Philip’s Burson Playmate 2 with Sennheiser HD 600 and Sennheiser HD 660S

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Sales Burson
May 31, 2022

Post Info

Feedbacks - Playmate 02 | 03
Audeze LCD-2, beyerdynamic T1, Burson Playmate 2, Campfire Audio Cascade, Sennheiser HD 600, Sennheiser HD 660S, Sonore Optical Renu, ZMF VC

Great

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 Playmate 2 at 0.15 W (SE) into 300 Ω, which is about 6.7 V RMS (calc.), roughly 4 dB more than that. The Playmate 2’s under 2 Ω headphone output impedance is less than 1/150 of the load. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Sennheiser HD 660S · Headphones: open-back, dynamic, circumaural · discontinued

Impedance: 150 Ω
Sensitivity: 104 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1 V (as published) ≈ 95.8 dB/mW (calc.)
Frequency response: 9 Hz – 41.5 kHz (AU page); 10 Hz – 41 kHz (user manual)
Plugs / cables supplied: 6.35 mm unbalanced and 4.4 mm balanced cables (user manual)
Other: THD <=0.04% (1 kHz, 100 dB); max input 500 mW

Matching notes: At 150 Ω and 104 dB/V, the HD 660S is a high-impedance load that needs voltage more than current: about 2 V (27 mW, 13 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson rates the Playmate 2 at 0.4 W (SE) into 150 Ω, which is about 7.7 V RMS (calc.), roughly 12 dB more than that. The Playmate 2’s under 2 Ω headphone output impedance is less than 1/75 of the load. ^{[5] [6] [7] [3] [4]}

Audeze LCD-2 · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic, circumaural

Impedance: 70 Ω
Sensitivity: 101 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point) ≈ 112.5 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 50 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 4-pin XLR cable; 4-pin XLR to 6.35 mm adapter cable; 6.35 to 3.5 mm adapter
Other: recommended power >250 mW;

Matching notes: At 70 Ω and 101 dB/mW, the LCD-2 is a low-impedance load, and an efficient one: about 0.75 V (7.9 mW, 11 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson does not publish a 70 Ω rating for the Playmate 2. Its 32 Ω and 100 Ω ratings (2.5 W SE; 0.6 W SE) fall either side of it. The Playmate 2’s under 2 Ω headphone output impedance is less than 1/35 of the load. ^{[8] [3] [4]}

beyerdynamic T1

Campfire Audio Cascade

ZMF Verite Closed · Headphones: closed-back, dynamic (vapor-deposited beryllium), circumaural

Impedance: 300 Ω
Sensitivity: ~99 dB/mW (approx., “~” as published)
Frequency response: not published
Plugs / cables supplied: not published (ZMF lists no connector type)

^[9]

Burson

Burson Playmate 2 · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp · discontinued

Output power (headphone): 16 Ω 3.5 W · 32 Ω 2.5 W · 100 Ω 0.6 W · 150 Ω 0.4 W · 300 Ω 0.15 W
Output impedance: <2 Ω (headphone); 15 Ω (pre out)
Output voltage: RCA not published
Gain: High / Low; dB not published
Inputs: USB (XMOS; PCM to 768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); Toslink
Input impedance: 38 kΩ
Outputs: RCA pre out; headphone jack (SE)
DAC / chipset: ESS SABRE32 ES9038Q2M
Other: Model P171; SE only; THD <0.002%; FR ±1 dB 0-35 kHz; DAC THD+N 0.0018%

^{[3] [4]}

Also in the system

Sonore Optical Renu

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.