Burson Playmate V6 Vivid & Classic vs OPA1612
Hi,
In the recent past my Playmate is completed with two V6 Classic opas.
First of all I choose the configuration/position of V6 Classic and Vivid opas, to decide which one is better to my taste. After that I compare the best setup with the sound of OPA1612 in the same position.
I find the fact true, that as you can peel an onion’s layers off, you can get better and better quality with changing the components and get even closer to the reproduction of a live concert.
Using better and better operational amplifiers (OPAs), linear power supplies etc. we can get further in the layers of the onion, and get higher quality of the music.
Just take a look at my perceptions how can I hear the different configurations (LowPass stage, I/V stage)
LP: Classic – I/V: Vivid
Neutral and dim, almost dry tones. Less interesting sounding, whereas very precise, and I like the violin a lot.
LP: Vivid – I/V: Classic
Warmer and fuller tones. The sound of the instruments shows up much stereophonic
LP: OPA1612 – I/V6 Classic
Rambling parts, less defined bass appears, like the musicians play far, behind a curtain. The pale and toneless sound sift from a glass shade. It’s like the voices from a closed place and you wants to set them free to change the boring tones to much more live-like experience.
Interesting that, I did like OPA1612 rather with the Vivid.
It seems to be Burson opa - , the V6 Classic and Vivid set a higher standard
SMPS vs linear power supply
As compared to the linear one, the music become much boring and also slower, and the saxophone crows.
We can hear a weightless, undynamic, slushy sound, slurred parts from a curtain-covered distant stage.
The linear power supply provide a much audiophile quality by far, as a much detailed and tight, live concert experience-like music. The bass, drums, and the bass guitar parts are well separated from each other, although the musicians are at close quarters.
I would like to attract your attention to the fact, that the differences showed up after contrasting the two power supplies Also with the commercial power supply only, Playmate is a worthy of note favorite of mine. To summarize, the presence of the linear power supply serve a better music quality
Summary
With the Burson V6 Vivid and Classic opa-s and a linear power supply, we can manage to get hold of a DAC , a source of a delightful sound as a Burson Playmate!
Thank you for your attention!
Hi,
In the recent past my Playmate is completed with two V6 Classic opas.
First of all I choose the configuration/position of V6 Classic and Vivid opas, to decide which one is better to my taste. After that I compare the best setup with the sound of OPA1612 in the same position.
I find the fact true, that as you can peel an onion’s layers off, you can get better and better quality with changing the components and get even closer to the reproduction of a live concert.
Using better and better operational amplifiers (OPAs), linear power supplies etc. we can get further in the layers of the onion, and get higher quality of the music.
Just take a look at my perceptions how can I hear the different configurations (LowPass stage, I/V stage)
LP: Classic – I/V: Vivid
Neutral and dim, almost dry tones. Less interesting sounding, whereas very precise, and I like the violin a lot.
LP: Vivid – I/V: Classic
Warmer and fuller tones. The sound of the instruments shows up much stereophonic
LP: OPA1612 – I/V6 Classic
Rambling parts, less defined bass appears, like the musicians play far, behind a curtain. The pale and toneless sound sift from a glass shade. It’s like the voices from a closed place and you wants to set them free to change the boring tones to much more live-like experience.
Interesting that, I did like OPA1612 rather with the Vivid.
It seems to be Burson opa - , the V6 Classic and Vivid set a higher standard
SMPS vs linear power supply
As compared to the linear one, the music become much boring and also slower, and the saxophone crows.
We can hear a weightless, undynamic, slushy sound, slurred parts from a curtain-covered distant stage.
The linear power supply provide a much audiophile quality by far, as a much detailed and tight, live concert experience-like music. The bass, drums, and the bass guitar parts are well separated from each other, although the musicians are at close quarters.
I would like to attract your attention to the fact, that the differences showed up after contrasting the two power supplies Also with the commercial power supply only, Playmate is a worthy of note favorite of mine. To summarize, the presence of the linear power supply serve a better music quality
Summary
With the Burson V6 Vivid and Classic opa-s and a linear power supply, we can manage to get hold of a DAC , a source of a delightful sound as a Burson Playmate!
Thank you for your attention!
Attachments
Hi Guys,
If you are interested in OPAmp rolling or have a good project, please pm me. We have a free samples for January (V5i, V6 Classic or Vivid).
Supreme Sound Opamp V5i – Burson Audio
Supreme Sound Opamp V6 – Burson Audio
Best,
If you are interested in OPAmp rolling or have a good project, please pm me. We have a free samples for January (V5i, V6 Classic or Vivid).
Supreme Sound Opamp V5i – Burson Audio
Supreme Sound Opamp V6 – Burson Audio
Best,
Recently, I have been allowed to have some listening time with some of the Burson V6 Vivid op amp modules thanks to Burson Audio. After having the V6 Classic in the same DAC/ headphone amplifier for a couple years now, I can say there are definitely some differences between the two devices.
At a first listen, the initial impression is that there is a slightly tilted up bias in terms of tonality. After some additional time, it’s also interesting to notice how the Vivid will mask some hiss that is present in some recordings, in spite of the slightly enhanced upper midrange. Another attribute of the Vivid devices compared to the Classic is how the sound is delivered in a more staccato manner. The best part about the Vivid in my view, is how vocals and strings really come to life, not that the Classic were deprived, it is just a strong point of that version, at least in my setup.
My combination DAC/headphone amplifier consists of a clone of an Arcam CD73 with an Xmos source, with numerous power supply upgrades, separate supply for the Xmos board (from pc). The amplifier portion is a Weiliang E5 that uses 2sk170 for inputs, mosfet outputs, also with improved power supplies. The setup is on a decent line filter that uses an isolation transformer as well.
Overall I prefer the Vivid when paired with “hi-fi” headphones, that tend to soften or round off the sound compared to studio monitor type headphones. In a perfect world I would like to have a balance between the two, but in engineering there are always trade offs, and both of these are amazingly good, and highly recommended.
At a first listen, the initial impression is that there is a slightly tilted up bias in terms of tonality. After some additional time, it’s also interesting to notice how the Vivid will mask some hiss that is present in some recordings, in spite of the slightly enhanced upper midrange. Another attribute of the Vivid devices compared to the Classic is how the sound is delivered in a more staccato manner. The best part about the Vivid in my view, is how vocals and strings really come to life, not that the Classic were deprived, it is just a strong point of that version, at least in my setup.
My combination DAC/headphone amplifier consists of a clone of an Arcam CD73 with an Xmos source, with numerous power supply upgrades, separate supply for the Xmos board (from pc). The amplifier portion is a Weiliang E5 that uses 2sk170 for inputs, mosfet outputs, also with improved power supplies. The setup is on a decent line filter that uses an isolation transformer as well.
Overall I prefer the Vivid when paired with “hi-fi” headphones, that tend to soften or round off the sound compared to studio monitor type headphones. In a perfect world I would like to have a balance between the two, but in engineering there are always trade offs, and both of these are amazingly good, and highly recommended.
Attachments
No double-blind testing.
The new parts were introduced after having used the previous (Classic) version for some two years, for hours a day, I am quite accustomed to the way it sounds!
If I were comparing more than the two configurations, then something like that would have been a more effective way to nail down a better subjective description.
The new parts were introduced after having used the previous (Classic) version for some two years, for hours a day, I am quite accustomed to the way it sounds!
If I were comparing more than the two configurations, then something like that would have been a more effective way to nail down a better subjective description.
I’ve been meaning to give an update after a few weeks of running in. I turn the rig on daily, is on for 8 hours with the same playlist, so it’s been well over 300 hours by now, and has improved considerably.
I am very pleased with the warmth and detail that the V6 Vivid provides in this setup, is a huge turn from the first weeks for certain. Vocals are pretty incredible.
This is the same amp/dac that I’ve been using daily for over 7 years, mostly the same music.
I am very pleased with the warmth and detail that the V6 Vivid provides in this setup, is a huge turn from the first weeks for certain. Vocals are pretty incredible.
This is the same amp/dac that I’ve been using daily for over 7 years, mostly the same music.
Hi Guys,
We are almost ready to send the samples for the next month (limited free samples every month). If you are interested in OPAmp rolling or DIY project, please pm me.
Supreme Sound Opamp V5i – Burson Audio
Supreme Sound Opamp V6 – Burson Audio
Warm regards,
We are almost ready to send the samples for the next month (limited free samples every month). If you are interested in OPAmp rolling or DIY project, please pm me.
Supreme Sound Opamp V5i – Burson Audio
Supreme Sound Opamp V6 – Burson Audio
Warm regards,
Waiting on 3 v6 classic dual to replace v5 offer
Would like to upgrade from 3 dual v5 to 3 dual 6 classic. It seems classic are more detailed. I messaged burson support and they indicated that I could get upgrade for free if reviewed classic opamps here. Please message me so when I return v5 s I can get free upgrade to v6 classic dual. Thank you. I have cyenne dac, morduant short speakers and Cambridge audio amp.
In my recent obsession with I/V and opamp rolling (also rolling money out of my pocket), i've been approached by Burson representative to take V6 for a spin in exchange for an honest opinion.
Since i received classic duals, i went ahead and modified my purifi eval 1 amp buffer to accommodate dip8 opamps. Now, in class D setup i've heard sparkos and opa1612, to which i prefered opa1612 and hence my choice of eval1 as it defaults with it. Shortly after my purchase, i realised it required some "warmth" and mid presence, so i got myself b1k nutube to cover that area. Long story short, this was a perfect excuse for me to dabble in modification of the amp. Gotta scratch that itch eh?
Do note i have no A/B tests, this is purely out of my subjective listening and comparison upon memory. Preamp was off for this.
I want to start off by saying i have left these opamps to burn in for ~100h before listening, had the perfect timing as i was busy with work and i finished my listening room, on top of making a sleeper case for the amp. In comparison to 1612 here is what i noticed.
Physically, they take a bit of height space, but they make up for it with slimness. It is perfect if you have devices that have surrounded opamp with capacitors, but it really sucks if you have a slim case, where you must have an extender and lay it down (which may cause oscilations due to decoupling cap could be far away). Leg thickness are quite substential, which means that once you put them in into the dip8 socket, other opamps might have a loose hold if you decide to roll new ones (i've put newclassd in socket afterwards to check it, and it is not such a tight fit anymore). Aesthetics wise, you can't argue, these look nice.
Sound wise, yes there is a difference, for my tastes positive and not so subtle (Although not night and day, opa1612 is a nice opamp but doesn't sit well for everyone and everywhere. If you had a nice burger instead of raw onions, there are nice caramelized ones, and another dolop of burger sauce). As i said before, mid range to me on eval 1 was thin. Bass was precise, but lacked heft. It was improved on both of those points, female voices got a bit fatter, more forward, intimate, one could describe it as analog like (1612 on purifi sounds too clean). As for the bass, it definitely got more meaty, especially in midbass region. Treble is not so "sparkly", it feels a bit rolled off in comparison to 1612, which may be easier to listen for longer periods to people that have sensitive ears to higher freq range, in my younger days it bothered me. It does also feel less airy, but more rounded up in general, really smooth and enjoyable. It is not as holographic as i'm used to with nutube preamp, but for the rest, it does make up for the reason tube preamp is for in my system.
This definitely is not a transparent opamp, and honestly i'm kind of tired listening to transparency and i find myself these days wanting just to relax and enjoy the music instead of analyzing it. This little toy does just that, and i firmly belive that people at Burson had that notion in mind when designing it.
I will be purchasing Vivid duals starting next month, i'm really intrigued by what it brings to the table in comparison. To me it is worth the upgrade, price wise, lets be real, "audiophile" cables are more expensive and they probably (i don't like to speak in absolutes) do not influence the sound as much as v6c does.
Since i received classic duals, i went ahead and modified my purifi eval 1 amp buffer to accommodate dip8 opamps. Now, in class D setup i've heard sparkos and opa1612, to which i prefered opa1612 and hence my choice of eval1 as it defaults with it. Shortly after my purchase, i realised it required some "warmth" and mid presence, so i got myself b1k nutube to cover that area. Long story short, this was a perfect excuse for me to dabble in modification of the amp. Gotta scratch that itch eh?
Do note i have no A/B tests, this is purely out of my subjective listening and comparison upon memory. Preamp was off for this.
I want to start off by saying i have left these opamps to burn in for ~100h before listening, had the perfect timing as i was busy with work and i finished my listening room, on top of making a sleeper case for the amp. In comparison to 1612 here is what i noticed.
Physically, they take a bit of height space, but they make up for it with slimness. It is perfect if you have devices that have surrounded opamp with capacitors, but it really sucks if you have a slim case, where you must have an extender and lay it down (which may cause oscilations due to decoupling cap could be far away). Leg thickness are quite substential, which means that once you put them in into the dip8 socket, other opamps might have a loose hold if you decide to roll new ones (i've put newclassd in socket afterwards to check it, and it is not such a tight fit anymore). Aesthetics wise, you can't argue, these look nice.
Sound wise, yes there is a difference, for my tastes positive and not so subtle (Although not night and day, opa1612 is a nice opamp but doesn't sit well for everyone and everywhere. If you had a nice burger instead of raw onions, there are nice caramelized ones, and another dolop of burger sauce). As i said before, mid range to me on eval 1 was thin. Bass was precise, but lacked heft. It was improved on both of those points, female voices got a bit fatter, more forward, intimate, one could describe it as analog like (1612 on purifi sounds too clean). As for the bass, it definitely got more meaty, especially in midbass region. Treble is not so "sparkly", it feels a bit rolled off in comparison to 1612, which may be easier to listen for longer periods to people that have sensitive ears to higher freq range, in my younger days it bothered me. It does also feel less airy, but more rounded up in general, really smooth and enjoyable. It is not as holographic as i'm used to with nutube preamp, but for the rest, it does make up for the reason tube preamp is for in my system.
This definitely is not a transparent opamp, and honestly i'm kind of tired listening to transparency and i find myself these days wanting just to relax and enjoy the music instead of analyzing it. This little toy does just that, and i firmly belive that people at Burson had that notion in mind when designing it.
I will be purchasing Vivid duals starting next month, i'm really intrigued by what it brings to the table in comparison. To me it is worth the upgrade, price wise, lets be real, "audiophile" cables are more expensive and they probably (i don't like to speak in absolutes) do not influence the sound as much as v6c does.
Continuing with Burson V6 Classic, this time with single variant. Another disclaimer, these were burned in for ~100h, and there were no A/B tests, just pure subjective listening and memory comparison. This time with preamp and without, which gave me interesting results, more on that later.
For single V6C i've chosen Miro PCM63P R2R NOS dac as a device to test it at. It is a very very good dac, and output stage is as important as dac chips and passive components, and this is where opamps show true strength. It is worth to note that it was supplied with 12V, linear psu with LDO just for analog dac stage, and separate toroid for analog. I believe it makes a big difference in how discretes sound.
I will skip the visuals and physical as i've already talked about those, nothing changed in those aspects. I compared it to opa1611 and newclassd mk2 ultimate. I've gotten opa 1611 because i used opa1612 (dual version of it) in dual burson test.
This time i had not such luxury to have it burn in without me ever listening to it, but i didn't listen to it that much either, which proved to be a very interesting addition to the test. Heres why. In the first ~50h, i was ready to say that i could live with this opamp, but there was an issue to my ears, and that was the bass. It was waaaaaay too fast, overly dull, without any natural decay, just like if you use a stick and hit a lead plate, you hear a quick thump and thats it. I was really disappointed as everything else was top notch, pure enjoyment in the rest of the specter that hasn't changed much up to ~100h where i listened to it again.
After ~100h (last 50h or so burn in was 24h on spinning radio) i've set and listened, played different genres to have a wide gamut of sounds to see where it performs best, purely connected to purifi amplifier. Oh my, my previous bass conclusion was totally remedied into an amazing and rounded bass, something i experienced with turntable system reproduction at a fellow from another audio forum. It is very analogue like, which is the goal for me, and it is probably heavy influenced by pcm63p chip too. Voices were amazing, i especially got goosebumps while listening to Crystal Castles - Leni. Highs feel a bit rolled off, i didn't measure, but it felt like that which only adds to the experience as a rounded opamp made for cozy darkened room listening. With b1k nutube preamp, highs were jazzed up a bit, but mid was too much of a good thing. I could have probably set bias voltage to the tube itself to balance it out, but tbh i felt no need too. My conclusion was that i no longer feel the need of nutube in my system with this opamp for the purposes which it was there. OPA1611 next to two discretes felt out of place, i won't go much into it, i'll just say it was non engaging. NCD is another beast of it's own, it is somewhat the opposite of Burson V6C. And i don't mean that both directions are bad or good, they are just different. It is a lot more balanced, most balanced opamp i've heard, and most melodic. If i could pin words to them, Burson V6C is introvert, while NCD is extrovert, V6C you want to listen in a cozy dark room, NCD you want to listen to in a well lit room ready to dance. This is something i'm expecting from Burson V6 Vivid, and soon i'll have insight into it as well, so i'll share when that time comes.
For single V6C i've chosen Miro PCM63P R2R NOS dac as a device to test it at. It is a very very good dac, and output stage is as important as dac chips and passive components, and this is where opamps show true strength. It is worth to note that it was supplied with 12V, linear psu with LDO just for analog dac stage, and separate toroid for analog. I believe it makes a big difference in how discretes sound.
I will skip the visuals and physical as i've already talked about those, nothing changed in those aspects. I compared it to opa1611 and newclassd mk2 ultimate. I've gotten opa 1611 because i used opa1612 (dual version of it) in dual burson test.
This time i had not such luxury to have it burn in without me ever listening to it, but i didn't listen to it that much either, which proved to be a very interesting addition to the test. Heres why. In the first ~50h, i was ready to say that i could live with this opamp, but there was an issue to my ears, and that was the bass. It was waaaaaay too fast, overly dull, without any natural decay, just like if you use a stick and hit a lead plate, you hear a quick thump and thats it. I was really disappointed as everything else was top notch, pure enjoyment in the rest of the specter that hasn't changed much up to ~100h where i listened to it again.
After ~100h (last 50h or so burn in was 24h on spinning radio) i've set and listened, played different genres to have a wide gamut of sounds to see where it performs best, purely connected to purifi amplifier. Oh my, my previous bass conclusion was totally remedied into an amazing and rounded bass, something i experienced with turntable system reproduction at a fellow from another audio forum. It is very analogue like, which is the goal for me, and it is probably heavy influenced by pcm63p chip too. Voices were amazing, i especially got goosebumps while listening to Crystal Castles - Leni. Highs feel a bit rolled off, i didn't measure, but it felt like that which only adds to the experience as a rounded opamp made for cozy darkened room listening. With b1k nutube preamp, highs were jazzed up a bit, but mid was too much of a good thing. I could have probably set bias voltage to the tube itself to balance it out, but tbh i felt no need too. My conclusion was that i no longer feel the need of nutube in my system with this opamp for the purposes which it was there. OPA1611 next to two discretes felt out of place, i won't go much into it, i'll just say it was non engaging. NCD is another beast of it's own, it is somewhat the opposite of Burson V6C. And i don't mean that both directions are bad or good, they are just different. It is a lot more balanced, most balanced opamp i've heard, and most melodic. If i could pin words to them, Burson V6C is introvert, while NCD is extrovert, V6C you want to listen in a cozy dark room, NCD you want to listen to in a well lit room ready to dance. This is something i'm expecting from Burson V6 Vivid, and soon i'll have insight into it as well, so i'll share when that time comes.
Yeah!
Pretty damn good too!
Just put together a DAC that uses a WM8740, and a single op amp output that’s configured as per the evaluation manual, sans buffer. That feeds a headphone amp that’s basically a discrete AD797.
For the output filter on the dac, I used a Burson V5 that I had in my car head unit before the CD player died.
It’s sounding very good through the new Audio Technica ATH-A990Z headphones that I plugged in about an hour ago.
Should sound really great after a few hours of breaking in the drivers.
Pretty damn good too!
Just put together a DAC that uses a WM8740, and a single op amp output that’s configured as per the evaluation manual, sans buffer. That feeds a headphone amp that’s basically a discrete AD797.
For the output filter on the dac, I used a Burson V5 that I had in my car head unit before the CD player died.
It’s sounding very good through the new Audio Technica ATH-A990Z headphones that I plugged in about an hour ago.
Should sound really great after a few hours of breaking in the drivers.
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