Now that you’ve all checked out our Chord Electronics factory tour, it’s time to get back to work. I decided to start with a rather interesting DAC/headphone amplifier combo that hides a few things inside I’ve never seen before. This one is called the Burson Conductor Stellar, and as you might expect, it shares quite a bit of technology with its bigger brother, the Conductor Voyager.
There are three different tiers available for this unit. The standard version starts at $1,799, while the Deluxe package, which I’ll be reviewing today, comes in at $2,399. The Deluxe version adds improved silent power modules, a better external power supply called the Super Charger 5A, and, more importantly, much better discrete op-amps, the V7 Vivid PRO, including an all metal remote control The MAX version goes for $2,999, and in addition to everything the Deluxe package brings, it also adds the Fusion Core GaN FET-based power supply, which further elevates its performance, but more about that in a jiffy.
