in Belarus, we have the most affordable acoustics is Dali. Of the amplifiers, only cambredges are an adequate price. in general, all attendants are 30 percent more expensive than British prices. I also know that jbl acoustics in china are 50% cheaper than in the UK. And in Chaina you can buy chipest amplifaers xinndak, or global brend kinki studio
Excellent review! I had a friend bring over the Timekeeper for a listen, and it had a feature that allowed one to mix in a sub while listening to headphones. Quite fun to try out!
In the USA, brands like Schiit, Emotiva, Magnepan, and Canadian Brands like NAD, Bluesound, and Paradigm seem to offer good value propositions. You pay a premium for UK gear in the US. Thanks for another great review Tarun! You are the best on YT.
RE perceived value question. SS Mono Blocks 1. Atmasphere $5.5k gan fet mono blocks 2. Orchard Audio GanFet Monos $3.5k. Tube 1. Decware 300B monoblocks $4.6 upgraded. Wish I knew more about the Euro brands. Seems to me $4- $5k will buy great sound in amps. Keep up the good work!
I already had a Burson Soloist 3XP unit, which cost about $1,200+ U.S. dollars. Based on reviews, I purchased a pair of Timekeeper 3X GT mono blocks that came with a 10% discount and a free 'mothership' stand. Total cost for my new additions was about $3,800.00 US dollars, including shipping to New Zealand. I'm happy with the deal I got, and look forward to a new listening experience.
Thank you for this review Tarun, as someone who listens to a lot of acoustic music a got a lot out of it. About value, I almost pulled the trigger on a Composer 3XP about half a year ago, but decided it was simply too expensive for what I would get for the roughly 1500€/15 000 SEK here in Sweden (incl import tax). I was going to use it as a DAC only, and at that price it was too close to the Qutest and also the Pontus II. And actually more expensive than the Musician Pegasus which I am currently eyeing to partner with my Node and Denon pma 1700ne. I don't care much about the price if it's something I can afford, but if I don't get my money's worth I find it a little provoking. As if they're trying to rip me off. ~1500€ for an ESS Sabre DAC sold directly by the company, in today's market, is... asking a lot. In my opinion.
In New Zealand the Accuphase range is comparatively cheaper than England US and Canada and is really reliable, matching well with most other equipment as it is generally neutral or slightly warm
In NZ, British made speakers have some unusual pricing and value. Wharfedale Denton 80’s are around $ 1300nz whereas the little Spendor Classic 4/5 is $4500! And proac tablette10 signature about $3700. The latest Falcon LS3/5a is $8500! The pricing seems to not correlate with the extra performance of an upgrade from my very good little Dentons.
I think Burson is on to something. I would love to see an amp with op amps that can be rolled just like tube amps. I hope either Burson or other amp manufacturers explore the possibilities. A high end amp with the ability to readily change the sound signature with click-in and click-out op amps. You purchase a $10,000 mono block amp and for a few hundred dollars you can change the sound of the stereo system. The system never gets old. Newer and better designed op amps can replace old models.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Brilliant - It looks like they have five opamps. I wish they would make it easier to switch the opamps, but it is a beginning. In the age of chips, it is important to keep audio equipment relevant and up to date
Love your review - very clear and covering the questions I had. Value in the international market is difficult to assess cross continents at the best of times. With the £,$ & Euro in crisis - with the rest. I will be sticking for the moment with my Leema power amp, ably supporting a Chord Dave. Greetings to you and yours.
Thank you Tarun. A brit living in New Zealand. Prices - crumbs. I like to visit a product's native country website for a price comparison - more crumbs. The price you pay for living in a far away, beautiful country with a small population. I will say, in the 15 years I have been here, the service has been superb.
Excellent review Tarun! I was quite curious about their mono blocks as I’ve only been familiar with their headphone amps and DAC’s. I have also used a number of their op amps in different products and I’m of the opinion they are capable of making some very high quality gear.Thank you for your excellent analysis. Im afraid that sound stage depth and width are to important to me for them to be the right solution in my case. Their cost as well, is a bit rich as there are so many options in that price range of equal or better performance here in the US.
Thank you, Tarun, for another entertaining and interesting review. I always look forward to them. A very interesting product, but the price, and I value soundstage depth very highly. As for value, 'tis a very slippery topic. One of the reasons I bought the pre and power combo I own is that they're made in my part of the States. Not jingoism, putting money back into my area's economy. Plus, they sound great to my ears in my room. Cheers.
Excellent! Loved the analysis. I’m moving, getting settled soon. With changes. Horns and tubes are coming 😊. Didn’t know much about the technology on those Australian amps, great intro
Try the Conductor 3 Reference as a Pre, Dac and Headphone-Amp. Worth the money in every role alone. In combination of two a bargain! I swaped 2 of 4 Vivid Op-Amps with Staccato-Op-Amps zu get a touch more colour and top end clarity in change of a bit of the plenty left dynamics. The external Supercarger dials in a notch more of all. My endgame Pre-dac. The guys of burson are honest to the ground sound engineers, looking for radical solutios for best results. And their products show. They are sleepers.
I also would say for this review the Soloist 3GT is a world class HP amp. I know this channel is primarily 2 channel focused but for anybody with a Susvara / 1266 phi TC / HE6 / Utopia / LCD4 or 5 ... then you will not find a much better hp amp than this. There are a few but this also helps enhance the value prop.
@@mikedergalev “enough” is highly subjective but for the flagship headphones the Burson products are down a few rungs in the ladder now. The conductor 3Xr so fine and will be sufficient to drive all but Sus. With the Holo bliss/Zahl and a few others coming out the 3GT is down minor leagues now. Resale prices now reflect this. Tis the way of the audio world unfortunately.
They build their own op amps and then fill the product with what looks like smps, I thought it might sound like you described. A nice thing to own, all the same.
As always Tarun a great review of a good Aussie product Bias aside.😁 As for generally speaking things are usually quite expensive here in Australia. I think the place to be is generally America for the bang for your buck steaks. But in saying that Europe is also where a lot of high-quality audio equipment is made. So therefore being in that general area would probably be advantageous as far as price goes.
Great review, really like your approach. Just a question; did you try the Soloist 3X GT with your Exposure monoblocks? I often find the preamp sets a larger sonic fingerprint than the poweramps. Thanks
Another excellent review Tarun,and I appreciate your calm, balanced and informative reviews.I am a headfier (running balanced cans ZMF VC, HD800s LCD-3), have the Soloist 3X GTand The unit has a very black background, has wonderful instrument separation, and imaging, and is incredibly detailed. I'm looking for an R2R DAC to match this unit. Pontus II, Pegasus or something else? Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.
I have the LCD-5, Utopia 2022, Drop HD8XX, Clear MG & LCD-X. I also have the Soloist 3X GT and I was looking for a R2R DAC as well.. I was looking into the Holo Spring 3 DAC but I settled to try the new Gustard R26. I've heard great things about it.. if that doesn't pan out, I will go for the Holo Spring 3 DAC
OneEyedHito on headfi is selling his Holo Spring 3 KTE dac right now for < $3k with the pre amp module. He also has a great deal on a utopia and a few DDCs (singxer). Maybe check out his posting if you're still looking.
Being from Australia, all i can say is that we are screwed for price by the rest of the world, so good to get one back on the poms and the yanks..! lol But in all seriousness, when it comes to buying over seas products we basically have to double the price to get an idea of what it will cost here.. 😟 Example : I just bought a Rel T/7x in black (same as the one you reviewed) in the UK its £999, in the US it's $1,099..... In Aust it's $1,999... Hmmm Not to mention the T/5x being $1,399.....! 😧 P.S great channel, keep up the great work.... Oh, by the way the bryson package is now A$5,850.00 (The Soloist GT / Timekeeper GT Combo Offer), sorry couldn't help myself.. 🙄
Very interesting observations, Tarun and, as always, a very well narrated review! I'm very familiar with Burson DAC-amps and one of the signature elements in their line-up is expansive sound stage, so I was surprised with your conclusions. I can't help but wonder whether Burson would have a satisfactory explanation and resolution for this unusually different performance with these models!
Other reviewers have observed just the opposite: very expensive soundstage in both width and depth. So, not sure what was going on with Tarun’s setup. His perspective is quite an anomaly among reviews. I’ll be purchasing a set soon so I’ll find out. Can’t wait! 🎼💓🎼
Hey Tarun. little late to this party :) how would you compare the monoblocks with the burson timekeeper 3ir on near field setup? if these are run at class A. is there going to be a huge jump at low volumes? i guess you have to relay on your memory since both reviews were done quite some time ago . appreciate it.
@@urbenkam the monblocks get a bit warm but are suitable for a nearfield setup if well ventilated. They are appreciably better than the integrated but not a huge step up 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you. I have ordered now :$ considering the v7 opamp, silent power sp2 module and fusion core might bring up little huge margin 🤪
I currently own the Burson Timekeeper 3i and am wanting to upgrade to separates. For the amp I have narrowed down the choices to the Timekeeper 3x gt and the benchmark AHB2. My concern is that the AHB2 has better SINAD and SNR measurements, would you say that the Timekeeper 3x gt is just as resolving when it comes to detail retrieval when compared to the benchmark AHB2?
Thanks for a good review. Most the amps you review are neutral or cold. I'm looking for something more warm and lush under 5k USD. Any thoughts? It's for totem signature ones.
@@philpepp Yep. I own both older Mu-Fi and Bryston. They're warm and muscular sounding with good depth. And they drive LS50s & Magnepan LRS. What's not to like??
Those are some weird findings. Usually Burson products provide a large soundstage width/depth, and other reviews of the Timekeeper 3X GT mention that. So it's interesting that in your testing you heard the exact opposite. Really curious to know why that happened, and if that might have to do with the match with the Soloist preamp (which in theory, shouldn't be the case)
@@abritishaudiophile7314 yeah, thank you nonetheless. I have these on my shortlist and if the soundstage is indeed narrow, that would be a problem. I will try to get a hold of these monoblocks to test to see id this is also the case on my setup.
Thanks for the review Tarun. These seem to be aiming at headphone listeners ? Black backgrounds, limited width & depth? Leaves the sound in your head, no? Dry sounding? Nope. No 4ohm rating means no LRS, so I'm out. Active cooling seems silly. Why not have the transistor heatsinks attached to the casework?? On the other hand, the discreet op-amps are interesting. Maybe the sound would 'improve" or be more to your liking if you tried a different set? Keep us posted? Thanks 🎵🎶🤔🎶🎵
I know this may be an odd question.. But I just picked up a pair of Magnepan 1.7i's and am looking for amplification. I'm considering a new Hegel H190 integrated (3,200 usd) and am looking at the burson timekeeper monos + soloist 3GT pre/hp amp (5,200 usd) both on promo. you were relatively positive on both models in your reviews. But do you think for the price and performance does the burson offer compelling improvements over the Hegel integrated?
@aceofspades6667 Burson Black Friday doing it for USD $4900. I'm in a similar conundrum. Deciding between AHB2 monoblocks (for used prices) vs Burson GT Stack, which moreorless come out to be the same.
Hi Tarun. I was wondering if you can help me with an issue. I bought a CD transport (Audiolab 6000 CDT) six months ago. For some time now, there have been sound dropouts that occur when listening to my CDs. For example, when listening to a song, the sound would cut out for a fraction of a second before immediately resuming. The same phenomenon repeated itself 10, 20 or 30 seconds later. According to your knowledge, what could cause this kind of problem? Thank you for your collaboration.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 I think I found the source of the problem. It seems I have some altered CDs, because the sound dropouts occur with some of my CDs. Thank you for your answer. I appreciate. By the way, can you make in the near future a review on the Linn Majik amplifier (56 watts)? I would appreciate, if it is possible.
Thanks for your review, always enlightening. Im sure many wont agree, but especially when the cost is considered, Im not seeing any value here and to me these units look like they were knocked up in someones shed, not high class kit costing 1000s... I like the screw heads to be covered on my plastic light switches, never mind on a bit of kit costing this much money. The only reason to leave them exposed is if you need access to remove these connections or if you think looking at screw heads is aesthetically pleasing. When your kit looks as awful as this stuff does, you need to blow it out of the park in terms of value and SQ to be a consideration and it certainly sounds like that's not the case here. Id also have major concerns about having fans in my amps. I've built many a pc, some using those exact fans, and in my experience they get noisier with age and make a right racket once the bearing starts wearing. Its annoying enough dealing with them in my computers, I definitely dont want them in my hifi. I have no regretts buying my recent Naim NAP 250DR, it at least looks the part, and I suspect to my ears at least, will sound better (I DO get a soundstage) 😀
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Yes my friend, viva la difference! BUT, if it was the pinnicle of performance, im sure I could learn to live with it. Im not enamoured of chords stupid colour ball controls either, but Id be all over their top dacs if I had the entry fee, as I feel they offer something other manufacturers don't. Ultimately I'd still install an amp that was shaped like plastic dog turd if it sounded extraordinary - though I might not display it very prominently! Have a great Sunday and ill look foward to your next piece!
I keep nagging your friend and mine, Randy, The Cheap Audio Man, to have a listen to a pair of ProAc Tablette 10's. They are available, but not easy to source in the USA. Transport, taxes and national sonic tastes may mean that what is affordable and listenable in your home town, may be expensive and exotic around the world. If I could lend him mine, I would!
Burson are doing a 15% off all products promo xmas2022. I have the timekeeper and matched with the Bartók is a good but expensive match. The Soloist is on order
been watching all your reviews tarun with alot of interest going into alot of of the equipment was peticular interest ed in the arcam sa10 amplifier i still have a arcam 8000c pre amp and a 8000p amp still going strong paired with my castle harlech speakers
EXCELLENT REVIEW,TARUN…FOR THOSE WHO BUDGET ALLOWS,OR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DESCRIBED AND COULD SAVE UP FOR THE LIFETIME OF ENJOYING THEM…VERY WELL BUILT AND ATTRACTIVE 🤩🤩 IMHHO 🤗💚💚💚
Confusing that the guy at Sound News gave them a super duper review and preferred them over those Benchmarks making the rounds at 6k dollars . He especially raved about the bass but positive throughout the range.
An unusual setup, I was rather disappointed in the preamp's extremly limited input selection with no digital. I was also troubled by the amount of surface mount electro's, these don't have that longer life in my book. What really sealed it for me (apart from the price) was all the stupid plug-pack supplies it uses - no thanks.
Good value in the Netherlands is about the same as UK i'd guess. The used market has the best value. The richer your country is the more value the used market has. The world isn't fair.
So many comments that say this is a great review, but personally I was disappointed. You did not disclose how you connected the preamps, being it XLR or RCA. These amps sound much better with a balanced connection, it seems you were connecting by RCA hence your impression of a flat Soundstage. Furthermore you did not indicate if you listened to this with their Vivid OP amps or the Classic OP amps, another important detail on how you perceive their tonality.
Can i say that having metal instead of plastic controls makes it sound ten times better. Im not interested in what the volume control is made of, im only interested in the sound quality.
Those discreet op-amps do not have an electronically quiet lower noise floor than standard op-amps. They have a more electronic components including a longer signal path, and not electronic components in an electronic gain path of straight line wire signal path approach either, like standard op-amps do. There is no way on earth they are sonically quieter electronically than standard op-amps , it is electronically impossible. What you will get is a longer signal path with more harmonic distortions with having a longer signal path, and not the short signal path straight wire approach like a standard oo-amp. They are not an electrically quieter shorter signal path with lower electronic noise. These discreet op-amps are just another blurb gimmick, to make the uninformed thing that they are getting a better audio performance quality with so called lower noise and supposed better audio performance quality, when in fact they do nothing like those supposed claims. They certainly do not have the neutrality with low noise approach of a standard op-amp of short wire gain approach. What you do get is more harmonic distortions with a live-lier imposed inhanced presentation, not more detail, not as neutral, not as coherent as the standard op-amp.
Care to share measurements to backup your rather audacious claims? You speculate quite a bit using questionable logic. I am just curious if you have done your due diligence. I'm sure you have, right? Let's see your measurements!
@@abritishaudiophile7314 BTW, I am not trying to be critical. I have never heard any of their electronics. I am just curious. Thanks for the response! I do enjoy your reviews.
@@Openeyesopenheart42 true - they look like easy to open up. - I mention it because my room has more dust than average with a bed and DIY working place in it. my old audio components had ventilation slits (no fans) and even these filled up over time - keeping my PC clean is enough work for my taste. my new audio components are all fully enclosed now - Kinki Studio's perforated cooling blocks are awesome for me.
@@alphaniner3770 I really like the look of the kinky gear, reviews have been great too ( I haven’t heard yet)nice choice 👍. I know what you mean about dusty environments, the accumulation over time can cause havoc with pc’s , audio gear and the like. Happy listening
@@Openeyesopenheart42 Burson and Kinki are actually quite similar in the way their products are designed - nicely crafted and a modular well thought out setup. I know that the Kinki (M7 - with a passive pre-amp) sounds great, but this Burson stack must sound great too.
Great review, I do find this brand overpriced. They bring some specific techniques to the table but without great overall results. Most reviews are good but not excellent, for the moment I steer away from this brand. Oh and the red volume knob 🙈 who likes this? Kids?
Great Review. I don't know what better more reasonable value is, so, I'll say that in the USA once upon a time Capitalism Promised BETTER and BETTER for less. .... Who ever invented that slogan should be flogged. In fact, it appears to me that US Audio (at least) became 3 kinds of CLASS and not 3 kinds of PURCHASE since the assumption of purchase is that anyone could with minor effect on their incomes buy what a Rich man could. Instead, by appearance to me & more than what I really know; it seems if you aren't a member of this Class you get a 'D-Amp' and if you are 'of' the best Class you get an 'A-Amp'. ........ Do you know what I"m talking about? I know I tend to see things Globally and pull from many sources that my assumption presumes you can follow..., but I don't know. So if you didn't understand ask me, please! - m. :)
@@abritishaudiophile7314 as in Economic Class - poor - middle - upper class at many of our chain stores they now send only some items based on the Economic/EthnicMinorities and Walmart's and other national stores use those censuses to dress them in a Class A or 'B' or 'C' product line for economic or/and ethnically populated regions. Basically that means the stores control the purchase by giving fewer choices and forcing crap to be sold for high price and replaced over and over again. .... a lease a rent or TRIBUTE... to wealthy entitled class. .... the promise of our duty to country was our belief that no-one was going to go hungry and that being Homeless was truely a HOBO's choice and not bad people verses good people - win or die rules. The commodities of audio no-one is left behind, but remember in a couple years or so You'll need another CD Player - or - if your lucky an Amp if you can afford a $5000 pounds per mono block for a life time product paid up front for a Better Class Amp for an 'A Class' upper-class income.
Last try - "In the USA every town has a WAL-MART, but not every WAL-MART are the same." Why? - what drives those difference could be important to some more than others - & - depending on how those power / information is used might motivate some more negatively than others.
This is unbelievably overpriced for what it is...15 dollar noctua fan and some op amps really?? Priced more than a Luxman L505uXII, Yamaha A-S2200, etc?! These guys at Burson don't fool anyone.
@@user-tk7kz1fl2r if you are going to have a crack mate.. at least make it legible. I never said I could make something better, but OP made some ridiculous statements that show his knowledge is based in HIFI magazines and not in audio engineering.
@@Openeyesopenheart42 I would suggest using pc fans designed for the life of a computer in a monoblock amp that should last a lifetime is a very telling choice and one which would give many pause for concern. I've replaced such fans after just 2 years when the bearing starts to wear and they start to wobble, although most should last longer. Theres a reason other audio engineers would not do this...... and its not suprising when you are asking this much money for equipment, that people will question unusual choices and reach their own conclussions. Suggesting you need to be an audio engineer with a competing product in order to make your own subjective assessment is not helpful, and I suspect only posted as you didn't want to hear a very critical impression.
@@titntin5178 considering how dirty these things get it doesn’t make sense to invest resources into something that’s going to have to be removed for cleaning every couple of years. Sure they could spend a fortune inventing some sort of fan that could last years longer but why bother? Better to spend it on improving core components.
![เปิดบ้าน โคตรสวย ป๋องกพล รู้จักตั้งนาน เพิ่งรู้ว่ารวย!!! l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tmgCF_2HfYI/mqdefault.jpg)
in Belarus, we have the most affordable acoustics is Dali. Of the amplifiers, only cambredges are an adequate price. in general, all attendants are 30 percent more expensive than British prices. I also know that jbl acoustics in china are 50% cheaper than in the UK. And in Chaina you can buy chipest amplifaers xinndak, or global brend kinki studio
Thank you 😊
Excellent review! I had a friend bring over the Timekeeper for a listen, and it had a feature that allowed one to mix in a sub while listening to headphones. Quite fun to try out!
Thank you buddy. Cool 😎👍
In the USA, brands like Schiit, Emotiva, Magnepan, and Canadian Brands like NAD, Bluesound, and Paradigm seem to offer good value propositions. You pay a premium for UK gear in the US. Thanks for another great review Tarun! You are the best on YT.
I think NAD is British
@@wladers39 NAD is headquartered in Toronto.
@@bryanherr1093 Well, you are right. Just checked it
Thank you Bryan. That is very kind 😊👍
Tarun you are the truth keeper, well done again!
Thank you James. Much appreciated 😊👍
RE perceived value question. SS Mono Blocks 1. Atmasphere $5.5k gan fet mono blocks 2. Orchard Audio GanFet Monos $3.5k. Tube 1. Decware 300B monoblocks $4.6 upgraded. Wish I knew more about the Euro brands. Seems to me $4- $5k will buy great sound in amps.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you. Much appreciated 👍
Really enjoyed your review. Found your comments at 10:10 about Timekeeper Monoblocks w/o Soloist 3X GT very instructive! Subbed.
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
I already had a Burson Soloist 3XP unit, which cost about $1,200+ U.S. dollars. Based on reviews, I purchased a pair of Timekeeper 3X GT mono blocks that came with a 10% discount and a free 'mothership' stand. Total cost for my new additions was about $3,800.00 US dollars, including shipping to New Zealand. I'm happy with the deal I got, and look forward to a new listening experience.
That is a good deal 😊
got them yet?
@@MrBoomtheroom They're still in the box. I'll let you know when I've set them up.
Hi. Any feedback is appreciated Mr boom. I am wondering if these will be a fit for me after seeing soundnews and a few things there glowing reviews.
@@tombesson7293 any feedback?
Thank you for this review Tarun, as someone who listens to a lot of acoustic music a got a lot out of it. About value, I almost pulled the trigger on a Composer 3XP about half a year ago, but decided it was simply too expensive for what I would get for the roughly 1500€/15 000 SEK here in Sweden (incl import tax). I was going to use it as a DAC only, and at that price it was too close to the Qutest and also the Pontus II. And actually more expensive than the Musician Pegasus which I am currently eyeing to partner with my Node and Denon pma 1700ne. I don't care much about the price if it's something I can afford, but if I don't get my money's worth I find it a little provoking. As if they're trying to rip me off. ~1500€ for an ESS Sabre DAC sold directly by the company, in today's market, is... asking a lot. In my opinion.
Thank you for sharing Filip 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You're welcome :)
The Exposures live to fight another day! 😹 interesting product from Oz, hope you`re well Tarun x
Thank you JD 🙂
In New Zealand the Accuphase range is comparatively cheaper than England US and Canada and is really reliable, matching well with most other equipment as it is generally neutral or slightly warm
I hope to review an Accuphase amp soon 😊
In NZ, British made speakers have some unusual pricing and value. Wharfedale Denton 80’s are around $ 1300nz whereas the little Spendor Classic 4/5 is $4500! And proac tablette10 signature about $3700. The latest Falcon LS3/5a is $8500! The pricing seems to not correlate with the extra performance of an upgrade from my very good little Dentons.
Thank you for sharing 😊
I think Burson is on to something. I would love to see an amp with op amps that can be rolled just like tube amps. I hope either Burson or other amp manufacturers explore the possibilities. A high end amp with the ability to readily change the sound signature with click-in and click-out op amps. You purchase a $10,000 mono block amp and for a few hundred dollars you can change the sound of the stereo system. The system never gets old. Newer and better designed op amps can replace old models.
Thank you Paul. That is exactly what you can do with many Burson products 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Brilliant - It looks like they have five opamps. I wish they would make it easier to switch the opamps, but it is a beginning. In the age of chips, it is important to keep audio equipment relevant and up to date
You can roll op amps. I know of several cases where Burson owners rolled in some Sparkos labs op amps with favorable results.
Love your review - very clear and covering the questions I had. Value in the international market is difficult to assess cross continents at the best of times. With the £,$ & Euro in crisis - with the rest. I will be sticking for the moment with my Leema power amp, ably supporting a Chord Dave. Greetings to you and yours.
Thank you Anthony 👍
Thank you Tarun. A brit living in New Zealand. Prices - crumbs. I like to visit a product's native country website for a price comparison - more crumbs. The price you pay for living in a far away, beautiful country with a small population. I will say, in the 15 years I have been here, the service has been superb.
Thank you Stephen 😊
Excellent review Tarun! I was quite curious about their mono blocks as I’ve only been familiar with their headphone amps and DAC’s. I have also used a number of their op amps in different products and I’m of the opinion they are capable of making some very high quality gear.Thank you for your excellent analysis. Im afraid that sound stage depth and width are to important to me for them to be the right solution in my case. Their cost as well, is a bit rich as there are so many options in that price range of equal or better performance here in the US.
Thank you buddy. They are better value in the US than in the U.K.. I agree, plenty of good US gear to consider too 😊
Hi Esten, do you have locally built stuff too? How abiyr Russian stuff?
@@bigblueocean yes a small amount of locally built gear. I haven’t seen any Russian built but have seen quite a bit of Eastern European gear.
Thanks Tarun, excellent video as usual with lots of insight information
Thank you Atri 🙂
Excellent review.
Thank you buddy 😊👍
Thank you, Tarun, for another entertaining and interesting review. I always look forward to them.
A very interesting product, but the price, and I value soundstage depth very highly.
As for value, 'tis a very slippery topic. One of the reasons I bought the pre and power combo I own is that they're made in my part of the States. Not jingoism, putting money back into my area's economy. Plus, they sound great to my ears in my room. Cheers.
Thank you my friend. Always great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
Excellent! Loved the analysis. I’m moving, getting settled soon. With changes. Horns and tubes are coming 😊. Didn’t know much about the technology on those Australian amps, great intro
Thank you Felipe 🙂 👍
Try the Conductor 3 Reference as a Pre, Dac and Headphone-Amp. Worth the money in every role alone. In combination of two a bargain! I swaped 2 of 4 Vivid Op-Amps with Staccato-Op-Amps zu get a touch more colour and top end clarity in change of a bit of the plenty left dynamics. The external Supercarger dials in a notch more of all. My endgame Pre-dac.
The guys of burson are honest to the ground sound engineers, looking for radical solutios for best results. And their products show. They are sleepers.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
Great review. Thorough and illuminating.
Thank you Jim 😊👍
Another informative review Tarun.
Thank you buddy 👍
If it's dehydrated does it need some dampening? Notice so said dampening and not damping.
I was looking for a word to say “less than dry” 😂
I also would say for this review the Soloist 3GT is a world class HP amp. I know this channel is primarily 2 channel focused but for anybody with a Susvara / 1266 phi TC / HE6 / Utopia / LCD4 or 5 ... then you will not find a much better hp amp than this. There are a few but this also helps enhance the value prop.
Agreed. I have the LCD-5 and the new Utopia 2022 to go with the Soloist 3X GT and I am thoroughly enjoying both headphones with the amp!
Thank you for sharing 😊
I hope Conductor 3XR will be enough for those kind of cans🙏
@@mikedergalev “enough” is highly subjective but for the flagship headphones the Burson products are down a few rungs in the ladder now. The conductor 3Xr so fine and will be sufficient to drive all but Sus. With the Holo bliss/Zahl and a few others coming out the 3GT is down minor leagues now. Resale prices now reflect this. Tis the way of the audio world unfortunately.
@@aceofspades6667 7,5 watts is not enough for susvara?
They build their own op amps and then fill the product with what looks like smps, I thought it might sound like you described. A nice thing to own, all the same.
Thank you for sharing John 😊
Another interesting review
Thank you 👍
As always Tarun a great review of a good Aussie product
Bias aside.😁 As for generally speaking things are usually quite expensive here in Australia. I think the place to be is generally America for the bang for your buck steaks. But in saying that Europe is also where a lot of high-quality audio equipment is made. So therefore being in that general area would probably be advantageous as far as price goes.
Thank you Shane. Always great to have your perspective 👍
Great review, really like your approach. Just a question; did you try the Soloist 3X GT with your Exposure monoblocks? I often find the preamp sets a larger sonic fingerprint than the poweramps.
Thanks
Thank you. I didn’t get around to doing that but my Exposure 21 Preamp wasn’t a good fit for the Burson monoblocks 😊
Hmmmm…wonder what those mono blocks might sound like with a tube preamp? Thanks for another "frank" review!
Thank you Bob 😊
As ever, an excellent revue. Can I ask about the fan cooling though - where does it vent?
Thank you. It is top venting 🙂
Another excellent review Tarun,and I appreciate your calm, balanced and informative reviews.I am a headfier (running balanced cans ZMF VC, HD800s LCD-3), have the Soloist 3X GTand The unit has a very black background, has wonderful instrument separation, and imaging, and is incredibly detailed.
I'm looking for an R2R DAC to match this unit. Pontus II, Pegasus or something else? Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you John. Very much appreciated. I haven’t tried the Pegasus but the Pontus II was a very good match 😊👍
I have the LCD-5, Utopia 2022, Drop HD8XX, Clear MG & LCD-X. I also have the Soloist 3X GT and I was looking for a R2R DAC as well.. I was looking into the Holo Spring 3 DAC but I settled to try the new Gustard R26. I've heard great things about it.. if that doesn't pan out, I will go for the Holo Spring 3 DAC
OneEyedHito on headfi is selling his Holo Spring 3 KTE dac right now for < $3k with the pre amp module. He also has a great deal on a utopia and a few DDCs (singxer). Maybe check out his posting if you're still looking.
Being from Australia, all i can say is that we are screwed for price by the rest of the world, so good to get one back on the poms and the yanks..! lol
But in all seriousness, when it comes to buying over seas products we basically have to double the price to get an idea of what it will cost here.. 😟
Example : I just bought a Rel T/7x in black (same as the one you reviewed) in the UK its £999, in the US it's $1,099..... In Aust it's $1,999... Hmmm
Not to mention the T/5x being $1,399.....! 😧
P.S great channel, keep up the great work.... Oh, by the way the bryson package is now A$5,850.00 (The Soloist GT / Timekeeper GT Combo Offer), sorry couldn't help myself.. 🙄
Thank you Goran. It is a shame that import as so pricey in Aus but at least there is some good domestic gear 😊👍
Very interesting observations, Tarun and, as always, a very well narrated review! I'm very familiar with Burson DAC-amps and one of the signature elements in their line-up is expansive sound stage, so I was surprised with your conclusions. I can't help but wonder whether Burson would have a satisfactory explanation and resolution for this unusually different performance with these models!
Interesting. I can only speak as I find 🙂
Other reviewers have observed just the opposite: very expensive soundstage in both width and depth. So, not sure what was going on with Tarun’s setup. His perspective is quite an anomaly among reviews. I’ll be purchasing a set soon so I’ll find out. Can’t wait! 🎼💓🎼
Hey Tarun. little late to this party :) how would you compare the monoblocks with the burson timekeeper 3ir on near field setup? if these are run at class A. is there going to be a huge jump at low volumes? i guess you have to relay on your memory since both reviews were done quite some time ago . appreciate it.
@@urbenkam the monblocks get a bit warm but are suitable for a nearfield setup if well ventilated. They are appreciably better than the integrated but not a huge step up 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you. I have ordered now :$ considering the v7 opamp, silent power sp2 module and fusion core might bring up little huge margin 🤪
Btw you should visit Australia.
I currently own the Burson Timekeeper 3i and am wanting to upgrade to separates. For the amp I have narrowed down the choices to the Timekeeper 3x gt and the benchmark AHB2. My concern is that the AHB2 has better SINAD and SNR measurements, would you say that the Timekeeper 3x gt is just as resolving when it comes to detail retrieval when compared to the benchmark AHB2?
I would need to get the AHB2s home to find out 😊
Thanks for a good review. Most the amps you review are neutral or cold. I'm looking for something more warm and lush under 5k USD. Any thoughts? It's for totem signature ones.
Have you tried Musical Fidelity?
Sugden
@@philpepp
Yep.
I own both older Mu-Fi and Bryston. They're warm and muscular sounding with good depth.
And they drive LS50s & Magnepan LRS.
What's not to like??
Thank you Jason. I agree, consider Musical Fidelity and Sugden 😊
Those are some weird findings. Usually Burson products provide a large soundstage width/depth, and other reviews of the Timekeeper 3X GT mention that. So it's interesting that in your testing you heard the exact opposite. Really curious to know why that happened, and if that might have to do with the match with the Soloist preamp (which in theory, shouldn't be the case)
I can only report what I find 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 yeah, thank you nonetheless. I have these on my shortlist and if the soundstage is indeed narrow, that would be a problem. I will try to get a hold of these monoblocks to test to see id this is also the case on my setup.
Ditto. My questions exactly.
tremendous .. T’
It’s the way he tells em’
❤
Thank you William. Much appreciated 😊👍
I wonder what’s going on with the soundstage at your place, everyone else says that it’s super wide and deep 🤔
Thanks!
Most welcome 😊
Thanks for the review Tarun.
These seem to be aiming at headphone listeners ?
Black backgrounds, limited width & depth?
Leaves the sound in your head, no?
Dry sounding? Nope.
No 4ohm rating means no LRS, so I'm out.
Active cooling seems silly. Why not have the transistor heatsinks attached to the casework??
On the other hand, the discreet op-amps are interesting. Maybe the sound would 'improve" or be more to your liking if you tried a different set?
Keep us posted?
Thanks
🎵🎶🤔🎶🎵
Thank you buddy. Interesting observations. They do have a 4 ohm rating by the way 😊
Excellent
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for review, what was the soloist GT like as a preamp with different amps?
I didn't really have time to explore that 🙂
I know this may be an odd question.. But I just picked up a pair of Magnepan 1.7i's and am looking for amplification. I'm considering a new Hegel H190 integrated (3,200 usd) and am looking at the burson timekeeper monos + soloist 3GT pre/hp amp (5,200 usd) both on promo. you were relatively positive on both models in your reviews. But do you think for the price and performance does the burson offer compelling improvements over the Hegel integrated?
The Burson TK 3GT monos + Soloist GT combo is a step up in performance over the Hegel H190. The U.K. price is the issue 😊
@aceofspades6667 Burson Black Friday doing it for USD $4900. I'm in a similar conundrum. Deciding between AHB2 monoblocks (for used prices) vs Burson GT Stack, which moreorless come out to be the same.
@@hemispherecompensation I ended up getting an Anthem STR integrated amp. It was too good of a deal that I could not pass up.
Hi Tarun. I was wondering if you can help me with an issue. I bought a CD transport (Audiolab 6000 CDT) six months ago. For some time now, there have been sound dropouts that occur when listening to my CDs. For example, when listening to a song, the sound would cut out for a fraction of a second before immediately resuming. The same phenomenon repeated itself 10, 20 or 30 seconds later. According to your knowledge, what could cause this kind of problem? Thank you for your collaboration.
It could be a software or hardware fault with the unit. Just check cable connections too. Maybe try another cable and see if it continues 🤔
@@abritishaudiophile7314 I think I found the source of the problem. It seems I have some altered CDs, because the sound dropouts occur with some of my CDs. Thank you for your answer. I appreciate. By the way, can you make in the near future a review on the Linn Majik amplifier (56 watts)? I would appreciate, if it is possible.
I've seen that remote somewhere else can't remember what product.
Thanks for your review, always enlightening.
Im sure many wont agree, but especially when the cost is considered, Im not seeing any value here and to me these units look like they were knocked up in someones shed, not high class kit costing 1000s... I like the screw heads to be covered on my plastic light switches, never mind on a bit of kit costing this much money. The only reason to leave them exposed is if you need access to remove these connections or if you think looking at screw heads is aesthetically pleasing. When your kit looks as awful as this stuff does, you need to blow it out of the park in terms of value and SQ to be a consideration and it certainly sounds like that's not the case here. Id also have major concerns about having fans in my amps. I've built many a pc, some using those exact fans, and in my experience they get noisier with age and make a right racket once the bearing starts wearing. Its annoying enough dealing with them in my computers, I definitely dont want them in my hifi.
I have no regretts buying my recent Naim NAP 250DR, it at least looks the part, and I suspect to my ears at least, will sound better (I DO get a soundstage) 😀
Thank you buddy. Interesting observations. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Yes my friend, viva la difference! BUT, if it was the pinnicle of performance, im sure I could learn to live with it. Im not enamoured of chords stupid colour ball controls either, but Id be all over their top dacs if I had the entry fee, as I feel they offer something other manufacturers don't. Ultimately I'd still install an amp that was shaped like plastic dog turd if it sounded extraordinary - though I might not display it very prominently! Have a great Sunday and ill look foward to your next piece!
The amps are currently selling for $3,999 AUD a pair in Australia. Hard to criticise at that price.
@@KeithRichards-y6x true 😊
Can this setup be used as a headohone amp solution?
I keep nagging your friend and mine, Randy, The Cheap Audio Man, to have a listen to a pair of ProAc Tablette 10's. They are available, but not easy to source in the USA. Transport, taxes and national sonic tastes may mean that what is affordable and listenable in your home town, may be expensive and exotic around the world. If I could lend him mine, I would!
I heard them again recently with a Sugden A21SE. Sounded great 😊
I'm sure this is a great amp. My only 1 concern is how long will the cooling fan last, and how much is the replacement.
I guess time will tell but I don’t believe they are that expensive to replace 😊
Hi, I have a B&W 702 S2. Do you think it is good match with Timekeeper 3xGT with Soloist?
I would have to try to know but the 3XGTs work well with a wide variety of speakers 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you!
What does the crossfeed do?
I'm not familiar with this feature.
It mixes some of the left signal into the right channel and visa-versa to creat a soundstage more like speakers for headphone listeners 😊
Burson are doing a 15% off all products promo xmas2022. I have the timekeeper and matched with the Bartók is a good but expensive match. The Soloist is on order
Cool 😎
been watching all your reviews tarun with alot of interest going into alot of of the equipment was peticular interest ed in the arcam sa10 amplifier i still have a arcam 8000c pre amp and a 8000p amp still going strong paired with my castle harlech speakers
Thank you Ian. Much appreciated 🙂👍
Tekton and Magnepan are the American steals….over here the P3ESR XD is $3500. That’s a bit silly.
Thank you Sean 😊
EXCELLENT REVIEW,TARUN…FOR THOSE WHO BUDGET ALLOWS,OR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DESCRIBED AND COULD SAVE UP FOR THE LIFETIME OF ENJOYING THEM…VERY WELL BUILT AND ATTRACTIVE 🤩🤩 IMHHO 🤗💚💚💚
Thank you buddy 😊👍
Confusing that the guy at Sound News gave them a super duper review and preferred them over those Benchmarks making the rounds at 6k dollars . He especially raved about the bass but positive throughout the range.
I can only speak for myself 😊
What's a romantic sounding op-amp? Does it have violins playing in the background?
only on the Titanic!
And we all know how that ended 😂
@@abritishaudiophile7314 it ended with the humidity in the movie theatre going way up.
An unusual setup, I was rather disappointed in the preamp's extremly limited input selection with no digital. I was also troubled by the amount of surface mount electro's, these don't have that longer life in my book.
What really sealed it for me (apart from the price) was all the stupid plug-pack supplies it uses - no thanks.
Thank you for sharing 😊
Good value in the Netherlands is about the same as UK i'd guess. The used market has the best value. The richer your country is the more value the used market has. The world isn't fair.
Thank you for sharing 😊
Impressive, but a heck of a price tag... and I am an Aussie
It is the top of their line product 😊
In Australia, Luxman is comparatively cheap, whereas nearly everything else is comparatively more expensive.
They make some nice amps 🙂
So many comments that say this is a great review, but personally I was disappointed. You did not disclose how you connected the preamps, being it XLR or RCA. These amps sound much better with a balanced connection, it seems you were connecting by RCA hence your impression of a flat Soundstage. Furthermore you did not indicate if you listened to this with their Vivid OP amps or the Classic OP amps, another important detail on how you perceive their tonality.
I used both XLR and RCA connection. With Vivid Op amps.
Can i say that having metal instead of plastic controls makes it sound ten times better.
Im not interested in what the volume control is made of, im only interested in the sound quality.
Understood 😊
The red bits ruin the look. Apart from that seems pretty decent though.
I am not a fan of the red either 🙂
Those discreet op-amps do not have an electronically quiet lower noise floor than standard op-amps. They have a more electronic components including a longer signal path, and not electronic components in an electronic gain path of straight line wire signal path approach either, like standard op-amps do. There is no way on earth they are sonically quieter electronically than standard op-amps , it is electronically impossible. What you will get is a longer signal path with more harmonic distortions with having a longer signal path, and not the short signal path straight wire approach like a standard oo-amp. They are not an electrically quieter shorter signal path with lower electronic noise. These discreet op-amps are just another blurb gimmick, to make the uninformed thing that they are getting a better audio performance quality with so called lower noise and supposed better audio performance quality, when in fact they do nothing like those supposed claims. They certainly do not have the neutrality with low noise approach of a standard op-amp of short wire gain approach. What you do get is more harmonic distortions with a live-lier imposed inhanced presentation, not more detail, not as neutral, not as coherent as the standard op-amp.
Care to share measurements to backup your rather audacious claims? You speculate quite a bit using questionable logic. I am just curious if you have done your due diligence. I'm sure you have, right? Let's see your measurements!
Listening to other reviewers, most of whom rave about soundstage, I wonder if these amps and your preamp may have been a poor match. Who knows?
I used the matching preamp 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 BTW, I am not trying to be critical. I have never heard any of their electronics. I am just curious. Thanks for the response! I do enjoy your reviews.
no matter how good they sound I would be highly concerned about these units sucking in dust better than my vacuum cleaner.
Fair point, though they are designed to be opened up by the owner for changing of op amps , a clean should be quite easy too!
@@Openeyesopenheart42 true - they look like easy to open up. - I mention it because my room has more dust than average with a bed and DIY working place in it. my old audio components had ventilation slits (no fans) and even these filled up over time - keeping my PC clean is enough work for my taste. my new audio components are all fully enclosed now - Kinki Studio's perforated cooling blocks are awesome for me.
@@alphaniner3770 I really like the look of the kinky gear, reviews have been great too ( I haven’t heard yet)nice choice 👍.
I know what you mean about dusty environments, the accumulation over time can cause havoc with pc’s , audio gear and the like.
Happy listening
@@Openeyesopenheart42 Burson and Kinki are actually quite similar in the way their products are designed - nicely crafted and a modular well thought out setup. I know that the Kinki (M7 - with a passive pre-amp) sounds great, but this Burson stack must sound great too.
Great review, I do find this brand overpriced. They bring some specific techniques to the table but without great overall results. Most reviews are good but not excellent, for the moment I steer away from this brand. Oh and the red volume knob 🙈 who likes this? Kids?
Thank you for sharing. The red decals won’t be everyone’s taste 😊
Lack of soundstage depth and width …strike one
Understood 😊
Great Review. I don't know what better more reasonable value is, so, I'll say that in the USA once upon a time Capitalism Promised BETTER and BETTER for less.
.... Who ever invented that slogan should be flogged. In fact, it appears to me that US Audio (at least) became 3 kinds of CLASS and not 3 kinds of PURCHASE since the assumption of purchase is that anyone could with minor effect on their incomes buy what a Rich man could. Instead, by appearance to me & more than what I really know; it seems if you aren't a member of this Class you get a 'D-Amp' and if you are 'of' the best Class you get an 'A-Amp'.
........ Do you know what I"m talking about? I know I tend to see things Globally and pull from many sources that my assumption presumes you can follow..., but I don't know. So if you didn't understand ask me, please! - m. :)
Thank you Marvin. I understood up to “3 kinds of class and not 3 kinds of purchase.” Please feel free to clarify 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 as in Economic Class - poor - middle - upper class
at many of our chain stores they now send only some items based on the Economic/EthnicMinorities and Walmart's and other national stores use those censuses to dress them in a Class A or 'B' or 'C' product line for economic or/and ethnically populated regions. Basically that means the stores control the purchase by giving fewer choices and forcing crap to be sold for high price and replaced over and over again. .... a lease a rent or TRIBUTE... to wealthy entitled class.
.... the promise of our duty to country was our belief that no-one was going to go hungry and that being Homeless was truely a HOBO's choice and not bad people verses good people - win or die rules.
The commodities of audio no-one is left behind, but remember in a couple years or so You'll need another CD Player - or - if your lucky an Amp if you can afford a $5000 pounds per mono block for a life time product paid up front for a Better Class Amp for an 'A Class' upper-class income.
Last try - "In the USA every town has a WAL-MART, but not every WAL-MART are the same." Why? - what drives those difference could be important to some more than others - & - depending on how those power / information is used might motivate some more negatively than others.
This is unbelievably overpriced for what it is...15 dollar noctua fan and some op amps really?? Priced more than a Luxman L505uXII, Yamaha A-S2200, etc?! These guys at Burson don't fool anyone.
You have no idea....
If it’s that simple , I look forward to your efforts.
@@Openeyesopenheart42 You seem to say you have pretty good idea. Where is your effort?
@@user-tk7kz1fl2r if you are going to have a crack mate.. at least make it legible.
I never said I could make something better, but OP made some ridiculous statements that show his knowledge is based in HIFI magazines and not in audio engineering.
@@Openeyesopenheart42 I would suggest using pc fans designed for the life of a computer in a monoblock amp that should last a lifetime is a very telling choice and one which would give many pause for concern. I've replaced such fans after just 2 years when the bearing starts to wear and they start to wobble, although most should last longer. Theres a reason other audio engineers would not do this...... and its not suprising when you are asking this much money for equipment, that people will question unusual choices and reach their own conclussions.
Suggesting you need to be an audio engineer with a competing product in order to make your own subjective assessment is not helpful, and I suspect only posted as you didn't want to hear a very critical impression.
@@titntin5178 considering how dirty these things get it doesn’t make sense to invest resources into something that’s going to have to be removed for cleaning every couple of years. Sure they could spend a fortune inventing some sort of fan that could last years longer but why bother? Better to spend it on improving core components.
They just keep getting out of reach from my pocket...
Some more accessible stuff coming 😉
@@abritishaudiophile7314 not that I'm complaining, just limited by our pockets
@@HungryEatNow understood 😊
They look like cheap aliexpress crap