Turntables — Burmester 175

The 175 is the first turntable from Burmester, the Berlin maker of amplifiers and sources, and it belongs to the company's Reference Line. It arrives as a complete analogue source, with a pre-installed tonearm and an integrated phono stage based on the Burmester 100 phono preamplifier, so its output is at line level. The US price is USD 91,000. The later 217 of the Top Line was inspired by the 175 and brings several of its ideas into a smaller design.

Key specs that matter

The platter is driven by four AC synchronous motors through a multi-belt system at 33 1/3 and 45 rpm. It is built as a sandwich of two aluminium layers with a brass layer between them. The tonearm combines carbon and aluminium and is mounted in a gimbal bearing. The built-in phono stage provides 70 dB of gain, and frequency response extends from 16 Hz to 102 kHz. The main unit measures 450 x 250 x 395 mm and weighs 60.8 kg. The external power supply measures 450 x 97 x 316 mm and weighs 8.6 kg.

Engineering and use context

Four motors spaced around the platter pull the belts from several directions, so the sideways forces on the main bearing cancel out rather than pushing the platter to one side as a single motor does. AC synchronous motors run at a speed set by the frequency of their supply. The sandwich platter combines materials of different density, aluminium and brass, so resonances in one layer are damped by the others, and the total mass adds inertia for stable rotation. Moving the power supply into its own chassis keeps transformers and motor drive electronics away from the tonearm and the sensitive phono circuits. The gimbal-bearing tonearm allows movement in both planes around a single pivot point, and the carbon and aluminium construction combines stiffness with low mass. Because the phono preamplifier is built in and derived from the Burmester 100, the cartridge signal travels only a short distance before amplification, and the 175 can connect directly to a line input. Given the mass of the main unit, the turntable needs a stable and level support.

Pairing

As a line-level source, the 175 connects to any Burmester preamplifier or integrated amplifier from the Reference or Top Line without an external phono stage. The high gain of the built-in stage is sufficient for moving-coil cartridges with low output.

Alternatives

The Burmester 217 is the Top Line turntable inspired by the 175, with two belt-drive motors and a solid aluminium unibody.