Burson Soloist Stellar

Burson Soloist Stellar

Compact Class A headphone amplifier and preamp with a dedicated IEM stage

The Soloist Stellar is the compact headphone amplifier from Melbourne-based Burson Audio. It brings the design of the larger Soloist Voyager into a 210 × 200 × 75 mm chassis: discrete, Class A and balanced. It has no DAC, so you connect your DAC or streamer via XLR or RCA. Headphones plug into 4-pin XLR or 6.3 mm, and as a preamp the unit provides XLR and RCA outputs plus a mono subwoofer output.

Power for planars, silence for IEMs

Burson specifies 8 W into 32 Ω and 1.1 W into 300 Ω via XLR. The Class A stage uses four Onsemi transistors per channel. In-ear monitors get their own stage with two TPA6120A2 amplifier chips (1 W via XLR, 0.5 W via 6.3 mm), so that even sensitive models stay free of hiss. Volume is handled by two analogue PGA2320 resistor ladders, via the knob or the remote control.

Deluxe or Max

• Deluxe: V7 Vivid Pro op-amps, second-generation Silent Power modules, Super Charger 5 A power supply and remote control.
• Max: the same equipment, but with the Fusion Core power supply (GaN technology, 24 V, 15 A).

The op-amps are socketed. If you want to change the voicing, you can fit other dual types, such as the V7 Classic.

Good to know: Class A generates heat even at idle. HiFiGeek mentions 50 W of idle bias and a chassis that gets warm to the touch. Place the Soloist Stellar in the open rather than in a closed cabinet.

What the press says

HiFiGeek

The Max spent three months on the reviewer’s desk in daily use and received the HiFiGeek Award and a reference rating. The review praises the slightly warm tuning combined with high resolution, the control over planars and the IEM mode.

Soundnews

The Deluxe was tested with headphones, IEMs and as a preamp. The review sees it as a miniature Soloist Voyager and highlights its dynamics and resolution at this size and price.

Passion for Sound

In a direct comparison, the video review puts it at around 85 to 90 % of the Soloist Voyager’s performance for less than half the price. The Voyager remains more transparent and better separated, while the Stellar’s IEM output is completely silent.

Who is the Soloist Stellar for?

For anyone who already owns a good DAC or streamer and wants to run both power-hungry planars and sensitive IEMs from one amplifier. If you also need a DAC, the Conductor Stellar has one built in.

In the box

• Burson Soloist Stellar
• Remote control
• Power supply: Super Charger 5 A (Deluxe) or Fusion Core 24 V (Max)
• Power cable

Technical specifications