UK magazine The Ear has reviewed the Burson Soloist Voyager headphone amplifier and gave it an Editor’s Choice 2024 award. Reviewer Kevin Fiske (published 26 June 2024) did most of his listening with the notoriously demanding HiFiMan Susvara, fed by a Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC. Here are the highlights of his Soloist Voyager review, including the points he criticised.
Like Burson’s other designs, the Soloist Voyager runs in Class A. The Ear notes it delivers up to 10 Watts into 16 Ohms, “putting it among the more muscular dedicated headphone amplifiers currently available.” Into the 60 Ohm Susvara it delivers “a stout 260 mA and 15.5Volts”. The review also covers the dual-differential, dual-mono circuit built around Burson’s plug-in discrete op-amps and Silent Power modules, and the upgrade path from the standard to the Deluxe version.
Fed from the Tambaqui’s balanced output, the Voyager “gave a master-class in dynamic expression, with startling slammy energy throughout the audio band and at the lower end a satisfying degree of depth and power.” With Infected Mushroom’s Never Mind on high gain, he summed it up as “Skull-rattling, brain-pounding.”
The Ear found the Voyager able to transcribe a level of subtle detail that is “right up there with the best”. The presentation is on the rich side, with a little less air and top-end spotlight than some rivals, which the reviewer calls “the result of legitimate voicing choices, not shortcomings of a technical nature.” He also felt that in the deep bass it “gives away some grip and control”.
Even so, he did not “consider any of them to be a deal-breaker”, and said the sonic gains over the Soloist 3XGT are significant.
The Ear suggests the Voyager will particularly appeal to listeners who play mostly rock and electronica, where its “combination of dynamic expression and detail transcription, put most alternatives in its shade.” The conclusion: “Driving the Susvara headphone, the Burson Soloist Voyager made a properly credible claim to be the end-game headphone amplifier that its designers intend it to be.” Prices when tested were £2,759 (standard) and £3,311 (Deluxe).
Read the full review on The Ear: Burson Soloist Voyager headphone amp packs a punch.
Discover the full features and specifications on the Burson Soloist Voyager product page.
