Robert’s Burson Playmate 2 with Audeze LCD-2 .2

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The op amps and Super Charger 3a take the Playmate 2 to the next level and beyond. Well worth the extra money.

The System

Listening with

Audeze LCD-2 · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural
  • Impedance: 70 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 101 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point) ≈ 112.5 dB/V (calc.)
  • Frequency response: 10 Hz – 50 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: 4-pin XLR cable; 4-pin XLR to 6.35 mm adapter cable; 6.35 to 3.5 mm adapter
  • Other: recommended power >250 mW;

Matching notes: At 70 Ω and 101 dB/mW, the LCD-2 is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.75 V (7.9 mW, 11 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 70 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 1/35 of the load. [1] [2] [3]

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%

[2] [3]

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

[4] [5]

Burson V6 Vivid Opamp · Discrete opamp (single / dual)
  • Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (Av 30 dB closed loop)
  • Other: Supply ±3.5 V (7 VDC) to ±16.5 V (33 VDC); 7 mA single / 14 mA dual; reverse-voltage protection; 12.4 x 14.5 x 29 mm

[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. Audeze LCD-2: audeze.com
  2. Burson Playmate 2 product page
  3. Burson Playmate 2 User Manual V1.6 (Burson downloads)
  4. Burson Super Charger 3A product page (super-charger-3a page)
  5. Burson Super Charger 3A product page (super-charger-3a page, archived 2021)
  6. Burson V6 Vivid Opamp product page
  7. Burson V6 Vivid Opamp: drive.google.com