The Soloist Voyager, paired with the Supercharger 5A power supply, already delivers exceptional performance, and I’d confidently categorize it as a high-end headphone amplifier. But when I swapped the Supercharger 5A for the Fusion Core, the transformation in sound quality was nothing short of extraordinary. Honestly, I didn’t anticipate such a dramatic shift. It felt as though I had upgraded the entire headphone amp to a model in an entirely higher class. With the Fusion Core, the Soloist Voyager becomes vastly more detailed and transparent. The soundstage opens up, becoming more expansive and three-dimensional, while the overall sound gains a new level of authority and dynamism. This upgrade has completely redefined the listening experience for me. In my opinion, with the Fusion Core, the Soloist Voyager is now one of the finest headphone amplifiers I’ve ever encountered.
The System
Listening with
HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural, removable magnetic veils
- Impedance: 45 Ω
- Sensitivity: 86 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 430 g
[1]
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 Soloist Voyager. 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 Soloist Voyager’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/160 of the load. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Burson
- 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); 25 Ω (pre out)
- Gain: 3 levels: High full power (XLR 10 W / SE 5 W), Medium 50%, Low 10% (IEM); dB not published
- Inputs: 2x XLR; 2x RCA; mic bypass
- Input impedance: 38 kΩ
- Input sensitivity: RCA 2 V; XLR 4 V+ (line level)
- Outputs: XLR + SE headphone; XLR + RCA pre out; RCA subwoofer out
- Other: THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-48 kHz; Standard/Deluxe: 24V5A PSU or Super Charger 5A, V6 Vivid or V7 Vivid Pro; SP02 installed
[4] [5]
- Other: Fusion Core 24V: 24 V/15 A, 2.5 mm barrel (centre +); Fusion Core 32V: 32 V/15 A, 4-pin DC plug (Timekeeper 3X GT / Voyager / GT4); noise floor <1 µV; 100-240 V AC
[6] [5]
Also in the system
Chord Hugo M Scaler · Upscaler: digital upscaler (1,015,808-tap WTA filter) for Chord DACs
- Inputs: galvanically isolated USB-B; 2x coax BNC; 2x optical
- Outputs: dual BNC (to 768 kHz); BNC S/PDIF; optical
- Other: PCM 44.1-768 kHz, 16-32 bit; 15 V 4 A PSU; 2.55 kg
[7] [8]
Chord Hugo TT 2 · DAC / headphone amp: FPGA DAC / preamp / headphone amp (98,304-tap WTA filter)
- Output power (XLR / SE): 8 Ω 18 W / 7.3 W · 300 Ω 1.15 W / 0.288 W
- Output impedance: 0.042 Ω
- Output voltage: XLR 9 V (300 Ω, max)
- Gain: High / low gain modes
- Inputs: USB-B; 2x coax BNC; 2x optical; Bluetooth aptX
- Outputs: XLR; RCA; 2x 6.35 mm + 1x 3.5 mm headphone; 2x DX BNC (M Scaler link)
- DAC / chipset: Chord custom FPGA (Xilinx Artix-7), WTA filter
- Other: PCM 44.1-768 kHz, DSD64-512 (DoP); dynamic range 127 dB (A); noise 1.7-4 µV (A); THD 0.00008% @ 2.5 V 300 Ω; powers 8 Ω speakers (7.3 W SE / 18 W bal); 2.53 kg
Matching notes: Burson lists the Soloist Voyager’s analogue inputs as RCA 2 V; XLR 4 V+ (line level) (38 kΩ input impedance). The Hugo TT 2 is rated at 9 V (300 Ω, max) (XLR) output. [9] [10] [4] [5]
