Усилители мощности стерео — Burmester 259

The 259 belongs to the Reference Line of Burmester of Berlin and is the newest two-channel power model in that range according to the company. A switch converts it into a single-channel amplifier, so two units can drive one pair of speakers with a channel each. The casework is a cube with chrome elements and prominent functional heat sinks along its sides.

Key specs that matter

Burmester specifies continuous output of 465 W per channel into 4 ohm in stereo, measured at 240 V to IEC 62368-1. Switched to mono, the rating becomes 950 W into 8 ohm. Impulse ratings to the CEA standard are 600 W per side in two-channel use and 1,200 W into 8 ohm in mono. The damping factor exceeds 5,000, quoted at 100 Hz into 4 ohm. Signal-to-noise ratio is 125 dB, unweighted at 1 kHz and rated power, and total harmonic distortion is 0.0006 % at 1 kHz with 50 W into 4 ohm. Each side of the cubic enclosure is 450 mm long, and the amplifier weighs 83 kg.

Engineering and use context

Each channel uses twelve pairs of output transistors to deliver the current that difficult loads demand. The circuit is fully balanced, in line with the symmetrical signal path Burmester uses throughout its electronics. Massive copper rails carry current inside the chassis. Cooling is 100 % passive, with no fans or other moving parts, so the unit stays mechanically silent regardless of how hard it is driven. The very high damping factor corresponds to an extremely low output impedance, so the amplifier keeps tight electrical grip on the woofer cones. Given its mass, the owner needs a floor-level position or a rack built to carry that load, and two people or more for installation.

Pairing

A Burmester preamplifier from the Reference Line keeps the balanced signal path intact from source to output stage. Owners who begin with one 259 in stereo can later add a second unit and switch both into mono mode, which roughly doubles the continuous rating into 8 ohm for each loudspeaker. Speakers with low impedance dips are well suited to the current capacity of twenty-four output devices per channel.

Alternatives

The Burmester 218 is a smaller Reference Line stereo power amplifier rated at 165 W per channel into 8 ohm and 275 W into 4 ohm, or 565 W into 8 ohm when bridged to mono.