Burson's Stellar headphone amps promise head-fi heaven in spacecraft-inspired Star Wars style

Burson Audio Conductor Stellar on a white tabletop in a neutrally decorated daylit room. It's sat next to a pair of headphones, a teacup and an open magazine — (Image credit: Burson Audio)

Powerful headphone amp/preamps with and without ESS DAC
Dedicated low-noise IEM amplification stage and up to 8W output
From $1,500 / £1,700 / €1,600 / AU$2,600

Australia-based head-fi firm Burson Audio has launched a new series of Class A desktop audio devices. The Stellar Series features two models: the Conductor Stellar, which is a hi-res DAC, Class A headphone amp and a desktop pre-amp, and the Soloist Stellar, which is a headphone amp and preamp.

Pitched between the entry-level Party Playmate 3 and the Grand Tourer products, the Stellar devices promise to bring the "essence" of Burson's flagship Voyager Series in a more compact and accessible form.

While both products are happy to drive all kinds of headphones, one of the key selling points is for IEM owners: the Stellar duo come with a dedicated ultra-low noise IEM amplification stage built around two TPA6120A2 amplifier chips. Burson says the result is a pure, hiss-free experience on highly sensitive in-ears.

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Burson Audio Soloist Stellar on a marble-effect surface with a city visible through the window behind. It's sat next to a notebook and a nice-looking pair of headphones — (Image credit: Burson Audio)

Burson Soloist Stellar and Conductor Stellar: key features and pricing

Both devices deliver 8W of Class A power via four Onsemi MJE15032 transistors per channel, optimised for high Class-A bias and powered by Burson's Max Current power supply. The enclosures are inspired by spacecraft and feature precision-machined fins and vents for optimal heat dissipation.

The Conductor Stellar is based around the ESS9039PRO DAC, whose filters and path settings have been selected to match the analog output stage, and it's been designed to connect to almost anything. It has Bluetooth 5.0 with LDAC, aptX HD, and AAC, supporting hi-res wireless audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz. It's Roon Ready, and its USB-C input supports native DSD512 and 32-bit/768kHz PCM.

The Soloist Stellar does without the DAC and focuses solely on amplification. It has independent channel-balance controls for headphones and speakers, correcting for room asymmetry and natural hearing differences.

Both devices have XLR and RCA inputs plus a mic bypass for gaming headphones, and the outputs are an XLR pre-out, an RCA pre-out and an RCA mono subwoofer output. Headphone outputs are XLR, 6.35mm and 3.5mm. Headphone output is up to 8W into 16 ohms and 500mW into 300 ohms.

Ready for pricing? Recommended retail prices of the Stellar Series are (deep breath):

Conductor Stellar (Standard edition): $1,800 / £2,000 / €1,900 / AU$2,800
Soloist Stellar (Standard edition): $1,500 / £1,700 / €1,600 / AU$2,600

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Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

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Burson Soloist Stellar and Conductor Stellar: key features and pricing

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