BURSON C3XP Conductor 3X Performance User Manual

June 6, 2024
BURSON

BURSON C3XP Conductor 3X Performance

Thank You

All of us at Burson Audio would like to say thank you, and congratulations for purchasing the Burson Conductor 3XP. We sincerely believe that your Burson Conductor 3XPP is an intelligent investment that will bring you many years of musical enjoyment and satisfaction.
We understand how eager you are to begin listening and we want you to become familiar with the full capabilities of the Burson Conductor 3XPP. However, before powering on the device, we encourage you to look through the manual.

Team Burson

The less the equipment tampers with the music, the greater the music becomes. This has been the core design philosophy of Burson Audio since 1996. If the equipment is honest and transparent then the proper tempo, dynamics and tone will materialize as a natural expression of the music and it becomes unnecessary to flavor the original sound. We believe that this ideal can never be achieved through standard circuitry building blocks such as opamps, IC regulators or even standard transformers. Instead we work towards this ideal through the research and development of customized solid-state circuitries that are developed specifically to suit our applications. Only then will each and every component involved be pushed to their performance peak. And only then will the end result be consistent with our idealism.

XLR to RCA Output

To achieve an ideal sonic performance, the XLR outputs of the Conductor 3XP are direct coupling. ie. It has no coupling capacitors or transformers on the audio signal path.

However, direct coupling outputs are not compatible with off-the-shelf XLR to RCA adaptors like the ones showing below. Using such adaptors to connect the C3X to any single-ended amplifier with RCA inputs will damage the internal opamps of the C3XP.


Therefore, to safely connect the Conductor 3XP to any single-ended amplifiers, please use the transformer type of adapters below.

Unpacking

After carefully unpacking your Burson Conductor 3XP, inspect for any shipping damage and call your dealer immediately if any is found. Do not plug your Burson Conductor 3XP into any outlet if you find shipping damage. Please save all packing materials so the unit can be easily and safely shipped if the need arises.

The Accessories

  • Conductor 3XPP Headphone Amp / Pre Amp / DAC
  • External Power Supply 24V 3A
  • USB Data cable
  • Remote control unit
  • Hex Key / Spare Fuse / Spare IC opamps for troubleshooting

Stand Alone Setup

  1. Connect the 24V external power supply to the Conductor 3XP. Connect the barrel plug to the Burson first before plugging the power plug to the wall socket.

  2. Connect the USB cable between the Conductor 3XPP and your PC / Mac

  3. Connect the Pre Out of the Conductor 3XPP to your powered speaker/power amp + speaker setup

  4. Connect your headphones to the Headphone Out of the Conductor 3XPP

  5. Power on the Conductor 3XPP.

  6. Turn the volume control knob to adjust the volume. Press the volume knob once to mute.
    Press the knob again or turn the volume up to unmute.

  7. You can also control volume and mute the Conductor 3XPP from its remote control.

  8. At this point the physical setup of the unit is completed, please follow the software setup guide.

Connections

USB interface software setup guide

For OSX, iOS, Android system, no driver is needed. For Windows OS driver download and setup procedures please visit our main website for support: https://www.bursonaudio.com/downloads/
(Please download the latest Windows driver: Burson_UsbAudio_v4.59.0_2019-04-02_setup.exe)

Break-in, Warm-up and Caring

The sound of the Burson Conductor 3XP improves steadily within minutes after powered-up. Depending on the resolution of the system and the attentiveness of the listener, you may find that the sound continues to improve over the first several weeks of operation.

Never, connect or disconnect the headphone jack or the RCA cables from the Conductor 3XP while music is Conductor 3XPing. This could damage the Conductor 3XP. After your listening session, please disconnect the headphone jack from the Conductor 3XP to prolong the working life of its headphone output socket.

Input USB PCM 32bit 786K / DSD512
  Toslink PCM 24bit 192K
  Coaxial PCM 24bit 192K
  Bluetooth PCM 24bit 96K
Output Headphone
  Pre Out Pre Amp output with volume control
  DAC Out 2V RMS line-level no volume control
  High* / Low 2V RMS line-level no volume control
Gain Level High* / Low
FIR Filter Brickwall
  CMFR
  Reserved
  AP Fast*
  MP Slow
  MP Fast
  LP Slow
  LP Fast
DPLL (DSD) DPLL Off / Low / Mid / High*
DPLL (PCM) DPLL Off / Low / Mid / High*
DE-EMPHASIS On / Off* Only turn on if your source is cassette tape
RESTORE SETTINGS YES / NO
  • Default selection marked with*

For details on the various filter setting please refer to the official datasheet of the ESS9038 DAC: http://file2.dzsc.com/product/18/05/25/829029_170233543.pdf

Opamp Change & Upgrade

The Burson Conductor 3XP allows opamp changing to customise its sound to the owner’s preference.
When changing opamps, please be aware of the following:

  1. The opamp power supply voltage in the Burson Conductor 3XP is +/-15V
  2. There are 4 dual opamps inside the Conductor 3XP
  3. Please refer to the following diagram for the position and correct orientation of the opamps.

The Initial Powering up

Make sure volume control has been turned to minimal when using your Conductor 3XP for the first time. Always power on your source machine first and your power amp last. When powering down your system reverse the steps.

Free Warranty Extension

All Burson Audio products are covered by 24 months + 12 months of warranty (See conditions below). https://www.bursonaudio.com/warranty/.

Warranty Conditions

Burson Audio warrants that this product shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship for:
The warranty period begins at the date of sale and is subject to the following requirements and understandings:

  1. This is a non-transferable warranty.

  2. This product is only warranted in the country of original sale by Burson / authorised dealer.

  3. The product must not have been modified in any manner whatsoever, or the warranty is immediately voided.

  4. The product must not have been stored in a humid, damp environment; nor subjected to weather, water, or salt spray.

  5. During the warranty period, Burson will replace a defective Burson Conductor 3 with a similar available product, at no cost to the owner for labour, materials, and shipping charges from Burson.

  6. Burson shall not, under any circumstances, be liable for any incidental or consequential damages arising from the loss of property or other damage or losses due to the failure of a Burson Conductor 3. Burson will not pay for loss of use or inconvenience caused by the failure of a Burson Conductor 3. Burson will not pay for damage caused to other audio components caused by the failure of the Burson Conductor 3 within the limits allowed by Australian Law.

  7. The compatibility between our USB receiver and your computer is dependent on software drivers provided to Burson by the USB chip manufacturer. Therefore Burson cannot guarantee the compatibility of our USB receiver during or after the warranty period.

References

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