Burson Playmate 2 with HiFiMAN Edition XS and Sennheiser HD 650

Published on

Post Info

Great all-in-one DAC amp especially once changed with the V6 Vivid opamps. Totally different level of listening experience and more than enough power for most planes and dynamic headphones

The System

Listening with

HiFiMAN Edition XS · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural
  • Impedance: 18 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 92 dB (reference not stated by HiFiMAN)
  • Frequency response: 8 Hz – 50 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: not published (HiFiMAN spec page lists no connector)
  • Other: weight 405 g; Stealth magnets

[1]

Sennheiser HD 650 · Headphones: open-back, dynamic, circumaural
  • Impedance: 300 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 103 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1 V (as published) ≈ 97.8 dB/mW (calc.)
  • Frequency response: 10 Hz – 41 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: 6.35 mm stereo jack plug (3.5 mm adapter)
  • Other: THD <0.05% (1 kHz, 1 V); 42 mm transducer

Matching notes: At 300 Ω and 103 dB/V, the HD 650 is a high-impedance load that needs voltage more than current: about 2.2 V (17 mW, 7.5 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson rates the Playmate 2 at 0.15 W (SE) into 300 Ω, which is about 6.7 V RMS (calc.), roughly 10 dB more than that. The Playmate 2’s under 2 Ω headphone output impedance is less than 1/150 of the load. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Burson

Burson Playmate 2 · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp · discontinued
  • Output power (headphone): 16 Ω 3.5 W · 32 Ω 2.5 W · 100 Ω 0.6 W · 150 Ω 0.4 W · 300 Ω 0.15 W
  • Output impedance: <2 Ω (headphone); 15 Ω (pre out)
  • Output voltage: RCA not published
  • Gain: High / Low; dB not published
  • Inputs: USB (XMOS; PCM to 768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); Toslink
  • Input impedance: 38 kΩ
  • Outputs: RCA pre out; headphone jack (SE)
  • DAC / chipset: ESS SABRE32 ES9038Q2M
  • Other: Model P171; SE only; THD <0.002%; FR ±1 dB 0-35 kHz; DAC THD+N 0.0018%

[4] [5]

Burson Super Charger 3A · Power supply (24 V DC)
  • Other: 24 V / 3 A; noise floor <1 µV; 2.5 mm barrel plug, centre positive; 100-240 V AC in

[6] [7]

Specs from manufacturer data unless a source below says otherwise. “calc.” values are worked out from those figures (V = √(P × R); 110 dB SPL used as a loud reference level). Gear listed without specs is not in our spec library yet.

  1. HiFiMAN Edition XS: hifiman.com
  2. Sennheiser HD 650: us.sennheiser-hearing.com
  3. Sennheiser HD 650: support.sennheiser-hearing.com
  4. Burson Playmate 2 product page
  5. Burson Playmate 2 User Manual V1.6 (Burson downloads)
  6. Burson Super Charger 3A product page (super-charger-3a page)
  7. Burson Super Charger 3A product page (super-charger-3a page, archived 2021)