To say I am impressed with the Soloist would be a total understatement. It is a superb headphone amplifier and although it may still be burning in, it has already transformed the SQ of my system with Sennheiser HD800. The Pre Amplifier section is serving the power amplifier in my Active speakers and every aspect of their performance has greatly improved.
The sound has filled out and is more dynamic and spacious with greater clarity. It is so powerful as well…..I only have to have the volume on the third notch on either medium or high gain to fill the room with plenty enough volume for normal listening levels. The Soloist is wonderfully beguiling in tandem with my Sennheiser HD 800’s and music becomes a very moving and enchanting experience when listened to with this combination. In particular the female voice is very well served by this duo and even though I have read that the HD 800 headphones are considered bass light, this is not my experience with this amp!
The Burson is able to drive the HD800’s with great authority and there is a real slam and depth to the often bass heavy electronic music I like to listen to. My real passion,Classical music, has great dynamics on this combo too and a full orchestra is allowed to convey its full force and sweep with the Soloist driving the headphones…with great verve and clarity I am told that the Soloist will improve and the sound will open up still more as time goes on. As it is already performing at such a high level of competence I am looking forward to having my socks blown off as the weeks progress by this small unassuming little amplifier that despite its diminutive size is built to a level of very high quality, rare in this day and age,particularly at this price point.
In appearance it resembles a solid silver ingot that would not look out of place in a bank vault and its heavy solid heft in your hands only adds to the feeling of quality we are dealing with here. Burson have obviously put a lot of time and effort into the ergonomics and appearance of the Musician series and you realise that photos of the soloist you have seen just don’t do it justice when you actually see it in the flesh. The HD 800’s are considered a difficult load to drive and finding a suitable amp to bring out the best in them and allow them to fulfill their full potential has often proved difficult in the past.
With the Burson Soloist driving the HD800’s I feel we have a marriage made in heaven with each item seemingly bringing out the best in each other and displaying a wonderfully organic synergy with all genres of music.
Graham