The Bryston Model T
A Daring Venture:
Bryston's new Model T speaker is not only something new on the horizon, it's also something of a daring initiative undertaken by a company that has established a world-wide reputation by making highly regarded audio equipment for the professional and residential markets.
The company has taken a leap - especially a leap of faith - by entering the intensely competitive speaker market in a challenging price range and at challenging time for audio makers and sellers. The basic passive cross-over Model T retails for $6495 US.
With diminishing numbers of specialty stores catering to customers in this price range, particularly ones willing to keep products on hand, Bryston would appear to have made another daring leap, namely to clad its basic model in vinyl, something that I don't think other manufacturers have attempted for products set at this price level. It would appear Bryston may be ahead of the curve by recognizing that most customers going to one of its dealers are most likely to order the Model T, and those who want real wood laminate finishes will order these at an extra $1000. Others will see the vinyl finish is top notch. My Model T, even up close, and side-by-side, is indistinguishable from the wood veneer on my $24,000 PMC MB2i speakers. If would-be customers have demoed the Model T carefully, they will conclude, as I have, that the critical real thing about the Model T is how it performs.
So Bryston, long believed to be a conservative company, would seem to be taking something of a gamble in this new venture, and in the way it's doing it.
But Bryston is also a smart firm, so it has hedged its bets by collaborating with a well-established speaker maker, Axiom Audio, which also is based in Ontario, Canada. Not only has Axiom proved itself in its field, but it also shares key common engineering and corporate values with Bryston.
Both Bryston and Axiom believe strongly in designing products that produce the highest possible accuracy in sound reproduction, and in the process of developing them they test, test, test. The goal is to make audio components produce music that is as close to the real thing as possible. In effect, what these companies want is to have what they make to disappear from the listener's perspective. They want me to get caught up in Miles Davis' playing, not in how the gear sounds.
Axiom has rich experience and depth in designing, engineering and testing speakers. Bryston, because it wants its electronic equipment to bring out the best in all speakers, has had to know how speakers sound, which means that it has depth and knowledge about speaker performance.
The Bryston/Axiom match sure looks like one made in heaven to me.
Biases and Preferences:
Before getting down to the nitty gritty of the Model T, it's only fair to state my biases and preferences.
• First, I love Bryston equipment. I've been using its audio products for over 30 years. They invariably have exceeded my expectations, and this was one of the reasons that bet my money on its speaker gamble.
• Second, my own bet on the Model T, admittedly, like Bryson's bet, was a hedged one.
I own an Axiom M80 tower speakers. Readers and members of the AudioCircle may recall that I wrote a lengthy assessment of these speakers as compared to my PMC MB2i speakers. My startling conclusion was that the M80s are more linear, meaning tonally balanced, and accurate. It was psychologically, and financially, painful to find that the $1500 M80s, to my ear, sounded better than my great PMCs that carry a price tag that is more than 15 time higher. It was a bittersweet revelation, but I learned a lot from it.
• First, I never again will fall into the trap of assuming, as many audiophiles do, that price equals performance.
• Second, I discovered that Axiom is, like Bryston, dedicated more to the performance of its product than to a desired price-point.
• Third, I learned that Axiom makes terrific speakers on par with some of the best in the business.
• Fourth, I was dramtically pulled back to my roots in assessing and owning speakers.
All speakers have some kind of sound signature. The MB2is are, still, in my mind, wonderful, but their signature includes a very full, rich bottom end, and somewhat recessed and rounded-off high end. But given those two traits, my perception is that they are tilted to the low end. For this reason, they seem less tonally balanced to me than the M80s that are not biased toward any frequency range.
That bias may be just what some listeners want. But it wasn't what I was looking for when I started buying audio equipment seriously well over 40 years ago. I looked for tonally balanced speakers. I shied away from JBLs because they seemed biased to the mid range. I briefly owned Boston speakers. I returned them when I found them much too boomy.
I've owned Epicure Quads, way back, two different Mission models, the highly praised Hales Revelation III, PMC IB2s, MB2s, B&W 685w, and as I have said, the MB2is. Over that time, I gradually developed a taste for less than tonally balanced speakers.
The M80 grabbed me by the ears and brought me back to my original preference and goal, making it, overall, the most satisfying speaker I owned. Until now.
When I heard that Bryston and Axiom were teaming up on a new speaker, I just knew it eventually would be sitting in my sound room, if I could afford them.
The Model T:
I am not a believer of the breaking-in of speakers in the sense that the speakers, in and of themselves, have to be broken in. My experience with speakers has made me a member of the school of thought that breaking in has more to do with the listener becoming accustomed to a new sound signature over a period of time.
I knew before I received the Model T that this kind of breaking in period would be greatly foreshortened. I did not expect the sound signature to be dramatically different than that of the M80. I already was "broken-in" to the sound signature.
With a larger box, as well as larger and more numerous bass drivers (3 eight inch ones), I expected there to be much more bass with the Model T. But I was concerned that in making the Model T more of a powerhouse in the bass end, the excellent tonal balance of the M80 might have been sacrificed. For me, the question was this: Will the Model T have the tonal imbalance I found in the MB2i?
Quick answer: No way. These are superbly balanced speakers.
Appearance:
Not surprisingly, the Model T looks very much like the Model T, only taller. A lot taller at 52 inches. And they are heavy. At 108 pounds they are the same weight as my MB2is, which cannot be moved by a single person with less than extraordinary strength. I suspect that the size of the box as well as the bass drivers are what do the most to separate the Model T from its smaller cousin, the M80.
I like my speakers black, to match my equipment. The vinyl cover on my Model Ts look just fine to me. I happen to like plain, unobtrusive designs in audio equipment. I was surprised to see that each speaker has four dust covers. When they are used, the divisions between them add a small touch of elegance and distinction. But my dust covers are off. I learned that my M80s sound a tad better without dust covers.
Like all Axiom and Bryston equipment, there is nothing glitzy about the overall design. For those who are looking for marvellous furniture (yes, Wilson is what I have in mind) or theatrical curves and configurations, look elsewhere. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I haven't a clue what others might think of the look of the Model T. My guess is that most users, especially audiophiles who will be using them often with their eyes closed, will find their appearance more than acceptable.
Listening:
Equipment used: Bryston 7BSST Squared monoblocks, Bryston BP preamp, Bryston BDA-1 DAC, Bryston BDP-1 Digital Player, Transparent Wave speaker cable, all other interconnects, good basic cable. All music sources are files ripped from CDs. Volume, just above 9:00.
My favourite test cuts:
• Dave Brubeck, Take Five: The music fills the room. Paul Desmond's opening alto sax is well-centred on the soundstage and the sax has the patented Desmond smoothness. The acoustic bass is full and rich without the least bit of flab or boominess. The drum work is what I like the most on this cut. Played from the centre to the left, it has lots of slam (more than the M80) - visceral. The cymbals are bright and clear. The snare drum tucks up in the corner of the room, and has the hard strike I look for. Lots of depth, and the imaging is very, very precise and stable.
• Roy Brown, Starbucks Blues: Roy Brown's always rich acoustic bass is very much on display on this cut. It shows off what a speaker can do in the bass end. In the opening passages, at this modest volume, the room shakes with the Model T. The M80 and MB2i are very good. This is much better.
• Max Roach, Max's Variations: A drum set solo from one of the best ever. He uses everything at his disposal in a stunning performance. If you like drums, cymbals and cow bells, all played to perfection, this is the cut to use. And the Model T reproduces it to perfection. The drum set "is in the room."
• Fleetwood Max, Dreams. Great crashing cymbals in the opening passages. I like the crystal breaking sound of this opening cymbal work. The M80 does this well. The
Model T does it better - more controlled, more life-like.
• Miles Davis, So What (from Kinda of Blue): My only reservation about the M80 is that on some program material, its very accurate tweeters reproduce some cuts and sounds in a way that I hear a rasp that sounds like distortion. It isn't, but it is not a pleasant sound. It is especially irritating in the opening passages of So What. At this volume, a volume that fills the room, it is barely detectable, and even then only because, I suspect, because I'm looking for it. Miles never sounded better. The brassiness of his trumpet comes across with an edge I haven't heard before.
• Paul Bley & Jimmy Guiffre, Owl Eyes. The low end of the opening piano passage makes the instrument sound "in the room" with the MB2i, but not so much with the M80. That marvellous effect is back with the Model T, but with greater authority in the higher registers.
• Dave Grusin, Theme from St. Elsewhere: I have been using this cut to test new speakers for decades. It is electronic music. I look for the piston-like sound of the bass section, but I don't want it to overwhelm the other parts of the piece. If speakers don't send a chill through me when listening to this, then they may be good, but not what I'm looking for. With the Model T, St. Elsewhere is now pretty much all chills. Fabulous! (Ditto Special EFX, Dancing with a Ghost - especially hard drum strikes.)
• Airto Moreira & The Gods of Jazz, Nevermind (from a Stereophile Test disc): Great acoustic bass on this one. On the Model T it is full, rich, very powerful, and excellently controlled.
• Pink Floyd, High Hopes: The birds in the opening passage sound as if they have been released into my room. Never heard this better. The vocals are clearer than they ever have been. This is especially satisfying given that the near-overproduction of this song can make it hard to hear the lyrics. I love the bell at the end of the piece. I look for it to move gradually to the right until it fades backward into the far corner. With the Model T it is walked back brilliantly.
• Bonnie Raitt, I Can't Make You Love Me, Eric Clapton, Old Love, James Taylor, Mexico, Sara K. If I Could Sing Your Blues(High Resolution), Renee Fleming, River Songs (Great piece from the Grusin/Ritenour Two Worlds album): The Model T handles singers markedly better than does the M80. The slight edge on voices of the M80 is almost entirely gone. Their voices are fuller and sweeter. Not as sweet as on the MB2is, but they are more life-like.
• Internet Radio: I often listen to Dinner Jazz Excursion (128kbs), an Internet radio station which I play over the BDP-1. This is not the highest quality for a source. It probably is MP3. But the jazz mix is just what I like, and the overall sound is somewhat smoother than my CD-based sources. This makes for excellent background music when I am reading. Still, if the music is engaging, and the audio is right, even this poorer source will have the effect of forcing me to turn from my reading and pay attention. Both the M80 and the Model T have this effect, which is another sign to me of special speakers. My guess is that the Model T will have me doing more listening and less reading in the days ahead.
Summing Up:
Taken my listening experience altogether, I find the Model T to be extraordinary.
I was told by its builders that the Model T was like the M80, but on steroids. I disagree to this extent. It is powerful, filling my room to be sure, but it does more than that just make the Model T sound more muscular. It makes it more refined. More authoritative.
The bass extension truly makes a significant difference, without losing the great balance/linearity of the M80 This adds to the M80 an important sound characteristic I missed in moving from my PMC MB2is, namely weight. Excellent.
But this bass is a refined bass. Not boomy, flabby, "brassy". Very controlled, but with guts.
The added bass extension, I believe, gives the speaker this refinement over the M80: in a way it's even more balanced - the mid range and treble, while not being overwhelmed by the terrific bass, are better defined, and more attractive. Human voices are sweeter. They, too, have greater weight and sound more authentic.
The Model T has is great depth to the soundstage, and its imaging is even more pin-point accurate than the excellent imaging of the M80.
The Model T has not eliminated the occasional high-end harshness I find on the M80 altogether, but it is greatly reduced, perhaps because the tweeters now sit well above ear level. On the other hand, because I've sensitized myself to this issue, the detection of this sound just might be a quirk of mine rather than that of the speaker's. I wouldn't doubt that I might be among a very few to even notice its presence.
The Model T, in my opinion is not just a good speaker. It is outstanding. I think it is a great one. The greatest? My Passive version is supposed to be trumped by the higher priced Active model, which also requires a considerable investment in additional amplification, cabling, etc. If the Model T is an indication of how good the Model T can be, then perhaps the Active version just might be the greatest. Since I am of the age when I no longer have the prospect of a rich uncle dying and leaving me a bundle, I'll never know.
But this I do know. Through the years I've spent a fortune on speakers and this indisputably is the best one I've owned.
The Axiom M80 comes in a strong second place, and for that reason is well worth considering for a main audio system by the budge conscious buyers who want accuracy in sound reproduction. But the Model T, greatest or not, most certainly is the best speaker I've ever owned.
I see the level of its performance as being all summed up in the name.
It reproduces music to a T.
DaveNote
ADDENDUM
From: Davenote
Sent: November-30-12 8:34 AM
Subject: Addendum to My Review
These are impossibly great rock speakers. I spent the day listening to my old favourites, which date me a lot. They hark back to the days before Rock died. Some are quite ancient. They include early Fleetwood Mac, the Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, Steely Dan, Foreigner, Carly Simon, Supertramp and, yes, even Gary Wright (OMG!). And many more.
A number of these cuts weren't recorded very well. Hearing them through the Model T is, I swear, as if they have all been skillfully remastered over night. Listening to U2's Joshua Tree, for instance, with these speakers makes its great songs come alive in a way they never were for me before.
Third, I noticed in my original review how well the Model T handles lower quality material like Internet radio. This presents a new opportunity for me, and perhaps others.
As an audiophile, I have been reluctant to go downscale in the quality of source material. But buying CDs is becoming more difficult: finding fewer in the stores of interest to me or waiting for delivery from online stores. And High Resolution is no where near prime time for me. The selection of music is too limited for my tastes in music, the albums are expensive, and doing hi rez is not simple. Hey, I got into digital music to end disc flipping, to make listening to music easy, not to become a computer geek.
Anyway, after all these years, last week, I bought my first iTunes album. I couldn't resist Philippe Saisse's cover of Steely Dan's Do It Again. With the Model T this ordinary downloaded MP3 recording is over-the-top good.
Conclusion: after years of slowing my acquisition of music, these speakers will get me back to lower cost, easy music purchasing. With the marvelous "T" I'm going to be adding many more iTunes albums to my collection. I'm thinking - Dave, you now can get the Stanley Jordan, Lyle Lovett and Tord Gustavsen CD albums that I put on my Amazon wish lists but hesitated to buy, all with a click. Gratification is terrific, bested only by instant gratification.
In many ways, then, this has been for me, after 40 years of buying audio gear, one of my much sought-after events as an audiophile - a breakthrough purchase that makes not incremental, but dramatic changes.
Some have asked what the "T" stands for.
If you hear these speakers, the answer will be obvious - "Thrilling".
Davenote
