Burson Audio Conductor 3X Grand Tourer | Desktop DAC and Amp
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. |
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!
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!
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
A really beautiful device with an amazing sound. I can't compare with other similar product because it's my first, but great instruments separation in detail and space location and great soundstage. I hear little things I didn't hear before and the sound quality I'm hearing gives me real joy more often than I thought it would be possible at first
For now, used only with ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) and Focal Clear MG. Wired with Audioquest USB-C cable to the source and balanced XLR to the headphones.
Also, I really like their headphone+sub mode. It's really amazing to feel deep low frequency with a sub the same way as listening with tower speakers but with headphones. I use a KEF KC62 sub.
I also got the 5A super charger and the red cool stand. Using it vertically really add a wow factor with all the red color, and doing help with heat dissipation really. I can easily touch the device with no problem, it's warm but not hot. The fan really does it's job. Yes the fan does a little noise if you are in silent area and concentrate to hear it. But when you listened to music, there is no way you will hear the fan, even with open-back headphones