Australian manufacturer Burson Audio has announced two new desktop headphone amplifiers under the Stellar banner, slotting between its entry-level Party Playmate 3 and Grand Tourer ranges. One Stellar unit has an internal DAC, and the other does not.

Soloist Stellar

The Soloist Stellar is the DAC-less option: a pure headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier that accepts analogue inputs only (XLR and RCA). Its Class-A discrete circuitry drives four ON Semiconductor MJE15032 transistors per channel, housed in a fin-and-vent enclosure that dissipates heat passively.

Headphone outputs cover balanced XLR, single-ended 6.35mm and single-ended 3.5mm. A dedicated IEM output stage sits alongside the standard outputs to reduce the noise floor for high-sensitivity in-ear monitors. XLR and RCA pre-amplifier outputs are also on board, making it a candidate for driving a power amplifier or powered loudspeakers. Independent channel-balance controls cover both headphone and loudspeaker outputs; useful for correcting room asymmetry or hearing differences between ears.

Conductor Stellar

The Conductor Stellar shares the same amplifier architecture and chassis as the Soloist but folds in digital source capability. Its DAC section uses an ESS ES9039PRO chip fed by three digital inputs: USB-C via an XMOS receiver (and TOSLINK), handling PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD up to DSD512. Bluetooth 5.0 is enabled by a Qualcomm CSR8675 chip that supports LDAC, aptX HD, and AAC. Analogue inputs: one set of XLR; one set of RCA; a microphone bypass input accommodates gaming headsets. Sharp-eyed readers may also notice that the unit used for the press photography has “Stella” misspelt on its rear panel.

Power, size and a bonus

Both units deliver 5 watts balanced and 2.5 watts single-ended into 32 ohms via the standard headphone outputs, dropping to 500 milliwatts balanced and 250 milliwatts single-ended at the same impedance via the IEM output. Both units measure 210 × 200 × 75mm and weigh approximately 5kg.

Interestingly, both units also put a mono subwoofer RCA output alongside their XLR and RCA pre-amplifier outputs.

Pricing and availability

The Burson Audio Soloist Stellar is priced at €1600/US$1500, the Conductor Stellar at €1900/US$1800. Standard Edition units are available now; upgraded versions are available to special order. What are those upgrades? The press release doesn’t say.

Further information: Burson Audio