I’ve tried the Timekeeper 3iR on both my speakers (Dynaudio Evoke 20 and KEF R3), and it drives them both extraordinarily well, better so than my Hegel H120 does (even considering that the Hegel is connected to an AudioQuest Niagara 1200 power conditioner and “fancy” power cables). The headphone output is nothing short of amazing, and I’d be hard pressed finding something better to the point of making it worth expending more money to upgrade. Pitch black background with exceptional low noise floor, and a sound that compares to reasonably more costly and heavier gear makes the Burson a winner.
Once I saw the amp online, I didn’t like the fact it was available in silver only. However, as soon as I got my hands on the actual product, I realized that the silver colour is actually gunmetal, and is darker than Apple’s “Space Grey” colour, (which can be seen when compared to the MacBook in my pictures). That was a game changer for me, who is a sucker for looks.
As it is with every product, the Timekeeper also has some cons. First, you can’t power the amp on/off with the remote controller, Second, the remote could also have an output selection button. I need to mess with both input/output when switching from speaker to headphones, or from MacBook to PC (USB – TOSLINK). Third, a dedicated physical button on the amp that could’ve be used for gain control or something more important is instead wasted with screen orientation view. That’s something you can have buried in the settings, considering it’s a setting that you select once and forget about it later. Fourth, at its price, I’d gladly pay a bit more to simply have the power supply and associated cables look and feel better, since I can’t buy aftermarket power cables for the unit. Fifth, the buttons on the remote controller rattle. Sixth, the Timekeeper was likely designed to be used on a desktop environment, but because it is so powerful and sounds incredible, it could easily be used anywhere in the house by itself were it not for the lack of an internal streamer. Lastly, the USB C-C cable provided could be longer. I ended up ordering an AudioQuest Carbon USB C-C 1.5m mostly because I’d benefit from a longer run.
Burson got right the most important thing, sound quality. I would still give a big thumbs up recommendation to anyone looking for a unit with the functionality available in the Timekeeper 3iR, but I can also see a lot of ways to improve the unit in future revisions.