Bryston BP6 & 2bSST2 Review

jaxwired

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As a few of you know, I've got some Bryston gear in house for a demo and for what it's worth, this is my amateur review of the gear. These are the current models. The BP6 is the entry Brsyton preamp, but they only offer 3 preamps and my understanding is that they are all very similar. The 2bsst is the new "squared" model that recently was introduced. This amp offers 100 w/ch @ 8 ohms and 180 w/ch @ 4 ohms. The rest of my gear is in my signature. Here's a pic of the kit on my hifi rack:

Bryston.jpg


Setup:
Initial when I unpacked and setup the preamp and amp, I was unimpressed. My NAD gear doesn't have the thick piece of aluminum across the front, but it feels more polished to me and also weighs quite a bit more. However, this is really a case of mass market versus boutique manufacturer. The Bryston gear has the look and feel of hand made electronics. The ancient slender power toggle on the preamp looks like what you would find on an oscilloscope from the 1960's.

The BP6 preamp is a pretty no nonsense affair. There are only 3 knobs, an input selector, a balance control, and a volume control. They feel solid and very well made to the touch. Hooking up my source to the back of the BP6, I was slightly concerned how loosely the Chord cables fit. They were much tighter on the NAD preamp. However, a test tug assured me that they were secure enough.

The BP6 came with a remote. Also a no nonsense affair, it only controls volume. Up, down, and mute are the only buttons. It's all aluminum and is heavy. It appears the removal of 4 phillips head screws would be required to replace the battery.

The Bryston 2bSST2 amp has an input sensitivity selector in the back which can be set at 1V or 2V. The manual indicates that the 1V setting provides more gain. I tried both and could hear no audible difference other than loudness. I used the 1V setting for all my listening. The amp has a single switch on the front for power which doubles as the amps model badge. The switch feels like quality when pressed. The amp has 2 lights which are green when the amp is functional and will turn other colors to indicate a problem or clipping.

Listening:
I expected the Bryston pair to sound a bit more transparent and detailed than my NAD gear, and I was eager to find out if this was true, but my real apprehension was with the bass performance. The NAD C275 amp has bags of dynamic power. It will drive pretty much anything effortlessly and I really love the warm fat bass the NAD produces.

I tried Corinne Bailey Rae's new CD "The Sea".

corinne-bailey-rae-thesea.jpg


Track 8, "Paris Nights" has some deep pounding bass that made for a good first test. Through the Bryston pair the bass was lightning fast and solid. It did not sound like 100w/ch to me. The bass is impressive for being the entry model Bryston amplifier.

Next up, another bass test. I consider Ingrid Michaelson's track "Way I am" from her "Girls and Boys" CD a gold standard for bass.

girls-and-boys.jpg


The song opens with a stand up acoustic bass being plucked and is well recorded. This particular track when played through my NAD gear provides a tiny bit too much bass and I tend to avoid it. Until now, I blamed my bass heavy Dynaudio speakers for this. With the Bryston pair, the bass was spot on. It was well extended, but more importantly it was very controlled and sounded extremely natural. This Ingrid Michaelson track also allowed me to assess the neutrality and transparency of the sound. Her voice was extremely open and clear sounding, very musical and enjoyable.

Next I listened to Joshua Radin's CD "We were here".

album-we-were-here.jpg


Track 3 "Everything'll be alright" features Joshua's whispery voice that had a holographic realism to it. I can only describe it as crystal clear sound. The steely atmospheric sound of the guitar on this track was conveyed in spades. It was attacking and gritty when it should be, but never harsh. This Bryston gear is eerily detailed. Each intake of breath, each pursing of the lips, every little nuance is present which translates to feeling like you are there.

I suspect that my Dynaudio speakers are an especially good match for the Bryston gear because the Contours are laid back and warm sounding. They never sound bright or harsh. But all that detail and clarity coming from the Bryston pair made me worry about harshness and listening fatique. So I pulled out my Patty Griffin's "Living with ghosts".

1244611003482.jpg


If this CD doesn't make me wince, nothing will. This CD features Patty alone with an amplified acoustic guitar. First I tried track 6 "Poor man's house". After listening to it twice through, I never once felt anything other than a crystal clear communication of the performance. No sibilance was ever present and even though I was playing this louder than normal listening levels, it was always pleasant and musical without a hint of harshness. Then I switched to track 2 "Let him fly" which is a gorgeous song with rich detailed guitar work and a tremendous vocal performance from Patty. Again, it was an OMG moment.

The last track I will discuss here is from an artist named "Jude" who released "No one is really beautiful" in 1998.

BinaryCacheServlet


I really like this CD, but Track 6 "I do" is a real work out for amplifiers. The track starts with Jude's gorgeous smooth soprano voice, but when the bass kicks in, if the amp doesn't have an iron grip on the speakers, it sounds bloated and distorted. It's not just that the bass get's boomy, it's like it doesn't even sound like bass. It takes on an artificial deep vibrating sound that is completely unnatural. The Bryston made this song sound like heaven. I've never heard it sound so good.

So, that's about it, the Bryston pair is outstanding. Are there any detectable flaws? Yes. First, the bass is terrific, but I wouldn't go as far as saying its superior to my NAD equipment. It's just different. There are some CDs that I really love the rich warm fat bass that the NAD produces. The Bryston bass however does provide most of that same power, but it's either more controlled or less powerful, I'm not sure which. The NAD bass is very very good.

Another issue is volume. The NAD gear goes louder. Now I don't use my gear for parties and I don't listen at concert levels, but the Bryston amp did run out of volume while I could still stand it. The NAD does not. However, the Bryston will go very loud indeed, definitely loud enough for most people. With more efficient speakers this would probably be a non-issue.

But in final comparison of the NAD to the Bryston gear, considering the price difference, the NAD gear faired very well but the Bryston gear trumps the NAD in detail, clarity, and transparency. The Bryston gear is shockingly clean and clear. Only in power and bass performance was the NAD gear a peer of the Bryston offering. But don't get me wrong, the NAD pair is absolutely fantastic equipment and I love it.

My only concern with the Bryston gear would be that it is so detailed that it might become fatiguing with long listening sessions. I did not detect that at all, but I would need to spend a lot more time to be sure that it wasn’t an issue.
 

jaxwired

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One more thing I wanted to add, the Bryston gear has a quality that I prize highly in a hifi. Loud never sounded loud. Hopefully you know what I mean. This gear just invites you to crank it up because it remains so pleasant at high volume.
 
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Anonymous

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Nice review.. I`m looking forward for more input.

Currently I use a rotel as a power amp, and some people say that they are bright sounding,... surely NOT to me. I was suggested to upgrade my power amp to a bryston, but my only concern is Brightness, as I`ve read that the rotels are a little bit softer sounding than the brystons.
 
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Nice Jaxwired. Well reviewed. I shall hopefully be seeing a couple of Bryston dealers within the next couple of months, so would love to provide my feedback on this matter. I shall look/hear out for the things you have mentioned.

Also does anyone know why Bryston made an SST version and then very quickly made an SST ~squared" version quite quickly after?
 

Frank Harvey

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daspaceman:Currently I use a rotel as a power amp, and some people say that they are bright sounding,... surely NOT to me. I was suggested to upgrade my power amp to a bryston, but my only concern is Brightness, as I`ve read that the rotels are a little bit softer sounding than the brystons.

Depends what you mean by 'softer'. The Brystons will be mroe refined than the Rotel, which does have a tendancy to lean to the brighter side of neutral.
 

Frank Harvey

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Hi Jax

Nice review.

The 'fat' bass you refer to with the NAD is it's inability to control the bass it's producing, either that or they've 'manufactured' it sound like that, as NAD is generally known for being on the warm side. This lack of control does sound nicer to some people, and the difference betwen the two can be appreciate much more over a longer period of time.

The NAD will be better value for money seeing as the Bryston is built in Canada, but what Bryston will give you is a more accurate insight into what's going on on that CD.
 

drummerman

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Perhaps worth mentioning that anyone who likes power, detail, transparency and control (without any harshness) should also consider AVI's ADM 9.1. Outstanding in that respect and much cheaper though I can't compare them to the Bryston's as I've never heard them.

I enjoyed your write-up jaxwired.
 
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Vinny7:
Also does anyone know why Bryston made an SST version and then very quickly made an SST2 version quite quickly after?

Anyone have any ideas on the above?

Thanks
 
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Anonymous

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Jaxwired great review! I think that Bryston combo sounds just my kinda sound,detailed and a fast but deep controlled bass.
 

Frank Harvey

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Vinny7:Vinny7: Also does anyone know why Bryston made an SST version and then very quickly made an SST2 version quite quickly after? Anyone have any ideas on the above?Thanks

  • Redesigned output chokes
  • Reduced circuit board count
  • reduced point to point wiring
  • New power supply board
  • New soft start circuit
  • New chassis design
  • New power switch
  • New transformer design
  • Bridging mode improved

Not all amps have had all improvements, it just depends on it's price point.
 

jaxwired

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So after more extended listening, here's something odd that I've noticed. I'll be listening at a normal level, like say 8 to 9 o'clock on the volume knob and its sounding super detailed. So I'm reluctant to turn it louder because usually when a system is already super detailed in the treble, turning the volume up can result in too much of a good thing and becomes a little too piercing and unpleasant. This is my experience with lots of equipment. But, time after time, when I turn up the wick on with this Bryston kit, it doesn't happen. It's like magic. Somehow it gets louder, but remains completely smooth and listenable even though the detail is at that raw super clean level. I keep expecting to hear too much brightness because it so clear and detailed sounding, but it doesn't happen even at higher volumes.
 

Frank Harvey

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I've personally used a 3Bst before, and can recommend that - I temporarily used one to drive KEF Reference 4.2's when I couldn't afford 7B's....
emotion-2.gif


It did a great job. I think a 2B might struggle with them, but the 3B just seemed to drive them without strain. I find Contours are a pain to control (just like the 4.2's), so if you get a chance to try a 3B take it. I was listening to our 4Bsst2 yesterday and driving Reference 205/2's quite hard, and it just sounded fantastic. The last time I heard that sort of deep, controlled, effortless bass was driving the 4.2's with a couple of 7B's.

One thing though - you mention the BP6 - this isn't on our price list, so I think this might be the new entry level that's due to come out here. We have the BP26, which comes with the external power supply, and has the option for an internal DAC. I believe the BP6 is a one box without the DAC option. I think most people would rather just pay the extra and get the two box pre-amp.
 

jaxwired

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emotion-2.gif
Yeah, I would rather have the 2 box preamp, but it's double the price! And I've read that the BP6 is very simlar internally to the BP26 with only 2 major differences. Separate power supply, and balanced outs. The BP6 only has single ended outs.

I'm thinking BP6 for now. I'm not too concerned about using the RCA jacks as the amp and pre are very close. I can use a 0.5m interconnect.

Regarding the amp, the 4b is not much more than the 3b and would give me twice the power. Is it worth it? I'm thinking 4b...

Thanks for all your great advice!
emotion-2.gif
 

Frank Harvey

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We think the 3B is a little close to the 4B in price too - not that we want the 4B to be more expensive!

Mate, you can never have too much power. Most quality speakers wil just lap it up. Our 4Bsst2 was driving the 205/2's to rather loud levels yesterday, and the internet guys in the office below the demo room said they'd never felt bass like it before.....
emotion-14.gif


(That devil smiley really needs to be more mean - come on WHF! Sort it out!)
 

Dr Beat

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Hi David

I was reading this thread with interest as i have a mate who is trying to sell me his 4B sst. But my other mates are saying that i should just get the new 4B sst2. The difference is that my selling mate has had his power amp for 4 years now and is offering the unit at half the price of the current 4B sst2.

IYHO, do you think i should opt for the 4B sst or the 4Bsst2 (sonically, is there a big difference or marginally)? if we were to take the price into consideration, which would you choose?

My speakers are also Contours S1.4. My preamp is currently a DAC XP. I read somewhere that the mix and match between Cyrus pre and Bryston power is quite good. BTW, my selling mate advised me not to mix and match and just buy a new BP 26 to match the 4B sst. Do you think my mix and match will work? I haven't tried matching the two up physically yet,. thought i would after i hear some views first.

Appreciate your views and any others too.

Thanks a lot.
 

Dr Beat

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Hi all

Ok, i managed to get the 4B SST for a loan. it has replaced my X Powers (run as mono blocs). First thing is that my power cords have reduced from 4 (2 X powers + 2 PXSRs) to one. so much neater now.

Its been only one day but i find the sound to be much clearer compared to the previous set up. The bass is tighter and there is more detail in the music than before. i can hear more instruments and the vocals are sharper.It sounds not that different from the Cyrus but just tighter and clearer.

I am still wondering if the 4B SST2 is better than the previous model, that i am testing now. I have to return this amp in 3 days' time. I hope by then i will receive some feedback on the difference between the SST and the SST2 version. How about it Jaxwired, any views as you own the latter? What about you David (Musicraft)?? Should i just get the SST2 for double of the offer price for the SST unit, because the sound is much better than the older version? Or there is not much different and so, go for the SST??

I am off to listen to more Cds now to test the amp. appreciate the comments.

Thanks
 

Macspur

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Hi Jaxwired,

Ingrid Michaelson! Joshua Radin!... excellent taste in music. Have you got Joshua's Simple Times album? What other artists are you in to? I'm always on the look out for new ones.

Your review was very interesting too, you could've almost been describing the sound I get from my set up! and I love it.

Sugden A21L amp, Naim CD5XS, Chord Cobra3 i.c. ProAc Studio 130's
 

jaxwired

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Dr Beat:

I hope by then i will receive some feedback on the difference between the SST and the SST2 version. How about it Jaxwired, any views as you own the latter? What about you David (Musicraft)?? Should i just get the SST2 for double of the offer price for the SST unit, because the sound is much better than the older version?

Cheer Dr Beat. I'll give you some advice, but I ask for a return favor. I've never seen another forum member with Dyn S1.4s before. What do you like about them? Any nagging complaints? Every month I fall deeper in love with mine...

Now, about Bryston. The Bryston kit is just plain wonderful to own. No complaints. It delivers everything I want. Hard to imagine how it could be better. However (lol), from what I understand (and I've done a lot of reading, including discussions with James Tanner, Bryston VP and part owner), Bryston uses evolution, not revolution. They don't have a lot of disparit lines of amps. Their amps all are more similar than different. And they really only have one line of consumer amps. I've never heard the 4bsst so I can't directly compare it to my amp, but I think Bryston themselves would tell you that the 4bsst sounds very similar to the 4bsst2 and that the changes are noticable, but subtle. Unless the money is pocket change for you, I'd go with the SST and save a bundle.

BUT, I do want to say that you really should put the saving into a Bryston preamp. I actually think my preamp is making a more valuable contribution to my system than my amp (and I love the amp). I can't recommend the Bryston preamps highly enough. Should you get a chance to demo one with that 4bsst amp, your jaw will drop. Get one, it's not optional IMO.

Good luck and do report back.
emotion-2.gif


Oh, one more thing, the Bryston/Dyn combo is a match made in heaven. The detailed transparent delivery of the Bryston let's the Dyns shine. And because the Dyns are so smooth there is never a hint of aggressive treble. I can listen for hours,,,,
 

jaxwired

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Macspur:

Hi Jaxwired,

Ingrid Michaelson! Joshua Radin!... excellent taste in music. Have you got Joshua's Simple Times album? What other artists are you in to? I'm always on the look out for new ones.

Thanks Macspur!

Here's my latest purchases. I am especially loving the CD from Chris Pureka, it's genius...

And yes I have Simple Times. Love it also but his first CD is the best I think. Oddly he just released a new CD that I did not buy and seems a departure from these first two.

ChrisPureka_CoverLoRes.jpg


Sean Hayes "Run Wolves Run"

sean-hayes-run-wolves-run_.jpg


Ben Sollee "Dear Companion"

6207-600x600.jpg


AND, just in case you're really digging, here's a listmania list at Amazon I put together awhile back:

http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Singer-Songwriter-Folk-Country/lm/R2ZCU1PER2VATY/ref=cm_lmt_DYNA_f_2_russss0?pf_rd_p=496997511&pf_rd_s=listmania-center&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0025X4OV6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0NYY6B6ZJ6MECNK07CX2
 

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