Burmester Audiosysteme has announced the UK availability of the B38 loudspeaker as well as promising a range of new products on what would have been Dieter Burmester's, the late company founder's, 75th birthday.

Dieter Burmester and his Fender Precision bass

We are informed that this year will see several new products from the German high-end hi-fi manufacturer following the company's two recent milestones. First, Burmester introduced a new standard for sound in luxury automobiles with the HighEnd 4D Surround Sound System in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Second is today's announcement that the B38 compact loudspeaker is available in the UK after its launch late last year.

Burmester says that we can expect more electronic components this year, including music centres, power amplifiers, and a new turntable. Furthermore, existing product lines, such as the Burmester Reference Line, will be complemented and rounded off by new loudspeaker models.

Thorsten Poenig, Head of Sales, told StereoNET:

In the past months, we have sought an intensive exchange with the distributors, retailers as well as our customers in order to offer even better solutions for the current market needs. We will, therefore focus completely on the development of contemporary products that also set new standards from today's point of view: both digital and analogue.

Marianne Burmester, Managing Director, added:

Dieter Burmester was a perfectionist who developed his components with a technical precision that is still unbeaten today. Our ambition is to continue this uncompromising approach on behalf of delivering true sound.

Burmester B38 Loudspeaker

Joining Burmester's B series is the new B38 loudspeaker. The B38 shares its looks and acoustic traits with its B18 sibling, however, this larger model benefits from significantly increased capacity.

Measuring 210mm x 1165mm x 460mm (WxHxD), the Burmester B38 is a 3-way design with a side-firing woofer which helps it achieve a slim and elegant design while producing "impulsive and powerful bass reproduction", says the company.

The B38 loudspeaker is the first to be fitted with an Air Motion Transformer (AMT) developed in cooperation with Burmester featuring a folded foil diaphragm in the centre of a powerful magnetic field. ATMs are known for their clarity, transparency and speed, along with a superior level of stability. This tweeter also deploys a realistic stage image in a comparatively wide sweet spot, states Burmester.

The 17 cm with fibre-glass membrane low-midrange driver, also developed in cooperation with Burmester, has been optimised for short attack and decay times which is said to help it achieve a new level of authenticity when reproducing voices and instruments. The woofer is a 32cm paper sandwich membrane driven by a high-strength neodymium magnet. We are told to expect a powerful, crisp and precise bass response. The result is a 37 Hz – 33 kHz quoted frequency response with crossovers at 150 Hz and 2400 Hz. Sensitivity at 2.83 V/1m is listed as 86 dB.

The cabinet features high-quality matt lacquer or selected veneers along with a screwless, integrated aluminium frontage giving it an elegant overall appearance.

Optimised using the Finite Elements Method (FEM), the housing is equipped with elaborate bracing to ensure precise bass reproduction. The double-layered side wall, further secured by a stainless steel ring, increases rigidity and supports the strength and stability of the housing.

Decoupling everything from the floor is an adapted version of the proven precise spring-mass damping system as seen on B18.

The Burmester B38 Loudspeaker offers a two-stage switch on the rear of the housing which activates a wide-range bass roll-off of 1-3 dB between 150 Hz and 37 Hz. To further augment the output to suit your room or preference, a porous foam bung can be fully or partially inserted into the bass reflex tube.

Naturally, the B38 accommodates bi-amping. However, when used in a traditional single-amp scenario, the gold-plated connection bridges made of oxygen-free copper are employed.

The Burmester B38 compact floorstanding speakers are available in White, Black, American Walnut, Middle-Grey (all silk-matt) cabinets with either a Silver or Black front. Pricing is £16,800 per pair.

Visit Burmester for more information