Phillip’s Burson Conductor 3X GT with Sennheiser HD 600 and Audeze LCD-X

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Sales Burson
February 15, 2024

Post Info

Feedbacks - Conductor GT3 | GT4
Audeze LCD-X, Burson Conductor 3X GT, Logitech Z2300, Monster Turbine Pro Copper, Sennheiser HD 600

Conductor 3GT: Pure audio decadence, and simultaneously aesthetically elegant. I’m actually hearing details in songs I’ve listened to for years that I haven’t heard before! (And I don’t yet have the Burson Supercharger 5A hooked up – and you better believe it’s happening). The reviews online are no joke, this is an endgame AMP/PREAMP/DAC. Initially bought into the XLR superiority propaganda but according to audiophile reviews, the Conductor 3 GT may actually sound more organic than the 3XGT as the signal is not separated into left and right channels. It’s also a bonus not having to buy additional balanced 4.4mm or XLR Neutrik cables; I can just use the OEM cables that came with my headphones. My headphones don’t require much power and paired with the Conductor 3 GT, my Audeze LCD-X’s sound out of this world. Very happy with purchase thus far. Thanks Burson!

The System

Listening with

Sennheiser HD 600 · Headphones: open-back, dynamic, circumaural

Impedance: 300 Ω
Sensitivity: 97 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1 V (as published) ≈ 91.8 dB/mW (calc.)
Frequency response: 12 Hz – 40.5 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 3.5 mm stereo jack plug with 6.3 mm adapter; 3 m cable
Other: THD <0.1% (1 kHz, 1 V)

Matching notes: At 300 Ω and 97 dB/V, the HD 600 is a high-impedance load that needs voltage more than current: about 4.5 V (67 mW, 15 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson rates the Conductor 3X GT at 0.64 W (XLR) / 0.32 W (SE) into 300 Ω, which is about 13.9 V / 9.8 V RMS (calc.), roughly 10 dB / 7 dB more than that. The Conductor 3X GT’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/600 of the load. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

Audeze LCD-X · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural

Impedance: 20 Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point) ≈ 120.0 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 50 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: braided 4-pin XLR combo cable with 6.35 mm single-ended adapter
Other: recommended power >250 mW (min >100 mW; max 5 W RMS); 106 mm driver; max SPL >130 dB

Matching notes: At 20 Ω and 103 dB/mW, the Audeze LCD-X is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.32 V (5 mW, 16 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 20 Ω rating for the Conductor 3X GT. Its 16 Ω and 32 Ω ratings (10 W XLR / 5 W SE; 8 W XLR / 4 W SE) fall either side of it. The Conductor 3X GT’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/40 of the load. ^{[6] [3] [4] [5]}

Monster Turbine Pro Copper

Logitech Z2300 · Speakers: active 2.1 PC speaker system (THX certified, 2 satellites + subwoofer) · discontinued

Frequency response: 35 Hz – 20 kHz
Other: satellites 2x 40 W RMS (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 10% THD); subwoofer 120 W RMS (8 Ω, 100 Hz, 10% THD); peak 400 W; SNR >100 dB; THD <0.05% before clipping

^[7]

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

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

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.