HiFi PiG VISITS BURMESTER IN BERLIN

In September Hifi PiG’s Lin and Stu were invited to Berlin, Germany to visit Burmester and take a look around their new factory and experience how the company works.

Since writing this article there have been a few changes at Burmester and it’s well worth reading to the end of the piece to find out what these changes mean for this high-end audio brand.

THE KEY TO BURMESTER

If you know High-End then the name Burmester will be pretty familiar to you. For those that aren’t all that familiar with the German brand then they are, to give them their full title,  Burmester Audiosysteme GmbH who are widely regarded as one of the world’s most renowned manufacturers of high-end audio systems. 

What I particularly find interesting in this world of increasingly conglomerated businesses is that Burmester is still a family-owned company that has their headquarters in Berlin. Read on for more on this.

The company was founded by Dieter Burmester in 1977 who had a clear focus on home and automotive audio. On the automotive audio theme, Burmester maintains global partnerships with industry leaders in various fields (including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and the Royal Porcelain Manufactory, Berlin) and is a member of Meisterkreis Deutschland and the Initiative Deutsche Manufakturen. Some of the great and the good that arrived at Berlin airport were indeed treated to a pick up from a rather splendid Maybach motor car with a fully tricked-out audio Burmester system in these – more on that and the visit in a while.

Under the moniker “Key to Burmester,” Burmester invited visitors to Berlin from September for a series of press and get days and it was all rather splendid as you could probably imagine. We’d booked a couple of days in advance of the date we were due to visit and had a fab couple of days in the centre of Berlin where we ate some spectacular food and even managed to fulfill my dream of visiting the famous Tresor nightclub – though being elderly I had to come how at around 3 AM. My observation from the Tresor visit was that people in German techno clubs don’t lose it to quite the extent we English-types did in the 90s…and still managed to make a good go of it in 2023. 

During these multi-day events, global trade partners, as well as media representatives, had the opportunity to experience the world of Burmester up close, including an exclusive tour of the newly modernised manufacturing facility. This new facility wasn’t quite up and running fully when we visited but everything was functional and working. To say that this is very German in its conception and execution is a huge compliment to the German people and to Burmester. The facility is built to allow the construction of all the products Burmester makes in the facility and has monorail trackways and lifting devices to help the hugely enthusiastic staff create Burmester products safely and accurately. Really, this was something to behold, and having come from a newspaper background where the whole press room really did fascinate me, this was a huge treat to witness. 

The event not only provided a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Berlin-based HQ and the company heritage but also offered a preview of upcoming projects through which the company is shaping its vision, especially in the areas of manufacturing (touched on above), depth of production, product design, and brand management. 

To kick start the event, Burmester welcomed us to an evening in the heart of the capital, above the rooftops of Berlin at The Loft, which serves as both a Burmester product showroom and a luxurious yet relaxed event location near the historic Bernauer Straße in the Mitte district. This event was utterly magnificent and set the tone for what was to come. From my perspective I’d like to thank the Burmester staff for getting me into The Loft despite my fear of heights…and as the name suggests, it was VERY high up. But, WOW was it worth it! Pre-buffet drinks were served alfresco and as if by magic a full rainbow was visible as the fading sun set over Berlin. That was impressive, but then inside The actual Loft space there was a full Burmester system set up in what I think is one of the most brilliantly-staged HiFi setups I have ever witnessed. White balls of different sizes were positioned along one wall and out into the space and amongst it all was the system itself. Like I say it was incredibly impressive but it was the smaller system in the next space that really excited both Linette and I. The system looked incredible, but was that a real and authentic Warhol screen print of Marilyn Monroe? Yep, it was and what a wonderful photo opportunity that was! A buffet and a few drinks followed, but what an experience this was. Yes, the system looked and sounded fabulous, the conversation was brilliant and relaxed, but what a setting! Something I think Linette and I will always remember! 

A coach ride back to the hotel followed and then it was up and at ‘em for an early breakfast and a ride out to the Burmester facilities. 

It was pretty full on with us being moved around the factory and offices in two groups with activities including and in order):

Tech Talk: The company provided insights into its latest technologies and innovations, with each technical element being developed in-house at the Berlin manufacturing facility and hand-assembled on-site. Presentations included a glimpse into how the upcoming generation of Burmester products will improve in terms of user interface, build quality, and user experience. In addition, proprietary developments were discussed in the areas of power supply, DA converters, technical design requirements, and in-house developments in various software areas, highlighting their differences from previous-generation products. All good stuff and whilst I often find myself nodding off when things get tech, I genuinely found all this very interesting and fascinating. Without a doubt, it is clear that the people behind Burmester have their heads fully screwed on and it seems that every detail of what the company does and will do is covered in splendid Teutonic detail. 

Design Concept: Design language is of paramount importance to Burmester, as each product embodies both acoustic and visual excellence. You only have to look at the design aspects of their products to understand that these are not boxes that come off some production line by the dozen or are bought off the shelf from some far-Eastern producer. We were given insight into new design principles for future Burmester products. Using the example of the upcoming 232 integrated amplifier, details such as the redesigned heat sink profile and extensively revised user interface were presented. Additionally, ongoing projects were visualised to illustrate the new design language and its impact on the future product portfolio. The 232 Integrated is going to be huge for the company. It’s beautiful, is fully loaded, and is modular so you only buy the bits you are actually going to use. As I sat listening to the presentation and following questions from the invited guests, I couldn’t help but think that this new amplifier is what I would consider to be an end-game amplifier for many. Certainly, I could see Linette and I retiring with one of these amplifiers lying at the heart of a beautiful but also excellently sounding pared-down system. One box to rule them all, perhaps?

Automotive Technology: I’m into cars despite driving a hairdresser’s carriage and to get a look at this side of the business was yet another treat for me. As a renowned provider of high-quality, high-end surround sound systems for the automotive sector, Burmester workers guided us through the development process of these remarkable in-car systems. Honestly, the work and thought that goes into these is incredible and whilst many don’t consider In-Car Audio as a relevant audiophile experience, I have to disagree. We spend many hours in our cars and it is perhaps the one place in our lives where we are not bombarded with information from one screen or another. As such, the car is the place where we can consume music in an environment that is (if we are a passenger) free from distractions. The automotive space is also predictable, measurable, and consistent so you can be assured that what sounds great in one Mercedes Class S Berline will sound identical in another. I’d never really seen this presented as such, but it makes absolute sense.

In-Car Symphony: During an on-road, though not moving listening experience, participants experienced the full sonics of Burmester’s high-end automotive sound systems. Various soundscapes showcased the entire audio spectrum, with a brief introduction to the individual settings for 2 sound systems and Jesus was I excited:

First up we had the opportunity to experience the Burmester 4D Surround Sound System in the Mercedes-Maybach S 580, witnessing the power of the high-performance hybrid amplifiers in action. This was a very, very, very cool experience. I got to sit in the back of the car in the right-hand seat and have a listen to the various modes of the system. I didn’t take notes but found the whole thing absolutely brilliant…and when those subs in the seats kicked in – WOW! Now the Maybach starts at a smidge over 204K euros, so chances are you are likely to be being chauffeured around in this rather than driving, and if you feel particularly isolationist you can even turn off the driver’s sound system. An incredible experience for me!

In addition, we all got the experience the Burmester High-End 3D Surround Sound System in the electric sports car Porsche Taycan Turbo S, with its high-frequency clarity courtesy of the Air Motion Transformer (AMT®) tweeters included in the system. We’ve had a Porsche in the past but the sound system was pants in comparison to this and in some ways, I actually think I preferred the Porsche experience over the Maybach. YMMV, as they say! 

Insights into Quality Standards and Manufacturing: I touched on this in the preamble but we also got to tour the new production facility where specific processes were explained through working examples. The demonstrations showed that precision craftsmanship plays a huge key role in every stage of the Burmester manufacturing process and it was fascinating. The company worker presented Burmester’s innovative load handling concept, aimed at ease of handling and ensuring the safety of its employees. This whole process, as mentioned was mentally detailed and so well thought out! 

Crafting Uniqueness: Burmester presented five exemplary ideas showcasing various approaches to personalisation. They provided a glimpse into potential future possibilities that could one day be implemented in practice. This was very cool stuff with there being a Ferrari concept loudspeaker, one based on a baroque interior, and others, but my favourite concept of all these was the amplifier with the Marilyn Monroe screen print we’d seen the night before actually on a couple of components. Yep, that’s the one I’d be going for. Absolutely stunning it was. I can see cases where clients will want work by specific artists they know or collect to adorn their Burmester pieces – Joan Tarragó, I hope you are reading this because should we ever go down the Burmester route, this is what I’d be wanting with some of your artwork on it.

Navigating the World of Branding: We had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of Burmester brand management I this room. Key focuses included the art of craftsmanship, impressive audio experiences, and the essential fusion of emotion with cutting-edge technology. New colours, new concepts were shown and it all gave me the idea that we were in the presence of a group of individuals who had a very clear concept of what they are doing, what they want to be doing in the future and how to get from one point to the next.

To wrap up the event, the Berlin-based team invited us to the Brixen event location to the south of Berlin. As well as cars, audio, music, and art, one of our passions is food and this evening brought all those things into one spectacularly enjoyable evening. The food was out of this world with me trying to cook the charred lettuce in a port sauce when we got home – mine was ok but the one at the event was really remarkable. The Maybach and Porsche were parked outside the event where we were welcomed with aperitifs…and they were really well-lit in the early evening light.  Music at the event was out of this world, but most of all I think the highlight of this genuinely stellar evening was being able to sit, chat and relax with some of the Burmester people who put this event on.

Our thanks really must go out to the whole of the Burmester team who made us feel so welcome at this event and also to Simon Pope who took the trouble to suggest we were invited. Yes, this was a press event and yes I understand why brands go to such lengths to invite the great and the good of the media to these events, but for Lin and I from (these days, not so) little old HiFi PiG to be invited to such a prestigious and frankly a stunning couple of days was a real honour and an experience I think we will talk about for years to come. 

UPDATE

Since this visit and writing this article there have been some changes at Burmester.

From January 1st 2024, Thorsten Poenig and Thomas Schneider will assume joint leadership at Burmester as co-CEOs. Together they bring a significant wealth of experience to areas such as sales, marketing, quality management, development and production to the leadership of Burmester, with extensive knowledge gained in previous senior managerial positions.

THORSTEN POENIG

Thorsten Poenig, Burmester’s Chief Sales Officer since 2021, is a qualified mechanical engineer with outstanding industry knowledge, with the ability to translate this into product requirements and effective human and brand interaction. Following his position in an international consulting firm, he was responsible for establishing the sales structure and product management of the globally recognised brand Technics and subsequently consulted the Panasonic board regarding international strategies.

THOMAS SCHNEIDER

Since 2022, Thomas Schneider has been responsible for the Quality Management department at Burmester and additionally took on the interim management of manufacturing in July 2023. Prior to this, he supported the Burmester Home Audio R&D team as an Engineering Consultant. Like Dieter Burmester, Thomas Schneider began his professional journey as an Audio-Visual technician, leading to qualifications in Electronics and Communications Engineering. His effectiveness in organizational and process optimization, along with experience in implementing and leading international projects, make him the perfect complement to the joint management partnership.

Together, Poenig and Schneider will position the company optimally for all future challenges.

FRANK WEISE

Frank Weise, who has been the Managing Director at Burmester since 2021, will leave the company at the end of the year with the expiration of his contract. Recognizing the relatively limited duration of Frank Weise’s appointment, the shareholders entered into early discussions for a succession plan, ensuring a seamless transition to the new management.

STEFAN GRÖßLER

Another change occurs in the company’s development sector: After 18 years with the company, Stefan Größler, Burmester CTO since 2015, will leave the company by his own request. However, he will retain an open role as a consultant with Burmester.

RALF SCHMIDT

Ralf Schmidt has been accompanying the development team for several months, structuring product developments, and will take over Stefan Größler’s responsibilities in the Home Audio development sector. With extensive experience leading development teams in various technical companies, he will continue the path initiated by Stefan.

LUTZ HÄUßLER

Since 2015, Lutz Häußler has successfully led the R&D Automotive department and will now be the sole point of contact in this role. In the past, Häußler has already brought many positive contributions to the development team and, together with Ralf Schmidt, will further enhance collaboration between the Home and Automotive sectors, ensuring mutual knowledge transfer to benefit both areas.

MARIANNE BURMESTER

Marianne Burmester, managing partner since the death of Dieter Burmester in 2015, will hand over the reins to the successors at the turn of the year and will solely dedicate herself to her responsibilities as a shareholder.

“I am delighted that we were able to gain two leadership personalities with a high level of expertise in all aspects of business relevant to our company,” says Marianne Burmester, Managing Partner at Burmester. “I’m confidently optimistic regarding the future of the company with this senior management team, which with its proven wealth of experience and enthusiasm for the brand and High-End Audio, provides the best conditions for a bright future for Burmester. At the same time, I thank Stefan Größler for his dedication over the past 18 years. I am grateful for the many years we have shared, and I will cherish every step we have taken side by side.” Marianne Burmester

All at HiFi PiG wish Burmester all the very best for whatever the future may hold for the company.

Linette and Stuart

Meeting Burmester in Stuttgart