The essence｜Burmester 216 Power Amplifier

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Date: 2025-04-14

The new 216 power amplifier should also offer the usual Burmester virtues of quality, reliability and durability. Sound quality is also promised by the genetic relationship to the mighty 159 monoblock.

After the last note had faded away, silence spread, nobody moved for seconds. Until someone asked in this silence what could still be a threat to the performance of a Burmester pre-amplifier combination. Sure, there are potent competitors who can also deliver thrilling performances, but it seems to me that the real threat to such an experience comes from a completely different source: it is the lack of concentration or the ability to get involved with something skin and hair. By now, almost all of us are familiar with this problem, but what is the cause? An article by Volker Kitz in the weekly magazine "Die Zeit", published in July this year, sheds light on the problem. In it, he describes how an American research team conducted an experiment on the question of how the mere presence of a muted smartphone affects the ability to concentrate. In fact, it was only a question of the "visibility" of the devices.

According to Kitz, three groups were formed for this purpose: The first had the device lying on the table with the display facing upwards, the second put the mobile phone in a drawer or pocket and the third left it in an adjacent room. You probably won't be surprised to learn that the group whose mobile phones were not in the room did best in the tasks they had to solve. According to Kitz, one of the most important findings that these experiments produced for the researchers is that the "mere presence of a smartphone consumes cognitive capacity". It follows that those who want to concentrate on the essentials are probably better off leaving their smartphone in the next room. Perhaps this insight also explains why operating a streamer with the help of the smart device cannot necessarily lead to deep musical enjoyment and why records are so successful again.

So if the presence of a smartphone in the room limits concentration, how does one still want to climb the summit of sonic culture? Is the immense effort Burmester continuously puts into making even the smallest detail audible and realising the greatest dynamic leaps without a second thought even necessary? Of course! After all, with the knowledge described above, we can influence our behaviour. In Burmester's case, this focus is rewarded with a sound experience in a class of its own. Weighing 35 kilograms and belonging to the "Top Line", the 216 power amplifier is characterised by a clear design language. Symmetry is not only the order of the day in the technical circuitry, but also in the visual appearance, both horizontally and vertically. The engraving of the company logo on the top plate is also elegant. All in all, we see here timeless aesthetics in excellent workmanship, as we are used to from Burmester.

The operation of the power amplifier is very simple. By pressing a button on the front or by an impulse from the preamplifier, the 216 comes to life silently within a short time, which is also confirmed visually by a green LED. If you prefer to see the colour red during operation, you can configure the power amplifier accordingly. It is logical to use an XLR connection for a balanced amplifier. It is even more consistent to omit RCA inputs altogether. One could also say that the development team led by Stefan Größler simply concentrated on the essentials. The power amplifier produces 199 watts at four ohms impedance. If that's not enough, the 216 can do much more in bridge mode. However, this requires a second 216 and the appropriate "mono adapter".

The speaker cables are connected securely in the solid terminals, regardless of whether they are fitted with banana plugs or cable lugs. A two-metre long, sensible, phase-marked mains cable is included in the delivery. From the big brother 159 comes the ingenious system for passive cooling of the eight transistors. This makes the use of a fan superfluous. The power supply, consisting of a 430 VA toroidal transformer and four electrolytic capacitors with high filter capacity, should be able to deliver energy extremely quickly. The input stages are equipped with Burmester's X-Amp technology. This is a three-stage, fully complementary signal amplifier, which is supposed to have convincing audio characteristics due to specific compensation techniques. High linearity is attributed to this circuit even without negative feedback.

The right playing partner
A pre-amplifier combination is a two-part team that, in the best case, delivers more than the sum of its individual parts. Therefore, the pre-amplification should be done by a device that matches the power amplifier in terms of sound and technology. We decided on the Burmester Preamp 088, whose rear view has the potential to irritate some contemporaries: All inputs and outputs are balanced. As an option there is an RCA input and furthermore the possibility to work with adapters, but this is and remains not the prioritised connection option. The source was mainly the Lumin streamer T3, which was of course connected symmetrically via HMS-XLR cable Armonia to the preamplifier 088.

Sebastian Lee Philipp, head of the band »Die Wilde Jagd«, was in charge of the prelude to many listening sessions. German lyrics, synthesizers, floating, soft guitar sounds and a spatiality created by reverberation, which comes into its own the better the electronics, characterise the current album »Ophio«. Right at the beginning, the Burmester 088 and 216 team shifts the boundaries of the dimensions height and width and opens up a completely different view into the depth of the room. The energetic sound impression is particularly astonishing - the instruments have power, which also leads to very intense timbres. We experience less a projection of the action as in the cinema, but rather the realism of a theatre stage.

Music of the Master
The next piece is 33 minutes long and does not come from the seventies, as one might well assume, but from this year. Divided into a seven-movement composition, »Seven Psalms« by Paul Simon is a real masterpiece. Simon's characteristic voice, which is nevertheless marked by age, and his still incisive playing on the guitar get under your skin, but only if the performance of the system is coherent. The large Scansonic MB6 B speakers benefit from the high resolution delivered by the Burmester duo. Free of any compression, the sounds unfold, although you have to be careful not to sink into the meditative mood when you should actually be paying attention to the sound. In a time of permanent interruptions, investing in a good half hour of Paul Simon is pretty much the best thing you can do to yourself.

Amplifiers of this class deliver more than superior sound quality. They create an expanded access to music. Trained ears are good for perceiving this phenomenon, but not a prerequisite. The first notes of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, played by Rudolf Serkin, are enough. For what we hear has nothing to do with canned music. Lightness and air characterise the performance, and one follows the flow of the notes effortlessly. With a powerful integrated amplifier, which has nothing to hide in terms of sound, the elegance of the sound, this floating lightness, is immediately lost.

With »Exile« by Taylor Swift, the 216 demonstrates that it does not even recognise the reproduction of pop music as a hurdle. At the same time, one or the other hi-fi system stumbles over the timing of exactly this track, which was demonstrated several times at the High End trade fair in Munich. In the listening room we now experience the ease with which the Burmester combination handles this music: on the one hand there is the energy and on the other hand the control. It is clear that no detail disappears in the swamp, and yet we are quite surprised how focused every single melody line is drawn. Moreover, the power of the low-frequency foundation that carries the title is simply pitch-black, and Swift's voice - freed from any veil of grey - sounds terrific.

It is often implied that the purchase of high-end components is only worthwhile if they are used with the appropriate audiophile fuel. It is true that with recordings that have also been produced with the highest sound quality in mind, the sound result when listening to them is corresponding. You probably know the song »Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic« by The Police. This title has a completely different effect when it is performed a cappella by Singer Pur. This sextet consists of a soprano and five former Regensburger Domspatzen, and each of the six voices can be identified. The imaging is only limited by the quality of the recording, and yet the rhythmic clapping during the chorus sounds like hands and not a flyswatter. Listening to this music with Burmester amplifiers is a great pleasure.

with Stefan Größler Chief Technology Officer at Burmester Audiosysteme

i-fidelity.net: Why did Burmester not simply launch the legendary 911 power amplifier in a »MK 4 version«, but decided on the new model designation 216?

Stefan Größler: One of our promises to our customers is not only the longevity but also the serviceability and upgradeability of our products. This means that with an MK version we would have had to ensure that the customer could have his old 911 converted to the level of the new MK version via the modification. This upgrade capability would have limited our ability to implement truly new approaches in development in a few, but nevertheless decisive places. Therefore, with a heavy heart, we decided to say goodbye to the 911 and to realise a successor product entirely according to our ideas and the latest findings of our development team.

i-fidelity.net: Why does the 216 power amplifier have exclusively balanced inputs?

Stefan Größler: Signal transmission via balanced lines has many advantages, which have been used in professional environments for a long time. At Burmester, we have been using balanced signal transmission and processing since the beginning of the 1980s, although we have often offered additional asymmetrical inputs. In the meantime, balanced signal transmission has become so widespread in the high-end sector that we can offer this type of connection, which in our opinion stands for the more uncompromising high-end approach, even more consistently.

i-fidelity.net: What is special about the input stages of the 216?

Stefan Größler: One of the biggest challenges was that we wanted to achieve at least the sonic level of the 911 and at the same time rely on new components and concepts, also to be able to continue to keep the promise of longevity. If you like, the special thing is to have transferred the virtues of the old with modern means. In addition, experience from the 159 development in terms of thermal management and stabilisation of the working points has of course also been incorporated.

i-fidelity.net: With more than four decades of development experience at Burmester, do you simply shake a power amplifier like the 216 off your wrist?

Stefan Größler: It would be nice - it's always impressive where you can be carried off the curve again in the details. Especially when it comes to the arrangement of the subassemblies in the unit, one is always allowed to learn, and a constant source of additional requirements results from the international approval regulations, so that with every new development there is again »pressure in the cauldron«. What helps, of course, is that when deviations occur, adjustments can usually be made relatively quickly thanks to the mature pool of experience, and that changes can be estimated very well in terms of the product's sonic characteristics.

i-fidelity.net: Why do combinations of preamplifier and power amplifier(s) still have a right to exist?

Stefan Größler: I think the customer's needs are as individual as he himself. Besides the willingness to invest, the space available, the urge to play and experiment, there are also preferences for certain product groups. Just as it is very individual whether one is more willing to invest more in food or drinks, it is the same here. Basically, a pre-end combination has the advantage of being able to implement other power supply and thermal management concepts due to the often larger installation space available. Also the sound and feature adaptation by combining different products can be designed more individually.

Test result
Actually, the promise inherent in all high-end audio components should be that they concentrate on the essential, the sound quality. With the flexible 216 amplifier Burmester fulfils this promise one hundred percent. It plays incredibly fast, allows the music and the room to breathe and, when the signal requires it, strikes brutally but always in a controlled manner. Added to this are the typical Burmester manufacturing aspects of reliability and build quality, which add up to an attractive and valuable overall package that will retain its appeal in the long run.

Power:
Rated power @ 4 Ohm (1% THD): 199 watts
Rated power @ 8 Ohm (1% THD): 106 Watt

Inputs:
1 x XLR
1 x Burlink (RS232)
1 x 10 volt trigger

Outputs:
1 x loudspeaker
1 x 10 volt trigger

Special features: Adapter for mono switching, adapter for bi-amping, protective circuits are not in the signal path, auto power off, colour-changing operating LED.

Dimensions (W x H x D): 49.6 x 19.1 x 48 cm

Weight: 35 kg