Oh boy, did I flatten my nose on the display windows of the hifi dealers. Whenever I spotted one of the shiny chrome bolides from Burmester in a shop window, I froze. On some fine day, and rather by coincidence than purposefully planned, I came to listen to a full Burmester system: I was actually in the market for new loudspeakers, and in the demo equipment of my dealer a small Burmester Rondo was playing the CDs. Within a few seconds I developed a greater interest in the player than in the speakers – something the salesman quickly became aware of and enticed me with the question »You wanna hear this in real?«. I wanted, we went into another room, I was listening to a complete reference chain by Burmester and was over the moon. This was exactly how it was supposed to sound! Just as direct and palpable, so unvarnished real.
A step into resistance
In the following years I was recalculating my prospects time and again, which certainly made my student account guffaw about my plans. So after I had been suspiring at the onset of my music studies and my prayers had remained unanswered for long, the usual reaction ensued in the subsequent semesters: the step into resistance. Those appliances just couldn’t sound good, they were only looking cool. Authentic sound was only to be achieved with freaky machines deriding every safety regulation and also the faintest wish for user friendliness. Because – this quickly became obvious – for the best sound you didn’t need cash, but knowledge! Inside information at best!
Pure, attractive luxury
You know all that, right? To me, this is not surprising. Most of us have probably undergone a similar transformation process. Meanwhile I’m cured and I know that certain things simply cost money. Sure, one could build a Burmester amplifier or player for less, e.g. by fitting them with mat anodised and thin-gauge housings instead of massive, solid ones, and maybe they would not even sound worse that way. But the Berlin company is a luxury manufacture, where such a fine technology must of course be complemented by a posh coat. After all, you don’t want to make yourself comfy in a Porsche on leatherette seats either.
A source of joy
True, CD players like the Burmester 089 are still not my financial cup of tea, but I’m calmer and wiser now: today I can appreciate such components for all their abilities, I’m delighted for everybody who can afford them and leave my »combat dress« in the closet. Furthermore a prosaic consideration of the whole matter gives me relaxation, since like I already wrote in my report about the Arcam A38 and P38 amplifiers, one can also get consummate music listening for less – which, however, does by no means curtail the thrill of such a luxury device, but might give you some sleepless nights, though. For besides the pure music listening, those machines themselves have already become part of the hobby.
