Natural and transparent - Burmester B38 floor speaker


Burmester is a German manufacturer of high-end audio components, their audio electronic products quickly gained global recognition in markets previously dominated by Japanese, British and American manufacturers. However, the speakers achieved similar popularity later, and it is believed that the company have a good understanding of electronic technology and ingenious design......

Since the introduction of their first speakers, Burmester has always been fond of foil-type diaphragm tweeters. Therefore, B38 uses a newly developed folding foil (Air-Motion-Transformer tweeter). This diaphragm is very light and has a very fast transient response. Burmester expects this hand-made tweeter to have excellent Resolution, high level of stability and uniform and wide scattering angle. Like all Burmester products and components, it is subject to extensive quality control and carefully selected pairings, and is always compared with reference models. All measured values ​​of each drive unit are recorded in order to provide a perfect substitute for future maintenance. All measurements were taken after a running-in period of at least 7 days, including endurance tests.

 

The strictest quality control

Of course, the same rules apply to the 17cm glass fiber diaphragm midrange unit selected by the B38 after a long period of listening. It is perfectly connected with the tweeter and the powerful long-stroke 32cm woofer (made of interlayer paper material and neodymium magnet driver). All these units are custom-made for Burmester and cannot be found anywhere else.

The loudspeaker is not only composed of its drive unit, but only when all other elements are taken into consideration and special attention is paid to the details. The crossover uses several important components from the Cologne supplier Mundorf, which have a high reputation worldwide. The choice of the wires inside the speaker has also been carefully selected, not only because they are related to the quality of the sound, but also because they need to comply with all applicable regulations and safety standards, such as no pollution of the environment, fire prevention, etc. The vibration analysis of the cabinet and the research on the overall structure are magnificent.

The wall of the box is composed of two layers of materials, each with a thickness of up to 19mm, which is one of the reasons why each weighs more than 50 kg. The box is carefully calculated and designed using the finite element method, additional ribs and supports are carefully added to the sensitive areas, and the interior is covered by accurately calculated damping materials. In addition, the development team led by Stefan Größler successfully eliminated the peak vibration of the sound box. In order to achieve this goal, they used a spring mass damping system to isolate vibrations transmitted from the ground. The system has been tried and tested in the smaller B18 and has been successful. This perfect decoupling device is better than spiked feet, and it is a very smart solution!

Maybe you want to know what are the benefits of all these efforts? In Burmester's strict selection of long-term stable components and quality control, as well as the determination of maintainability, it is considered to be the basic prerequisite for perfect sound quality. Only by realizing the smallest error between the left and right speakers can the accuracy and audiovisual of the real music space be formed.

Burmester has manufactured electronic equipment for decades with real balanced amplifier circuits. Only when all components have been strictly selected, can the work be completed as expected. Otherwise, the so-called balanced amplifier architecture will not provide any advantages at all. Because the signal will pass through more than twice the number of components of the ordinary unbalanced amplifier structure, if a certain link has a deviation, it will destroy the sound. All these costs are that many manufacturers prefer to use unbalanced amplifier circuits to manufacture their electronic equipment, but only The main reason for it is equipped with false balanced XLR terminals.

 

Big sound pressure

How does the reputable B38 sound? In a word: majestic! What it conveys is something that only a really good speaker can do: from hearing the first note, it conveys a sense of authority and grandeur. By adjusting the position of the horn, the rocker switch of the corresponding speaker back panel and the sponge column plugged in the reflection hole, fine-tuning the sense of bass output.

The warm-up of B38 puts the SACD containing Julian's "Cannonball", Adderley and Miles Davis and others into the T + A player 3100 HV. The bass of the B38 is powerful, deep, clean and light. The piano spreads over the room in an overwhelming way, very naturally, and the wood and steel strings have an inspiring real effect.

If you are playing a record that you never complain about (rather than dozens of times), B38 allows you to witness a special acoustic ability: indeed Johnny Cash's "One" sounds familiar, the sound is clear, slightly nasal, but the sound Strong and not obese. The superb art of clear tones is obvious, and some details such as the guitar strings or the piano in the background have a fresh artistic feel. The B38 is full of vitality and can maintain accuracy in all dimensions even at moderate volume levels, demonstrating the superb sound quality that its creators made it possible to achieve.

Put the sponge plunger into the interior, and set the toggle switch on the back to the minus position to achieve a perfect interaction with the listening room. Chris Jones' "No Sanctuary Here" also left a deep impression, although it sounds The high end is a bit too active. But it also retains the sense of scale, space and powerful energy of the sound, and the bass is always at the correct time, pressure and location.

 

Enjoy listening together

Let's quickly turn to classical music: here, B38 knows very well how to convince those who don't even like it, this style is aesthetic, for example when playing "Concierto de Aranjuez". B38 confidently provides the required fine power, and even excites experienced audio fans who pursue high-fidelity. Depending on the angle and width of the low frequency, the sound of the guitar occasionally sounds a bit too strict and restrained, but by making small adjustments to the speaker position, it is easy to bring it back on the right path.

The sense of space and momentum of the solo instrument and the entire orchestra is also convincing. Due to the wide sound diffusion characteristics and the slim cabinet design, even if it is not in the best listening position, several people can enjoy the pleasure of music together.