Scott’s Burson Soloist 3X GT with HiFiMAN HE1000se

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Post Info

Excellent service and a strong commitment from the engineering team to ongoing enhancement and refinement.

The System

Listening with

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

[1]

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

[2] [3]

Also in the system

Gustard R26 · DAC: discrete R2R DAC / network streamer · discontinued
  • Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz (±0.2 dB)
  • Output impedance: 100 Ω
  • Output voltage: RCA 2.5 V (fixed) · XLR 5 V (fixed)
  • Inputs: USB (768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); coax; AES; optical (192/24, DoP64); I2S (to 768 kHz, DSD1024); LAN streaming; Bluetooth; 10 MHz clock in (BNC)
  • Outputs: RCA; XLR
  • DAC / chipset: discrete R2R ladder; XMOS XU216
  • Other: dynamic range 115 dB; SNR 122 dB; crosstalk -134 dB; THD+N <=0.003% @ 1 kHz; 30 W

Matching notes: Burson lists the Soloist 3X GT’s analogue inputs as line level (35 kΩ input impedance). The Gustard R26 is rated at 2.5 V (fixed) (RCA) / 5 V (fixed) (XLR) output. [4] [5] [2] [3]

Holo Audio Cyan 2 · DAC: discrete R2R ladder DAC (separate vector-step network for DSD, NOS / OS)
  • Output voltage: RCA 2.5 V (PCM) / 1.25 V (DSD) · XLR 5.0 V (PCM) / 2.5 V (DSD)
  • Inputs: USB-B (galvanically isolated; PCM to 1.536 MHz, DSD1024 native); I2S (PCM to 1.536 MHz, DSD1024); coaxial; optical; AES (PCM 192/24, DSD64 DoP)
  • Outputs: XLR; RCA
  • DAC / chipset: discrete R2R (no DAC chip)
  • Other: PCM 48 kHz NOS: THD+N 0.0005% @ 1 kHz, DNR -127 dB; DSD128: THD+N 0.0002%; 20 W; 3.5 kg

Matching notes: Burson lists the Soloist 3X GT’s analogue inputs as line level (35 kΩ input impedance). The Cyan 2 is rated at 2.5 V (PCM) / 1.25 V (DSD) (RCA) / 5.0 V (PCM) / 2.5 V (DSD) (XLR) output. [6] [7] [2] [3]

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.

  1. HiFiMAN HE1000se: hifiman.com
  2. Burson Soloist 3X GT product page
  3. Burson Soloist 3XGT User Manual V2.0 (Burson downloads)
  4. Gustard R26: apos.audio (retailer)
  5. Gustard R26: gustard.com (retailer)
  6. Holo Audio Cyan 2: eliseaudio.com (retailer)
  7. Holo Audio Cyan 2: kitsunehifi.com (retailer)