Burson Soloist HP amp help - too bass strong

Joe - see if you can borrow Tellurium Q diamond range of interconnects - fairly neutral, with no apparent frequency boosts or cuts. Not sure if the budget fits though.

Anticables Reference rca might be something you could consider. Very neutral with a dry Bass.  Importantly more specific in that they offer a fairly compact soundstage but with very good depth perspectives. For headphone listening might work wonders. And cheap for a half metre.

Adam Zielinski posted:

Joe - see if you can borrow Tellurium Q diamond range of interconnects - fairly neutral, with no apparent frequency boosts or cuts. Not sure if the budget fits though.

Thanks for the reply Adam. Googled Tellurium Q diamond and out of budget for me. I don't do enough HP listening to warrant the cost, even if it did the trick. Alternate HP amps would make more sense (and cents ).

TOBYJUG posted:

Anticables Reference rca might be something you could consider. Very neutral with a dry Bass.  Importantly more specific in that they offer a fairly compact soundstage but with very good depth perspectives. For headphone listening might work wonders. And cheap for a half metre.

Good suggestion Tobyjug. I'd come across several reviews of Anticables even before reading your response and they seem a good candidate within budget.

I'm also wondering whether the Audeze Deckard might be a good HP amp to consider. Same 4-watt class A output as the Burson Soloist.

How about some of the Wireworld offerings - I found them quite netural sounding, a bit on a ‘warm’ side which may not be a bad thing?

Suggestions appreciated. For now I ordered an IC from JW Audio in Florida at $150. Signature level, cryo'd, and it will arrive with a 100-hr burn in so should be good to go for an immediate evaluation. Importantly, has a 30-day trial period leaving me only on the hook for return shipping if it doesn't do the trick. Will report results once it arrives.

My JW Audio IC arrived today and I've spent a few albums with it. Big improvement (the JWs come burnt-in). Greater transparency and free-flow of the music. Bass is better balanced in the overall tonal mix. The Chord Crimson much more of a choke or constraint; muddy in comparison. Just a hint of fatigue with the JW, but I got through a couple of albums before it set in. My HP listening is occasional anyway.

So now I've got a decent IC for my ears. Next step for me is to get another HP amp into the mix. I ordered a Beyerdynamic A20 (30-day trial) which ought to gel well with my Beyer T70. I love the way the Burson defines bass. I'll see how the Beyer amp compares for bass delineation, tonal balance, and any amount of fatigue factor.

The Beyer A20 amp arrived hours ago. Gave it some time to warm to room temp on my rack then powered it using a worn Naim tibia fed by the JW Audio RCA connector. I could hear the initially grainy mids smooth as I listened and the overall tonal balance fell into place with more time. The A20 is powerful and is already proving to be a better match than the Burson Soloist with my Beyer T70. A finer bass balance, shinier highs, and my initial sense is it won't be overtly fatiguing. I'll give it a few days to run and make a determination with extended listening and any associated burn-in.