[Listening test] Burson Audio Funk Integrated Amplifier, with Super Charger 5A PSU

Product name: Burson Audio Funk - new release
Manufacturer: Burson Audio - Australia
Approx. price: Funk $599; Super Charger 5A $399; V6 Vivid Dual OpAmps (pair) $160; Cool Stand $140.
Reviewer: M.L. Gneier - TNT USA
Reviewed: October, 2023

The Burson name is one of those I've known about for years yet somehow never had the opportunity to hear until I came face to face with the Funk (Note: TNT-Audio reviewed a previous release of the Funk in 2021). The Funk's a member of a new breed of amplifier that are broadly designated as personal or desktop amps. Those terms translates roughly to small and, in the case of the Funk, having but one analog input. Many of these amps employ Class D topology but the designer of the Funk opted for Class AB. I called upon the Funk's 45 watts to drive my floor standers as well as a trio of monitors of varying sensitivities and impedance loads. Perhaps this didn't match the Funk's design intent but the results were impressively musical.

The Funk is a sexy little devil, a touch deeper than it is wide. The unit has deeply machined fore & aft channels in its clamshell that gives the Funk even more visual appeal. A lightly knuckled analog volume potentiometer dominates the front panel that also holds a power button, switching between its headphone and main outputs and two sets of headphone jacks, one pair a full-size 6.35mm and the other a 3.5mm. Someone needs to explain to me why aftermarket headphone cables are so popular yet most are used with some idiotic adapter at the end? Of course, use of these adapters are forced by manufacturers. Thank you, Burson, for saving Funk owners from such foolishness. The Funk also allows the user to select gain settings for headphones to accommodate different designs while still keeping the Funk's volume control in its sweet spot. More good thinking by Team Burson!

The Funk's back panel is similarly well executed. Binding posts are beefy and substantial while the RCAs, though not chassis-mounted, feel solid enough. There's also a mic input for those who are gamey by nature. If I were one to nit-pick, and I am, I would say that the binding posts should be replaced by classis-mounted banana sockets. The big posts dominate the back panel a little too much both visually and in terms of their foot print on the small panel. After all these years of using spade lugs exclusively I've come to the point where I find bananas to be a far better alternative, all things considered.

Let's get back to how sexy the Funk is. This little guy just flat looks the part from the tiny, unobtrusive blue LEDs that adorn the front panel to the precision feel of the volume control. It is well-conceived, well-executed and solid. It is refreshingly free of the kind of the kind of "me too" design cues that have become so prevalent. It is simple, yes, but it is also sophisticated and feels even more so in use.

A slight, and I do mean very slight, operational note is the presence of the Funk's mild turn-off thump. These kind of thumps, on both turn on and off, used to be far more common. The sad thing is that their elimination speaks to a kind of mid-fi sensibility that tends to elevate freedom from those kinds of bothersome noises over the preference of making gear that simply sounds better. I did check with Burson who assured me that the thump was normal and harmless. Burson also offered some advice to avoid the turn-off thump entirely: Simply switch the Funk's output from speakers to headphones before turning off the unit. Anyway, I thought you should know that the thump is there and that it won't do you, the Funk or your system any harm.

Hot damn, the Burson Funk sounds good. Still, I let it cook for a while. Over the years I've found that amplifiers that have done some traveling sound better once everything is settled thermally. This was true with the Funk also but it sounded so good cold that the improvement that a few hours brought was exceptionally subtle. The Burson website mentions that the Funk runs cool but my review sample gets fairly warm in my system sitting all by itself on my open Salamander rack, nowhere near any other component. The chassis channels are uniformly warm so they must help dissipate heat, at least a little.

Can we talk about the Funk's 45 watts? That's actually the rating into 4 ohms. The 8 ohm rating is 35 watts. This modest gain into a halved load speaks to the limitation of the output devices and the power supply. But, I'm telling you, the Funk is one gutsy little amplifier. If I turned the music up to an annoying volume I could make the little guy lose steam and sound a little bit hard. But, at my actual listening levels, over the course of a few months, the Funk always had plenty of power reserve for my speakers and room (which is not small). Does this mean that you can make the Funk the heart of any full-range system? Maybe, but maybe not. But, the point is that I can imagine the Funk starring in many systems with many speakers costing many times more than it does and not being embarrassed by the association. Think of the simplicity; there's the cool, little Funk sitting all by itself driving your favorite speakers to sonic perfection. Think of all the cold hard cashed you'd save.

But now remind yourself; the Funk only has one pair of inputs. For me, this really hurts. I have an idea that most users will have a need for at least two inputs. I know that I need two; one for my phono pre and the other for a variety of analog sources that I'd be happy to have share the second pair of inputs. But, getting by with one pair is a bit of a pain, especially with am amp that sounds as exceptional as the Funk.

I mentioned that the Funk has a gutsy presentation and it does. But, the top end is both exceptionally expansive and clean. Its rendering of the upper reaches of both piano and violin are exceptional for such an inexpensive amplifier. I often find that cheap amps can sound OK, even a little impressive, on typical mass-market, non-acoustic music. But, bring out material with some dynamic range and richness of tone and timbre and it's all over. Within its power rating the Funk sound amazingly natural and true with a rich quality that brings out the essence of both male and female voice.

It would probably help if I had been born in England but I'd also like to tell you what great rhythm, pace and drive the Funk conveys. It has great impact and energy without going over the top into anything that might be called hi-fi-sounding. To say that the Funk punches above its weight class to to put it lightly.

Over 90% of my time with the Funk was spent with the optional Super Charger 5 amp power supply. I mean, come on; give a reviewer a better part and then expect him to spend a lot of time with a lesser part? Be reasonable! Anyway, the standard power supply was fine but once I tried the SC5 I saw no reason to go back. I know it adds to the Funk's cost but frankly it's worth it. I would love to see the SC5 the one and only PS for the Funk. First, it's even more quiet than the standard PS. Second, and not surprisingly, that extra silence makes the Funk sound both more authoritative and more delicate. So, save your nickels and make sure you order the Super Charger 5 when you're ready to pull the trigger on a Burson Funk.

The Funk's headphone amp has an impressive set of specs. It puts out 3.5 watts into 16 ohms and is usable with 32, 100, 150 and 300 ohm headphones. But, I'm badly spoiled when it comes to headphone amps and I found the Funk to be slightly opaque with both my Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic reference headphones. Note that I am a longtime and picky headphone amp user. Note also that I don't use silly bus-powered so-called headphone amps. My reference headphone amp outweighs the 3 to 1. It's not fair for me to compare the two but, hey, that's the job.

Fortunately, the Funk had an additional card to play and it's an important one for both the headphone and the speaker outputs of the Funk; the V6 Vivid OpAmp. The Funk shipped with two Vivid, one for the headphone amp and the other for the speakers. The effect on both part of the Funk were instantaneous. Lateral precision of the stereo image was improved significantly. The overall sound was more forward, especially in the lower midband. One could say that the Funk was slightly less relaxed then it sounded with the standard Texas Instruments NE5532 is in the circuit. Depending on the system, this shift could be good or not so good. In my system, it made the Funk even more engaging and musical. This was especially true of the headphone stage. The V6 Vivid brought the Funk's headphone amp to life. Both of my reference headphones sounded more alive and significantly more dynamic with the V6 Vivid in the signal path.

The Funk is a musical bargain. The question is whether the Funk more of a bargain in stock trim or fully outfitted with both the Super Charger 5 and a pair of V6 Vivid OpAmps? Burson is something of a Pied-Piper when it comes to OpAmp rolling. I'm a bit conflicted on the subject. For most of my career in this industry I've appreciated companies who build what I regard as Finished Designs. They would take a bill of materials add the labor and create the best product they could. The Burson approach follows that process, too, but then they add what might be considered additional items from their menu. "Would you like Cheese on that burger...it's an additional $1.50." Just like with cheese or no cheese on your burger the choice of whether you enjoy the Funk a la carte or with all the trimmings is up to you, your wallet and your musical appetite.

It's interesting. The Funk is one of the more elemental products I've reviewed this year but it's so configurable that there's quite a bit to cover. Last up is the clever little Cool Stand that Burson has created to allow the Funk to stand on its side to help save space and get rid of heat. It's a lovely design although I used the Funk firmly planted on all fours throughout my evaluation.

All of the attention Burson has bestowed onto one of their least expensive products says a lot about the company and its devotion to making its products truly complete designs. The Funk excelled in pure musicality in a way I would not have imagined possible in such an inexpensive amplifier. It is a relentlessly musical product in both stock and enhanced forms and is highly recommended.

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Burson Audio (new) Funk (+ Super Charger 5A additional PSU)

How much music can the Funk bring to your system?