Burmester 100 Reference Phono Preamplifier

The Burmester 100 is the phono preamplifier of the Reference Line — the front end for every Burmester system that begins with vinyl. Its X-Amp fully balanced dual-mono topology matches the 808 MK5 preamplifier’s approach, so the signal path from cartridge to preamplifier control stage never leaves Burmester’s Reference Line architecture. For a Reference Line system built around a 175 or 257 turntable and a 077 or 808 MK5 preamplifier, the 100 is the phono stage engineered to match.

Cartridge loading and gain are adjustable across the full range of moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges — from low-output MC through high-output MM — configured on setup to match the specific cartridge in the client’s system. Two switchable phono inputs allow two tonearms or two turntables to be connected simultaneously, addressing the reality that serious vinyl systems often run multiple tonearms with different cartridges optimized for different repertoire. DC-coupled signal paths without distorting capacitors carry down from the larger Reference Line electronics.

At LMC, the 100 sits in the Reference Room’s Wilson Autobiography system — feeding a 077 preamplifier from a Burmester 175 turntable, driving a pair of 159 monoblocks. It also anchors the vinyl chain in the Suprema Room Sonus faber Suprema system. Both configurations are the Burmester Reference Line vinyl signal path in its fullest expression, and both are set up for extended audition.

At $22,000 in current Burmester pricing, the 100 Reference Phono Preamplifier is available for audition at the Scottsdale showroom. Walk in during business hours or book ahead — hearing the 100 in either the Reference Room or Suprema Room configuration is the audition worth booking, particularly if you already own or are building around a serious turntable.