Burson Conductor 3 User manual

Burson Conductor 3 (C3R)
Headphone Amplifier / Pre Amplifier / USB DAC 
User Manual
Register for warranty Ref. page 7 for details
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Thank You.
All of us at Burson Audio would like to say thank you, and congratulations for purchasing the Burson
Conductor 3. We sincerely believe that your Burson Conductor 3 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 3. 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.
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Team Burson
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1

Unpacking
After carefully unpacking your Burson Conductor 3, inspect for any shipping damage and call your
dealer immediately if any is found. Do not plug your Burson Conductor 3 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 3 Headphone Amp / Pre Amp / DAC
●External Power Supply 24V 3A
●USB Data cable
●Remote control unit
●Hex Key / Spare Fuse / Spare IC op amps for
troubleshooting
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Basic Setup
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Connections
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USB interface software setup guide.
For OSX, iOS, Andriod 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 3 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 3 while music
is Conductor playing. This could damage the Conductor 3. After your listening session, please
disconnect the headphone jack from the Conductor 3 to prolong the working life of its headphone
output socket.
Menu Items
Input
USB
PCM 32bit 786K / DSD512
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Toslink 
PCM 24bit 192K
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Coaxial
PCM 24bit 192K
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Bluetooth
PCM 24bit 96K
Output
Headphone
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Pre Out
Pre Amp output with
volume control
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DAC Out
2V RMS line-level no
volume control
Gain Level
High* / Low
High / Low
FIR Filter
Brickwall, CMFR, Reserved, AP Fast*, MP
Slow, MP Fast, LP Slow, LP Fast
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DPLL (DSD)
DPLL Off / Low / Mid / High*
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DPLL (PCM)
DPLL Off / Low / Mid / High*
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DE-EMPHASIS
On / Off*
Only turn on if your source
is a cassette tape player
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RESTORE SETTINGS
YES / NO
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* Default selection marked with*
FIR Filters are part of the digital process built in the DAC chip. These filter settings only affect
high-frequency roll-offs. Visual examples of their effects are showing in this post by veteran reviewer
Raoul Trifan [+] Learn More
For details on the various filter settings please refer to the official datasheet of the ESS9038 DAC: [+]
Learn More
Opamp Change & Upgrade
The Burson Conductor 3 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 3 is +/-15V
2. There are 2 dual opamps and 2 single opamps inside the Conductor 3
3. Please refer to the following diagram for the position and correct orientation of the opamps.
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The Initial Powering up
Make sure volume control has been turned to minimal when using your Conductor 3 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 of warranty (See conditions below).
https://www.bursonaudio.com/warranty/.
6

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 sold by Burson / authorised dealer.
3. The authorised seller will handle all warranty claims during the warranty period.
4. The product must not have been modified in any manner whatsoever, or the warranty is
immediately voided.
5. The product must not have been stored in a humid, damp environment; nor subjected to
weather, water, or salt spray.
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’s operating system is not
guaranteed during or after the warranty period. 
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