The Best DAC / Headphone Amp / Preamp
Being the best of its time. This has been the sole design goal of each Burson Conductor since 2007. The C3 Reference took 3 years to built and it leaves the competition for dust.
Advanced Digital
The SABRE32/ESS9038Q2M DAC and XMOS USB receiver chips are the most advanced and expensive in the industry. There are two ESS9038 DAC chips in our C3 Reference and its USB receiver comes with customised driver by Thesycon, Germany. The result is unsurpassed processing power, perfectly playing back DSD512 and 38bit/786khz audio. The C3 Reference also features a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver Qualcomm/CSR8675 [+] with aptX HD audio codec. It pushes Bluetooth playback beyond CD quality and ease of use to the highest level.
Max Power X 5
Max Current Power Supply (MCPS) [+] raises voltage frequency from 50Hz to 170kHz, pushing noise beyond human hearing. Its low impedance ensures abundant and instant energy for output transistors. The C3 Reference uses 5 sets of MCPS: Which means, Display/Functionality, DAC, analouge left and analouge right are all separately powered.
The Cool Case
Let’s face it, most audio equipment cases are ugly and impractical. They usually have visible screws everywhere, sharp corners and boring colours. Class-A amplifiers even have finger cutting heat-sinks! They diminish the aesthetic of any living space especially modern desktops where every other electronic is slick and refined.
Made from high-density aluminium and electroplated to space-grey. The Cool Case [+] has only 4 visible screws under its belly. It is also a unified heat-sink that is 300% more efficient than previous Conductors. It is audio jewellery at its finest and It looks and plays very cool.
Smooth Control
The all-new OLED screen and interface program deliver a calming and intuitive user experience. Its machined solid aluminum knob offers the fines control and feels luxurious.
The Sound
The first and most profound impression of the C3 Reference is its overwhelming energy. It energises every note and space in between, bringing absolute control and accuracy. Drum kicks hard and crisp while decays sustaining and packed with micro-details. Listening to Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera and you can easily locate and follow each performer as they move around on a wide and deep stage. Kathy’s Song by Eva Cassidy. Her voice shines like the sun. Warm, golden and eternally beautiful. The C3 Reference is a time machine. Ride it to revisit these ingenious creations of beauty time after time.
| Measurement | Package Content | ||
| Input impedance: | 40 KOhms | Conductor V3 Ref. Model # R180 |
USB Cable |
| Frequency response: | ± 1 dB 0 – 58Khz | Remote Control | Warranty Card |
| THD: | <0.0015% | RCA Cable | 24V Power Unit |
| Output impedance (Headphone Amp): | 0.5 Ohm | Power Cable | |
| Output impedance (Pre Out / DAC Out): | 1 Ohm / 25 Ohm | ||
| General | |||
| Inputs: | 2 x RCA line-level input, USB, Optical Toslink, BlueTooth 5.0, microphone | Weight: | app. 5 kg |
| Outputs: | 1 x RCA Pre Amp, 1 X Line Level DAC Out, 2 x 6.3mm Headphone Jack | Dimensions: | 255mm x 270mm x 70mm |
| Impedance (Headphone Jack) | Power | Signal to Noise Ratio | Separation |
| 16 Ohm | 7.5W | 95db | 99% |
| 32 Ohm | 5W | 97db | 99% |
| 100 Ohm | 1.75W | 94db | 99% |
| 150 Ohm | 1.16W | 95db | 99% |
| 300 Ohm | 0.58W | 95db | 99.5% |
| DAC Spec | Asynchronous Isochronous USB Spec | ||
| Channel Separation: | 142 dB @ 1KHz, 135 dB @ 20KHz | Desktop OS: | Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 Mac OSX |
| THD+N: | 0.0005% @ 1KHz, 0dBFS | Desktop OS: | iOS* , Android (OTG support) |
| COAX & Toslink / SPDIF : | up to 24bit 192K | PCM Support: | PCM ? 768kHz @ 16, 24 or 32bits |
| Native DSD: | Native DSD 64 / 128 / 256 / 512 | ||
| Bluetooth Input | Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD (Qualcomm CSR8675) | DSD over PCM: | DoP64 / DoP128 / DoP256/Dop512 |
