Audio Research vs Burmester Audio

Dev, reversing the speaker cables in my case seemed an inelegant and possibly misleading process. First, my speakers are bi-wired, so I'd have to take care in reversing lest I make a mistake. Second, each of my speakers has a built in powered subwoofer, and each subwoofer amplifier has a phase switch which should be set to 180 degrees for a non-inverted main amp and 0 degrees for an inverted one -- and I'm not sure how to adjust for wiring the speaker cables with reverse phasing. It was much simpler to ask Kimber to invert the pins (which they did for no additional charge). All other connections then became a breeze, and the sound is glorious. My Krell preamp does have a phase reversal switch, but on asking people if reversing phase is sufficient I've gotten different replies. So again, from the standpoint of my cognitive uncertainty, having the cable manufacturer take care of the problem seemed the easiest and less confusing route. Of course, if I eventually sell the interconnect, I or the new buyer might want to have the cable altered to normal. But that, I'm told, can easily be done (for a nominal price). Finally, I believe that MBL is wired the same as Burmester (they are both manufactured in Berlin), so if you want to use either in balanced mode, you have to check to see if the preamp matches. My Krell has pin 2 non-inverted (i.e., plus); my Burmester has pin 2 inverted (i.e., minus). The interconnect is wired 2 to 3 and 3 to 2 for correct phasing.

Hi!

Thanks for lots of advise.

I will try to get hold of some Audio Research equipment to listen to back home. Normally its very hard to achive this since the shops in Norway seldom have this service, especially high end.

I have listened to Burmester 911mk3, 011, 077, 069, etc (plus the equipment I have), and the sound signature is just great. Burmester sound signature has also changed during the years. The sound is now more neutral, but still live like. Maybe not so much glow. So I more or less sure Burmester will fit the Sophias 2 well.

Speak soon!

Cheeers, Toffen G

Kusina, I misunderstood I thought you said you had the manufacture of the Burmester make changes, yes it would only make sence to have the termination on the IC's done. I was also reading Atmasphere/manufacture response to you, reading his replies were very interesting.

I demoed the MBL 9008's and when I used the INVERT on my REF3 pre it was my preference hence the reasoning from the information I have gathered now which I did not know at that time and the dealer never mentioned to me either.

Have you ever heard the 909's, are the 911's a newer design. What are the sonic differences between these two.

What speakers are you using Kusina, you mentioned powered bass which now has me wondering. If they are powered then you have not really been able to hear good or bad what the 911's have to offer in the lower spectrum's.

Dev, I've never heard the 909s. They are the top of the Burmester line of amplifiers, and they are more powerful than the 911s. I believe that the 909s are older than the 911s, and that the 911s are modeled on the 909s.
I have the latest 911 iteration, the Mark 3. The Mark 3 is internally wired with Burmester's proprietary silver wire, and has another improvement over earlier 911s as well.
When I first acquired a 911, I had an MBL 5011 preamplifier. I bought a Burmester silver interconnect. While the sound was detailed, it lacked (for want of better words) shean or sparkle on top. I contacted some Burmester dealers and others, and was told that I needed a preamp with a lower impedance output (both the MBL 5011 and 6010D have a 100 ohm output impedance). So, eventually, I bought a Krell Evo 202, which has a 50 ohm output impedance. That improved the sound, but I still didn't have enough shean or sparkle of the sort you hear at live music concerts. I tried various interconnect cables, including several different Kimber Select cables. My Burmester XLR terminated cables were too short for the new preamp installation and, in any case, they were not wired for my needs. To make a long story short, only the Kimber KS 1136 sounded right to me. The 1136 is a pure silver balanced cable with extra silver conductors -- that is, it is an 1130 with additional conductors, thus lessening the resistance and impedance, My speakers are YG Anat Reference II Studios which, if properly set up, come very close to sounding like live music. In setting up my system my wife and I would rush off to a concert or other live musical event to compare live music to what we have in our livingroom. We've narrowed the gap, especially on some CDs.

Kusina, I have not had the opportunity to hear the YG Anat Reference II Studios as of yet but I have read allot of buzz about them. How long have you had them for.

Is your set-up in a living room set-up or designated.

Very interesting what you have communicated to me, thanks.

Talking with anyone within the Burmester community have you heard any reference towards the difference of the 909's and 911's besides the power.