Philipp’s Burson Conductor GT4 with Meze Empyrean II

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Sales Burson
December 6, 2024

Post Info

Feedbacks - Conductor GT3 | GT4
Burson Conductor GT4, Burson Fusion Core, Meze Empyrean II, WiiM Ultra

Hi there,

I wanted to share some more thoughts with you. In the past, I had the Conductor 3X Reference and Performance, and I really enjoyed them. However, despite liking them, I didn’t feel they were worth the price, so I decided to “downgrade” to the xDuoo TA-22. After more than a year with it, I was curious to give your AiO-Endgame a try again, but initially, I was a bit disappointed. This led to our long discussion, and I ended up receiving a replacement unit.

Now, after spending several hours listening to your device, I have to say – I’m absolutely stunned! The sound quality has completely exceeded my expectations in ways I can hardly put into words. It’s truly the best audio device (headphones included) that I’ve ever purchased.

Thank you for delivering such an incredible product. That said, I do have one piece of feedback: the cooling solution could still use some improvement. The fan noise is noticeable, and it’s the only downside for me. A completely silent device would be ideal – I’m hoping your upcoming GT5 might address this. Fingers crossed! :D

And with the upcoming Fusion Core, I can’t even begin to imagine how much better the sound could get! I’m really excited to hear it.

Thanks again for this amazing product, and I look forward to seeing where you take it next!

The System

Listening with

Meze Empyrean II · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic (Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array), circumaural

Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 90 dB SPL / mW @ 1 kHz ≈ 104.9 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 8 Hz – 110 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: dual 4-pin mini-XLR cup sockets; mini-XLR to 6.3 mm cable
Other: max SPL >130 dB

Matching notes: At 32 Ω and 90 dB/mW, the Meze Empyrean II is a low-impedance load, and a fairly demanding one: about 1.8 V (100 mW, 56 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 20 dB / 17 dB more than that. The Conductor GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/64 of the load. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

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)

^{[2] [3]}

Burson Fusion Core · Power supply (GaN, 24 V or 32 V)

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

^{[4] [3]}

Also in the system

WiiM Ultra · Streamer: network streamer / preamp with DAC, phono stage and headphone amp (3.5 in touchscreen)

Output voltage: RCA 2.1 V (line out, max)
Inputs: Wi-Fi / Ethernet; HDMI eARC; optical; line in; phono MM/MC; USB; Bluetooth
Outputs: RCA line out; sub out (2.0 V); coax; optical; USB audio out; 6.35 mm headphone; Bluetooth out
DAC / chipset: ESS ES9038Q2M; TI TPA6120A2 headphone amp; TI PCM1861 ADC
Other: line out SNR 121 dB (A), THD+N 0.00018%; headphone out SNR 119 dB, THD+N -92 dB (32 Ω) / -99 dB (300 Ω); phono gain 41 dB MM / 59 dB MC

^{[5] [6]}

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.