Burmester 911MK3
 

I always thought my next upgrade would be the 1.2KW's. After reading Jeff's last publication on 1.2KW, simaudio W7 and Burmester 911Mk3. I'm thinking of jumping over to the German side. I was wondering if any one has done a comparison of the Burmester 911 to there huge Burmester 909? I know the 909 is more powerful but the 911 seems to be more refine with its newer upgrades. I don't think my Princes (87% efficient) would like only one 911 but might get away with one 909. Anyone go from McIntosh to Burmester?

John

Lots of reviews about the Burmester out there, and they are rave. Seem to emphasize the great damping factor of the 911. Check them out.

You could try a pair of used MBL 9008's for about $20K. They easily handle 101E's that are 83dB efficient. Everyone may not like the look or size but they sound great.

Was the price of a new pair of MBL's 9008's that made you get the 1.2KW's?

I got a great price on my 1.2K's, one that I couldn't pass up. I figured if I switched to MBL amps, then it would be their pre amp and SACD player and DAC next. Even used the SACD and DAC would be about 5 times what I paid for the MCD-500. They sound better but not by that much. :)

MBL 9008's are superb amps when it comes to solid state. :yes: Completely grain free, very organic sounding with excellent control and grip for most speakers out there. I really liked their purity and vividness of tonal colors. Very musical, expressive and wholesome without being too dark or too bright but juuust right. :yes:

At this price point, you must give them a listen...

You can use the 911's as mono amplifiers as well, giving you more options. Start with one and if you need more juice get a 2nd one. When I had dinner with Dieter Burmester at CES, he said the current 911 is definitely a bit faster amp than the 909, but the 909 had unlimited power.

I have not had a chance to audition the 909 yet, but I am a huge fan of the 911mk 3.

Depending on how loud you need to listen to music, you might be ok. I've been driving my Magnepans with a single 911, pretty effortlessly. I've also had good luck with my Harbeth Monitor 40.1's which have a sensitivity of 86db/1 watt.

Thanks for the info. I will give them a listen.

Well I've always been fortunate to get between 25 to 30 percent off new audio gear. Lately I've had Burmester on my brain. There are hardly any dealers in the US maybe one or two. I heard thru the grapevine a couple of months ago that there wasn't a US distributor, as they were looking for a new one. I don't know if that was true or not. Anyway since there is no dealer in my local area I decided to stop thinking about Burmester and just enjoy my current system. Then on Friday I see a 911MK3 on audiogon for the first time. So I thought what the heck and put a bid in for it. I probably won't get it but if I do I will be able to compare it my 501's in my own system
and see how much better it is.

john,

good luck, i hope that you get it.