Short answer
Both are desktop amplifiers, $2395 against $2799.
The Burson Soloist 3X GT reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Bryston BHA-1 on 566.
| Specification | Bryston BHA-1 | Burson Soloist 3X GT |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 500 mW | 4.0 W |
| Power into 150Ω | 358 mW | 650 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 445 mW | 320 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 667 mW | 160 mW |
| Output impedance | not published | 0.5 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | 1.5 µV unverified |
| Price | $2395 | $2799 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 567 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | Bryston BHA-1 | Burson Soloist 3X GT |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | balanced | XLR4 |
| Power into 32Ω | 500 mW | 8.0 W |
| Power into 300Ω | 445 mW derived | 640 mW |
| Output impedance | not published | 0.5 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 567 |
Through the balanced sockets the Burson Soloist 3X GT reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here and the Bryston BHA-1 on 566. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | Bryston BHA-1 | Burson Soloist 3X GT |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Published |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Published |
| 600 Ω | Published | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. Bryston BHA-1 publishes at 32 Ω and at 600 Ω; Burson Soloist 3X GT at 32 Ω, at 150 Ω and at 300 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
So the two columns are not equally firm row by row: at 600 Ω only the Bryston BHA-1 figure is the maker’s own and at 150 Ω and at 300 Ω only the Burson Soloist 3X GT figure is the maker’s own. On those rows the derived number is the one to doubt first.
1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the Burson Soloist 3X GT but not on the Bryston BHA-1 — Symphonium Titan.
566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020: Burson Soloist 3X GT has +28 dB of headroom there against +15 dB. 13 dB is about 20 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Bryston BHA-1 and Burson Soloist 3X GT because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Bryston BHA-1 headroom | Burson Soloist 3X GT headroom | Bryston BHA-1 hiss | Burson Soloist 3X GT hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +35 dB | +48 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +15 dB | +28 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +27 dB | +35 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +28 dB | +28 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +17 dB | +27 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +26 dB | +21 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +18 dB | +17 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +9 dB | +17 dB | not published | not published |
The Burson Soloist 3X GT costs $404 more than the Bryston BHA-1. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 1 more model driven to 100 dB.
Nothing runs the other way: there is no axis here on which the cheaper of the two does better.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Bryston BHA-1 and Burson Soloist 3X GT.