Radu-Bogdan’s Burson Conductor 3X GT with HiFiMAN Susvara and Grado Hemp

Published on

Sales Burson
September 7, 2022

Post Info

Feedbacks - Conductor GT3 | GT4
Burson Conductor 3X GT, Conductor 3RR26, Erzetich Thalia, Ferrum Hypsos, Ferrum OOR, Grado Hemp, Gustard R26, HiFiMAN Susvara, Singxer SU-6

I think the 3xGT is the best flagship all in one around and it will still be for a long time. Drives perfectly all headphones and excellent sound, very refined and spacious

The System

Listening with

HiFiMAN Susvara · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural

Impedance: 60 Ω
Sensitivity: 83 dB (reference not stated by HiFiMAN)
Frequency response: 6 Hz – 75 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: not published (HiFiMAN spec page lists no connector)
Other: weight 450 g

^[1]

Grado Hemp · Headphones: open-back (open air), dynamic, on-ear

Impedance: 38 Ω
Sensitivity: not published
Frequency response: 13 Hz – 28 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: standard plug with braided cable
Other: driver matching 0.05 dB

^{[2] [3]}

Erzetich Thalia · Headphones: on-ear, open-back, dynamic (40 mm titanium-coated)

Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: not published
Plugs / cables supplied: detachable silver-plated OFC cable
Other: 280 g (current) / 270 g (original wood-and-metal version); tuned for portable sources

^{[4] [5]}

Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural

Impedance: 50 Ω
Sensitivity: 88 dB/mW ≈ 101.0 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 45 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 2.5 m 4-pin XLR cable with 6.3 mm adaptor (JPS Labs); other terminations optional

Matching notes: At 50 Ω and 88 dB/mW, the AB-1266 Phi TC is a low-impedance load, and a fairly demanding one: about 2.8 V (158 mW, 56 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 50 Ω rating for the Conductor 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 Conductor 3X GT’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/100 of the load. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Burson

Burson Conductor 3X GT · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp · 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 · 150 Ω 1.3 W / 0.65 W · 300 Ω 0.64 W / 0.32 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; 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
Outputs: XLR/RCA pre / DAC out; subwoofer pre out; 6.35 mm + 4-pin XLR headphone
DAC / chipset: 2x ESS ES9038 (suffix not stated)
Other: Model R-181X (“GT3”); THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-58 kHz; 24V/5A PSU

^{[7] [8] [9]}

Also in the system

Burson Conductor 3 Reference · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp · discontinued

Output power (headphone): 16 Ω 7.5 W · 32 Ω 5 W · 100 Ω 1.75 W · 150 Ω 1.16 W · 300 Ω 0.58 W
Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (headphone); 1 Ω (pre out); 25 Ω (DAC out)
Output voltage: RCA 2 V (DAC out)
Gain: High / Medium / Low; dB not published
Inputs: 2x RCA; 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: RCA pre out; RCA DAC out; 2x 6.35 mm headphone
DAC / chipset: 2x ESS ES9038Q2M
Other: Model R180 (3R); SE only; THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-58 kHz

^{[10] [11] [8]}

Ferrum OOR · Headphone amp: fully balanced discrete headphone amp / preamp (pairs with HYPSOS supply)

Frequency response: 20 Hz – 100 kHz (0.1 dB)
Output power (XLR / SE): 60 Ω 8 W / 2 W · 300 Ω 1.6 W / 0.4 W
Output impedance: <0.3 Ω (headphone); 22 SE / 44 bal (pre-out)
Inputs: XLR; RCA (max 19 V bal / 9.5 V unbal)
Input impedance: 94 kΩ
Outputs: 4-pin XLR balanced headphone; 6.35 mm; preamp outs
Other: THD 0.00011% bal (1 mW / 50 Ω); SNR 130 dB (A); 22-30 V DC; 1.8 kg

^[12]

Ferrum Hypsos

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 Conductor 3X GT’s analogue inputs as line level (40 kΩ input impedance). The Gustard R26 is rated at 2.5 V (fixed) (RCA) / 5 V (fixed) (XLR) output. ^{[13] [14] [7] [8] [9]}

Singxer SU-6 · Digital interface: USB to I2S / S/PDIF / AES digital interface (XMOS + FPGA, femtosecond clocks)

Inputs: USB-B 2.0
Outputs: AES/EBU; coaxial; BNC; optical; I2S RJ45; 2x I2S HDMI (LVDS); MCLK / WCK
Other: I2S: PCM to 32-bit/384 kHz, DSD512 native; S/PDIF & AES: 24-bit/384 kHz, DSD128 DoP; optical 24/192; HDMI I2S pinout set by internal DIP switches

^{[15] [16]}

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.