Anton’s Burson Conductor 3X Reference with Denon AH-D9200 and Audeze LCD-X

Published on

Sales Burson
January 9, 2023

Post Info

Feedbacks - Conductor 3R | 3XR
Audeze LCD-X, Bowers & Wilkins P9, Burson Conductor 3X Reference, Cambridge Audio 851W, Cambridge Audio CXR200, Cambridge Audio CXUHD, DALI P10 DSS, Denon AH-D9200, Hegel V10, MoFi Ultradeck

Easy setup and seems solidly built. Have not had time to test before product registration.

The System

Listening with

Denon AH-D9200 · Headphones: closed-back, dynamic (50 mm nanofiber FreeEdge), circumaural

Impedance: 24 Ω
Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW ≈ 121.2 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 56 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: not published on spec page
Other: max power input 1,800 mW; bamboo housing

Matching notes: At 24 Ω and 105 dB/mW, the AH-D9200 is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.28 V (3.2 mW, 11 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 24 Ω rating for the Conductor 3X Reference. Its 16 Ω and 32 Ω ratings (7.5 W XLR / 3.75 W SE; 5 W XLR / 2.5 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor 3X Reference’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/48 of the load. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Audeze LCD-X · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural

Impedance: 20 Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point) ≈ 120.0 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 50 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: braided 4-pin XLR combo cable with 6.35 mm single-ended adapter
Other: recommended power >250 mW (min >100 mW; max 5 W RMS); 106 mm driver; max SPL >130 dB

Matching notes: At 20 Ω and 103 dB/mW, the Audeze LCD-X is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.32 V (5 mW, 16 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 20 Ω rating for the Conductor 3X Reference. Its 16 Ω and 32 Ω ratings (7.5 W XLR / 3.75 W SE; 5 W XLR / 2.5 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor 3X Reference’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/40 of the load. ^{[5] [2] [3] [4]}

Bowers & Wilkins P9 · Headphones: closed (circum-aural), dynamic (2 x 40 mm full range) · discontinued

Impedance: 22 Ω
Sensitivity: 111 dB/V @ 1 kHz ≈ 94.4 dB/mW (calc.)
Frequency response: 2 Hz – 30 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: detachable 1.2 m (TRRS, remote/mic) and 5 m cables; 3.5 mm; 2.5 mm plug at left cup
Other: product name P9 Signature; THD <0.2% (1 kHz/10 mW); max input 50 mW; 415 g

Matching notes: At 22 Ω and 111 dB/V, the Bowers & Wilkins P9 is a low-impedance load: about 0.89 V (36 mW, 41 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 22 Ω rating for the Conductor 3X Reference. Its 16 Ω and 32 Ω ratings (7.5 W XLR / 3.75 W SE; 5 W XLR / 2.5 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor 3X Reference’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/44 of the load. ^{[6] [2] [3] [4]}

Burson

Burson Conductor 3X Reference · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp · discontinued

Output power (XLR / SE): 16 Ω 7.5 W / 3.75 W · 32 Ω 5 W / 2.5 W · 100 Ω 1.75 W / 0.88 W · 150 Ω 1.16 W / 0.58 W · 300 Ω 0.58 W / 0.3 W
Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (headphone); 1 Ω (pre out); 25 Ω (DAC out)
Output voltage: RCA 2 V (DAC out)
Gain: High / Low; dB not published
Inputs: 2x XLR; USB (XMOS; PCM to 768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); Toslink; coaxial; Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD; microphone
Input impedance: 40 kΩ
Input sensitivity: line level
Outputs: XLR pre out; line-level DAC out; 6.35 mm + 4-pin XLR headphone
DAC / chipset: 2x ESS ES9038Q2M
Other: Model R180X (3XR); THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-58 kHz

^{[2] [3] [4]}

Also in the system

Cambridge Audio 851W

Cambridge Audio CXR200

Cambridge Audio CXUHD

DALI P10 DSS

Hegel V10

MoFi Ultradeck

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.