Burson makes some of the best audio equipments across the price ranges. The Playmate was good, Playmate 2 was awesome and their OP-amps are excellent too. They have top end amps and DACs too but I am yet to try them. We usually expect equipments directly related to audio from Burson but what I have here is a passively influencing item. It is a power brick, named Super Charger. Not sure why they named it Super Charger since it doesn’t charge anything but I guess it super charges the abilities of device it is being used with. In any case, this device ships with 2 power ratings, 24V remains constant while the current is either 3A or 5A.
What is interesting is the price. The 3A version is priced at $284 and the 5A is $345. These are as expensive as some of the DACs and AMPs which is kind of confusing. So.. Who should buy these? Let’s find out.
Get one from here:
PACKAGING ACCESSORIES and BUILDQUALITY:
I can put this in two ways, but let me be a bit straight forward here. This thing costs a lot, but if you look at the packaging, there is nothing that suggests it to be. It ships with an ordinary looking cardboard box and the power brick is placed in not so special tray which is covered by a transparent hard plastic cover. What’s good is the set of plug options offered.
If you are thinking of buying this I am sure that irrespective of your location, its set of plug attachments will fit your sockets without any issues. It can handle 100-240V too, you can be chill without issues.
Unlike the general chargers, this is heavy, 240g, similar to laptop chargers. They have used high quality plastic on the body and the 5 feet long wire is of excellent quality, it’s reasonably supple and has a softer layer of rubber on it. The additional socket attachments too are of high quality.
COMPATIBILITY:
This power brick is compatible with most of the Burson products but if you have a device with 24V and 3 or 5A input power rating and have a female 2.5mm barrel socket with centrally placed positive pole the super charger will be compatible.
Here is a list of compatible equipment from Burson.
| Burson Designs | Super Charger 3A | Super Charger 5A |
| Conductor 3XR | Yes | Yes |
| Conductor 3R | Yes | Yes |
| Timekeeper 3Ri | No | No |
| Conductor 3XP | Yes | Yes |
| Conductor 3P | Yes | Yes |
| Composer 3XP | Yes | Yes |
| Soloist 3X GT | No | Yes |
| Soloist 3XP | Yes | Yes |
| Playmate 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Funk | Yes | Yes |
IMPACT ON SOUND:
Burson is proud of their max current power supply tech and the super charger is taking this to another level. It operates at a higher frequency which results into better control over noise while improving dynamics. What they basically do is double the frequency while reducing the resistance of the circuit. And the conversion of sine wave to square waves helps it deliver cleaner and more consistent power with higher detail extracting capabilities. They have implemented a multi stage MOSFET noise filtering too. Burson already has their devices capable of handling high impedance headphones without any problem, this power brick takes this to a even stronger and powerful level.
Does it work as intended? The short answer is yes. This does clean up the floor and deliver better accuracy and precision with improved dynamics. Sonics and cue placements are improved too. I do not find it making my Playmate 2 sound louder, it doesn’t help the power output even though it’s a bit more input power than the stock brick, what it does is make my DAC/Amp sound a bit cleaner and refined. The noise floor is darker and the notes are better defined. These improvements are more evident with high speed and busy tracks. It helps with better control over splashy or edgy notes too.
Since I have V6 OP-amps already installed on my Playmate 2 it already was operating closer to its potential and I can comfortably state that the Super charger takes this device to its maximum potential.
CONCLUSION:
Hey, it’s an easy deduction here, if you device is priced closer to this power brick, you should not be attracted to this. 2nd is compatibility. It better be compatible with your device. If all these criteria are met, getting the Super charger makes a lot of sense, Instead of buying an upgrade device with slightly improved performance. This power brick brings perceivable changes to the DAC/Amp, yes, the price is a bit on the higher side but if you have a DAC/Amp priced closer to $1000, this is a good investment.
What is holding this power brick down is compatibility issues, if the output connectors were swappable and the cable was detachable, this would have been much easier to recommend. In any case, this is a niche product and if you have not upgraded your op-amps, try the V6 op-amps first then get the Super Charger for the best possible output from your compatible equipment.
