Burson Conductor 3 Reference | Headphone Amp, DAC, and Preamp

Our Take
The Burson Conductor 3 Reference is a powerful headphone amp and DAC with a clear, natural output that enhances the soundstage on your headphones to massive proportions. The wide range of connectivity options means that it can fit into just about any Hi-Fi personal audio setup.




From Burson Audio
Being the best of its time. This has been the sole design goal of each Burson Conductor since 2007. The C3 Reference took 3 years to built and it leaves the competition for dust.
Advanced Digital
The SABRE32/ESS9038Q2M DAC and XMOS USB receiver chips are the most advanced and expensive in the industry. There are two ESS9038 DAC chips in our C3 Reference and its USB receiver comes with customized driver by Thesycon, Germany. The result is unsurpassed processing power, perfectly playing back DSD512 and 38bit/786khz audio. The C3 Reference also features a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver (Qualcomm/CSR8675) with aptX HD audio codec. It pushes Bluetooth playback beyond CD quality and ease of use to the highest level.
Max Power X 5
The Burson proprietary Max Current Power Supply (MCPS) raises voltage frequency from 50Hz to 170kHz, pushing noise beyond human hearing. Its low impedance ensures abundant and instant energy for output transistors. The C3 Reference uses 5 sets of MCPS: Which means, Display/Functionality, DAC, analog left and analog right are all separately powered.

The Cool Case
Let’s face it, most audio equipment cases are ugly and impractical. They usually have visible screws everywhere, sharp corners and boring colors. Class-A amplifiers even have finger cutting heat-sinks! They diminish the aesthetic of any living space especially modern desktops where every other electronic is slick and refined. Made from high-density aluminum and electroplated to space-grey. The Cool Case has only 4 visible screws under its belly. It is also a unified heat-sink that is 300% more efficient than previous Conductors. It is audio jewelry at its finest and It looks and plays very cool.
Smooth Control
The all-new OLED screen and interface program deliver a calming and intuitive user experience. Its machined solid aluminum knob offers the fines control and feels luxurious.
The Sound
The first and most profound impression of the C3 Reference is its overwhelming energy. It energizes every note and space in between, bringing absolute control and accuracy. Drum kicks hard and crisp while decays sustaining and packed with micro-details. Listening to Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera and you can easily locate and follow each performer as they move around on a wide and deep stage. Kathy’s Song by Eva Cassidy. Her voice shines like the sun. Warm, golden and eternally beautiful. The C3 Reference is a time machine. Ride it to revisit these ingenious creations of beauty time after time.

Specs




Measurement



Package Content





Input impedance:


40 KOhms


Conductor V3


USB Cable




Frequency response:


± 1 dB 0 – 58Khz


Remote Control


Warranty Card




THD:


<0.0015%


RCA Cable





Output impedance (Headphone Amp):


0.5 Ohm


Power Cable





Output impedance (Pre Out / DAC Out):


1 Ohm / 25 Ohm








General





Inputs:


2 x RCA line-level input, USB, Optical Toslink, BlueTooth 5.0, microphone


Weight:


app. 5 kg




Outputs:


1 x RCA Pre Amp, 1 X Line Level DAC Out, 2 x 6.3mm Headphone Jack


Dimensions:


255mm x 270mm x 70mm










Impedance (Headphone Jack)


Power


Signal to Noise Ratio


Separation




16 Ohm


7.5W


95db


99%




32 Ohm


5W


97db


99%




100 Ohm


1.75W


94db


99%




150 Ohm


1.16W


95db


99%




300 Ohm


0.58W


95db


99.5%










DAC Spec



Asynchronous Isochronous USB Spec





Channel Separation:


142 dB @ 1KHz, 135 dB @ 20KHz


Desktop OS:


Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 Mac OSX




THD+N:


0.0005% @ 1KHz, 0dBFS


Desktop OS:


iOS* , Android (OTG support)




COAX & Toslink / SPDIF :


up to 24bit 192K


PCM Support:


PCM ? 768kHz @ 16, 24 or 32bits






Native DSD:


Native DSD 64 / 128 / 256 / 512




Bluetooth Input


Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD (Qualcomm CSR8675)


DSD over PCM:


DoP64 / DoP128 / DoP256/Dop512




 
Conductor 3 Comparison



Model
Retail Price
Dimensions (mm)
Digital
Analogue
Power Supply
Others


Conductor 3XR
2,199USD
255 x 270 x 70
ESS9038Q2M DAC X 2

7.5Wpc XLR / 3.5Wpc SE

MCPS X 5
Analogue Inputs X 2


Conductor 3R
1,799USD
255 x 270 x 70
ESS9038Q2M DAC X 2
7.5Wpc SE
MCPS X 5
Analogue Inputs X 2


Conductor 3XP
1,399USD
200 X 250 X 60
ESS9038Q2M DAC X 1
6Wpc XLR / 3Wpc SE
MCPS X 3



Conductor 3P
1,099USD
200 X 250 X 60
ESS9038Q2M DAC X 1
4Wpc SE
MCPS X 3





In the Box

Burson Conductor Unit
IC Opamps for warranty diagnostic use.
USB-C to USB-C Cable
Remote Control
Hex key

Power Supply 
Burson Conductor 3 Reference User Manual