Minh’s Burson Soloist GT4 with Audeze LCD-5, HiFiMAN HE1000se and Focal Clear

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I’ve spent about 5 hours with the Soloist 3X GT so far, and I must say, I’m thoroughly impressed by the sound. In brief, the resolution and the expansive soundstage are truly exceptional—among the best I’ve experienced. This is my very first Burson product, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the performance. I was fortunate enough to receive a 50% discount on an ex-demo unit, bringing the price down to $1249, which made it even more of a great value.

If I can secure the same 50% off discount on an ex-demo unit for the Voyager, I’ll definitely be purchasing that as well. For anyone reading this, take note—if you get the chance to grab a great deal on a Burson product, don’t hesitate!

The System

Listening with

Audeze LCD-5 · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural
  • Impedance: 14 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 90 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point) ≈ 108.5 dB/V (calc.)
  • Frequency response: 5 Hz – 50 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: 2.5 m braided 4-pin XLR balanced cable; 4-pin XLR to 6.35 mm adapter; 6.35 to 3.5 mm adapter
  • Other: recommended power >500 mW (min >100 mW; max 5 W RMS);

Matching notes: At 14 Ω and 90 dB/mW, the LCD-5 is a low-impedance load, and a fairly demanding one: about 1.2 V (100 mW, 85 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 14 Ω rating for the Soloist GT4; its nearest published rating is 10 W XLR / 5 W SE into 32 Ω. The Soloist GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/28 of the load. [1] [2] [3]

HiFiMAN HE1000se · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural
  • Impedance: 35 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 96 dB (reference not stated by HiFiMAN)
  • Frequency response: 8 Hz – 65 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: not published (HiFiMAN spec page lists no connector)
  • Other: weight 440 g

[4]

Focal Clear · Headphones: open-back, dynamic (40 mm Al/Mg M-dome), circumaural · discontinued
  • Impedance: 55 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 104 dB SPL / 1 mW @ 1 kHz ≈ 116.6 dB/V (calc.)
  • Frequency response: 5 Hz – 28 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: 4-pin XLR; 6.35 mm; 3.5 mm cables supplied

Matching notes: At 55 Ω and 104 dB/mW, the Focal Clear is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.47 V (4 mW, 8.5 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 55 Ω rating for the Soloist GT4. Its 32 Ω and 100 Ω ratings (10 W XLR / 5 W SE; 8 W XLR / 4 W SE) fall either side of it. The Soloist GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/110 of the load. [5] [6] [7] [2] [3]

Burson

Burson Soloist GT4 · Headphone amplifier / preamp (Class-A)
  • Output power (XLR / SE): 32 Ω 10 W / 5 W · 100 Ω 8 W / 4 W · 150 Ω 3.8 W / 1.9 W · 300 Ω 1.3 W / 0.65 W
  • Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (headphone); 25 Ω (pre out)
  • Gain: 3 levels: High full power, Medium 50%, Low 10% (IEM); dB not published
  • Inputs: 2x XLR; 2x RCA
  • Input impedance: 38 kΩ
  • Input sensitivity: RCA 2 V; XLR 4 V+ (line level)
  • Outputs: XLR + SE headphone; XLR + RCA pre out; RCA subwoofer out
  • Other: THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-48 kHz; versions: Standard / Deluxe (V7 Vivid opamps, SP02, Super Charger 5A) / Max

[2] [3]

Also in the system

Audio-GD R28MK3
Denafrips BIC-500
Denafrips Iris 12th-1
Goldenwave Prelude
Schiit Mjolnir 3
Schiit Yggdrasil · DAC: multibit DAC (original 2015 version, AD5791 x4, SHARC DSP closed-form filter) · discontinued
  • Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz (±0.1 dB); 0.5 Hz – 200 kHz (-1 dB)
  • Output impedance: 75 Ω
  • Output voltage: RCA 2.0 V · XLR 4.0 V
  • Inputs: AES/EBU; coaxial; optical; BNC; USB (all up to 24/192)
  • Outputs: 1x XLR pair; 2x RCA pairs
  • DAC / chipset: 4x Analog Devices AD5791BRUZ (balanced); ADI SHARC DSP; AKM AK4113 S/PDIF; C-Media CM6632 USB
  • Other: THD 0.006%; IMD 0.007% CCIF; S/N >117 dB ref 2 V; 35 W; 11.4 kg

Matching notes: Burson lists the Soloist GT4’s analogue inputs as RCA 2 V; XLR 4 V+ (line level) (38 kΩ input impedance). The Schiit Yggdrasil is rated at 2.0 V (RCA) / 4.0 V (XLR) output. [8] [9] [2] [3]