Jason’s Burson Conductor GT4 with Focal Utopia, Focal Radiance and Meze Empyrean

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Sales Burson
November 19, 2024

Post Info

Feedbacks - Conductor GT3 | GT4
Behringer Truth, Burson Conductor GT4, Focal Radiance, Focal Utopia, Kennerton Gjallarhorn GH50 JM Edition, Kennerton Rognir Planar, Meze Empyrean, OPPO PM-1

My audio journey began with the Burson HA-160D when I was stationed overseas. I was immediately drawn to its signature sound, which had a warmth and depth that really appealed to me. However, as time went on, I started yearning for something more—something that offered greater convenience, more power, and the latest in cutting-edge technology. The Conductor series had been on my radar for a while, but when the Fusion Core was announced alongside the GT4, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. The combination of sleek design, enhanced performance, and innovative features was exactly what I had been looking for, so I finally decided to pull the trigger.

The System

Listening with

Focal Utopia · Headphones: open-back, dynamic (40 mm beryllium M-dome), circumaural · discontinued

Impedance: 80 Ω
Sensitivity: 104 dB SPL / 1 mW @ 1 kHz ≈ 115.0 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 50 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 6.35 mm cable and 3.5 mm cable, 4-pin XLR cable; Lemo connectors at the cups
Other: THD <0.2% @ 1 kHz / 100 dB SPL

Matching notes: At 80 Ω and 104 dB/mW, the Focal Utopia is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.56 V (4 mW, 7.1 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 80 Ω rating for the Conductor GT4. Its 32 Ω and 100 Ω ratings (10 W XLR / 5 W SE; 5 W XLR / 2.5 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/160 of the load. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Focal Radiance · Headphones: closed-back, dynamic (40 mm Al/Mg M-shape dome), circumaural · discontinued

Impedance: 35 Ω
Sensitivity: 105 dB SPL / 1 mW @ 1 kHz ≈ 119.6 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 23 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 1.2 m OFC cable, 3.5 mm TRS plug + 6.35 mm adapter; 3.5 mm mono sockets on cups
Other: THD 0.1% @ 1 kHz / 100 dB SPL; 435 g

Matching notes: At 35 Ω and 105 dB/mW, the Focal Radiance is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.33 V (3.2 mW, 9.5 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 35 Ω rating for the Conductor GT4. Its 32 Ω and 100 Ω ratings (10 W XLR / 5 W SE; 5 W XLR / 2.5 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/70 of the load. ^{[5] [6] [3] [4]}

Meze Empyrean · Headphones: open-back, isodynamic hybrid array (planar), circumaural · discontinued

Impedance: 31.6 Ω
Sensitivity: 100 dB SPL (1 mW / 1 kHz) ≈ 115.0 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 4 Hz – 110 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 4-pin mini-XLR cable; 3 m OFC XLR cable
Other: max SPL >130 dB; THD <0.1%; ~430 g; Rinaro driver

Matching notes: At 31.6 Ω and 100 dB/mW, the Meze Empyrean is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.56 V (10 mW, 18 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 31.6 Ω rating for the Conductor GT4; its nearest published rating is 10 W XLR / 5 W SE into 32 Ω. The Conductor GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/63 of the load. ^{[7] [3] [4]}

Kennerton Rognir Planar

Kennerton Gjallarhorn GH50 JM Edition

OPPO PM-1 · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic (85 x 69 mm oval, push-pull neodymium), circumaural · discontinued

Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 102 dB (1 mW) ≈ 116.9 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 50 kHz (free field)
Plugs / cables supplied: detachable: 3 m OCC cable (6.35 mm), 1 m OFC cable (3.5 mm); 2.5 mm mono jacks at cups
Other: long-term max input 500 mW (IEC 60268-7), pulse 2 W; 395 g without cable; clamping 5 N

Matching notes: At 32 Ω and 102 dB/mW, the OPPO PM-1 is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.45 V (6.3 mW, 14 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson rates the Conductor GT4 at 10 W (XLR) / 5 W (SE) into 32 Ω, which is about 17.9 V / 12.6 V RMS (calc.), roughly 32 dB / 29 dB more than that. The Conductor GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/64 of the load. ^{[8] [3] [4]}

Burson Composer

Burson

Burson Conductor GT4 · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp

Output power (XLR / SE): 32 Ω 10 W / 5 W · 100 Ω 5 W / 2.5 W · 150 Ω 3 W / 1.5 W · 300 Ω 2 W / 1 W
Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (headphone); 1 Ω (pre out); 25 Ω (DAC out)
Output voltage: RCA 2 V (DAC out) · XLR 4 V (DAC out); pre out max 12 V RMS
Gain: 2 levels: High full power (XLR 10 W / SE 5 W), Low 10% (IEM); dB not published
Inputs: 2x XLR; 2x RCA; USB (XMOS; PCM to 768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); Toslink; coaxial (24/192); Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD; microphone
Input impedance: 40 kΩ
Input sensitivity: line level (24-bit/192 kHz ADC on analogue inputs)
Outputs: headphone 6.35 mm / 4-pin XLR / 3.5 mm; XLR + RCA pre out; subwoofer pre out; XLR + RCA line (DAC) out
DAC / chipset: 2x ESS9038 (one chip per channel; suffix not published)
Other: THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-58 kHz; versions: Standard (V6 Vivid, SP01, 24V5A) / Deluxe (V7 Vivid, SP02, Super Charger 5A) / Max (+Fusion Core 24V)

^{[3] [4]}

Also in the system

Behringer Truth

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.