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Burmester's 087 surround processor gives ultra-rich a "more affordable" option
Purveyors of Germanic audio gear bright and shiny, Burmester has announced some new bits of are-you-kidding-me expensive gear for those with money to burn. On the audio-only front, the 077 Reference preamplifier and 082 Classic integrated amplifier make their appearance on the cutsheet, but it's the 087 Classic surround processor that grabs our HD attention. The Classic Line's 087 processor is designed to a "more affordable price point" than the 057 processor (pictured) from the Top Line, relatively speaking -- the 087 will still leave a $16,000 crater where your wallet used to be. In return, you get a shiny bit of gear that decodes DTS, ES, DTS Neo:6 and ProLogic II. Oh yeah, and the company has thrown in dynamic range control -- think Dolby Volume, but you know, more Burmester-like. Seriously, stratospheric prices don't bother us -- there is the "rich keep getting richer" crowd, after all -- but is it too much to ask for feature parity with entry-level receivers for this kind of money?
