style and you might like it better than one of these.

[@jlovigs2139]

I have both and the Soloist is better in just about every way. It's particularly evident in the soundstaging. The A90 everything is pushed forward in the mix whereas the Soloist has way more depth and layering and is also wider sounding.

[@jurajhrubec5989]

what happened to Singxer sa-1? is it a level below those?

[@MrAyrit]

Definitely. These both have more detail and clarity across the board.

[@amadismusic_SWORDFISH]

Hi! I was wondering if your opinion on importance of different part of the chain remain the same to you through your journey as an audio consumer? (I hate the term audiophile it's like the industry giving us credit with a tittle to buy their expensive stuff). Like does the amp and dac can still remain the same importance for you (depending on the pairing of course) or have you found one or another more important than the other lately? I am starting this journey, Thanks! From a teacher to another

[@brokenarrow9611]

I see that you also have the Quicksilver, which do you prefer with the HE1000 v2, Violectric V280 vs Soloist 3XP vs Qicksilver.

[@MrAyrit]

Sorry, I've had to move stuff in order to get new things in, so I actually no longer have the v280 or the Soloist or the HE1000v2. I did prefer v2 on the v280, but that was before I got my Quicksilver. Because the Quicksilver is tube, it can be hard to predict how planars respond. Most seem to do pretty well with it, but I definitely couldn't say for sure if the he1000 would be okay with it.

[@RajivKumar-fn9xw]

I am thinking of getting the Violectric v280, I have the Denafrips Ares II, being a R2R DAC do you think it will soften the sound too much, also how is the soundstage of the v280 compared to the Soloist 3XP, I am using HE1000v2.

[@MrAyrit]

I wouldn’t worry about that particular dac pairing. I haven’t heard the Ares II yet, but all signs point to that being a pretty stellar pairing. I don’t recall a lot standing out to me between the two soundstages, both were quite competent. My main regret is not rolling a few opamps in the Soloist.

[@RajivKumar-fn9xw]

@@MrAyrit Thanks a lot!!, I recently got the he1000v2 brand new for a crazy deal of $1599, was initially bit concerned the 3xp may reduce the soundstage of the hekv2 which is one of its strength based on some opinions online, but i think it's bit overblown, as many other reviewers never mentioned it too, thanks for the confirmation.

[@picklesandufos7860]

Am I missing something? The V280 is a $1400-1500 amp, not $1k :D Violectric was always so expensive. Ah, massdrop. What do you like more, V280 or the Singxer SA-1? I'm going to be getting HE1000v2 soon on a Bifrost 2 Dac.

[@MrAyrit]

I usually talk used prices around here. I enjoyed the Singxer, but the v280 is pretty special. Both good at their prices.

[@stevep4384]

What's that background noise?! I couldn't finish this.

[@sorcerermax5111]

you always review expensive stuff, what about inexpensive ones?

[@MrAyrit]

Yeah, just a streak of expensive stuff lately. I’ll have more reasonable stuff coming soon.

[@vlax12]

vs singxer sa-1 ?

[@MrAyrit]

I do think both the amps are an improvement over the Singxer in clarity and detail. The Burson is a bit different as it is sharper and tighter. The v280 has an easier presentation like the Singxer but is a noticeable step up in quality. The v280 with the Soekris 2541 is a very strong match (as it should be for that $$$).

[@vlax12]

@@MrAyrit Thanks for info. Have you tried SA-1 with "jumper mode" hack?

[@MrAyrit]

@@vlax12 I didn’t, but I kind of wish I would have.

[@vvidover]

Wow, that Singxer lasted a hot minute. “Wow, this is amazing...” three weeks later - “Now for something twice as expensive.”

[@MrAyrit]

Yeah, that wasn't really planned. Just someone offered to send the V280 and here we are. Singxer is still my fav amp in that price range though. Lots of good examples on the used market for $450.

[@davey_blue2739]

@@MrAyrit Would you say the Violectric V280 is a significant step up from the Singxer? Comparison?

[@MrAyrit]

@@davey_blue2739 yes, I ended up purchasing the v280 after someone loaned it to me. So, I was convinced. It's very detailed, but also more laid back than something like the Soloist, although I hear the opamps can make a good bit of difference in the Soloist. Just so you are aware though, I have sold my v280, just because I was spending more time with tubes. Now, I have a Mjolnir for my SS duties.

[@dkssudgktpdy492]

he1000se

[@keiths5931]

Its Kit Badger's nerdy bro...

[@MrAyrit]

Who’s Kit Badger?

[@keiths5931]

@@MrAyrit kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHLZq2ynhJp1n80 Hes a former Marine grunt, former cop, former security contractor that does kit reviews and such.

[@laardvarkzilllions7955]

It's the $1450 amp battle

[@MrAyrit]

I buy used. So, they were both under $1k for me.