Are you having Take-away again tonight?
It’s a known fact that Integrated Circuit (ICs) opamps are inferior to their counterparts at the high-end of audio production. Burson audio has demonstrated this fact with our successful HD Audio Opamp modules. Comparing IC based audio gear to hand built discrete machines, is like comparing mass produced take-away meals to gourmet meals. The latter have been painstakingly prepared by a master chef with premium ingredients, skill and passion.
Most manufactures reserve their discrete designs for their flagship products. The discrete approach significantly complicates aspects of design resulting in increased production costs. It also increases the size and weight of each unit, so transportation costs are also affected. On a large scale semi-automated production line, sticking 8 pin ICs into a board is an easier option than soldering 50 or more matched discrete components.
With the PI-100 we insisted on the discrete approach and eliminated the use of any opamps on its signal path. By doing this, the preservation of sound detail, the thing that makes music musical was ensured. This discrete approach allowed us to optimise our design and tune our machines to achieve the best in audio excellence.
To optimise the performance of our discrete design, Burson PI-100 is backed by exceptional power supply circuitry .Employing our low noise regulator technology, the PI-100 discrete power supply network ensures only clean power is flowing through each discrete component.
BursonAudio certainly has not reinvented the wheel. The technology we used to design
this amplifier has proven to be the best solution for high quality audio application.
We have put together and fine turned each stage so that they work to form a musical
machine instead of just another soulless marketing piece of equipment.
Design Features
Instead of showing off what PI-100 has, we prefer to show you what we have managed to eliminate in our design structure, while continuing to deliver a superior level of performance.
No Capacitors
We believe coupling and decoupling capacitors between amplification stages introduces coloration while limiting dynamic range, regardless of their cost and quality. (As we all know there is no perfect capacitor just like there is no perfect speaker drive.)
No Standard Regulators
We will not settle for those standard IC base 3- pin regulators for our PI-100. Instead of taking the easy way out like others, we have spent a lot of time on the development of our discrete regulated power supply.
NO ICs
While many chip base amplifiers (digital, Class D and etc) are doing very well now days, we believe when it comes to critical audio applications a well designed, hand crafted discrete circuitry, is far superior to the mass produced ICs. (Please also see: "The naked truth about Opamp" )
No Risk.
We are very confident that customer expectation will be exceeded, therefore we are offering a 30 day refund policy for our PI-100.
Listening Impression
Test system:
Modified Marantz CD16SE (Sourced)
Burson Audio Buffer
PI-100 (Intergraded Amp)
Modified EveII (One of our member’s recently completed 2.5 way using Scan-Speak D-9800,18W8545 and 21W4555)
Amplifiers used for direct comparison:
Sunfire Power (300Wpc Class AB PnP) with a passive volume control added.
Marantz PM11S1 (100Wpc current feedback)
Driving the fully sealed 120 litre EveII (85DB), the PI-100 sounded smooth and delicate,
with open, extended highs. It had sufficient mid bass punch and the ability to throw
a wide, deep soundstage. It exerted tighter control over the Eve’s bass response
than had the PM11S1. In contrast, the PM11SA sounded slightly warmer in the mid
and mid high with a relatively subdued sound stage. The mid and mid high of the
PI-100 sounded more transparent and neutral, but never dry. Since both machines
use discrete driving stage, we believe this reflects the difference in musical preference
between Team Burson and the respected designers of Marantz. 
The PI-100 proved fully capable of reproducing full-volume percussion without compression.
During the opening of "Tito," from Hothouse (Arturo Sandoval), the timbales were
reproduced with fantastic swiftness and clarity, so that we could easily make out
the tonalities of the separate drums in his kit when he struck two different drum
heads simultaneously. Through the Salons, the PI-100 surpassed the Sunfire (200W
more powerful than the PI-100, on paper) while playing this demanding drum solo
without compression or distortion. However, the PI-100 made the drum play more realistically
by better holding the decay. Compared to the Sunfire Power, PI-100 presents a fuller
mid and high with a much better presentation of body, weight and emotion. 
The PI-100 and EveII allowed us to track the variations in Ray Charles' voice across the 12 duets of his Genius Loves Company. He harmonizes and blends so effectively with Norah Jones on "Here I Go Again" that the pitch of her voice drops into his range. He sounds hip and sophisticated singing "You Don't Know Me" with Diana Krall, then steps up the drive and pace in "Sinner's Prayer," with B.B. King.
Under the above mentioned setup, the PI-100 outperformed the Sunfire in terms of attack and dynamism at the macro scale, and with a much better musical) representation all around. It also matched the Marantz PM11S1 in its ability to preserve detail at the micro level (the stuff that makes music real) but represented the emotional exchange of musicians in a uniquely different BursonAudio way.
Conclusion
We can proudly claim that we have achieved our set goals. Although the price we are charging seems ‘cheap’ compared to those of the big brands, make no mistake about it, if they were to implement this design in full, they would have to price it at many times higher before it became commercially viable. As for Team BursonAudio, profits came last in our equation. We’ve placed music and our passion for it first and foremost.
Specifications
Official Reviews
Burson PI-100 review by Enjoy The Music (Clive Meakins)
Burson PI-100 review by Home Theater Hi Fi (Dr. Chris Groppi)
Burson PI-100 review by TNT Audio (Nick Whetstone) (English version)
Burson PI-100 review by TNT Audio (Nick Whetstone) (Italian version)
Burson PI-100 review by James Cutler
User Feedbacks
