Burson Soloist Voyager Review: Passion for Sound Video

Passion for Sound has reviewed the Burson Soloist Voyager headphone amplifier and preamp in the video “The last headphone amp you’ll ever need to buy!” (20 March 2024). The reviewer compared it with the Schiit Mjolnir 3, the Enleum AMP-23R and our own Soloist 3X GT with several op-amp combinations. Here are the highlights, including his criticisms.

Specs and test setup

He tested the version with V7 Vivid op-amps, which he quotes at $4,199 US. He notes the Voyager puts out 8 W into 32 ohms, with “buckets and buckets of power” for any headphone, plus three gain levels, crossfeed, balance control, auto power off and a new remote. His source was a Chord M-Scaler and TT2, and he listened mostly with the Meze Elite and Focal Utopia.

Sound quality: mature, refined and detailed

His easiest one-word description is “impressive”, not because of party tricks, but because “it is just so under control, so refined, so detailed, and so effortless.” He singles out the separation and size of the soundstage, bass control and punch without boosting the frequency response, and an extended, refined treble that shows sibilance in a recording without exaggerating it. He says the Voyager is “right up there amongst the very best I’ve heard”, while noting the HiFiMAN HM1 would win on resolution.

How the Soloist Voyager compares

vs Schiit Mjolnir 3

The Voyager pulls ahead clearly, with more ease, slightly stronger staging and imaging, and tighter bass. He credits the much cheaper Mjolnir 3 with great value and a naturalness that in some ways may be better.

vs Enleum AMP-23R

He calls them neck and neck. The Enleum (which he quotes at around $6,000) is slightly more transparent, while the Voyager is more refined, easier to listen to and perhaps slightly more solid in the bass. If you don’t need a speaker amp, he says he would buy the Voyager.

vs Soloist 3X GT and op-amp rolling

Against a fully upgraded Soloist 3X GT (SP-02 modules, V7 Vivid), the GT gets very close, but the Voyager still has an edge: no treble sizzle, more depth and layering, a weightier tone and more ease. He enjoyed the GT most with V7 Classic op-amps, but found the Voyager still ahead on resolution, clarity, space and imaging. He puts this down to the Voyager’s new output stage, not just the op-amps.

Design and cooling

The new cooling moves the fan under the PCB and vents through copper-coloured heatsinks at the back, and he found it “as good as silent”. The new display is easier to read at its lowest setting.

What Passion for Sound would change

• It runs hot and needs ventilation behind and around it, though he never had heat issues.
• The display doesn’t dim as far as the GT’s OLED, which may bother some people listening in a dark room.
• It is taller than the GT, so it may not fit the original Burson Mothership stand.
• Left and right RCA inputs are spread across the back, which can be awkward with some joined interconnects.
• Some may find it a little too refined, as it is not quite as transparent as the Enleum.
• It is an expensive amp, which he acknowledges not everyone can afford.

Verdict

“The Burson Soloist Voyager is an absolute beast of an amplifier,” he concludes. He does not claim it beats every premium rival, but places it in the same ballpark and recommends it to anyone after an end-game headphone amp.

Watch the full video on YouTube: The last headphone amp you’ll ever need to buy! Burson Soloist Voyager (Passion for Sound).

Discover the full features and specifications on the Burson Soloist Voyager product page.