Burson Audio Buffer



"BursonAudio PI-100 Integrated Amplifier Plus Audio Buffer - A smooth and powerful first step" Reviewed by Clive Meakins, Enjoy the Music Aug 2007 "Burson Audio Buffer" reviewed by by Edgar Kramer, 6Moons “Bursonaudio Discrete Op-amp and Audio Buffer” reviewed by Nick Whetstone, TNT Audio (English version) “Operazionali & buffer Burson Audio Opamp” reviewed by Nick Whetstone, TNT Audio (Italian Version) "The supremacy of BursonAudio Discrete Op-amp over IC Op-amps" "Burson Audio Buffer" reviewed by Max Dudious, Possitive Feedback issue 29 …“I think the Marantz is quite good, approaching the best available; while the Sony—with the Burson Buffer Amplifier—is, surprisingly, not too far behind….” - Max Dudious, Positive-Feedback, USA …”Burson Audio of Melbourne, Australia has sent me for review a stand-alone buffer …, which has enthralled me in its first listening sessions.” - Max Dudious, Positive-Feedback, USA.

If your various audio equipment, cables, speakers, listening room are not working with each other then you cannot expect to hear the full potential of your system. Therefore, careful matching of audio components is critical in performance optimization of any audio system. When audiophiles listen to their newly purchased component at home, they often find the sound quality doesn’t match up to what they heard in the shops demo room. The sonic characteristics that persuaded them into purchasing the machine in the first place have simply vanished. This all too familiar situation, often leads to most audiophiles blaming the remainder of their system for “not being as good as the one in the shop”. The end result is often more upgrades and further misinformed or ill-advised investments. Many audiophiles are not aware that the performance gap between what they hear in the shop and what they hear at home is a direct result of impedance mismatching between the new machine and the rest of their system. Impedance matching is a complex technical issue in audio design. What makes it worse, is that the same manufacturer can have different output / input (I/O) impedance standards across their range of products. (See table below). 　 While some manufacturers are willing to disclose the I/O impedance figures, most are not too keen. The end result is an audio market full of confusion, myth and plenty of frustration. Unless the entire audio system is from the same manufacturer within the same product line it is highly likely that impedance mismatching will exist. Most audiophiles are paying 100% for their systems but are only hearing 70% of its full potential. This problem can be resolved once and for all by a Burson Audio buffer. Burson Audio buffer removes any impedance mismatching by acting as an isolation platform between any source components (CD, DVD, SACD player, Phono preamp, radio, or even IPod) and downstream amplification (preamp, intergraded amp, etc). Burson Audio Buffer is designed to Increase signal transmission efficiency between all component and unlock the potential of any system.

Developed on our successful discrete opamp and discrete low noise regulator technology we built our buffer entirely discrete by hand. We use only the best match component and closely matched transistors to ensure stable performance for years to come. The two mono audio buffer modules are housing in a compartment that is isolated from the custom build low noise transformer and power supply. This means the discrete output stages are completely free from any interference; the only things that ever flow through the Audio Buffer will be clean power and pure Hi Fidelity signals.

Testing CDs: Sara K’s Water Fall, Eva Cassidy’s Songbird, Jacqui Dankworth’s As the Sun Shines Down On Me and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. Musical Fidelity offers a range of tube base buffers. X10-D is one of their older models. X10-D is still an effective upgrade for most of today's CD players. The X10-D has a tendency of colouring the sound with a touch of "tube warmth" and "rounding" the edges. It is a desirable quality for certain types of music but it reduces the impact and dynamics of larger scale pieces. We did a direct comparison between our Audio Buffer and X10-D. Our Buffer outperformed the X10-D on all fronts. Compare to X10-D. The strengths of the Burson Audio Buffer covered all aspects from imaging to dynamics and from timing to transparency. But it is that last area which it stands proud. Play familiar – very familiar – material, and you will hear the finest details fully resolved while the fundamentals take on a life and solidity that brings a broad grin to the Team Bursons' wary visage. Instrumental tone is also well served. Saxophones, double bass, and electric guitar, you name it; the control will extract more character than most. It reproduces the good bits scale - dynamics, great acoustics and the bad bits compression, limited bandwidth and poor recording in general, not forgetting less than delightful characteristics in the source. It was not a surprise to find that the Burson Audio Buffer out-performed the X10-D by a large margin. What surprised us was the amount of improvement the Audio buffer brought to the Marantz DVD player. It completely removed that digital sound (thin and harsh) in the DVD player which we hated with a passion and transformed the DVD player into a music machine worthy of this brand name. With this buffer, Team Burson has once again proven our philosophy that Hi Fidelity music is an affordable right of most who earns a decent pay and loves music.

Output Noise Level : 0.015MV(nil input) Maximum Output Voltage :12VRMS Maximum Input Voltage: 6VRMS SN:118DB Frequency Response :0-220KHZ(-3DB) Gain: 6db (great for passive preamp) Net Weight: 2 kg Dimensions (210mm X 145mm X 60mm) Other Features: Dual Mono design for maximum noise separation Extreme short signal path less than 6cm on Hi quality PCB High Quality components (Elna Audio graded caps, carefully matched high quality audio transistors, DALE military graded resistors...) with hand soldering Sophisticated power filtering and short circuit protection net work

Between digital source (CD / DVD / SACD player) and integrated Amp Between digital source (CD / DVD / SACD player) and Passive / Active preamp Between your Preamp and power amp

"Magic!!! I am soooooo happy with the audio buffer. It adds musical riches beyond what my system already delivered. Every musical nuance comes through on an even greater 3 dimensional sound stage that I thought not possible. And all that Burson Audio claim is true for micro and macro dynamics. S”wonderful. It’s a winner no question about it. Thank you. Simon NSW Dear Bursons - all wired up and very happy with the result, thank you . Now my problem is to decide whether to order a second one for my second system . Tim TAS My first impressions were that this is good, but after more extensive listening the improvement was even more present, very palpable and very much to my liking. Whether it is extra burning in or a better selection of source program material the sound just seemed to be an order of magnitude better after a few hours. Recently I made CAT5 speaker cables and that was a big improvement over my thick OHC copper leads - what an improvement that was. Now on top of that the Burson Audio Buffer tops it all. As an upgrade, as an investment I couldn’t be happier. Wife seal of approval was instant J." Andrew Melbourne "Thank you. I picked up the unit yesterady as the postie missed us the other day. Plugged it in last night and I was blown away. I could not believe what I was hearing. I was originally reluctant to order the unit because I was skeptical about the idea of putting another item in between the cdp/dac and amp. I was proven wrong. This unit rocks, it has only been running for 2 hours and I could only expect more good things to come out of it once it is completely burned-in"... Selwyn Victoria Burson Buffer team up with EAR 834P phono ..."Alex, thanks for your reply and excuse my impatience - it turned up this morning. I've only had the chance to listen for 10mins before work this morning but initial impressions are ...wow! More of everything - dynamics, body, soundstage, but with no loss of transparency. Its currently sitting between my phonostage (EAR 834p) and power amps (Flying Moles - these have I believe a low input impedance of 10k, which is why I wanted to hear what a buffer might do)..." John UK Burson Buffer kit team up with a Squeeze Box The sound so far is very good! its not quite as good as my modified Arcam A5 with the TDA1541 double crown but for the simplicity its not bad at all, I am going to try the Burson clock feeding the SB3 next, main thing I need is a bigger case:-))) Leo UK Attached are photos of how the Buffer fitted into my system. (Marantz Transport - DIY 16 non oversampling DAC - Single Ended Class A EL34 + 845 with plenty of M-Cap silver inside - Home made single horn loaded drive full range with Supravox 215 Signature Bicones) I've used my own DIY interconnection between DAC and Buffer and your interconnection between the Buffer and my Single Ended Class A EL34 valve amp. I am very happy with the Buffer! To me good sound is defined by transparency and micro dynamics. Putting the Buffer between my 16 bit DAC and SE EL34 did not affect these two factors at all. On the contrary they improved noticeably! Macro dynamic improved to a point I never thought possible from my 35w amplifier. Significant improvement in bass control with a much bigger sound stage. I will need to revisit all my favourite recordings again! AL Melbourne the buffer finally arrived yesterday. I first hook it up with a $200 LG-DVD player to a modified Matisee pre and a budget 845 tube Amp to a pair of JBL4331a speakers. Run it first without the buffer, it sounds blur and you tend to switch it off after 10 minutes. Then I added the buffer. Wow!!! the transformation was incredible. The sound stage is much broader and deeper. The vocal was more focus and the sound was crisp and cleaner. The base more extended, too much for my liking as I have an average size room and I can't move the monster speakers too much further from the back wall... Steven 　　　　　　 ..."I use an Audio Sector integrated Chip amp, Audio Sector Premium NON OS Dac, Modified Pioneer 578 as a transport along with a Monarchy 48/96 upsampler. My speakers are Bob Brines FTA-2000 MLTL Single driver speakers sporting the F200a Fostex driver.I've been cooking the buffer for over 100 hours now. It really does add more finesse to my Dac's outputs. Which by the way use no Op Amps. The Dac run directly to the integrated always sounded just a tad thin. There is no thinness now. The music has a fuller and meatier sound. Most of all it has a balanced sound nothing is highlighted Last night I ask my wife what she thought of the sound. Keep in mind I never tell her when I'm buying or installing a new component in the system. Her first words were " It sounds more acoustic". This is something that I heard the moment I turned it on! More space, more depth and much more openness. It does this without adding fatigue or smoothing over the music. This is very hard to do these days! Normally you have to take one or the other greater detail with fatigue, or smooth and warm basically boring. LOL This buffer has neither characteristic as far as I can tell. The transparency thing....it does in spades. So far so good! Thanks for the terrific and inexpensive upgrade. One of my best audio purchases yet! My little system never sounded better. ;-)"... Gymane M USA ..."Abut the Burson Buffer...is really incredible!! the speakers disapper and sound flows nicely but also sharp and detailed...really a good job"... Carlo Italia "G'day Gents, I am truly enjoying this audio buffer. I want to congratulate you for creating such an amazing product and thank you for all your subsequent supports. I am sure you gents will go far. I have attached some photos for you and you can find more in my personal website...." http://chesd.tripod.com/id4.html Ches D Sydney ..."Just wanted to let you know I received the buffer yesterday. I hooked it up this morning and have been listening to it for most of the day now. I usually love to play devils advocate on most things, just so I can have an objective point of view. However, since I replaced my M.F. X-10v3 with your HRAM buffer it is just so one sided ! Don't let me be misunderstood, I like what the X-10v3 does for my system. Its just that I like what your buffer does even better. I don't quite know how to describe it other than everything sounds much more detailed and open. I am really very pleased with your product and appreciate your assistance in the ordering process. I will tell my friends at various local hifi shops about the buffer. I'm sure they will be as impressed as I am"... Anthony USA ..."I installed your buffer between my phono stage and my preamp, and the sound improved at least as much as with my CD deck. I tried it between my preamp and power amps, but the improvement wasn't as great as between the source components and the pre. My suggestion is that you offer a buffer with a selector switch so one could attach a couple of sources to it and select between them before going into the preamp. Great device. Can't listen without it now." Cyrus Honolulu ..."What a great product. After 24hr. burn in I've listened to a number of my Cd's and can't believe the overall improvement. I'm hearing things that previously did not exist. My wife is a pianist, and hence I really noticed how wonderful and true the piano notes sounded through the buffer. Soundstage has widened considerably. It's as if a veil has been lifted from the music."... Con Lekakis Australia ..."First of all, the audio buffer I got 2 weeks ago from you guys - improves the sound of my modest Pioneer DV-696AV DVD player tremendously! I could hardly believe the transformation in sound. The best upgrade for the money - period! I was a sceptic but not anymore :)."... Ping USA ..."The unit workes very well and I could notice a very big improvement in the depth as well as better base. The music does not sound as harsh"... Darrell USA