Burmester BC150 Loudspeakers

Complimentary White Glove Delivery • Travel Reimbursement*

The Burmester BC150 Loudspeakers are monumental 3-way floorstanding loudspeakers engineered to combine the scale, dynamic authority and low-frequency capability of a reference system with extraordinary cabinet control and spatial precision. Weighing approximately 195 kg, or 430 lb, per speaker, the BC150 uses an exceptionally rigid aluminum, MDF and steel enclosure surrounding a sophisticated driver system built around front and rear Air Motion Transformer tweeters, a 180 mm midrange driver and a massive 320 mm side-firing woofer.

With a frequency response of 34 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB, 400-watt nominal power handling and 3-ohm nominal impedance, the BC150 is designed for serious amplification and substantial listening spaces. Its rear-firing AMT can also be adjusted to control the amount of indirect high-frequency energy entering the room, giving the loudspeaker another level of acoustic optimization beyond conventional placement.

This is a loudspeaker designed as a complete mechanical and acoustic system, from the driver architecture and crossover to the nearly 430-pound enclosure surrounding them.

3-Way Reference Architecture

The BC150 is a 3-way bass-reflex floorstanding loudspeaker with each portion of the frequency spectrum handled by a specialized driver.

Its primary driver complement consists of:

Front Air Motion Transformer tweeter
Rear Air Motion Transformer tweeter
180 mm midrange driver
320 mm side-firing woofer

The crossover divides the system at 155 Hz and 1.8 kHz, allowing the enormous bass driver, dedicated midrange and AMT tweeter to operate within carefully defined frequency ranges.

This architecture gives the BC150 the radiating area and cabinet volume required for large-scale reproduction while retaining a dedicated midrange driver for the frequencies where voices and instruments carry much of their character.

Front Air Motion Transformer Tweeter

High frequencies are reproduced by a front-firing Air Motion Transformer.

The AMT operates differently from a conventional dome tweeter. Its folded diaphragm compresses and expands the air between its pleats, allowing a relatively large radiating surface to move air with very low diaphragm excursion.

The architecture is particularly well suited to reproducing fast transient information while maintaining low moving mass.

In the BC150, Burmester combines the front AMT with a second independently controlled rear tweeter to influence not only direct high-frequency reproduction but also the loudspeaker's interaction with the room.

Adjustable Rear-Firing AMT

A second Air Motion Transformer is mounted on the rear of the BC150.

Rather than operating at one fixed output level, the rear tweeter can be adjusted using a high-quality stepped attenuator.

This controls the amount of high-frequency energy radiated behind the loudspeaker and reflected back into the listening environment.

The system allows the BC150's spatial presentation to be optimized around the room, speaker position and listener preference. It is a meaningful acoustic adjustment rather than a conventional tone control because it changes the relationship between direct and reflected high-frequency energy within the listening space.

Dedicated 180 mm Midrange Driver

A 180 mm midrange driver handles the critical portion of the spectrum between the BC150's 155 Hz and 1.8 kHz crossover points.

Separating this range from the large bass driver allows the midrange transducer to concentrate on vocals, instruments and other information where clarity and tonal consistency are especially important.

The dedicated architecture also prevents the midrange driver from having to produce the enormous excursions required for deep bass reproduction.

320 mm Side-Firing Woofer

Low frequencies are generated by a massive 320 mm, approximately 12.6-inch, side-firing woofer.

Locating the bass driver on the side of the enclosure allows Burmester to employ a very large woofer while maintaining the BC150's distinctive narrow frontal proportions.

The woofer operates within a substantial bass-reflex enclosure and crosses to the midrange at a low 155 Hz, allowing the BC150 to generate large-scale low-frequency energy without requiring the front-mounted midrange driver to handle deep bass.

The result is a published low-frequency extension to 34 Hz at ±3 dB.

195 kg Cabinet Architecture

Each BC150 weighs approximately 195 kg, or 430 lb.

That extraordinary mass is the result of an enclosure constructed using a combination of aluminum, MDF and steel.

The objective is not mass for its own sake. A loudspeaker cabinet is subjected to substantial mechanical forces as its drivers accelerate and decelerate. Any cabinet panel allowed to vibrate significantly can become an unintended secondary sound source.

Burmester's heavily engineered enclosure is designed to suppress those unwanted resonances and provide an exceptionally stable mechanical foundation for the drivers.

At this level, the cabinet becomes as important to the loudspeaker's performance as the transducers mounted within it.

Designed for High-Power Amplification

The BC150 has a 3-ohm nominal impedance, 88.5 dB sensitivity and 400-watt nominal power capacity.

Those specifications make amplifier quality especially important.

A 3-ohm loudspeaker presents a considerably more demanding electrical load than a typical 8-ohm design. The amplifier must be capable of supplying substantial current while maintaining control as impedance changes across the frequency range.

This makes the BC150 a natural partner for Burmester's high-current power amplifiers, particularly systems built around the 218, 259, 909 MK5 or flagship 159 monoblocks.

The correct amplifier should be selected around the room, desired listening levels and complete system rather than wattage alone.

Reference-Level Room Integration

A loudspeaker of this scale requires more than simply placing it in a room and connecting an amplifier.

The side-firing woofer, rear-firing AMT, substantial cabinet dimensions and approximately 430-pound weight make positioning and installation fundamental parts of the system design.

The adjustable rear tweeter provides additional control over the BC150's interaction with the room, while careful placement determines bass loading, soundstage geometry and the relationship between direct and reflected energy.

For that reason, the BC150 should be treated as part of the room rather than as an isolated component within it.

Matched Loudspeaker Manufacturing

Burmester runs in its loudspeaker chassis before final assembly and measures driver parameters so closely matched components can be selected for stereo pairs.

The objective is to minimize variation between the left and right loudspeakers.

Stereo reproduction depends on both speakers responding consistently. Differences between the two channels can affect image placement, tonal balance and spatial coherence even when the individual loudspeakers otherwise meet specification.

Matching at the component level helps ensure the two BC150s behave as a true stereo pair rather than simply two examples of the same model.

Technical Details

Specification	Burmester BC150
Product Type	Reference Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Acoustic Design	3-Way Bass Reflex
Front Tweeter	Air Motion Transformer
Rear Tweeter	Air Motion Transformer
Rear Tweeter Adjustment	Stepped attenuator
Midrange Driver	180 mm / 7.1 in
Bass Driver	320 mm / 12.6 in
Woofer Orientation	Side firing
Frequency Response	34 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB
Crossover Frequencies	155 Hz / 1.8 kHz
Nominal Impedance	3 Ω
Sensitivity	88.5 dB at 2.83 V / 1 m
Nominal Power Handling	400 W
Cabinet Materials	Aluminum / MDF / Steel
Width	309 mm / 12.2 in
Height	1,433 mm / 56.4 in
Depth	601 mm / 23.7 in
Weight	Approx. 195 kg / 430 lb each
Manufacturing	Berlin, Germany

The BC150's scale is substantial even within the ultra-high-end loudspeaker category. Each enclosure stands approximately 56 inches tall, extends almost 24 inches deep and weighs about 430 pounds. Its 3-ohm impedance and 400-watt nominal power handling also make high-current amplification and professional system matching especially important.

Burmester BC150 at The Grid HiFi

The Grid HiFi in Houston specializes in Burmester reference audio and complete world-class two-channel systems. A loudspeaker at the level of the BC150 should be designed into the room as part of a complete system, not selected independently from the electronics that will drive it.

We can design the complete BC150 system around the room, including Burmester preamplification and high-current power amplification, digital or analog sources, cabling, power infrastructure, equipment support, speaker positioning and final system setup.

With a 3-ohm nominal impedance, enormous 320 mm woofer and approximately 430-pound cabinet, amplifier matching and installation matter. Whether the system is built around the Burmester 218, 259, 909 MK5 or a pair of 159 monoblocks, we can configure the entire signal chain around the BC150.

Complimentary White Glove Delivery • Travel Reimbursement*
Qualifying purchasers may receive airfare reimbursement for your private audition.
Considering the BC150? Let’s build your dream system around it. Call (713) 218-8120.
*Restrictions apply. Contact us for details.