Shawn’s Burson Soloist 3X GT with Focal Clear MG, Sony MDR-Z1R and Sony 660S

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Sales Burson
March 30, 2022

Post Info

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Burson Soloist 3X GT, Chord Qutest, Denon AH-D9200, Focal Clear MG, RME ADI-2 Pro FS, Sony 660S, Sony MDR-Z1R

I purchased my 1st Burson Amp (Soloist GT) from Bloom Audio which was an upgrade from my JDSLabs El II Amp. I immediately noticed a big leap in my HiFi audio experience and ended up listing to music much longer than I anticipated.. I’m very pleased w/ my purchase and would highly recommend it to others.

The System

Listening with

Focal Clear MG · Headphones: open-back, dynamic (40 mm Mg M-dome), circumaural

Impedance: 55 Ω
Sensitivity: 104 dB SPL / 1 mW @ 1 kHz ≈ 116.6 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 28 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 3.5 mm cable (1.2 m) with 6.35 mm adapter; 4-pin XLR cable (3 m); cup sockets 3.5 mm

Matching notes: At 55 Ω and 104 dB/mW, the Focal Clear MG is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.47 V (4 mW, 8.5 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 55 Ω rating for the Soloist 3X GT. Its 32 Ω and 100 Ω ratings (8 W XLR / 4 W SE; 3.8 W XLR / 1.9 W SE) fall either side of it. The Soloist 3X GT’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/110 of the load. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Sony MDR-Z1R · Headphones: closed-back, dynamic (70 mm), circumaural · discontinued

Impedance: 64 Ω
Sensitivity: not published (archived Sony US spec page lists none)
Frequency response: 4 Hz – 120 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: detachable Y-type; 3 m 3.5 mm cable; 1.2 m 4.4 mm balanced cable
Other: impedance 64 Ω at 1 kHz; 385 g without cable; CCAW voice coil, neodymium

^[5]

Sony 660S

Denon AH-D9200 · Headphones: closed-back, dynamic (50 mm nanofiber FreeEdge), circumaural

Impedance: 24 Ω
Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW ≈ 121.2 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 56 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: not published on spec page
Other: max power input 1,800 mW; bamboo housing

Matching notes: At 24 Ω and 105 dB/mW, the AH-D9200 is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.28 V (3.2 mW, 11 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 24 Ω rating for the Soloist 3X GT. Its 16 Ω and 32 Ω ratings (10 W XLR / 5 W SE; 8 W XLR / 4 W SE) fall either side of it. The Soloist 3X GT’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/48 of the load. ^{[6] [3] [4]}

Burson

Burson Soloist 3X GT · Headphone amplifier / preamp (Class-A) · discontinued

Output power (XLR / SE): 16 Ω 10 W / 5 W · 32 Ω 8 W / 4 W · 100 Ω 3.8 W / 1.9 W · 300 Ω 1.3 W / 0.65 W · 600 Ω 0.64 W / 0.32 W
Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (headphone); 25 Ω (pre out)
Gain: High / Medium / Low; dB not published
Inputs: 2x XLR; 2x RCA; mic bypass
Input impedance: 35 kΩ
Input sensitivity: line level
Outputs: XLR + RCA pre out; RCA subwoofer out; 4-pin XLR + SE headphone
Other: Model R-120X (“GT3”); THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-48 kHz

^{[3] [4]}

Also in the system

RME ADI-2 Pro FS

Chord Qutest · DAC

Output impedance: not published (Stereophile measured 0.4 @ 1 kHz)
Output voltage: RCA 1 / 2 / 3 V (selectable)
Inputs: USB-B 768 kHz/32-bit DSD512; 2x BNC coax 384 kHz (768 kHz dual-data); optical
Outputs: RCA

Matching notes: Burson lists the Soloist 3X GT’s analogue inputs as line level (35 kΩ input impedance). The Chord Qutest is rated at 1 / 2 / 3 V (selectable) (RCA) output. ^{[7] [8] [9] [3] [4]}

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.