Alexis’s Burson Conductor 3 with Harbeth Super HLS5 Plus and Sennheiser HD 800

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Sales Burson
December 17, 2019

Post Info

Feedbacks - Conductor 3R | 3XR
Grado PS 500E, Harbeth Super HLS5 Plus, McIntosh MC402, Quad 606 MK2, Sennheiser HD 800

I’ve had all the Conductors, from the first model on. I already own the Conductor 3 Reference, and also ordered the C3X !

The System

Listening with

Harbeth Super HLS5 Plus

Sennheiser HD 800 · Headphones: open-back, dynamic, circumaural (ring radiator) · discontinued

Impedance: 300 Ω
Sensitivity: 102 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1 V (as published) ≈ 96.8 dB/mW (calc.)
Frequency response: 14 Hz – 44.1 kHz (-3 dB); 6 Hz – 51 kHz (-10 dB)
Plugs / cables supplied: 6.3 mm stereo jack plug; 3 m cable
Other: THD <=0.02% (1 kHz, 1 Vrms); max input 500 mW

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Grado PS 500E · Headphones: open-air, dynamic (44 mm), supra-aural (on-ear) · discontinued

Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 99.8 dB SPL @ 1 mW ≈ 114.7 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 14 Hz – 29 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: fixed 8-conductor cable; 6.5 mm adapter included
Other: metal/mahogany hybrid chamber; drivers matched to 0.05 dB

^[2]

Burson

Burson Conductor 3 · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp family (Conductor 3 Performance / 3 Reference) · discontinued

Output impedance: 1 Ω (pre out); 25 Ω (DAC out); headphone 0.5 Ω (3R) / 0.6 Ω (3P)
Output voltage: RCA 2 V (DAC out)
Gain: High / Low (3P); High / Medium / Low (3R); dB not published
Inputs: USB (XMOS; PCM to 768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); Toslink; Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD; microphone (3R adds 2x RCA analogue in + coaxial)
Outputs: RCA pre out; RCA DAC out; 6.35 mm headphone (SE only)
DAC / chipset: ESS ES9038Q2M (1x in 3P, 2x in 3R)
Other: 3P (M180): 4 W @16 Ω, 2 W @32, 0.64 W @100, 0.16 W @300; 1x ES9038Q2M; THD <0.0017%. 3R (R180): 7.5 W @16, 5 W @32, 1.75 W @100, 0.58 W @300; 2x ES9038Q2M; THD <0.0015%. Both FR ±1 dB 0-58 kHz.

^{[3] [4] [5]}

Also in the system

McIntosh MC402

Quad 606 MK2

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.