Burson delivers the ultimate in flagship DAC/Amppower with the Conductor 3X GT

Balanced DAC, Headphone Amp, and Preamp
Dual ESS9038 DACs
10W of power at 16 ohm
Digital input via USB, S/PDIF, Digital Coax, or Bluetooth
Analog input via RCA

Bloom's Take

Following in the footsteps of the Soloist 3X GT, the Conductor 3X GT delivers next level, flagship performance. The sound quality, power, and features are all a step up from the Reference series. If you’re looking for a DAC/Amp combo under $5000 that can easily drive the most power-hungry headphones and deliver top of the line sound to top of the line headphones, Conductor 3X GT should put it at the top of your list.

Read the full review.

Our flagship DAC / head-amp / preamp all-in-one

The Conductor 3X GT takes that unique Burson house sound further with a new output stage for its dual ESS9038 DACs. A new feedback based gain control allows this GT to max out at 10 Watts yet matches with even more headphones. With so many functionalities and refinement, you will never want to add another machine to your desktop.

Using what we have learned from the Soloist GT and more, we are making the Conductor GT epic!

Conductor 3X GT

Not all DACs sound the same

These days, DACs from different brands can sound identical if they use the same DAC chip. This is because they use the same (publicly available) standard circuitry DAC chip makers provide. This approach reduces R&D time, cost and risk. These DACs also use similar parts, opamps, power supplies and working voltage. The resulting sound is unavoidably generic.

In the Conductor GT, we tailored a new output stage to utilise the wide bandwidth of our Vivid opamps. When combined with our proprietary Max Current Power Supply, the GT takes our unique house sound to a new level with even more details in every note.

Advanced Digital

Its digital interface is the most advanced and comprehensive, from its XMOS USB receiver to its Qualcomm Bluetooth module. With a customised driver by Thesycon, Germany, its Xmos USB receiver has unsurpassed processing power and accuracy, perfectly streaming DSD512 and 32bit/768khz audio.

It also features a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver Qualcomm/CSR8675 [+] with an aptX HD audio & LDAC codec. It pushes Bluetooth playback beyond CD quality and ease of use to the highest level.

Smooth Control

The all-new OLED screen and interface program deliver a calming and intuitive user experience. Its machined solid aluminium knob, in GT red, offers the most delicate control and feels luxurious.

Powering the GT

The thumping heart of the Conductor GT is 5 sets of Burson Max Current Power Supplies. We are pushing these MCPS to the limits of their potential. So much so that they consume 90W when idle and need active cooling.

Although spitting out 10 Watts, the GT is not tracing power. Instead, it pursuits purity!

Conductor 3X GT

Go to your Roon!

Roon is the most popular streaming and HD music management platform for audiophiles. Burson is part of this fantastic ecosystem. Our DACs are Roon Tested, and they seamlessly connect with any 3rd party Roon Ready audio streamers.

GT Cool.

Our Burson Cool Case is already the most oversized heat sink on any headphone amp. Still, we adopted active cooling for the GT. With every component operating in a predetermined temperature range, independent of the environment, active cooling gives us the freedom to push the GT to its performance limit.

Combining its resonance-free enclosure with the quietest fan money can buy from Noctua in Austria, the GT is quieter than the background ambience of your music.

Fully Differential Audio Paths

The V6 Vivid discrete opamps are wildly regarded as the best and used in countless recording studios. The Conductor GT uses 6 Vivid opamps in its fully differential output stage, achieving incredible transparency. However, it still plays to your preference by allowing opamps to change, enabling you to create your own listening experience.

Head+Sub Mode. Say what!?

We feel sound as much as we hear sound. Before the invention of headphones, music listening has always been a full-body experience. It’s not just what your ears can hear but all the energy that your body feels that move the soul. Headphone listening goes to a new level with a carefully matched and placed subwoofer. The GT enables this experience with its Head+Sub mode.

Who drives this GT?

Life-style used to be a dirty word in the world of audiophiles. Not anymore! The Conductor GT is the ultimate all-in-one, and it proves that something so easy to use can perform at the highest level. We are making it beautiful to look at but easy to ignore so you can focus on what it is all about – experiencing music!

Specs

Measurement			Package Content
Input impedance:	40 KOhms		Conductor 3X GT (R-181X)
Frequency response:	± 1 dB 0 – 58Khz		Remote Control
THD:	<0.0015%		Power Cable
Output impedance (Headphone Amp):	0.5 Ohm		USB Cable
Output impedance (Pre Out / DAC Out):	1 Ohm / 25 Ohm		24V / 5A Power Unit

Conductor 3X GT Info
Inputs:	2 x XLR line-level input, 2 x RCA line-level input,USB, Optical Toslink, BlueTooth 5.0, microphone	Weight:	App. 5 kg
Outputs:	1 x XLR/RCA Pre Amp/Line-Level DAC Out, 1XSubwoofer Pre Amp, 1 x 6.3mm & 1 x XLR Headphone Jack	Dimensions:	255mm x 270mm x 70mm

DAC Spec		XMOS 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

Impedance (Headphone Jack)	Power XLR / SE	Signal to Noise Ratio	Separation
16 Ohm	10 / 5W	112db

32 Ohm	8 / 4W	110db	99%
100 Ohm	3.8 / 1.9W	111db	99%
150 Ohm	1.3W / 650mW	110db	99%
300 Ohm	640 / 320mW	109db	99.50%

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 3X GT User Manual