Operation
In the headfi thread, a Burson rep suggested that the DIY aspect to changing the mainboard required the removal and subsequent installation of twelve screws. Well, Burson, I count another two, plus two bolt posts for the USB daughter board. I had things up, out, and back in in thirty minutes flat. It could – and should – have been done in fifteen. I had the wrong size plus-drivers. I come from the wood-based DIY space. Metal and electronics aren’t my forte. Hell, it took me two weeks to put together the only gaming PC I’ve ever built, and that was in 2002 when I should have been as gung ho about that sort of thing as possible. The included hex key dismantles all external bolts. After that you’ll need to two sizes of plus drivers, and maybe a non-static tweezer to lift out op-amps. It really is simple.
The three-button remote it comes with is tough, but is the sort of thing you find from companies far from the Asian supply market. Yes, you can break glass with it. And sure, it’s got the sort of class you’d expect from a metallic chocolate bar, but I reckon you’ll forget about it unless you’ve got it feeding your HiFi through its brilliant pre-amp. It would be well cool if it could interface with iTunes or OSX. What it does is mute your music, and otherwise raise and lower volume. Speaking of volume, the attenuator increments from 0 to 99 in single digits. Unless you’ve plugged the most sensitive earphones into it, it returns ample control for just about any headphone out there.
Its attenuator softly clicks when raising and lowering the volume. It controls both pre-amp and headphone amp.
Sound and more after the jump:
Raimei Templar
Hello and thanks for the review! I appreciate you taking the time to do some measurements and the results look quite good indeed. I espcially appreciate you listing which headphones you used as that allows one to get a real world look at how it will perform. One things I am curious about though is which OP AMPS did you have installed when you did the measurements?
ohm image
Sorry, the measurements I did were conducted with the V5 options.
Ojasvi Mathur
So much Details, but no words in real about Sound or real comparision with similarly placed products or even their own Burson Solist MK2 .
Similarly no impressions with any sets of Headphones of diff. Tiers! ranging from powerful to easily amped ones…!!
ohm image
How’s this: it makes even the smallest details jump forward from the fabric of space time, enveloping me in music so soft and yet so finely textured that my toes curl! I gave plenty of detail regarding sound, and much more than is necessary from a device that will be described by different people differently.
I explained how it performs with earphones and headphones. I won’t bother with overly subjective dribble. You can find plenty of other places and authors to indulge that desire.
Pierre
I currently am using a Schiit Bifrost (DS, not MB) + Magni 3 in the office.
My headphones are the Meze Classic 99 Neo…
Would the Play be an upgrade for this setup? Not sure if there’s a simple answer here, but I’m hoping so.
Music is mainly heavy metal, from soft to all kinds of extreme.
Thanks!
Nathan
Hey mate, I’m sorry but I don’t know much about the Bifrost as I’ve not used it.
DC
Is the sound signature as usual for bursons? sound fast and strong? or would this be warmer?
did you test with the hd650?
andrew doan
I use Window 10. Is it Burson Play V5i a real plug and play as advertising ? Since it does not have an other digital inputs and I always have a hard time to install ther drivers, I have to return the nice Fostex HA 4Bl. My ignorance in installing the sofware and to install the driver limited me to the optical and coaxial connection.
I hate to return the Play V5i if there is complication in install driver.Thank you.
ohm image
I don’t use Windows at all so I can’t comment on whether it plugs and plays with Windows. If it doesn’t, that appears to be a Windows problem rather than a Burson problem.