Burson Audio Super Charger 3A - High frequency power delivery

[@PassionforSound]

When I recorded this, the MCPS-007 hadn't been properly named. It's been officially titled the Burson Supercharger 3A and you can get it here: bursonaudio.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3a99ee3aa5ca752488f3c8b08&id=438cdf7861&e=29b8af1839

[@peterxiao6217]

At first I thought this was going to be snake oil. I bought one just to see if I was right hoping to prove myself wrong. I was proven wrong! The glare you mentioned is gone. This makes an audible smoothness that I really appreciate. Honestly with the price to squeeze every drop of performance out of the amp. Hands down the best reviewer on KZbin.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks souch for your kind words, Peter. But thank you even more for having an open mind, testing the device for yourself and then sharing it here for others to see. 🙏🙏

[@prateeksaini5412]

I just upgraded to two 5Amp superchargers for my Composer & Soloist 3XP and WOW! I can attest to improvements in dynamics, soundstage - vivid, quiet & open, more resolution & details in a non harsh way. My Stellia is going ballistic with it. Its just brilliant.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the improvement they provide.

[@alexsha4912]

Great review as always, I placed the order immediately after receiving their release email even before your review come out :)

[@PassionforSound]

Great news, Alex. I think you'll be very happy with your purchase!

[@alexsha4912]

@@PassionforSound actually I’m having a little trouble understanding the so called 3D/holographic soundstage, do you have some track which I can use to better understand this?

[@alexsha4912]

@@PassionforSound I’m planning to compare my rme adi-2 dac with its built in amp vs qutest+soloist on some tracks to understand what’s a better 3D soundstage sound like, headphones I’m using ie900 focal clear or Arya, the qutest+soloist setup should have a better 3D feeling, right? Just wondering which tracks can help me hear the difference easier

[@PassionforSound]

Yes, the Qutest and Soloist will be much better in this regard. Try the Ryan Adams album, Ashes & Fire, or the Keb' Mo' album, The Door. Listen specifically for the placement of instruments behind the vocals and the general sense of depth and space in the soundstage.

[@eLcHiNoChannel]

Soloist 3XP and Super charger 5A on order... can't wait!

[@PassionforSound]

That's great that you got the Super Charger too

[@eLcHiNoChannel]

@@PassionforSound It's your fault! 😂 I saw both reviews... I also read some of the comments where the community shared first hand experiences... It was really out of my hands! I had no option. 😂

[@ryanchenoweth5673]

Really enjoy following your channels progress mate, love the intro!

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks Ryan!!

[@MistaLova-Lova]

I'm leaving this comment for all Burson Soloist 3XP owners who have transparent/highly-revealing headphones like mine (Focal Utopia & Hifiman HE1000se) - this amp is great, but the Supercharger takes it to another level. I was expecting an approx. 5% improvement - I am reluctant to put a specific number on it (how does one calculate it?) but it's definitely more than 5% in my set-up. In comparison, the Soloist with the stock power supply sounds less smooth, a little hazier (less focused), a little tinny/bright. The Supercharger tightens things up, I have zero listening fatigue now. I am actually quite shocked - my HE1000se have always sounded a little tiring and virtually all of the reasons behind that are gone now. And I've had them for a long time, tried with different gear. Never came close to the result that I'm getting with the 3XP + Supercharger, especially given that there are no trade-offs in terms of sound quality (unlike when EQ is used). If one already has a DAC with a good power supply and Class A components (mine - Gus X26Pro), a highly-resolving pair of headphones and an amp like the Soloist - this Supercharger is definitely worth getting (just look for a good deal). I would agree that it should be the last part of the equation, but it's definitely a very noticeable improvement in the right system. Lachlan - thanks for all your help (comments exchanged elsewhere), you da man!

[@christophercain5214]

I ordered one today for my Soloist 3XP. I’m excited to try it!

[@PassionforSound]

Awesome! Enjoy the upgrade

[@prateeksaini5412]

Hey great video again, can you tell me whether I should go for SuperCharger or Sparkos Opamp for the Composer…. if I find the sound from my Ragnarok>KEF Q550 speakers somewhat sibilant & harsh.

[@PassionforSound]

The op-amps will have a more significant influence on the sound so I'd start there and add the SuperCharger later if you want to further upgrade the sound.

[@jimmyd7289]

After watching your review, I went and ordered one of these for my Burson Funk👍

[@PassionforSound]

Awesome. Hope you enjoy the improvement!

[@nitraM321]

my argument for better power supplies and cables, a human is capable of identifying the position of a sound, very precisely, and any movement of that sound, despite having awful ears compared to most other animals, this is because we are ULTRA sensitive to phase, when an object is just a foot away from the middle line between our ears, the difference in volume is not measurable, certainly not by our ear/brain, BUT the sound will not arrive in the same phase, especially when it's relatively low, i guess (a wild guess) that our brain can detect differences of much less than a millisecond, so, imagine the imprecision that a bad power supply, or digital jitter (bad timing in digital connections) can cause. so yes, this matters

[@photoipster]

Another wonderful review. Thank you! Will order mine shortly

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure, Jim. Enjoy!

[@marcfoss7687]

Me too!

[@matthewhilty4209]

I just ordered one for my THX AAA789. I will follow up with my listening impressions. I think its crazy to buy a power supply as the same price as the amp itself but it will be a fun experiment to see if I can hear a difference.

[@PassionforSound]

Please do share your thoughts - that will be great! If it isn't a great match with the 789 you can always onsell the power supply or upgrade your 789 - so many options!

[@ryanchenoweth5673]

I’d love to hear about your results, would be interested to pair mine with one too

[@matthewhilty4209]

@@ryanchenoweth5673 IMO it worked perfectly , It actually sounds like a 6w amp now . It sounds smoother and has more bass follow through. I wouldn't be surprised if the original design of the 789 had a similar power design but they cheapened it up to fit production cost targets.

[@ryanchenoweth5673]

@@matthewhilty4209 wow 😮

[@matthewhilty4209]

@@ryanchenoweth5673 To be fair I don't think the Burson supercharger is amazing. I just think the included power supply for the 789 is mostly likely crap. You may get similar results from getting a better rated power supply for the 789. I'm Dandrac on Hifi guides if you have any questions.

[@drandrewtan]

Hey Lachlan did you ever experience hearing a hiss when using the Super Charger? I’ve got the 5A powering the Conductor 3X GT and I could hear a left channel hiss at times through the Utopia. The regular PSU is silent.

[@PassionforSound]

No, I never had that, Andrew. I'd contact Burson on that one - might be a fault

[@robertnoblitt518]

I'm so glad to see this review!! I have 2 Burson products (Conductor & Soloist). I will definitely order at least one of these power supplies.

[@PassionforSound]

They're a really nice addition, Bobby

[@robertnoblitt518]

@@PassionforSound Today I received my Burson Supercharger 3A. I tried a comparison with the stock power supply for my Burson Soloist. I connected my Focal Radiance headphone because it has exceptional clarity in the high frequencies where I thought I might hear a difference between the power supplies. Sure enough, the improvement was exactly as you described. The upgraded power supply results in sound that is a bit smoother and refined, with no loss of detail. The improvement is subtle, but definitely worth the price to me. Thanks again for your review!! 😊

[@PassionforSound]

Great to hear that you're finding the same improvements, Bobby. Even though I take pains to be careful and thorough and to ensure it's not placebo or expectation bias, it's always nice to get confirmation. Happy listening!

[@robertnoblitt518]

@@PassionforSound Last night I tried the Supercharger with my Burson Conductor 3X Performance. This is an all-in-one dac + headphone amp that I use in the living room with an OPPO Blu-ray player. I was stunned at the difference! Maybe because this is an all-in-one, the new power supply makes a huge difference for the Conductor, like night and day. Also it's amazing how quickly one's ear adapts to a new level of quality. I put the standard power supply back on the Conductor and just thought it sounded bad.

[@PassionforSound]

That's great that it made such a big difference, Bobby. Thanks for letting us know! It's funny how going back is so hard once you hear the improvement, isn't it?

[@biagioantoniocurrenti5542]

Hello, great review as always. does it make sense for both soloist and composer or is it sufficent only in soloist? thanks!

[@PassionforSound]

It's definitely a worthwhile upgrade for both. DACs and amps rely on clean power in different ways, but it's equally important.

[@biagioantoniocurrenti5542]

@@PassionforSound Thank you!

[@munsukwon8393]

Oh my... Another one to buy... I upgraded my amplifier and dac after I watched your review. I purchased Soloist and Composer. People can have different opinions and experiences about sound quality, but I'm always satisfied with your recommendations. Question. 1. Should I get one Supercharger or 2 for Soloist and composer? 2. Does this improve 'Wall of sound'? 3. For composer, I like the sound from it, but I keep thinking about your comparison review with Bifrost 2. I wanted to try poweramp mode, but I recognized that I didn't enjoy power amp mode (same as your experience). Do you think Bifrost 2 has a better match with Soloist? I need to decide within 30 days before returning time is expired. I love the sound from Composer, but I have never experienced Bifrost2. Composer is a lot more expensive too. Is the price justified compared with Bifrost2? I always appreciate your advice.

[@PassionforSound]

Glad I've been able to help you! If you're looking to remove the wall of sound presentation, you'll need a different DAC as it's a limitation of all chip-based Delta Sigma DACs I've tried. For that reason, I would recommend getting the Super Charger only for the Soloist and then grabbing the Bifrost 2 for your DAC. Despite the Composer costing more, I do think the Bifrost 2 is the better DAC.

[@munsukwon8393]

@Passion for Sound One last question. Will you still choose BF2 over Denafrips Ares II? Depending on your recommendations, I will get one of them and a supercharger. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but I want to know your opinion. Thank you for our help!

[@PassionforSound]

I definitely prefer the Bifrost 2 over the Ares II. I'm conscious that speaker setups may result in different experiences so please apply my views to headphone setups only. The Ares II was too soft on the transients for my tastes so unless you have a very aggressive chain to start with, the Bifrost 2 provides a better balance of space, soundstage depth/layering and attack/clarity.

[@brandonburr4900]

You happen to know if this power supply uses supercapacitors like uptone audio supercapacitor power supplies they provide? Thanks for the great review!

[@PassionforSound]

I don't - sorry! I have no idea what's inside as it's a sealed unit

[@mmorales508]

Excellent well structured video as always 👌 Thank you for the explanation about your situation. I was wondering if you got any suggestions on pure class A desktop headphone amps in the 1.5k range, tops! Got a baby girl due soon and well you know 🤣

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked the video. I totally get your situation with the baby due too 🙂 (congrats!) As for pure class A, I'm not sure. The best amps I've heard within the price are SA-1 from Singxer and Soloist from Burson. I can't recall if either is pure class A. Other options to consider might be a Violectric or Lake People model, but I can't say for sure because it's ages since I tried one

[@djhmax09]

Nice, looks like something worth considering! Price btw changed to $285 USD / $228 pre-order.

[@PassionforSound]

I think so. Thanks for the price update too!

[@Johnny-Too-Bad]

Max Current Power Supply (MCPS) [+] raises voltage frequency from 50Hz to 170kHz, pushing noise beyond human hearing. Its low impedance ensures abundant and instant energy for output transistors. The C3X Reference uses 5 sets of MCPS: Which means, Display/Functionality, DAC, analouge left and analouge right are all separately powered. This is what Burson says on their site about the power section of their Conductor 3XR. Isn't this exactly what this power supply is said to do? Would there be any improvement using this into a Conductor 3XR and if so why?

[@PassionforSound]

I asked that question too and their answer was that it would help and my experience was that it did with both the Soloist and Composer which use the same internal power management. I can only assume that it comes down to additional filtering making the power even cleaner (in the audible frequency range)

[@szearc]

Is there a benefit to using this power supply with the soloist if you are using a different power supply for your DAC?

[@PassionforSound]

Absolutely. Every device in your chain can limit the maximum sound quality achievable, but each product being maximised will always bring benefits to the overall experience. (Hopefully that makes sense)

[@thatchinaboi1]

As far as I can tell, this type of high quality power supply reduces the self noise of the switching power supply, but it does nothing to clean a dirty AC outlet. From my experience, having a clean AC power supply via active purification has a more pronounced effect than an ultra clean switching power supply.

[@PassionforSound]

That might be true. It's an area I'm yet to explore because we have (thankfully) pretty clean power here

[@ryanchenoweth5673]

@@PassionforSound yeah even in an inner city apartment here I don’t have many problems with power noise. Depends more on how I have my cables and system hooked up

[@zhuyaj]

i would love to see a review between the 3a and 5a versions. Burson reps tell me the 3a is 10% improvement while the 5a is 15%...

[@PassionforSound]

I'm looking to try that test in the near future...

[@MMRSean]

To clarify, at 4:45 you said that your unit “came with an Australian connector, a European connector, and a US connector.” Unless I’m misinterpreting, the “base” built-in connector on the product looks like it’s the US connector correct (2-prong)?

[@PassionforSound]

The base connector runs parallel with the housing and is mounted flush inside the housing as far as I can tell. You'd still need to use a separate adapter piece.

[@MMRSean]

@@PassionforSound oh, do you mean it doesn’t actually snap out like most other wall warts? That’s so weird. Ok I actually just checked the product page on the website and in the pictures it really looks like the base prongs are snapped out, as opposed to an adapter. I hope I’m not confused/misinterpreting again haha

[@PassionforSound]

Hmmmm... Maybe I'm wrong on that one. I'll check and let you know when I'm in my office next.

[@robertnoblitt518]

Pbyt, you are correct. I am in the USA, and I didn't need to use any of the supplied adapters. A 2-prong connector snaps out of the base of the Supercharger power supply, suitable for use in the USA.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for confirming, Bobby. I did check this myself, discovered my mistake and then completely forgot to post here about it. Apologies, pbyt and thank you, Bobby!

[@gregles76]

did you ever test one of these with the soloist GT, is it worth it for the GT? im considering getting a gt and wandering if I should get the power supply also

[@PassionforSound]

I did test the 5A Super Charger with the GT and it's definitely worth the upgrade IMO. Keep an eye out for special deals where you get the SC for free sometimes. Bloom Audio ran that deal recently I think

[@gregles76]

@@PassionforSound im a melbournite like yourself so if I bite the bullet I think ill buy from addicted to audio. its always good to have that backup if something goes wrong.

[@PassionforSound]

Sounds like a plan. I think they're the only local retailer for Burson anyway

[@gregles76]

@@PassionforSound that's correct. Burson being Melbourne based have an online store but it's in usd and shipping price is a tad rich for being local

[@gregles76]

just thought id drop you an update, I finally ordered the soloist gt with 5v supercharger today super excited. burson did me a very special package price as part of their promotion that ends this Friday. I also think it helped that im a local melbournian also. I didn't have to pay shipping etc😁

[@AmazonasBiotop]

I think you forgot a important thing. If you push to buyers to use it for other devices. Is also to know if the +/- on the center pin. And that's the same/corespondents on the device that you want to power.

[@PassionforSound]

That's right, but I didn't want to overcomplicate things and very few devices don't use centre pin for the positive. Burson have taken care of that info on the website 🙂

[@AmazonasBiotop]

@@PassionforSound Yes, I noticed that when you talked about the plugs that is swapped between UK/EU/whatever. Then I presume it will handle whatever voltage on its input.😉 (Good that they have the info on their site but not everyone is getting their power supply from that site.)

[@PassionforSound]

Good point about the site. Hopefully other retailers list that info too! Yes, it handles all voltages. I thought I said that, but maybe only implied it

[@JTB--]

Super Charger 3A Power Supply is 50% off at Burson right now. If you were on the fence about it.... now is the time to pounce on it. $157.50 US with shipping 👍

[@M.G2192]

Well, how does it sound?

[@JTB--]

@@M.G2192 You can definitely hear the difference.Just a cleaner/crisper sound. At $157 like I got for on a BF sale I'd say get it. At the full retail price if $285... I'm not so sure.

[@M.G2192]

@@JTB-- pretty good deal you got there. So small upgrade, got it. Some people said it was a pretty big difference, but most are happy with it.

[@JTB--]

@@M.G2192 There's definitely a clear difference on my Soloist 3XP amp. But $285 is a huge ask if you're budget is tight. Especially when most of the Burson amps are already great with the stock power supply.

[@nitraM321]

thinking about the Hypsos (Ferrum)

[@PassionforSound]

Meant to be excellent. Are you thinking of using it with the Bursons? Does it do 24V output?

[@Kchiocchio]

How does this sound with the SparkosLabs discrete OpAmps in the soloist??

[@PassionforSound]

The differences it brings are the same regardless of the op-amps so it will just remove any lingering "haze" and allow you to hear the most of whatever op-amps are installed in the circuit.

[@Kchiocchio]

@@PassionforSound understood, I guess I'm wondering if the Op amps they would be an upgrade to the vivids. I have the soloist x3 with bitfros2 multi bit and the lcd5s Love the reviews by the way. You're the reason I have the soloist and bitfrost

[@PassionforSound]

I've actually just released a video about my preferences of op-amps in the Soloist (and Composer) so maybe take a look at that to help make your decision. All testing was done with the Supercharger for that video. 🙂

[@20puskinas1992]

Its interesting. Some reviewers come and say that Chinese amps or dacs or even Chord Dave needs linear power supply, yet many rave about Soloist dynamics and power even though it has switcher. Maybe its coloration in the circuitry that gives this sensation of dynamics and bloom?...

[@PassionforSound]

Power supplies are just one (important) part of the whole picture. I do find that LPSs make a good difference on most products, but it doesn't mean they're trash without them. Also, the Burson power supply approach is significantly different inside the amps and then their Super Charger SMPSs are different again to normal SMPSs

[@20puskinas1992]

@@PassionforSound i doubt their power supply is anything special, just marketing words. Linear power supplies increase the price astronomically since you have to increase the case significantly and linear supplies themselfs cost a lot more. Have you tried Burson with Hypsos for example?

[@PassionforSound]

The Burson runs at 24V and 5A. I don't think the Hypsos would have that level output, does it?

[@20puskinas1992]

@@PassionforSound i don't have it, but it seems to be well regarded power supply.

[@20puskinas1992]

@@PassionforSound here what i found on google. Linear power supplies have transient response times up to 100 times faster than their switch-mode counterparts, which is important in certain specialized areas Dont know if this make a difference for music, but could be good explanation why linear s sound better even though Switchers these days are a lot more quiet.

[@aceofspades6667]

Do you think this performed on par with a 3rd party linear power supply with the Burson stack? Worth if subjective but hard to understand the relative improvement here vs alternative options.

[@aceofspades6667]

Also thanks for this review!

[@PassionforSound]

Hard to say because I don't have a 24V LPS, but it's certainly effective in its own right and much cheaper than a quality LPS.

[@calico88]

What high freq they use to be exact ?

[@PassionforSound]

That I can't answer - sorry. It might be in the info on the website, but I didn't have that info at the time of the review

[@stevelimey]

Can I connect a chord poly to my soloist as a DAC streamer.

[@PassionforSound]

Unfortunately, the Poly will only work with a Mojo/Mojo 2. If you get that, though, the Poly streamer and Mojo DAC will be brilliant with the Soloist!

[@stevelimey]

@@PassionforSound I have the mojo 2 and poly. Can I use both as DAC streamer and connect them to burson soloist 3xp

[@PassionforSound]

Absolutely! Just grab a 3.5mm to RCA cable and go for it. Set the volume fairly high on the Mojo 2 to get the best performance

[@MMRSean]

I’m a little confused, I thought the MCPS technology was already built into the Soloist? I thought that’s one of the features that made it so great was the unique MCPS technology.

[@PassionforSound]

That's what I said to Burson and basically this stacks on top of that apparently. I don't fully understand how the two MCPS circuits would interact, but I guess it's like adding additional filtering - the more you add, the less junk gets through. I did have some doubts going into the review because of this stacking of the same tech, but I'm comfortable that it makes a modest, but noticeable improvement

[@MMRSean]

@@PassionforSound Interesting. I guess someone asked them how much filtering they want and they responded “yes”

[@PassionforSound]

I don't know the logic behind it, just that it's a decent improvement

[@MMRSean]

@@PassionforSound oh my comment wasn’t a put down! I love Burson and this product looks great, it was just a joke/meme haha. The “how much do you want” “yes” lol

[@PassionforSound]

Lol. Sorry for my response then. I didn't take your comment as a put down, but also didn't know if it was pure humour or a comment seeing explanation / clarification. 🙂

[@jackbrechwald8344]

How do I return it? Burson website does not say.

[@PassionforSound]

I can't help there, Jack. I'm just an independent reviewer. Best to contact Burson.

[@denisdenisovich9279]

what kind of music is playing?

[@PassionforSound]

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but I use a large range of music types during all my testing

[@christiaanteunis2167]

Ah an upsampler for my headphone amp power supply...

[@PassionforSound]

Lol. No, not trying to claim anything esoteric like that - just improving on noise

[@johnmckay428]

meh....dont think I'll bother for my conductor...but thanks for review

[@PassionforSound]

No problems, John

[@LordRedDragon]

What dac would match A90. i have smsl m200. and what amps would u consider are better than A90. Also I wonder how it would compare to this power socket www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001590820418.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.35db3c00eYBErT&mp=1

[@PassionforSound]

The Composer would be the best choice I think if you're talking Burson products. As for better amps than the A90, I'd look at the Singxer SA-1 or Burson Soloist depending on your budget. Finally, that power socket you linked to seems to filter mains power, but won't help improve the noise from switch mode power supplies like the MCPS-007 / Supercharger 3A does

[@hotjava1316]

I placed my order for a $244 power supply, I need the extra 2% for my conductor XR… I really need to stop and be content..

[@PassionforSound]

Lol. It's like that, isn't it?

[@hotjava1316]

Holy cow, just plugged the unit into my conductor. Nearly had my ears ripped off. To my ears better separation, seems like the highs are more emphasized on all of my focal cans, stellia, utopia and radiance… back to the music

[@PassionforSound]

I gather you mean your ears were nearly ripped off in a good way?

[@robertnoblitt518]

@@hotjava1316 I was amazed at the improvement the Supercharger provided for my Burson Conductor 3X Performance, although I didn't find the highs emphasized. Just altogether better sound with more refinement. By the way, I used to have a Stellia, and I have heard the Utopia at a dealer's shop. I now own a Radiance, and it is my favorite by far of all the Focal headphones I have heard.

[@x-techgaming]

"Much, much cheaper than a high quality linear power supply... $300 vs $284" =P

[@PassionforSound]

In my experience, high quality LPS units start around $500-600.

[@WorldView22]

It needs a $100 reduction, I think. “Modest” improvement cannot really justify the cost.

[@2ridiculous41]

Or a double output like the Allo Shanti.

[@PassionforSound]

Value is different to every person and that's why I didn't and won't say if it's worth it. Personally, I think it's worth it for my Soloist, but others won't and that's fine.

[@Naardvark]

I think $189 should have been the MSRP for this unit.

[@Naardvark]

@@2ridiculous41 Allo Shanti, now THAT is a product with a great value proposition. So grateful to Allo for making that. The impact that had on my Allo USBridge Signature was huge, and I doubt this will match that jump upwards. Guess I'm about to find out though once it arrives.

[@2ridiculous41]

@@Naardvark perhaps predictably I am also using to feed anotber Allo product, the Digione Signature. The difference was all I had hoped for and I have no idea why I bought the Signature without it.

[@jackbrechwald8344]

Be careful. Burson has not sent me an RMA for return/refund for this product after two emails. Return window is closing; Crickets so far.

[@PassionforSound]

I'm sorry to hear that. They're communication and support is normally very good. I expect they'll honour the window if you've got evidence of trying to contact them earlier. How are you trying to get in contact with them?

[@jackbrechwald8344]

@@PassionforSound They emailed me this morning. They apologized for the delay in contacting me. They said Covid is running everything crazy over there. I thanked him and postal mailed the product back to the address he supplied. $80 bucks to ship to Australia…

[@denisdenisovich9279]

2.55 second &?

[@PassionforSound]

I don't understand the question, Denis - sorry. Can you explain more?

[@autodex2000]

Something about a fool and his money….

[@PassionforSound]

Something about there are none so deaf... ;)