They keep getting better! Burson Timekeeper 3X GT monoblock review

[@DarkFire515]

Great review! We should collectively take a moment to appreciate the industrial designs that Burson produce - absolutely beautiful equipment.

[@PassionforSound]

That's a great point. The designs do look fantastic and are clever in that they suit all of their designs - headphone amps, DAC/amp combos, monoblocks, etc.

[@asan1050]

Thank you very much!

[@giorgosapo4508]

This is super impressive! Especially at this price range!

[@PassionforSound]

Yeah. It really surprised me just how good it is.

[@BillyKueekSG]

First, congratulations to hitting past 30k subscribers. I have the Mothership 4-rack used for Gustard R26, A90, iFi Pro iCAN Signature, a 3in3out switcher and then a tube amp and a xDuoo XA-10. These should be changing as I change equipments such as the 3S-GT

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks Billy! Good luck filling out your Mothership

[@BillyKueekSG]

@@PassionforSound already filled and ordered a 4-level desktop audio rack. I am going to sell of some headphones and equipments that I hardly use. Headphones wise, I am keeping the 6XX, HD800S, Arya Stealth and Atrium. Maybe the Arya Stealth will go too after the Susvara arrives. I am also,keeping the TA-26 now until I replace it with either the Cayin HA-300B MK II or the Felix Audio Envy. Will also take my time to get an SS amp for the Susvara.

[@PassionforSound]

Sorry, I meant filling it with the gear you plan to swap in over time 🙂

[@Joel-m777]

Great review! I love my Burson Soloist GT. Really considered this ( the previous model) when upgrading my amp at the beginning of the year. Went with a March audio amp. ( Another Aussie Audio company) that sells direct to customers. Would have loved to see how the March audio mono blocks compare considering the huge price difference. Also interesting to see how modern class D ( purifi) compares to class A/B.

[@PassionforSound]

I hope to try more amps over the coming months so I'll see what I can do to answer those questions 🙂

[@dixter1652]

nice product.. I'm a fan of any Burson Product... everything they make is great....

[@PassionforSound]

I agree. No duds that I've ever tried.

[@urbenkam]

Another awesome review. Detailed yet valuable information. I always have a sweet spot for Burson. (Melbourne wink blink) i am using their timekeeper 3ir on desktop. They are really good with few limitations. I am wondering when they will come up with their new integrated model.

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked the review! This is my first foray into their speaker amps, but I'm impressed.

[@urbenkam]

I have been following many reviewers for speakers, stereo amplifiers. i think you have a flair for it. It is good that you are expanding your portfolio. i can only imagine you must be getting really busy.@@PassionforSound

[@psysword]

Amazing amps. I'm running them with kef meta LS 50. Slays the speakers into submission for fine fine studio sound.

[@PassionforSound]

I agree. For the size, price and performance combination, they're hard to go past!

[@stoicar]

Some testing vs a purifi amp ?

[@V1ralB1ack]

if you want measurements you can get near equal measurements from a topping amp and a purifi. Class a is about pure sound you can hear not measure. There's a million reasons why measurements don't mean shit just listen with your ears like you're supposed to.

[@stoicar]

@@V1ralB1ack i don’t refer at measures. In ask if is possible to test next to timekeeper. Different things. Isn’t?

[@PassionforSound]

At this stage, I can only work with the gear I have on hand. Hopefully, as I produce more speaker content, I'll be able to have more different products on hand for comparisons.

[@stoicar]

@@PassionforSound i love burson products especially with lps farad. And i have in the paste yamaha as series and i sell my as3000 for a purifi based amp. Just for making from my psb b741 a full rage speaker. Wish you all the best tratment for the room before any critical listening because is probably one of the most important things

[@frederf69]

first 30 watts @ class A, no wonder they need a fan. does using them vertically help with cooling; is the fan noisy? i'm assuming they would be best matched with efficient speakers, minimum 88db? nice product i think & thanks once again for an excellent review ✌😎😎👍

[@PassionforSound]

No need for efficient speakers unless you want to stay only in Class A. As for the fan, they're very quiet - Noctua fans running at half speed. I realised after I finished the video that I hadn't discussed the fans. Check my original review of the Soloist GT for a thorough discussion of the fan noise (same exact design). With two TK GTs running, the sound will be a tiny bit louder (about 3dB more)

[@frederf69]

thank you, i will check that review. it would be very interesting to put these against the First Watt SIT1's., or Schiit Aegir's.

[@ANGEL90004]

I currently own the Burson Timekeeper 3i and am wanting to upgrade to separates. For the amp I have narrowed down the choices to the Timekeeper 3x gt and the benchmark AHB2. My concern is that the AHB2 has better SINAD and SNR measurements, would you say that the Timekeeper 3x gt is just as resolving when it comes to detail retrieval when compared to the benchmark AHB2?

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't heard the AHB2 so I can't compare them. Keep in mind though that the Timekeeper GT can be upgraded with the new V7 op-amps and will get even better than the version I reviewed. It's a tough choice (and probably a safe choice) either way...

[@MaZEEZaM]

The 4 level mothership and the launch pads combined is a bonus (while stocks last, I'm hoping) with the Burson Audio Timekeeper 3i Headphone & Speaker Amplifier that is set to arrive tomorrow. Is it possible toconnect a sub? Also could I connect a Wiim Ultra and use the digital Video inputs and outputs plus connect and control a subwoofer using the Ultras connection?

[@PassionforSound]

That should all be possible, I think. I'm just not sure if the TK3i has a sub output or not. Best to check the website for that one...

[@urbenkam]

Quick question if i were to use these for desktop setup in class A . Do you think they could drive 84db in to 8ohms in class A in nearfield? Plz

[@PassionforSound]

That's not dissimilar to my setup with the Harbeths and it's doing just that. Unless you're listening super loud, a nearfield 84dB sensitivity setup will only need a handful of watts.

[@SteelBlueVision]

I am not interested in how much power these can put into 4 ohm car speakers. How many watts do these max out into _8 ohms_, why is this information not available anywhere on their web site? I love how on their website, they compare these to Krell, Mark Levinson, etc. So, if you want to play with the big boys, what are the power ratings into 8 ohms, 4 ohms (provided), 2 ohms, and 1 ohm?

[@PassionforSound]

From memory, the website shows the figures for 4/8 ohms (written like that) because they have the same output into either impedance. I can't comment on the 1 or 2 ohm loads

[@RocketLauncherwithInfiniteAmmo]

Lachlan, where do those stands come from that the monoblocks are sitting on please? Been looking for something like that, desk friendly size for headphone sized components. Any ideas or info appreciated mate 👍

[@PassionforSound]

I just released the video about the stands yesterday: Burson Audio Motherships 🙂

[@RocketLauncherwithInfiniteAmmo]

@@PassionforSound had no idea, thanks so much, going to watch that asap! Been wondering about them for a while, and the video comes out right before I finally ask 😐

[@PassionforSound]

😁

[@shreddherring]

Something worth highlighting here is the relatively low power consumption. Two of these use less power than my much more modestly priced class a/b integrated amp. So, cheaper to run them and less heat in your room

[@PassionforSound]

Great point! I actually haven't looked into that spec before, but it's an important consideration

[@kalakalaiand3343]

Have you tried these with headphones? Might be end game for susvara

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't and I won't be. Susvara doesn't need this much power and it's dangerous to the headphones and your ears to use amps at this power level. There are so many wonderful headphone amps with plenty of power for the Susvara.

[@glenhodges7110]

Thanks for the great review! Would you recommend a Burson Conductor CV2+ as a pre-amp powered fed from a DAC like the Qutest? Thanks

[@PassionforSound]

I don't know the Conductor CV2+ to comment, but any quality preamp will do great.

[@musicalarmchairs]

Do the silent power modules SP2 etc work in the pre 2023 TimeKeeper 3x GT? I wasnt sure if you were stating that the SP1/SP2 are only in modular format in the newest version of the TimeKeeper 3X GT

[@PassionforSound]

That's correct. The 2023 updates to the GT range of products are to allow for the modular power chips and to further improve the circuit as I understand

[@annamark3422]

Thoughts on the Playmate 2 Lachlan?

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't tried that one yet... 🙂

[@MrBoomtheroom]

vs ahb2? opinions?

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't compared them, but I'm definitely not a fan of using speaker amps for headphones in general.

[@Leo-yn5fx]

How are these setup with a preamp?

[@PassionforSound]

From your preamp, you just run the left RCA/XLR to one monoblock and the the right RCA/XLR to the other. 🙂

[@Bhatakti_Hawas]

Burson has dedicated AMP & integrated AMP-DAC They need to make a dedicated DAC

[@PassionforSound]

I agree. They have the Conductor GT which is amazing, but it's not a pure DAC

[@aceofspades6667]

These seem super great! I think these as designed to be power amps will lap the enleum in a mid to large size room driving super inefficient speakers. That is where other amps like benchmark abh2, lamm m1, pass xa60, and a few other options from Accuphase and luxman come into play. The Burson will be a great value compared to those.

[@PassionforSound]

Absolutely. They're definitely suitable for larger spaces and larger speakers, but the fact that they can be used comfortably in a desktop nearfield setup is nice.

[@TheVeganVicar]

Made in Oz?

[@PassionforSound]

Not sure actually. Designed here in Oz for sure, but I haven't checked where they're made/assembled.

[@pwhittak88]

Why have you started reviewing amps and speakers?

[@PassionforSound]

Because I can? It's content that people have asked for and content I'm personally interested in exploring too (when it's suitable for a nearfield setup like mine). I'm still probably 70-80% going to be headphones, DACs and headphone amps, but there'll be other gear mixed in from time-to-time.

[@pwhittak88]

@@PassionforSound glad to hear it. I asked as your introduction used to say you don't. Would be interesting to see you review the Chord TT amplifier they just released. I look forward to a more diverse channel 👍🏻

[@PassionforSound]

Ah, gotcha! I have chatted to the local Chord distributor about that. I'll see what I can arrange 🙂

[@mitchhifi9192]

I find Australian audii gear is good bang for buck these cost $4100 AUD About 2.5k USD

[@PassionforSound]

Yes. If you're in the US, our exchange rate would definitely help 🙂