Burmester is a German high-end audio manufacturer founded in Berlin in 1978, better known outside cars for reference-grade hi-fi separates than for OEM electronics. In the automotive world it sits at the premium, audiophile end of factory-fit sound — a tier above mainstream OEM brands like Bose or JBL — and it's typically fitted as a flagship option rather than something spread across an entire model range.
Cars with a factory Burmester sound system
Burmester's automotive partnerships are narrower than some other OEM audio brands, but well established with two German manufacturers:
- Mercedes-Benz — badged as the "Burmester Surround Sound System" or, on flagship models, the "Burmester High-End 3D Surround Sound System." It's been offered across much of the current Mercedes-Benz range, including the C-Class, E-Class, GLC, GLE, GLS, S-Class and EQS, plus Mercedes-Maybach models. Speaker count, amplifier power and features vary a lot between models and trims — the S-Class and EQS get the most elaborate implementations, sometimes including seat-integrated transducers, while it's a more scaled-back setup on smaller models.
- Porsche — Burmester has been Porsche's top-tier audio partner for years, offered as a High-End Surround Sound option across most of the current lineup: 911, 718 Boxster/Cayman, Panamera, Cayenne and Taycan.
Outside Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, Burmester isn't a common factory-fit option. If you're not certain your car has a genuine Burmester system, check the badging on your speaker grilles or head unit, or your build sheet — naming and availability shift between model years and markets.
Strengths of the factory Burmester system
- Genuine high-end hi-fi heritage — Burmester's road audio background means factory systems are generally voiced with more care than typical mainstream OEM setups, with reviewers regularly noting strong detail and weighty, controlled bass.
- Large, well-specified speaker counts and dedicated amplification on the flagship "3D/4D Surround" systems, including features like a driver-focused listening mode and an app for auditioning different sound profiles.
- Tight integration with the rest of the car's cabin tech, with the top-spec systems tying into ambient lighting and infotainment for a more immersive experience.
Where the factory system falls short
Even a well-regarded factory system like Burmester is still, at its core, an OEM system — and that comes with structural limits no badge fully gets around:
- Amplifier power and headroom are still set by the factory head unit and amp module, so it shares the same fundamental ceiling as the rest of the OEM audio market, just at a higher starting point.
- Tuning is standardised across every example of a given model — your car gets the same EQ curve and crossover points as every other one off the production line, regardless of how you actually listen.
- Reviews of top Burmester systems (including in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class) have generally praised detail and bass, but noted that dynamics and outright engagement can lag behind the very best premium and aftermarket systems, and that some factory presets can sound over-processed.
- You're locked into the manufacturer's own software implementation — there's no way to re-tune the system around your specific ears, music taste or driving position beyond the presets Mercedes-Benz or Porsche built in.
Upgrading a Burmester-equipped car
If you already own a Burmester-equipped Mercedes-Benz or Porsche and want more out of it, the same logic applies as with any other factory system: the ceiling is set by the factory amplifier and a one-size-fits-all tune, not by the speakers themselves. Integrated Audio's approach is a plug-and-play DSP amplifier — genuine HELIX or MATCH hardware — wired straight into your car's existing factory harness using a vehicle-specific connector, with no cutting and no soldering. The amp brings significantly more clean power and better crossover points to your exact vehicle's speaker layout, so you get a tighter, more dynamic result from the system you already have. Every factory feature stays intact — steering wheel controls, DAB, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and the factory microphone all keep working exactly as before, and because nothing is cut, the install is fully reversible.
We don't yet have a published upgrade package specifically built for a Burmester-equipped model. You can browse our car sound upgrade packages to see the vehicles we currently cover, or tell us about your Burmester-equipped car and we'll look at building a package for it.