Burmester 036 User manual

OWNER´S MANUAL
2-CHANNEL POWER AMP
036
HIGH END MADE IN GERMANY
BURMESTER AUDIOSYSTEME GMBH • WILHELM-KABUS-STRAßE 47• GERMANY
FON +49 / 30 / 78 79 68 – 0 • FAX +49 / 30 / 78 79 68 – 68 •E-MAIL: [e-mail] •www.burmester.de

VERSION: 1.1 FROM 29/09/2010

Dear Audiophile,
Thank you for choosing this Burmester audio component. We sincerely appreciate your trust in us.
You have purchased a unit which excels in musical fidelity and combines uncompromising manufacturing
quality with technical innovation and the highest degree of operating flexibility.
We recommend reading this user manual at least once in its entirety before initial operation. This will enable
you to make full use of all capabilities of this outstanding audiophile instrument.
Should you have any further questions, please contact your dealer or us directly.
You decide if we meet the demands of producing high-end components. We offer an additional service
which also demonstrates high-end quality.
Talk to us about your special requests, even if they seem out of the ordinary. We happily accept technically
reasonable challenges.
Enjoy your enhanced listening pleasure.
Your Burmester Team

C O N T E N T S
UNPACKING and SET-UP POSITION 1
VIEWS OF UNIT 2
CONNECTING 3
OPERATING CONTROLS 4
PROTECTIVE CIRCUITS 4
WIRING DIAGRAMS 5-7
STEREO operation 5
MONO operation 6
BI-AMPING operation 7
PRECAUTIONS 8
TECHNICAL DATA 9

1
UNPACKING and SET-UP POSITION
PLEASE NOTE: The 2-channel power amp 036 weigh 25kg (55lbs). To avoid injury during unpacking and set-
up, this should only be done by persons who are accustomed to handling such weights.
The 2-channel power amp 036 is delivered wrapped in a plastic bag. Keep this bag away from children to
avoid danger of suffocation.
Unpacking To avoid damaging of the power amp’s housing please do not use sharp or spiky objects for
opening the packing case.
Please check the completeness of delivery. If you miss something from the list below or
should you discover damages to the power amp upon unpacking, please do not connect the
power amp but contact your authorized dealer.
Contents of delivery The shipping carton contains:
•1 packing carton with the 2-channel power amp 036
•1 power cord
•2 adapter plugs (XLR – RCA)
•1 REMOTE cable
•1 owner’s manual
Packaging We recommend keeping the original packaging material in case of a move or future
shipping.
Set-up position Carefully remove the power amp from the packing carton and set it up in appropriate
location. In particular, make sure that there is sufficient air circulation around the power
amp. Avoid direct sunlight, dust and humidity to the power amp by choosing the final
placement.
Don’t cover the slots of the unit’s housing with magazines, blankets etc.
If you operate your unit in extremely warm environment, additional air conditioning
can be necessary. Don’t operate the unit in extremely wet environment like
bathrooms etc.

2
VIEWS OF UNIT
FRONT VIEW
(1) STAND BY LED (3) POWER LED
(2) POWER button
REAR VIEW
(4) Input, right channel (10) AC mains switch
(5) Loudspeaker output, right channel, positive (11) AC mains input
(6) Loudspeaker output, right channel, negative (12) REMOTE output
(7) Loudspeaker output, left channel, negative (13) REMOTE input
(8) Loudspeaker output, left channel, positive (14) Phones jack
(9) Input, left channel

3
CONNECTING
The connectors of the 2-channel power amp 036 are located on the rear panel. We strongly recommend leaving all
components switched off while connecting the power amp. For optimal connections also pay attention to the manual
of the driving unit.
AC mains input Before connecting the power amp please check that the input voltage of the 036 is
equal to the local voltage of your wall outlet.
The AC mains input (11) is located on the rear panel. Make sure that the AC mains
switch (10) is set to OFF. Connect the power cord with the AC mains input (11) and plug it
into the wall outlet.
Inputs The 036 offers two balanced Inputs (4) and (9), which will be connected to the
corresponding outputs of your pre amplifier/surround processor.
The pinning of the balanced inputs (XLR 3pin) is: PIN1=GND, PIN2=NEG, PIN3=POS.
We strongly recommend using balanced connections to take full advantage of the
extraordinary sound quality.
If necessary, the inputs can be converted to unbalanced mode by using the supplied
adapter plugs.
Binding posts We utilize the same binding posts for our power amplifiers as for our loudspeakers. These
high-grade terminals for speaker cables have proven their sonic excellence and functional
convenience a thousand times over. Speaker cables can be connected via pure-copper
spade lugs or via banana plugs.
CAUTION: The binding posts of power amplifiers may carry dangerously high voltages. Do
not touch them while the power amp is switched on.
Outputs CAUTION: We strongly recommend leaving all components switched off while connecting
the power amp. This will avoid shorting out cables that have not yet been completely
hooked up. Connect the speaker cables to the power amplifiers only after ensuring that they
are hooked up correctly to the speakers.
Before turning the amp back on, make sure that all cables have been connected firmly and
correctly with respect to polarity (POS, NEG) as well as frequency (LOW, HIGH/MID). After
a new hook-up, we recommend increasing the volume slowly until you are sure that
everything is connected correctly.
IMPORTANT: Only connect the speaker cables to the intended binding posts of the power
amp/loudspeakers. Never insert the speaker cables into a wall socket/AC mains.
Remote Connecting DC OUT (12) to the corresponding DC IN-jack of another BURMESTER-unit
offers to switch on or off this other unit simultaneous by the 036. In this case, 036 has the
master function.
Connecting DC IN (13) to the corresponding DC OUT-jack of another BURMESTER-unit
offers to switch on or off the 036 simultaneous by the other unit. In this case, 036 has the
slave function.
Phones jack The phones jack PHONES (14) requires a 6.3mm stereo plug. When headphones are
connected, the speakers are switched off automatically and the volume level is reduced.
When pulling the phones plug from the jack the speakers are being switched back on and
the volume level is also lowered.
Using the phones jack when the amplifier works in MONO or BI AMP operation, requires an
adapter, which brings the two channels together.

4
OPERATING CONTROLS
The operating controls are located on the front panel except for the AC mains switch and the gain switch.
AC mains switch The AC mains switch (10) is located on the rear panel and connects the 036 from the AC
supply when it is switched to ON.
When it is set to OFF the unit is completely disconnected and the LEDs on the front panel
remains dark.
Switching to ON activates the stand by mode and the Stand by LED (1) on the front panel
illuminates.
POWER button The POWER button (2) on the front panel switches the 036 into operating mode or back
into stand by mode. In operating mode Stand by LED (1) and POWER LED (3) are
illuminated. In stand by mode only Stand by LED (1) lights up.
After switching to operating mode the protective circuits of the 036 takes a few seconds to
check all circuits of the power amp before enabling the speaker outputs.
Gain switch The 036 has a gain of 35.5 (31dB), equals gain switch position 0. The gain can be set to a
lower level of 11.2 (21dB), equals gain switch position -6. The switch for the gain setting is
located inside the unit in the back part left of the rectangle stand by transformer and should
be switched by a qualified technician only.
CAUTION: Before opening the unit please disconnect the AC cord.
PROTECTIVE CIRCUITS
The protective circuits of the 036 operates outside the signal path. When the amp is on, these circuits constantly
check for errors with respect to temperature and DC offset.
Temperature In the event that one of the channels of the power amp exceed their maximum allowable
temperature the overheat protection switches off the output relays and the POWER LED (3)
goes out. The unit is switched into stand by mode. As a precaution, we recommend turning
the volume down and waiting a while before turning back on the 036 by pressing the
POWER button (2). The 036 can only be switched back on after the temperature has fallen
below the allowable limit.
DC offset If the DC voltage at the speaker outputs of the 036 exceeds the allowable limit, the speaker
relays will be switched off. When this happens we recommend lowering the volume level.
The 036 will re-enable the speaker outputs automatically as soon as the DC offset falls
within the allowable limit.
Overload If the current, which is flowing through the power transistors of the 036, exceeds the
allowable limit, the speaker relays will be switched off. When this happens we recommend
lowering the volume level. The 036 will re-enable the speaker outputs automatically as soon
as the current falls within the allowable limit.

5
WIRING DIAGRAMS
STEREO operation In STEREO mode each channel will be connected with the corresponding channel of the
stereo signal.
To use the 036 in STEREO mode make the following connections:
(4) input, right channel
(5) positive loudspeaker binding post, right channel
(6) negative loudspeaker binding post, right channel
(9) input, left channel
(8) positive loudspeaker binding post, left channel
(7) negative loudspeaker binding post, left channel
from pre amp
right channel
from pre amp
left channel
right
loudspeaker
left
loudspeaker

6
MONO operation In MONO mode a MONO adapter is required which is available on request at your local
dealer.
To use the 036 in MONO mode make the following connections:
(4) MONO adapter, red side
(5) positive loudspeaker binding post
(6) not connected
(9) MONO adapter, blue side
(8) negative loudspeaker binding post
(7) not connected
TO ATTEND: The phones jack (14) offers only the MONO signal in this operation mode.
right or left
loudspeaker
from pre amp
right or left channel
MONO adapter
blue sidered side

7
BI-AMPING operation In BI-AMPING mode a BI-AMPING adapter is required which is available on request at your
local dealer.
To use the 036 in BI-AMPING mode make the following connections:
(4) BI-AMPING adapter, red side
(5) positive loudspeaker binding post, high/mid
(6) negative loudspeaker binding post, high/mid
(9) BI-AMPING adapter, blue side
(8) positive loudspeaker binding post, low
(7) negative loudspeaker binding post, low
TO ATTEND: The phones jack (14) offers only the BI-AMP signal in this operation mode.
BI
-
AMP adapter
blue sidered side
from pre amp
right or left channel
right or left
loudspeaker
high/mid
low

8
PRECAUTIONS
Terminals The pins of the connecting terminals on the back panel should not be touched by fingers
under any circumstances. Static discharges may damage the electronic circuitry inside the
unit.
CAUTION: During operation the speaker terminals of the 2-channel power amp 036
carry high voltage. Therefore, it is strictly prohibited to touch these terminals during
operation.
Heat development Be careful by touching your component, because the housing becomes warm during
operation.
Reset If the 036 does not react when control keys are pushed it must be reset by switching it off
and back on using the AC mains switch on the back panel.
Lightning strikes During the summer month, malfunctions often occur due to voltage spikes in the power
lines after lightning strikes. Completely unplugging the power cord offers the only effective
protection. Merely switching the 036 off using the AC mains switch does not suffice since
voltage spikes are able to arc over separated contacts.
Interconnects We supply custom-made balanced as well as unbalanced interconnect cables and speaker
cables of any length to ensure highest-quality signal paths for our components. The
impedance of our cables is ideally matched to all Burmester components.
For the cleanest power supply we recommend our triple-shielded power cord BURMESTER-
POWER.
Fuses The fuse are located inside the unit and should be changed by a qualified technician only.
Voltage selection The bridge for selecting the correct voltage is located inside the housing. If the voltage
setting needs to be changed, we recommend contacting your dealer.
Cleaning Only use a humid or dry cloth to clean the housing. Never use a wet cloth or chemical
liquids to clean the housing.
CAUTION: Before opening the unit please disconnect the AC cord.

9
TECHNICAL DATA
Dimensions Width x Height x Depth 482 x 95 x 482mm
(19.0 x 3.7 x 19.0 inches)
Weight 25kg
(55 lbs)
Mains voltage and fuses for 200V – 254V 50/60Hz 2 x slow 3.15A E
1 x slow 100mA E
for 100V – 127V 50/60Hz 2 x slow 6.3A E
1 x slow 100mA E
Power consumption max. 400W
idling 60W
stand by 4W
Output power at 8Ohm 2 x 100W
at 4Ohm 2 x 170W
at 2Ohm 2 x 280W
Gain switchable 31/21dB
Frequency response +3 dB 3Hz – 150kHz
Input impedance balanced 1.5kOhm
unbalanced 15kOhm
PLEASE NOTE: The dimensions do not include the length of binding posts and the space needed for
plugs of interconnect cables.
The technical data and design of this product are subject to change without notice.