Burmester 808 MK5 Preamplifier

The Burmester 808 MK5 is the fifth generation of the most storied platform in Burmester's catalog — the preamplifier lineage that has anchored full Reference Line systems since the original 808 in the early 1980s. For collectors and system builders alike, the 808 is the component that most completely embodies what Burmester is.

The topology is X-Amp, fully balanced dual-mono, with frequency response from DC to 300 kHz. The MK5 revision brings the platform's accumulated refinement to every stage: the X-Amp gain topology, the power supply, and the precision of the volume-control mechanism have each been carried forward. This is the Burmester development philosophy in its purest form — the 808 has never been replaced, only advanced, and its modular construction means the platform is designed to be brought forward rather than retired.

The DC-to-300-kilohertz bandwidth deserves a note: no one hears 300 kHz. What that bandwidth guarantees is that phase relationships through the audible band remain untouched — the transient integrity and image stability that reference preamplification is judged on begin with bandwidth far beyond the audible.

Within the current range, the control-stage choice sits between the 808 MK5, the 249, and the compact 077. The 249 is the modern Reference control stage engineered around the current amplifiers; the 077 delivers the 808-family topology at a smaller footprint; the 808 MK5 is the statement — the historic anchor of a no-compromise Reference Line chain feeding a 259, 909 MK5, or 159. LMC stages these comparisons in Scottsdale; walk in during business hours, or book ahead and hear which control stage your system calls for.