Audio Research vs Burmester Audio

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.

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.

Toffen -- while I cannot advise about the AR phono vs a Burmester phono. For the pre & amp combos (ref3 + 600 vs 011/808 + 909): the AR, which I like, is no match for the Burmester.
OTOH, the Burmester is also more expensive (I think).

Gregm, when you make reference to the AR Ref3 & 600's vs Burmester 011 & 909 saying the AR is no match for the Burmester. Can you go into further detail why.

What did the rest of the system consist of to give you this you out come.

Have you heard the 909 and compared it to the most recent 911 MKIII, any thoughts.