Brian’s Burson Playmate 2 with Audeze LCD-2 Classic and Shure SE846

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Sales Burson
February 25, 2022

Post Info

Feedbacks - Playmate 02 | 03
Audeze LCD-2 Classic, Burson Playmate 2, Shure SE846

Powers the LCD2 Classic really well. I cannot wait to try the opamp classic v6s

The System

Listening with

Audeze LCD-2 Classic · 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 Classic 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]}

Shure SE846 · Headphones: IEM, sound-isolating, quad balanced armature (3-way, true subwoofer)

Impedance: 9 Ω
Sensitivity: 114 dB SPL/mW (@ 1 kHz) ≈ 134.5 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 15 Hz – 20 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: detachable MMCX cable, 3.5 mm TRS plug
Other: noise attenuation up to 37 dB; 4.3 g per earphone; interchangeable nozzle inserts

Matching notes: At 9 Ω and 114 dB/mW, the SE846 is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.06 V (0.4 mW, 6.7 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 9 Ω rating for the Playmate 2; its nearest published rating is 3.5 W SE into 16 Ω. The Playmate 2’s under 2 Ω headphone output impedance is less than 1/4.5 of the load. ^{[4] [5] [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]}

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.