Question for Bryston Pros

[Jason Lopez]

I'm considering upgrading my NAD C352 Integrated amp which is conservatively rated at 80 watts into 8ohms. NAD's "powerdrive" technology drastically increases the dynamic power ratings into 8,4, and 2ohms. My speakers (Phase Tech PC 9.1 towers) are 4 ohm with a 92db sensitive rating. I've been researching the Bryston B-60 SST integrated. A 60 watt amp for $2000 seems a bit much, but i'm impressed with the build quality, the warranty, and everything about the company. What would be the pros and cons of going from my NAD to the Bryston? The B-100 sounds killer, but at almost $4000, it's beyond my budget.

 

[MUDSHARK]

What are you trying to gain from the upgrade to Bryston? The difference in sound quality is likely to be subtle. The Bryston will power your 4 ohm speakers easily as I have a lower model 2b-lp and can vouch for the performance on difficult loads. You might consider e-bay and the like as well as a means of effectively increasing your budget. I purchased my Bryston 12 years old and it is still running like a champ 5 years later. The Bryston's are built like a tank.

 

[Davemcc]

Pros - Brystons are built like tanks, generally massive power supplies, extremely low noise floor, generally under rated (you get a dyno sheet for every amp IIRC), the warranty.

Cons - the price.

I am a Bryston fan on a Rotel budget. The sheet on my old Bryston 4B showed that it put out 276/278 watts on an amp rated at 240w. I wish I still had it. It was a monster in its day.

On the other hand, for the cost of a Bryston, you can have a ton of clean power from a number of other amp suppliers, like Rotel. For $2K, I don't see why you couldn't be putting out 350wpc of nice, clean, undistorted power. See if you can test drive the Bryston first, before you have to make a final decision to see if it's the right product for your needs.

 

[Jason Lopez]

What are you trying to gain from the upgrade to Bryston? The difference in sound quality is likely to be subtle. The Bryston will power your 4 ohm speakers easily as I have a lower model 2b-lp and can vouch for the performance on difficult loads. You might consider e-bay and the like as well as a means of effectively increasing your budget. I purchased my Bryston 12 years old and it is still running like a champ 5 years later. The Bryston's are built like a tank.

I guess I would be trying to gain an increase in sound quality throughout the entire frequency spectrum...from lows to highs. The reviews i've read have been very impressive. At $2000, I figure I've GOT to hear increased sound performance over my NAD. Maybe not...I'd hate to make a $2000 mistake or a lateral move at best. I kinda want this to be my last upgrade for a very long time, which is why the warranty and the way the company does things impresses me.

 

[walter duque]

I guess I would be trying to gain an increase in sound quality throughout the entire frequency spectrum...from lows to highs. The reviews i've read have been very impressive. At $2000, I figure I've GOT to hear increased sound performance over my NAD. Maybe not...I'd hate to make a $2000 mistake or a lateral move at best. I kinda want this to be my last upgrade for a very long time, which is why the warranty and the way the company does things impresses me.

Go for it, it's a whole new level. Providing you have a good Pre-Pro to go with it. That's why they call it Entry level and High End. NAD and Rotel is Mid-FI. That is just my opinion of course. I am not trying to insult anybodies gear. I have had Rotel bevore.

 

[PENG]

Some interesting things to read here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=57.0

 

[PENG]

What would be the pros and cons of going from my NAD to the Bryston? The B-100 sounds killer, but at almost $4000, it's beyond my budget.

As others said, they are built like a tank so the pros are that you will have an amp that meets specs for at least 20 years. The cons are, most likely there won't be audible sound quality improvements and you have to pay for that perceived reliability.

 

[walter duque]

As others said, they are built like a tank so the pros are that you will have an amp that meets specs for at least 20 years. The cons are, most likely there won't be audible sound quality improvements and you have to pay for that perceived reliability.

IMO you will hear a major improvement. Your speakers will come alive, you be surprised what these Phase Tech can do with the right power. Now they sound hollow, wait till you open them up. Not to many people familiar with Phase Tech on this forum. Your talking going from NAD to Bryston which is top notch. That's like going from a Chevy to a Ferrari . It gets you there, but how? If there be no difference in power we would all own $500.00 Denons etc. AVR, which we don't. Go for the power.

 

[walter duque]

PENG
This was surposed to be a Reply not a Quote sorry for that, hit the wrong button.

 

[PENG]

IMO you will hear a major improvement. Your speakers will come alive, you be surprised what these Phase Tech can do with the right power. Now they sound hollow, wait till you open them up. Not to many people familiar with Phase Tech on this forum. Your talking going from NAD to Bryston which is top notch. That's like going from a Chevy to a Ferrari . It gets you there, but how? If there be no difference in power we would all own $500.00 Denons etc. AVR, which we don't. Go for the power.

I don't disagree with some of the things you said but he is talking about going from the NAD 352 to a 60W Bryston. If he can hear SQ improvements then there has to be something wrong with his NAD. They are both class AB linear audio amplifiers with similar power rating and both products are not known to exaggerate their ratings.

 

[walter duque]

I don't disagree with some of the things you said but he is talking about going from the NAD 352 to a 60W Bryston. If he can hear SQ improvements then there has to be something wrong with his NAD. They are both class AB linear audio amplifiers with similar power rating and both products are not known to exaggerate their ratings.

Your'e right on this one. My impression was that he was going to a 350 Watt Bryston, my mistake. Sorry PENG. His speakers need power and lots of it. I have listended to them with 350 watts and I have to say, which I hate to admit, these things sound awesome. There is something about these flat piston driver that just impressed me. Reminded me of the real KEF's.

 

[Seth=L]

I don't disagree with some of the things you said but he is talking about going from the NAD 352 to a 60W Bryston. If he can hear SQ improvements then there has to be something wrong with his NAD. They are both class AB linear audio amplifiers with similar power rating and both products are not known to exaggerate their ratings.

I'm willing to bet that the Bryston has more dynamic headroom and is also more likely going to have higher agility with impedance curves. However, it's likely the only time you will notice the NAD having trouble is if it's pushed beyond it's parameters of operation. As I stated on your other thread the most significant adjustments that you can make are positioning and acoustic treatment. If you haven't treated your room then you need to, it's far more cost effective than upgrading your amplifier and will produce positive results that will come no where near to the difference a small upgrade in power would make.

Walter, you likened comparing Chevy to Ferrari with NAD to Bryston. In some regards you are correct. The Bryston is going to have a higher power capacity, no doubt just like a Ferrari has more power than a Camero. However, if you don't go 200mph down the country road you will never need to have that extra power. Compare the top end Corvette to the Ferrari and the Ferrari has a close competition, only the power difference is almost negligible for almost every situation other than just a top speed or acceleration test. In the real world both cars are exceptional machines, but one carries a significantly higher price tag for a slight increase in performance. Basically, you are paying for the name.

If I want to get more power I know exactly where to get it, and I don't have to spend a fortune to get TONS of good, clean, and linear power. I'm not going to throw any specific models out here but I would suggest that the OP look at more cost effective amplifiers that will deliver a more significant amount of power than 60wpc. I would never spend $2000 to get such a low amount of power, regardless of the warranty. My little Niles SI-275 is a chunky little machine and is designed specifically to handle reactive loads and would probably run within the same spec field as that Bryston at a fraction of the cost. It's rated 75wpc @ 8 ohms and it's stable down to 2.66 ohms. It runs cool all the time and has a small form factor. You can pick this amplifier up for less than $300. I only use that as an example of a comparable amplifier that is built to a high standard. I would not recommend it specifically for this use because it would be an insignificant upgrade from what Jason is currently using. If you want more power, get something that can solidly produce at least 200 watts per channel at the minimum.

I still suggest tackling room acoustics first.

Edit: I see some of what I said has less merit now that I see Walter was not aware this was a 60wpc amplifier we were talking about.

 

[walter duque]

I'm willing to bet that the Bryston has more dynamic headroom and is also more likely going to have higher agility with impedance curves. However, it's likely the only time you will notice the NAD having trouble is if it's pushed beyond it's parameters of operation. As I stated on your other thread the most significant adjustments that you can make are positioning and acoustic treatment. If you haven't treated your room then you need to, it's far more cost effective than upgrading your amplifier and will produce positive results that will come no where near to the difference a small upgrade in power would make.

Walter, you likened comparing Chevy to Ferrari with NAD to Bryston. In some regards you are correct. The Bryston is going to have a higher power capacity, no doubt just like a Ferrari has more power than a Camero. However, if you don't go 200mph down the country road you will never need to have that extra power. Compare the top end Corvette to the Ferrari and the Ferrari has a close competition, only the power difference is almost negligible for almost every situation other than just a top speed or acceleration test. In the real world both cars are exceptional machines, but one carries a significantly higher price tag for a slight increase in performance. Basically, you are paying for the name.

If I want to get more power I know exactly where to get it, and I don't have to spend a fortune to get TONS of good, clean, and linear power. I'm not going to throw any specific models out here but I would suggest that the OP look at more cost effective amplifiers that will deliver a more significant amount of power than 60wpc. I would never spend $2000 to get such a low amount of power, regardless of the warranty. My little Niles SI-275 is a chunky little machine and is designed specifically to handle reactive loads and would probably run within the same spec field as that Bryston at a fraction of the cost. It's rated 75wpc @ 8 ohms and it's stable down to 2.66 ohms. It runs cool all the time and has a small form factor. You can pick this amplifier up for less than $300. I only use that as an example of a comparable amplifier that is built to a high standard. I would not recommend it specifically for this use because it would be an insignificant upgrade from what Jason is currently using. If you want more power, get something that can solidly produce at least 200 watts per channel at the minimum.

I still suggest tackling room acoustics first.

Edit: I see some of what I said has less merit now that I see Walter was not aware this was a 60wpc amplifier we were talking about.

Seth=L
You are so right, I can't disagree with you on this one. There is a lot better than NAD for a lot less. You got me on the Corvette Vs. Ferrari. The Bryston would sound better but not for that kind of money. You're Seth=L. My son has a 140wattX7 Denon AVR with 5.1 $3500.-- Klipsch speakers and I hooked up my old Belles 100 Wattsx2 poweramp for the fronts and it was a major improvement. Belles sounded thighter with a lot more punch. And that's 140 watts of Denon compared to 100 watts of Belles power.
http://www.powermodules.com/power_modules/Home.html

 

[Seth=L]

Seth=L
You are so right, I can't disagree with you on this one. There is a lot better than NAD for a lot less. You got me on the Corvette Vs. Ferrari.

I personally won't buy NAD, but since he has it already....

LOL, that looks cool.

 

[walter duque]

Seth=L
That does look cool. How you do that? LOL

 

[Seth=L]

Seth=L
That does look cool. How you do that? LOL

Quotations within quotations. I suppose I should ask how yours ends up like it does, because it's always stepped a bit on yours.

Typical structure should look like this (minus a few spaces)...

_______________________________________________________________________

[q u o t e =someguytalkingboutstuff]Blah Blah Blah, kenwood, blah, blah, blah Cerwin Vega[/ q u o t e]

Get some new stuff alright, you are killing your brain cells.

_______________________________________________________________________

 

[wire]

I'm considering upgrading my NAD C352 Integrated amp which is conservatively rated at 80 watts into 8ohms. NAD's "powerdrive" technology drastically increases the dynamic power ratings into 8,4, and 2ohms. My speakers (Phase Tech PC 9.1 towers) are 4 ohm with a 92db sensitive rating. I've been researching the Bryston B-60 SST integrated. A 60 watt amp for $2000 seems a bit much, but i'm impressed with the build quality, the warranty, and everything about the company. What would be the pros and cons of going from my NAD to the Bryston? The B-100 sounds killer, but at almost $4000, it's beyond my budget.

Jason have you looked into a used 4b , ive had one for over 20 years now , it is a tank and the SQ willbe abit different than a NAD . i cant tell you how a 4b will make your speakers come alive , i have 6ohm speakers paired with my 4b , wow it really can make the house shake )) Years ago i upgraded from NAD to Carver to Bryston and never looked back , i will cry the day something goes wrong with my 4b ( hehe ) . All the 3 amps have diffent SQ to them .

 

[Seth=L]

All the 3 amps have diffent SQ to them .

It's this statement right here that tells me that you are a troll beyond a doubt. You may not even realize you are a troll, but you are trolling whether you acknowledge it or not. That statement certainly wasn't for the benefit of anyone but you.

There's people that are n00bs, there's people that are helpful, there's people that you should listen too, then there's wire.

 

[wire]

It's this statement right here that tells me that you are a troll beyond a doubt. You may not even realize you are a troll, but you are trolling whether you acknowledge it or not. That statement certainly wasn't for the benefit of anyone but you.

There's people that are n00bs, there's people that are helpful, there's people that you should listen too, then there's wire.

Well @ least i have had all the equipment , right here in my house , even a tube amp )) what do you have Seth the God of consumer electronics , silly goose ;o))

 

[Lordoftherings]

Two great integrated amps with reviews.

Hi Jason,

Here's a review of the Bryston B-60R (predecessor of the B-60R SST) from Stereophile.
>> The Bryston B-60R SST carries a 20-year warranty.

* http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/597bryston/index.html

And here's one of the Krell S-300i integrated amp from Sound & Vision.
>> The Krell S-300i could be found for about $1,300 usd street price.

* http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/audiovideo/3088/krell-s-300i-integrated-stereo-amplifier.html

*** By the way Jason, are you the one that previously requested some suggestion for an integrated amp?

Bob