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Burson Funk Headphone/Speaker Amplifier Review – Versatile Muscle

Pros — Power, robust/organic sound; versatile application (headphones/iems, speakers), low output impedance; super design and build; advanced power supply.

Cons — May result in opamp rolling addiction; deluxe package is effectively a “must”.

Executive Summary

The Burson Funk is a highly versatile combined headphone/speaker amp that particularly impresses by its midrange reproduction and power.

Introduction

Melbourne is the less than 200-year old capital of the south-eastern Australian state of Victoria. As a young man, I was offered a PhD project at the city’s Monash University. It was a geological study on Venus. Yes, planet Venus of all. But since they could not guarantee field work, I migrated to Canada instead where I worked with a former lecturer from…Monash. And I am still there.

Although the world has become smaller in the meantime, I have never made it to down under – but always treasured Melbourne bands such as the Birthday Party, Crowded House, Dead Can Dance, and, lately, the rather funky King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Hey, after all, we are talking music here.

Burson Audio was established in 2001 out of Melbourne aiming to push the boundaries of innovation. They started with audio parts (“opamps”) before moving into complete amplifiers. The company prides itself of not advertising and not visiting trade shows (we don’t do that either…no ads here) – and they don’t buy reviews (I have not received an offer yet). This attitude, combined with their product quality is appealing to many so that Burson has generated quite a following. And, as far as I can assess, rightly so.

Specifications

Selected Data
HEADPHONE AMPSolid State, Class A
Power:2*3.5 W @ 16 ohm
Output Impedance:<2 Ohm
SPEAKER AMPSolid State, Class AB
Power:2*45 W @ 4 Ohm
Download Manual:Google Drive
Product Page:Burson Audio
Purchase Link:Burson Audio
Tested at:$744 for the Deluxe Package (with two NE5532 installed,
two V6 Vivid Op amps and “Cool Stand”)
Standard version:$544 (with two NE5532 opamps installed)
Full Specs
MeasurementPackage Content
Input impedance:38 KOhmsBurson FUNK (P-300)Regional Power Cable
Frequency response:± 1 dB 0 – 35KhzRCA CablesHex Key
THD:<0.03%Power Supply100-240V AC
Output impedance (Head Amp):<2 Ohm
General
Inputs:RCA Left / RightWeight:app. 3Kg
Outputs:Headphone / SpeakersDimensions:190mm x 150dimm x 60mm
Impedance (Headphone)PowerSignal to Noise RatioSeparation
16 Ohm3.5W96db99%
32 Ohm2.5W97db99%
100 Ohm600mW98db99%
150 Ohm400mW96db99%
300 Ohm150mW95db
Impedance (Speaker)PowerSignal to Noise RatioSeparation
4 Ohm / 8 Ohm45W / 35W92.5db98.50%
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Physical Things

During the design phase of their Lisa computer in 1981, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a meeting: “Well, circles and ovals are good, but how about drawing rectangles with rounded corners? ” This started a series of designs that persist right to the current iPhones. Nothing new here, though, Jobs was obviously following the idea of the Bauhaus school “form follows function“.

Burson also picked up on that German idea with their designs that are minimalistic and functional…and therefore attractive. After all, “less is more“.

The Burson Funk is a piece or art — and not only that. It is that square box with rounded corners and minimalistic operational elements. Build is as good as it gets, the enclosure made of a high-density aluminum. Rugged and heavy. A clever “ridge-n-groove” groove heat-sink structure increases and maximizes the surface area, which optimizes heat dissipation.

The “Cool Stand” also incorporates this design. And it keeps the Funk in an upright position, which further increases head dissipation by decreasing its footprint. Nomen est omen. Didn’t we know this from external computer hard drives?

Rectangles with rounded corners are everywhere!  Steve Jobs.

Burson Funk
Burson Funk’s top cover: ridge-n-groove head-sink design maximizes surface and therefore heat dissipation. Allen keys for removing screws are included.
Burson Funk
The heavy duty “Cool Stand” has its name for a reason. Positioning the Funk in an upright position maximizes the surface area exposed to air – and therefore cooling.
Burson Funk
The “Cool Stand” features three pods (the single one avoids the Funk’s rubber feet).

Features

What it does:

Drives headphones and even sensitive iems with its powerful Class A circuit
Drives near-field speakers with powerful Class AB amplification
Is a sonic chameleon through opamp rolling
The low-noise MCPS switching power supply minimizes signal contamination
Can be used by gamers though its microphone bypass

What it does not:

Has no balanced output

Operation

Just like its general shape, the Burson’s operation is straight forward and strictly functional. The front panel offers two headphone jacks, one for 6.3 mm and the other for 3.5 mm plugs. There are three buttons, one for on/off, the second for toggling between headphone amp and speaker amp, and the third for low/high gain. High gain may be used for harder to drive headphones, and low gain for sensitive iems.

The applied settings are indicated by blue “pinhead” LEDs that are subtle and inconspicuous even in a dark room. The volume knob in the centre has good resistance when turning and is as accurate as could be.

The back panel hosts all sockets: RCA for source input, mic-bypass for gamers, speaker-cable connectors, and the socket for the power supply.

Burson Funk
Front panel from R to L: three buttons (on/off, headphone/speaker amp, low/high gain), volume knob, and two headphone jacks.
Burson Funk
Rear panel sockets from R to L: power-supply, speaker-cable output, mic bypass, and analog source input.
Burson Funk
Mic bypass: splitter included for connecting an external microphone and headphone while bypassing the dac. Gamers frolick!

Amplification

The Burson Funk’s Class A headphones circuit offers a healthy 3.5 W at 16 Ohm and a still very generous 150 mW at 300 Ohm. It drives my 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD 600 with ease and will probably do justice to the most inefficient planar magnetic headphones. A low gain setting and the relatively low output impedance of <2 Ohm make the Funk also well suited for sensitive iems. I went as low as 16 Ohm iems in my testing and heard no hiss.

The Class AB circuit is designed for near-field listening, but 2*45 W on 4 Ohm speakers are overkill for desktop use. The Burson Funk works quite well for midsized rooms, too.

MCPS Power Supply

Burson have created their proprietary Maximum Current Power Supply “MCPS” that is included with all their amps. It is an ultrafast switching power supply that minimizes noise riding on the signal – and it lowers resistance and speeds up performance.

Opamps

Operational amps (“opamps”) are one of the building blocks of analog electronics circuits, used for signal conditioning, filtering, and/or performing mathematical operations, and therefore sound optimization and customization. They are easily plugged into/pulled out of the logic board (Allen keys for opening the enclosure are included).

Opamps fine tune the’s sonic signature, and help tailor the sound to the listener’s preference – similar to tubes in tube amps. Opamps are universally deployable across different amps independent of brand.

Burson includes a pair of their flagship V6 Vivid opamps in the “Deluxe Package” that produce an energetic and dynamic sound. They also offer opamps separately, for example, the V6 Classic, which generate a more laid back, relaxed sound with a vinyl charm.

The Funk holds two opamps (hence the supplied “pair”), one for the headphone circuit and the other for the speaker circuit. Feel free to use a different opamp in each signal path. Many users prefer the V6 Classic for headphone use and the V6 Vivid for speakers.

Caution, “opamp rolling” can be addictive!

Burson Funk
The included V6 Vivid Dual is Burson’s flagship opamp.
Burson Funk
Two dual opamps installed. Each is for a different signal path…the upper left one for the speakers and the central right one for the headphone. You can use a different opamp for each signal path if desired.
Burson Funk
V6 Vivid opamp in the headphone’s signal path.

Sound

Headphones

Equipment used: Questyle QP1R reference dap | MacBook Air + Khadas Tone2 Pro with Allo Nirvana SMPS; AudioQuest Golden Gate RCA interconnects; Sennheiser HD 600 heaphone; Sennheiser IE 300/400 PRO iems.

What became evident first to me was how the Burson Funk with the V6 Vivid opamp replaces the analytical signature of the Questyle’s own Class A amp with a slight warmth and an overall subtle tone colour moving the signature towards analog. Sound is quite natural and definitely not digitally artificial.

Bass with the Burson Funk is tight and the vocals above are placed where they should be, not back and not too up front. Voices are delivered with very good weight and definition, and with crispness, which is of utmost important for my enjoyment. I found that the Funk worked well even with the overly sharp recorded vocals in my test track portfolio. Vocals reproduction is the Funk’s biggest trait which would be my personal dealmaker.

Treble extension with the V6 Vivid is good without any grain. The top end is as sweet as the rest of the spectrum

In contrast, the Topping L30, hailed as one of the best audio products around by quite a few, failed my ears miserably in the vocals department and timbre. That’s where many cheap amps cannot convince: they attenuate the midrange, possibly for better perceived transparency, and they sound sterile and lifeless. The Funk does not suffer from these.

The opamp certainly justifies its “Vivid” name, but the dynamics are well dosed and not overpowering. If you want less punch, try the V6 Classic.

Check out my analysis of the Burson V6 Classic opamps.

Stage has excellent depth and height, but average width. Headroom is plenty so that a balanced output is not missed. Resolution and separation are very good, too. Most headphone amps I have tested (“Topping L30” type) sounded digital, flat, and thin in comparison. But I have not auditioned many, admittedly.

Burson Funk
Burson Funk drives my Heybrook HB1 speakers (8 Ohm, 90 dB).

Speakers

Equipment used: Marantz SA8000, Monster M-series RCA interconnects, Heybrook HB1 speakers (8 Ohm, 90 dB).

The Burson Funk’s Class AB speaker circuit is designed for near-field speakers on our desks. 45 W per channel @ 4 Ohm speakers appears to be overkill for our eardrums. I therefore undermined my reviewing task — also because I don’t have (space for) desktop speakers — and ran the Funk with 8 Ohm Heybrook HB1 speakers @35 W on the main floor of my 2000 sq. ft house. Sourced by the Marantz SA8005 SACD player, the Funk replaced my regular Luxman L-410 dedicated speaker amp.

The result was somewhat predictable. The Burson Funk lacks the Luxman’s sheer power, body, and note weight (“quantity”) but it excels in quality: that is better transparency and depth, better three-dimensionality, crisper attack, better defined notes and better detail resolution.

The Burson Funk is leaner than the Luxman, but never thin. It is a bit underpowered for that large area when listening to Metallica, but I still thoroughly enjoyed its fluidity with Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos by Café Zimmermann. Move the unit into a mid-sized room…and bingo.

Also check out my video revview of the Burson Funk.

Concluding Remarks

The Burson Funk is a gorgeous device that has been pure pleasure for me. Great to look at, great to handle, and very good sounding with lots of power. Most impressive is its vocals presentation.

It does more than justice to my 300 Ohm Sennheiser’s HD 600 and 16 Ohm Sennheiser IE 300/400 PRO iems. And it works well with my speakers the size of a bookshelf (“bookshelf speakers?”) in a mid-sized room. Thanks to the “Cool Stand” finally an amp that fits on my crowded desk.

There is nothing I dislike about the Burson Funk other than perhaps my desire to try more opamps. Well done, cobbers!

Until next time…keep on listening!

Jürgen Kraus signature

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Disclaimer

The Deluxe Package of the Burson Funk was provided unsolicited for this review by Burson – and I thank them for that.

Get the Burson Funk HERE.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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Author

  • Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

    Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

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