Audio Research vs Burmester Audio

I have a Burmester 911 Mk 3 amp. While the Burmester 011 pre is perfect for it, I chose not to use that pre because it lacks a balance control. After trying an MBL 5011, I ended up with a Krell Evo 202, which has a 50 ohm output impedance (the Burmester amp likes a pre with a low output impedance). After some experimentation with interconnects, I purchased a Kimber Select 1136 (with wires to the XLR pins inverted at the factory, to accomodate an American pre to a German amp), and I am now very happy with the results. The Burmester is a fully balanced amp, and it needs careful matching if it is to sound its best. So if you decide to get the 911 Mk 3, your choice of preamps and cables is limited if you want to get the amp to sound its best. It would not be a good idea, for instance, to drive a Burmester amp with an ARC preamp. You are probably best off with either all ARC electronics or a Burmester amp with either a Burmester or Krell preamp.

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.

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.

Dev, I've had the Anats for a little over a year. They are set up in a 32 x 14 foot livingroom, and their placement had to be accomodated to the other uses of the room. Neither their location nor the room itself are optimal, but we are getting surprisingly realistic sound nevertheless. Use of wall acoustic panels or other obtrusive sound devices was ruled out by my wife, but I do use ten Acoustic Resonators, which help. The left speaker only has a back wall. Instead of a side wall, there is a large opening into another room. That results in the right speaker having a greater volume than the left. I've solved that problem by using the balance control of the Krell preamp. Only a modest two clicks (or one db)increase to the left speaker balances the sound without destroying the sound stage. As to the Burmester 909s: I've heard that they are very good, but they are also quite expensive. But I've never heard them. There are a couple of Burmester dealers in NYC, but none in the Boston area, where I live.