Jaden’s Burson Playmate 2 with Apos Audio Caspian and HiFiMAN Sundara

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Sales Burson
November 30, 2021

Post Info

Feedbacks - Playmate 02 | 03
Apos Audio Caspian, Burson Playmate 2, Focal Elex, HiFiMAN Sundara, M1 Mac, Sennheiser HD 6XX, Sennheiser PC37X

So far so good, well built, sounds great

The System

Listening with

Apos Audio Caspian

HiFiMAN Sundara · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural

Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 92 dB (reference not stated by HiFiMAN)
Frequency response: 6 Hz – 75 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: not published (HiFiMAN spec page lists no connector)
Other: weight 342 g

^[1]

Sennheiser HD 6XX · 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: 3.5 mm stereo jack plug (6.35 mm adapter); 1.8 m cable
Other: THD <0.1% (1 kHz, 1 V)

Matching notes: At 300 Ω and 103 dB/V, the HD 6XX 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]}

Sennheiser PC37X

Focal Elex · Headphones: open-back, dynamic (40 mm Al/Mg M-shape dome), circumaural · discontinued

Impedance: 80 Ω
Sensitivity: 104 dB SPL / 1 mW @ 1 kHz ≈ 115.0 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 23 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: two 1.8 m cables: 6.35 mm and 4-pin XLR (Neutrik)
Other: THD <0.3% @ 1 kHz / 100 dB SPL; 450 g

Matching notes: At 80 Ω and 104 dB/mW, the Focal Elex is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.56 V (4 mW, 7.1 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 80 Ω rating for the Playmate 2. Its 32 Ω and 100 Ω ratings (2.5 W SE; 0.6 W SE) fall either side of it. The Playmate 2’s under 2 Ω headphone output impedance is less than 1/40 of the load. ^{[6] [7] [8] [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]}

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.