Kirk’s Burson Playmate 2 with Sennheiser HD 6XX and Audeze LCD-1

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Sales Burson
November 25, 2021

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Feedbacks - Playmate 02 | 03
Audeze LCD-1, Burson Playmate 2, Sennheiser HD 6XX

Excellent as always – very helpful and responsive Q&A. Loving the PM2 (and my old Soloist SL Mk 2)

The System

Listening with

Sennheiser HD 6XX · Headphones: open-back, dynamic, circumaural

Impedance: 300 Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1 V (as published) ≈ 97.8 dB/mW (calc.)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 41 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 3.5 mm stereo jack plug (6.35 mm adapter); 1.8 m cable
Other: THD <0.1% (1 kHz, 1 V)

Matching notes: At 300 Ω and 103 dB/V, the HD 6XX is a high-impedance load that needs voltage more than current: about 2.2 V (17 mW, 7.5 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 10 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]}

Audeze LCD-1 · Headphones: open-circumaural, planar magnetic

Impedance: 16 Ω
Sensitivity: 99 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point) ≈ 117.0 dB/V (calc.)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 50 kHz
Plugs / cables supplied: 2 m 3.5 mm to dual 3.5 mm cable

Matching notes: At 16 Ω and 99 dB/mW, the LCD-1 is a low-impedance load: about 0.45 V (13 mW, 28 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson rates the Playmate 2 at 3.5 W (SE) into 16 Ω, which is about 7.5 V RMS (calc.), roughly 24 dB more than that. The Playmate 2’s under 2 Ω headphone output impedance is less than 1/8 of the load. ^{[5] [3] [4]}

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]}

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.