You reap what you sow, you might have heard this a lot when you were younger which in my case is now like 15 years ago and it still retains its relevance in my now adult and audio realviewing life. The overall resulting sound is just as good as the sum of all the parts in your audio chain and ensuring that you get the best of what you have by pairing synergistic pieces as well reliable components is a key aspect in ensuring that you achieve this.
I’ve recently realviewed the Burson Audio Playmate DAC/Amp/Pre-Amp and one of its key features was the ability to swap out its Op Amps which would allow for a personalized approach to an already sturdily built set. What we have now to realview is one of Burson Audio’s premium Op Amps, the V6 Classic Dual which was sent in exchange for an honest impression, no monetary factors are involved as well in this collaboration. You can check them out at their official Burson Audio website.
The V6 Classic is currently priced at $70 for Single(x2), $70 for Dual(x1) and $130 for Dual(x2). With an ever-changing and improvement on audio components, will the Burson Audio V6 Classic hold its ground? Let’s find out.
Burson Audio V6 Classic (Dual) Specifications:
- Design: Fully Discrete
- Minimum Supply Voltage: ±3.5V/7VDC
- Maximum Supply Voltage: ±16.5V/33VDC
- Current Consumption: 14mA
- Unity Gain (I/V) Stable: Yes
- Reverse Voltage Protection: Yes
- Width: 14.5mm (0.57 in)
- Depth: 12.4mm (0.48 in)
- Height: 29mm (1.14 in)
Packaging and Build Quality
The V6 Classic came in a translucent plastic case with foam cutouts for both Op Amps since you’d need to buy at least a pair. Underneath the foam cutouts are the V6 info sheet. The packaging allows for a great storage solution in case you have a collection of various OpAmps and you occasionally rotate them. The V6 Classic has a vertical orientation is considerably tall for most portable Op Amp rollable DAC/Amps. I initially had plans to use the V6 Classic on the xDuoo XD-05 which sports the same 8-pin configuration but it unfortunately wasn’t able to fit due to the large footprint of the V6. Those planning to install the V6 on compactly built portable DAC/Amps will be left scratching their heads, if it doesn’t fit, don’t force it.
The V6 with its vertical orientation has a plastic housing which either comes in a light orange or fiery orange shade, this very feature is more likely due to the fact that lighter shades avoids further surface heat absorption than darker shades of the color spectrum. The 8-pin configuration on the V6 is gold-plated and has a rounded outline unlike other Op Amps which comes in flat outlines. The rounded pins allows for a better surface contact since both the xDuoo XD-05 and the Burson Audio Playmate featured a rounded 8-pin socket. The overall build quality of the Burson Audio V6 is indeed premium and backing that up with a lifetime warranty makes it a hard not to recommend deal.
Special feature and Installation
Reverse Power Protection
The Burson Audio V6 Operational amplifiers packs some special features and one of it is the Reverse Power Protection which worked great after I intentionally defied Burson Audio’s V6 manual to check the half-moon orientation when plugging in the V6. I tested it with 2 full tracks and the V6 didn’t ground or malfunctioned. Audiophiles who are new to Op Amp rolling will love this feature since it gives them a margin of error when installing the V6.
Installation
The installation process of the V6 Classic Op Amp might be daunting for 1st timers especially if the device to be updated is pricey. The good thing is that Burson Audio made sure to have the V6 be built with sturdiness in mind especially for such a tiny component which would potentially undergo a lot of stress, both physically and electronically. I had my better half’s plier handy in removing the stock Op Amps of the Burson Audio Playmate and after that, plugging in the V6 is as easy as plugging it in. Just make sure to have the half-moon cut out on both the Playmate’s Op Amp plate and the V6 itself to match, the large groove on the V6’s enclosure is a big help for that.
NOTE: Make sure you register your Burson Audio Op Amps to avail of the lifetime warranty. You can do it on the official Burson Audio Warranty Registration page.
Temperature tolerance and Sound quality
The Burson Audio V6 features a “new enclosure” system which is plastic and we all know plastic is less prone to both heat absorption and getting into low temperature when stored in very cold rooms like your 24-hour fully air-conditioned rooms. I used the V6 Classic mainly on the Burson Audio Playmate and after listening to just 3 16/44 FLAC tracks, it got considerably warm and with an hour of use only made it hotter. The Burson Audio Playmate is able to handle the heat dissipation tasks for this type of warmth coming out the V6 by the fact that it is a desktop DAC/Amp yet if you plan to use the V6’s on a much smaller DAC/Amp, I would recommend you to not push the V6’s temperature too much, not that it isn’t built to handle such but for power-efficient use and as they say, prevention is better than cure.
I used the V6 Classic on the Burson Audio Playmate for the rest of the sound test paired via USB connection to my MSI GF62-8RE-05th laptop and using Foobar2000 v1.4 outputting 16/44 FLAC tracks by Norah Jones and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Burson Audio V6’s contribution to the sound signature of your DAC/Amp is mainly on its ability to make the track more articulate yet still being engaging and intimate. The presentation is rendered in a livelier way with smoothness delivered with emphasis on the low-end and midrange. The lower midrange has fuller body while the upper midrange is rendered with great accuracy and extension. I enjoyed pairing the Burson Audio Playmate with the V6 Classic with fun-sounding tracks and movie binging where immersing on the emotion and ambience is in focus rather than on the detail retrieval and micro details.
Conclusion
The Burson Audio V6 Classic indeed offers a step up performance from the stock Texas Instruments NE5532D that came with the Burson Audio Playmate and the fact that it pushes the midrange a notch better and making the experience much more engaging. The large footprint of the V6 is ironically its biggest hurdle to being paired with other portable DAC/Amps. It also invites audiophiles with little to no experience with rolling Op Amps to engage with the activity with its zero-learning curve design, ease of use and installation.
