To: James Tanner, Bryston
From: Roger
Hi James:
My Model T Signature Loudspeakers with the external crossovers (non active version) arrived last Friday and after setup I had them thoroughly warm through and let them play for a day before my serious listening on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Having heard the Model T loudspeakers with the built in crossovers at TAVES Toronto Audio Show and at Audio One in Concord I expected to be impressed. Actually, I was totally amazed at the performance of these speakers and I believe I now own what I consider to be full range loudspeakers without the hassles of placing subwoofers, not to mention the cost involved. Being a lover of pipe organ music I was very impressed with the Model T’s ability to handle the low notes realistically and fully believe that the – 3dB at 25Hz specification is being realized in my listening area or maybe even better than that.
The all important mid range was a strong point of my PMC IB2i’s but I found the Model T’s to give equally satisfactory performance and the female voice of Nora Jones (Come Away With Me, 24/192 HD Tracks download) and Margo Timmins (Trinity Sessions, Cowboy Junkies) so impressed me.
The clarity and detail were excellent with imaging and soundstage comparable to my IB2i’s with the Model T’s in pretty well the same positions as for the IB2i’s. I did notice the Model T’s seem to disappear better than the IB2’s which may be due to the narrower profile of the T’s. Not surprisingly my Bryston 28B SST2 amps seemed like a match made in heaven driving these very efficient speakers giving awesome dynamics on symphonic music such as Mozart Symphonies 38-41 (Linn 24/88 download). Notwithstanding this, the low level late night listening is very satisfying without losing full frequency spectrum which can happen with many lesser speakers.
I have to say that the packaging of these speakers was most impressive. A nice touch was the black heavy cloth bag tied off by a string cord protecting the speakers and enabling their easy removal from the box. The speakers came with feet already mounted and a full set of spikes included in the packaging. The external crossovers were in good quality black cases clearly marked for all the inputs and outputs for a set of Bryston tri-wire cables (optional extra) or any other tri-wire cables. Crossovers are thoughtfully supplied with jumpers if tri-wire cables from the amps are not available.
The fit and finish of the natural cherry wood veneered speakers was impeccable and more than comparable with speakers costing way more dollars. I’m sure Bryston will sell many pairs of these speakers and I certainly feel the long delivery was more than worth the wait.
Very impressive…..well done Bryston!
Best regards,
Roger Newnham
