Ed Selley, Hi-Fi editor at AVForums, reviewed the Burson Playmate 3 in a video and a written review. The written review awards it the AVForums Recommended badge.
Ed compared the Playmate 3 with the Topping DX5 II, a rival with a longer feature list for less money. After a Christmas spent listening, he suspects that many people who spend 20 minutes with it will have their purchasing priorities “rather upended”.
He found the presentation “effortless and free of any obvious sense of processing”. Voices sounded richer, weightier and “more tangibly real”, and bass had more heft. With his Focal Clear MG he listened at volume 13 to 15 out of 99 on low gain, a sign of how much power is on tap.
Ed praises Burson for actively encouraging owners to open the case, with upgrade paths through Burson op amps, the Super Charger and the Fusion Core power supply. He calls the chassis no-nonsense and long-lasting.
“The Playmate 3 isn’t perfect but it’s talented and charming and comes Recommended as a result.” Ed counts himself among the listeners who will “fall for and prefer” its approach.
Read the full review on AVForums.
Discover the full features and specifications on the Burson Playmate 3 product page.
