bryston 4bst or 4bsst

[ccotenj]

well, "yea, get the sst" is the obvious answer... i know that...

however, there's a pretty significant price difference between the 2 (talking used)... probably around 6-8 hundred dollars... i have listened to the 4bst's hooked to "my" speakers (although not with my receiver as the pre-pro), and it really sounded good, even to my ironclad ears...

my current setup is a yamaha rx-v750, with b&w s603s3 mains, s600s3 surrounds, lcr600 center and asw600 sub... usage is about 90-10 2-channel to ht...

i am also planning on adding a "decent" (but not really expensive) cd player (cambridge 640c? maybe something a little better in the used market? suggestions?) to the front end and run that "straight through" the yammy...

ideas? comments? am i off base here in thinking that i can survive with the yammy as the pre-pro for the time being, until i can do that upgrade? it really isn't objectionable for ht usage... it does that job adequately, for the usage it gets...

i know that either of the bryston's is overkill (although some may say there is no such thing as overkill ) on my existing mains, but i also know that there's a speaker upgrade out there someday...

i'd like to get out of this for around 2.5k (for both pieces), but would be willing to stretch that a bit to go for the sst if it would be a significant difference...

help. i'm driving myself (and swmbo) crazy with overanalysis here... i'm pretty much sold on the bryston as the choice... just which one...

 

[mtrycrafts]

well, "yea, get the sst" is the obvious answer... i know that...

however, there's a pretty significant price difference between the 2 (talking used)... probably around 6-8 hundred dollars... i have listened to the 4bst's hooked to "my" speakers (although not with my receiver as the pre-pro), and it really sounded good, even to my ironclad ears...

my current setup is a yamaha rx-v750, with b&w s603s3 mains, s600s3 surrounds, lcr600 center and asw600 sub... usage is about 90-10 2-channel to ht...

i am also planning on adding a "decent" (but not really expensive) cd player (cambridge 640c? maybe something a little better in the used market? suggestions?) to the front end and run that "straight through" the yammy...

ideas? comments? am i off base here in thinking that i can survive with the yammy as the pre-pro for the time being, until i can do that upgrade? it really isn't objectionable for ht usage... it does that job adequately, for the usage it gets...

i know that either of the bryston's is overkill (although some may say there is no such thing as overkill ) on my existing mains, but i also know that there's a speaker upgrade out there someday...

i'd like to get out of this for around 2.5k (for both pieces), but would be willing to stretch that a bit to go for the sst if it would be a significant difference...

help. i'm driving myself (and swmbo) crazy with overanalysis here... i'm pretty much sold on the bryston as the choice... just which one...

What's the difference between the two? I would not worry about the sound of either one; they are transparent, period.
Why are you even contemplating an external amp?

 

[ccotenj]

gee, that was helpful...

anyone with some real input? thanks...

 

[mtrycrafts]

gee, that was helpful...

anyone with some real input? thanks...

You are looking for asoteric differences? They surely don't have sonic advantages over each other. I asked what is the difference between them. If there is a huge power difference, then your speakers needs are important. If not, then perhaps it has features you really need? Then that has mertit, maybe enough as to make up for th eprice difference. If not, then buy the less expensive.

 

[Jazzwyld]

new or used?

The question I would ask is not st or sst. Because both amps are great. The question I would ask is new or used. Being a bryston dealer I can tell you buying a new bryston is well worth the money. You get a 20 yr warranty, plus I've seen them repair things that are out of warranty. When you buy a used piece of any gear very rarely is the warranty transferrable. So my advice is to buy new. There are very few times I buy used for that very reason.

 

[ccotenj]

The question I would ask is not st or sst. Because both amps are great. The question I would ask is new or used. Being a bryston dealer I can tell you buying a new bryston is well worth the money. You get a 20 yr warranty, plus I've seen them repair things that are out of warranty. When you buy a used piece of any gear very rarely is the warranty transferrable. So my advice is to buy new. There are very few times I buy used for that very reason.

well... the 20 year bryston warrantee is fully transferable... so the advantage of a new one over a 1 or 2 year old one, warrantee-wise, is negligible...

 

[mtrycrafts]

well... the 20 year bryston warrantee is fully transferable... so the advantage of a new one over a 1 or 2 year old one, warrantee-wise, is negligible...

But then he is biased, being a Bryston dealer

 

[furrycute]

I heard the old ST series amps are more neutral. As such, some people find the old ST series amps a bit on the thin side.

The new SST series amps have the upper frequency ranges tuned down a bit, so they seem a bit fuller.

Anyways, that's what I heard.

 

[Nick250]

gee, that was helpful...

anyone with some real input? thanks...

You come to a new board and ask for opinions. You get an opinion does that is not what you want to hear and you get snotty about it. Mtrycrafts gave you good accurate feadback and I for one agree with him. I think you owe him a appology or go on your merry way to some other board.

 

[ccotenj]

no nick, he didn't give me "good accurate feedback", and it has nothing to do with "what i want to hear"... he gave me his usual "no amp could possibly any different from any other amp" line that he gives in every other forum (although i haven't posted much, i HAVE read much), said "what's the difference", and asked his usual sarcastic "why are you even..." question he always does...

if he doesn't know the difference between the two, and all he wants to do is repeat the same thing over and over again that he does in every other thread, then i stand by my original statement...

i'm sure mtry has himself a nice good old tandy receiver/amplifier at home that he listens to, after all, they are all the same, right?

 

[mtrycrafts]

i'm sure mtry has himself a nice good old tandy receiver/amplifier at home that he listens to, after all, they are all the same, right?

Does it really matters what I have or don't have? I have two boomboxes, so what? That has absolutely nothing to do with what you can hear, what you can perceive, how gullible you may be, nada, zippo, zilch, right?

Who would there be sonic differences between the two Bryston amps? Perhaps you have some measurable differences exceeding the threshold of detection? If that were the case, from such a company, that couldn't produce two amps of equivalent specs, I'd run the opposite direction and find a better, more qualified designer.

You know, I get tired of getting the same answers to 2+2, or to pi. But, that's the way it is.

 

[ccotenj]

then don't answer... i can understand why you are "tired" of it, you never really add anything other than the same old pablum...

why might there be a difference?

here's something real simple for you... when you go buy a ford today mtry, is it the same as the model t that henry first built? never heard of redesign changes? to stay with my "ford" analogy, don't think there's a difference between a focus and a gt? i could go on, but i don't want to "tire" you too much....

perhaps if you were willing to actually read what the poster is asking, and consider the question, rather than just coming back with the same old, same old over and over again, you wouldn't be "tired" of it...

geez... ask for information from self-proclaimed experts, get a sarcastic non-answer...

no, it doesn't "matter" to me what you have at home... but given the attitude you portray on these forums (and, as i pointed out, i spent a LOT of time reading before i posted), it would be somewhat hypocritical if you had anything much more than the 2 boom boxes...

a "helpful" answer might have been along the lines of...

"unless you need the extra power of the sst, there's no sonic differences between the 2 models because they didn't change... " and go on to explain...

but i suppose having to deal with people who don't know everything tired you so much you couldn't be helpful...

 

[Nick250]

no nick, he didn't give me "good accurate feedback", and it has nothing to do with "what i want to hear"... he gave me his usual "no amp could possibly any different from any other amp" line that he gives in every other forum (although i haven't posted much, i HAVE read much), said "what's the difference", and asked his usual sarcastic "why are you even..." question he always does...

if he doesn't know the difference between the two, and all he wants to do is repeat the same thing over and over again that he does in every other thread, then i stand by my original statement...

i'm sure mtry has himself a nice good old tandy receiver/amplifier at home that he listens to, after all, they are all the same, right?

I do think that mtrycrafts could be more effective in delivering his message without the repetition of the same points over and over. As a matter of fact mtrycrafts and I had a respectful exchange on just this issue. However it does not make his point of view wrong or give you the right to be snippy. There is a very large number of people who think that unless a speaker is clipping or the receiver is over heating there is no benefit to a more powerful amp. I would hazard a guess that this is the majority opinion in fact.

If you have done as much reading as you say then I hope you have come to understand that the quality of the sound you hear in your listening room is almost completely speaker choice and room acoustics and that the receiver/amp has little to do with it.

 

[mtrycrafts]

then don't answer...

Oh, but it is a very good answer and I like to respond. The candle must be kept burning in the forset of audio mythology, voodoo, bs, and hype. The

i can understand why you are "tired" of it, you never really add anything other than the same old pablum...

Ah, you think not, others think otherwise. How novel.

why might there be a difference?

here's something real simple for you... when you go buy a ford today mtry, is it the same as the model t that henry first built?

Oh, the same old tired car argument. How lame, how foolish, how irrelevant to the audio discussions. Do you really believe that your hearing is limitless? Od course you must or you would not brting up this car anaolgy that is on the parallel universe or galaxy.


i could go on, but i don't want to "tire" you too much....

Yes, you could go on and be more foolish with every car analogy. Your choice.

perhaps if you were willing to actually read what the poster is asking, and consider the question, rather than just coming back with the same old, same old over and over again, you wouldn't be "tired" of it...

Same old question, same old answer. Simple.

geez... ask for information from self-proclaimed experts, get a sarcastic non-answer...

Ah, your car analogy is the right one, Mr Expert?

(and, as i pointed out, i spent a LOT of time reading before i posted),

I think I know what you read. Figures.




"unless you need the extra power of the sst, there's no sonic differences between the 2 models because they didn't change... " and go on to explain...

Since I don't agonize over each amp on the market, that is exactely why I aske him what the differences are between the two since he must know if he picked them to choose from. Then we could have discussed it further. But no, people cannot read what is posted and read between th elines what they want to see.