[95Dyna]

Hi Folks,

Well I have to admit I am feeling a little bruised by all this and I think the problem is that any manufacturer that attempts to defend their product from these types of reviews just ends up looking like sour grapes.

james

Hang in there, James.  I seem to recall you got some early feedback when you sent the amps over to Stereophile.  Wasn't there another reviewer who happened to listen in on Fremer and was so impressed with what he heard he immediately requested to do the follow up review?  If so, there is potential for some kind of balancing to take place.  Nothing that he said in the review is changing my view of my 7's but I don't have to make my living selling them so I guess that's easy for me to say.  Fremer did a similar tune on Audio Physic a couple years ago by blasting their Caldera speakers ($30K US) for being shrill in the high end.  It turned out to be faulty early production tweeters.  He went ahead with the review without giving AP a chance to replace them.  Anyway, we're forgetting how this thread began, with a very positive review from Innerear Report which jives completely with my experience so far.

[James Tanner]

Thanks for reminding me - yes there is a follow up review coming I believe - I will check on that.

Also don't forget the 'Best of 2009 Award' we got on the 7B's last month:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0409/bryston_7b_sst2.htm

james

[vegasdave]

I read it too being a subscriber. It was a pretty shoddy review if you ask me.

Hang in there James. I would call for another evaluation. That's if Stereophile would be willing to do that. But, if it's a bad review, so be it. Don't sweat it.

The 7B is a dream amp for sure. But, you already know that.

It seems that Fremer likes a colored sound, and his review in my opinion, reflects that.

I hope this doesn't affect sales. I don't think so. The word of mouth is very strong on the 7B.

[Dilbert]

Ah hell, it's just one guy's opinion, after all. Maybe they'll get Greenhill to offer some counterpoint.

James, I can certainly undertand how you feel, I'm a VP of Sales and Marketing myself and would feel the same.

But, hey - up and down dynamics are what business is all about - you just happened to pick the flakiest industry of them all! 

[Uptown Audio]

Hi Folks,

Well I have to admit I am feeling a little bruised by all this and I think the problem is that any manufacturer that attempts to defend their product from these types of reviews just ends up looking like sour grapes.

james

Yeah, it's a no-win scenario. You have to take lumps sometimes. Not everyone is going to appreciate the same product to the same degree, and it's all relative anyway, not cut in stone. I'd rather read a less than stellar review once than the same old glowing, slobbering, gleefully mindless crap for every product that hits the pages. What a waste that would be. It'll make you appreciate the truly good ones even more.
-Bill

[john1970]

Hi Folks,

Well I have to admit I am feeling a little bruised by all this and I think the problem is that any manufacturer that attempts to defend their product from these types of reviews just ends up looking like sour grapes.

james

James,

I would not worry too much.  In the past Stereophile has always rated Bryston components class B or class A in their reviews.  While I do not own the 7B SST2, I do own the 4B SST2 and frankly I don't care what any reviewer says about the amp.  I enjoy the transparency and it has plenty of power to drive my speakers.

Best,

John

[turkey]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course but I have to say I found the Stereophile 7B SST2 review very perplexing given that the rest of the world has overwhelmingly embraced the 7B SST2 as one of the world's great amps.

I just put it down to your amp not having a high enough price tag. He had to find _something_ bad to say about it in comparison with whatever megabuck amp it is that he's touting this week.

Or maybe if he had better speakers he'd be able to tell what's what. (I've heard several sets of Wilson speakers at various times and none of them were very good IMO. Plus it appears he has them setup in a clothes closet or something similar in size.)

I suppose it's just something you (as a manufacturer) have to put up with in order to stay in business, but it seems to me that all the reviews in Stereophile and TAS are awful. I subscribed again to both after not reading them for a number of years (they sent me offers for like $10/yr and I figured I'd try them again), but if anything they are worse than they used to be. I don't plan to re-subscribe, and I think I'd even refuse if they paid _me_ a few bucks to get their magazines.

I start reading them when they arrive every month, then start skipping pages to get past the drivel, and before you know it I'm at the last page. Even their music reviews are horrible.

[turkey]

Hi Folks,

Well I have to admit I am feeling a little bruised by all this and I think the problem is that any manufacturer that attempts to defend their product from these types of reviews just ends up looking like sour grapes.

james

I don't know that it looks like sour grapes, but it's pretty useless.

The manufacturer typically says that:

Everyone else in the world loves the product, so the reviewer must be wrong.

Or:

We just made a change to the product that makes it completely wonderful, and all future production will even butter your toast in the morning.

Or:

The product wasn't used with the right amp/preamp/speakers/wires/recordings/salad dressing.



Now, all of these may be perfectly true at times, but to me as a reader they all blend together and don't really mean much. (Not that most reviews are any more meaningful.)

So I see from your Manufacturer's comment that the 7B SST2 will be buttering toast from now on.

[James Tanner]

Hi Folks,

Well I have to admit I am feeling a little bruised by all this and I think the problem is that any manufacturer that attempts to defend their product from these types of reviews just ends up looking like sour grapes.

james

I don't know that it looks like sour grapes, but it's pretty useless.

The manufacturer typically says that:

Everyone else in the world loves the product, so the reviewer must be wrong.

Or:

We just made a change to the product that makes it completely wonderful, and all future production will even butter your toast in the morning.

Or:

The product wasn't used with the right amp/preamp/speakers/wires/recordings/salad dressing.



Now, all of these may be perfectly true at times, but to me as a reader they all blend together and don't really mean much. (Not that most reviews are any more meaningful.)

So I see from your Manufacturer's comment that the 7B SST2 will be buttering toast from now on.

Totally agree.

james

[vegasdave]

So James, are you going to write and send in a manufacturer's comment?

[James Tanner]

So James, are you going to write and send in a manufacturer's comment?

I don't think so. Chris sent one in that is in the magazine already.

james

[mr_bill]

Hi James,
What are the small pair of speakers in your listening room in your signature picture?

[James Tanner]

Thiel SCS-4

james

[vegasdave]

So James, are you going to write and send in a manufacturer's comment?

I don't think so. Chris sent one in that is in the magazine already.

james

That's right, and I think he spoke for all of you there @ Bryston.

[Viajero5000]

Hi James, was a 14B review also in the works at S/phile?

[James Tanner]

Hi James, was a 14B review also in the works at S/phile?

Yes Wes Phillips is doing it.

james

[Viajero5000]

Hi James, was a 14B review also in the works at S/phile?

Yes Wes Phillips is doing it.

james

Does Bryston advertise with s/phile?

[James Tanner]

Hi James, was a 14B review also in the works at S/phile?

Yes Wes Phillips is doing it.

james

Does Bryston advertise with s/phile?

A few times a year.

james

[Viajero5000]

Hi James, was a 14B review also in the works at S/phile?

Yes Wes Phillips is doing it.

james

Does Bryston advertise with s/phile?

A few times a year.

james

I'm not clear on why the magazine previously published positive reviews on the 28 and previous 14B... they're close enough to the 7B that one would expect similar reviews on all of them, good or bad. Is this whole exercise highly dependent on the opinions of individual reviewers as opposed to some sort of firm-wide methodology?

[WGH]

Or maybe if he had better speakers he'd be able to tell what's what. (I've heard several sets of Wilson speakers at various times and none of them were very good IMO. Plus it appears he has them setup in a clothes closet or something similar in size.)

I doubt the fault were in the speakers. My brother and I listened to the Wilson Audio Sasha's early Friday at the RMAF, we were the only listeners in the room and they sounded excellent.

Michael's review of the MAXX's:
http://stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/wilson_audio_specialties_maxx_series_3_loudspeaker/index.html

In a couple of months very few people will remember what model Bryston amp was reviewed let along what was written, as the old adage goes "It Doesn?t Matter What The Media Says, As Long As They Spell Your Name Right".

Wayne