Ray’s Burson Conductor 3X Reference with Focal Clear MG and HiFiMAN HE1000se

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  • Feedbacks - Conductor 3R | 3XR
  • beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO, beyerdynamic T5, Burson Conductor 3X Reference, Focal Clear MG, HiFiMAN HE1000se, Raspberry Pi with Digital Audio Hat running Moode Audio Streamer O/S Asustor 10 Bay NAS. . MSI GE70 Laptop for Qobuz. FiiO M11 Plus DAP., Sendy Audio Aviva

I’ve been the proud owner of the Soloist 3XP for the past three years, and it has served as a cornerstone of my audio setup with remarkable performance and reliability. After years of enjoyment with the Soloist, I recently decided to take the next step and invest in the Conductor 3XR.
The decision to upgrade wasn’t taken lightly, but based on my long-term experience with Burson’s quality and sonic signature, the Conductor 3XR felt like a natural progression. It’s an incredibly well-engineered piece of equipment that builds on everything I appreciated in the Soloist—offering even greater versatility, refinement, and power..

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 Conductor 3X Reference. Its 32 Ω and 100 Ω ratings (5 W XLR / 2.5 W SE; 1.75 W XLR / 0.88 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor 3X Reference’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/110 of the load. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

HiFiMAN HE1000se · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural
  • Impedance: 35 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 96 dB (reference not stated by HiFiMAN)
  • Frequency response: 8 Hz – 65 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: not published (HiFiMAN spec page lists no connector)
  • Other: weight 440 g

[6]

beyerdynamic T5 (3rd Generation) · Headphones: closed-back, dynamic (Tesla), circumaural
  • Impedance: 32 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 100 dB SPL (1 mW) ≈ 114.9 dB/V (calc.)
  • Frequency response: 5 Hz – 50 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: 1.4 m double-sided OCC cable, 3.5 mm plug with 6.35 mm adapter

Matching notes: At 32 Ω and 100 dB/mW, the T5 (3rd Generation) is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.57 V (10 mW, 18 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson rates the Conductor 3X Reference at 5 W (XLR) / 2.5 W (SE) into 32 Ω, which is about 12.6 V / 8.9 V RMS (calc.), roughly 27 dB / 24 dB more than that. The Conductor 3X Reference’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/64 of the load. [7] [3] [4] [5]

beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO · Headphones: open-back, dynamic (45 mm Tesla), circumaural · discontinued
  • Impedance: 250 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 102 dB SPL (1 mW / 500 Hz) ≈ 108.0 dB/V (calc.)
  • Frequency response: 5 Hz – 40 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: detachable cable: 3-pin mini-XLR at cup; 6.35 mm stereo jack plug

Matching notes: At 250 Ω and 102 dB/mW, the DT 1990 PRO is a high-impedance load that needs voltage more than current: about 1.3 V (6.3 mW, 5 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 250 Ω rating for the Conductor 3X Reference. Its 150 Ω and 300 Ω ratings (1.16 W XLR / 0.58 W SE; 0.58 W XLR / 0.3 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor 3X Reference’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/500 of the load. [8] [3] [4] [5]

Sendy Audio Aviva

Burson

Burson Conductor 3X Reference · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp · discontinued
  • Output power (XLR / SE): 16 Ω 7.5 W / 3.75 W · 32 Ω 5 W / 2.5 W · 100 Ω 1.75 W / 0.88 W · 150 Ω 1.16 W / 0.58 W · 300 Ω 0.58 W / 0.3 W
  • Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (headphone); 1 Ω (pre out); 25 Ω (DAC out)
  • Output voltage: RCA 2 V (DAC out)
  • Gain: High / Low; dB not published
  • Inputs: 2x XLR; USB (XMOS; PCM to 768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); Toslink; coaxial; Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD; microphone
  • Input impedance: 40 kΩ
  • Input sensitivity: line level
  • Outputs: XLR pre out; line-level DAC out; 6.35 mm + 4-pin XLR headphone
  • DAC / chipset: 2x ESS ES9038Q2M
  • Other: Model R180X (3XR); THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-58 kHz

[3] [4] [5]

Also in the system

Raspberry Pi with Digital Audio Hat running Moode Audio Streamer O/S Asustor 10 Bay NAS. . MSI GE70 Laptop for Qobuz. FiiO M11 Plus DAP.