Product Description
The 151 Musiccenter is the ‘little brother’ of the Reference Line 111 Musiccenter and functions as a high-end music server. As with the reference product 111, it combines outstanding sonic characteristics with extraordinarily fast processing of even significant amounts of data.
The 151 Musiccenter can be operated with a fixed output level into an existing system using a preamplifier, or alternatively using its variable output section and connected directly into power amplifiers or active loudspeakers. In addition to the knowledge gained from the development of the Reference Line 111 Musiccenter – and our experience since its launch – ideas, requests and suggestions from our customers in particular have been taken into account in order to develop a device that guarantees the highest level of acceptance and customer satisfaction.
ANALOG VOLUME CONTROL
The central element of the 151 Musiccenter is the analog volume control. This offers the essential advantage over the more common (and much easier to realize) digital volume control that even at lowest volumes the full resolution of the music is preserved without data reduction. In addition, the 151 Musiccenter can be connected directly to a power amplifier or active loudspeakers. Due to the increased output voltage in variable volume mode, no additional pre-amplifier is necessary, as its amplification stage is already inte- grated in the 151 Musiccenter. With these prerequisites, the 151 Musiccenter is ideally suited as the centerpiece for a flexible high-end system at the highest level. The analog volume control also enables the 151 Musiccenter to compensate for volume jumps between individual tracks of a playlist without changing the original dynamics of the tracks. During the ripping process each track is determined accord- ing to a listening model for medium volumes and stored as a correction value in an internal database. During playback, the corresponding correction value is loaded and fed into the analog volume control for seamless, balanced playback. SOPHISTICATED ANALOG CIRCUITRY
The Musiccenter 151 is completely constructed in elaborate balanced circuit technology and an exclusively DC-coupled signal path and the avoidance of distur- bance with coupling capacitors ensures a precise low-frequency reproduction, since there is no phase shift in the listening area.
D/A – CONVERTER
The analog output stages receive their signal from a balanced D/A converter at Reference level with switchable sampling rates (96 kHz and 192 kHz) and 24-bit signal processing. The D/A converter receives the digital audio data from a sophisticated clock regeneration system, which largely eliminates jitter that is detrimental to the sound.
COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY
All software for the operation of the 151 comes from Burmester’s own development team, which ensures complete control over all aspects from start to finish with sonic performance being the priority. Thus, the entire software harmonizes perfectly with the motherboard of the processing unit, which was specially modified according to Burmester’s specifications.
OPERATION
The 151 Musiccenter has various methods of operation. The essential basic functions can be operated both on the unit itself and via the supplied infrared remote control. For example, the volume can be adjusted or playback paused at any time at the touch of a button, without having to call up a menu. In addition, the 151 Musiccenter can also be brought from standby to operating mode with the infrared remote control. Full operation of all functions is possible via the iPad® app in combination with the web interface, which are also developed entirely in-house.
DESIGN
The design of this product highlight incorporates the timeless design language familiar from Burmester devices through its clean lines and characteristic chrome front. Thus, the 151 Musiccenter perfectly fits into the ranks of Burmester compo- nents both sonically and visually.
DATA SECURITY AND RIP FUNCTION
With the help of the integrated drive, the 151 Musiccenter not only plays CDs, but is also able to rip them in high-end quality, saving their contents to the integrated hard disks. Two mirrored SSD hard disks with a capacity of 2 TB each (usable hard disk capacity is approx. 2TB) ensure the security of the user’s valuable music data. One hard disk serves as the storage location for your music library, whilst the second one stores the same information in parallel to guarantee that your data is available as a backup copy at any time. The cover, title and artist information is matched with the Burmester database before the rip process and added automat- ically. Afterwards it can be selected for the CDs to be ripped in highest possible quality or in ‘fast mode’. Explanation of rip quality: With normal CD drives, due to the forward error correction (FEC) of only a few seconds, there is a risk that older or scratched CDs will result in an audio data stream that contains sporadic sound-reducing dropouts. Since there is no real time requirement when reading or ripping a CD (in contrast to playing it) and thus the audio data can be read out several times, the Burmester 151 Musiccenter is able to process this data in the highest possible resolution and quality. Thus, it assembles a data stream without the described losses of the CD and enables musical enjoyment at the highest level.
NETWORK AND WIFI
The 151 Musiccenter has both an Ethernet socket (for connecting the 151 to an existing wired network) and an integrated WLAN card, which is equipped with two antennas. Both antennas are always operated in parallel, so that a more stable radio connection can always be used. This prevents radio interference caused by multiple reflections. With the integrated WLAN card, the 151 can serve as an access point for wireless devices (for example an iPad®). If no network is available, the Musiccenter can also be operated in standalone mode. In this case, it continues to provide all functions that are not tied to an Internet connection.
FUTURE-PROOF THROUGH WEB ACCESS
In addition to the possibility of obtaining future updates via the Internet, other web services and content providers can also be integrated. This ensures that the device is always up to date and that the customer can be provided with the latest features.
