Bryston announcing new SST3 amps

1oldguy · « **Reply #1100 on:** 11 Sep 2021, 01:04 am »

Quote from: brucek on 10 Sep 2021, 08:17 pm

Yeah, seems like the worst idea in the world. It only takes one of the kids to inadvertently turn on an amp and your house could burn down.

What possible benefit could come from a dust cover. I've removed the lids on Bryson amps after 20 years and they're pristine as if manufactured yesterday.

brucek

Simple ....i don't have kids and guess what .....no dust!!!

Jozsef · « **Reply #1101 on:** 28 Sep 2021, 04:16 am »

On the subject of the old vs the Cubed series amplifiers, I had hung on to a 2B-LP for an eternity and finally replaced it with the 2.5B Cubed. The old amp had been recapped and verified to be working as new by Bryston and I had expected a worthwhile improvement in clarity and realism from the new one. In fact, the improvement was not just significant but at least to me, unimaginable. It's in a system with all up to date Bryston equipment so it was the definitely the weak link. This may imply that Bryston is doing a better job now but I recall that the 2B, 3B and 4B were audibly and measurably superior to competing products in the 80s so we're just seeing the results of a company that refused to stop searching for better ways to do things.

So would I say the old models are obsolete? If you or a friend have a name brand receiver, a 2B and .4B will be a revelation and I always recommend them to anyone whose budget or priorities preclude buying the new stuff.

James Tanner · « **Reply #1102 on:** 15 Oct 2021, 12:38 pm »

The cat knows PURRRFECT sound when he hears it !

gbaby · « **Reply #1103 on:** 15 Oct 2021, 06:38 pm »

Quote from: drummermitchell on 4 Sep 2021, 12:31 am

Personally some of the Q+As are WTF.

James Tanner · « **Reply #1104 on:** 5 Nov 2021, 07:42 am »

Alfalfa · « **Reply #1105 on:** 14 Nov 2021, 04:05 pm »

I cannot resist..

As a 20+ year Bryston 7B ST user and a registered (mosty silent) member of this forum since 2005, I was triggered by the new Cubed series and the extra sound quality that they could bring to my system. I had a short home audition of the 4B3 but did not like the idea of going from monoblocks to a single amplifier having just made some investments in $$$$ cables. So when I read someones advice here of always going for one model higher than you need I took the plunge and decided to order the mightly 28B3 amplifiers that will never have me thinking about about upgrading again. Oh, and since my cd player was misbehaving I ordered a BCD-3 as well. These will be my first new Bryston gear as the 7B ST's and BP26 were demo's and 2nd hand.

The long wait is real..!

James Tanner · « **Reply #1106 on:** 14 Nov 2021, 04:12 pm »

Quote from: Alfalfa on 14 Nov 2021, 04:05 pm

I cannot resist..

As a 20+ year Bryston 7B ST user and a registered (mosty silent) member of this forum since 2005, I was triggered by the new Cubed series and the extra sound quality that they could bring to my system. I had a short home audition of the 4B3 but did not like the idea of going from monoblocks to a single amplifier having just made some investments in $$$$ cables. So when I read someones advice here of always going for one model higher than you need I took the plunge and decided to order the mightly 28B3 amplifiers that will never have me thinking about about upgrading again. Oh, and since my cd player was misbehaving I ordered a BCD-3 as well. These will be my first new Bryston gear as the 7B ST's and BP26 were demo's and 2nd hand.

The long wait is real..!

jbc · « **Reply #1107 on:** 26 Nov 2021, 03:43 pm »

Hi,

First post here - very happy owner of a Bryston 4BSST2 and a PowerPac300 driving PMC main and center speakers. The set-up has served me admirably for around a decade, and am contemplating next steps.

I have a question for the group based on what appears to be a trend towards lower impedance loudspeakers over the past decade or so. Within the Bryston range, which amps are best suited to these current-demanding speakers?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or feedback.

More detailed background to question (for those interested): with speaker sensitivities being measured as 2.83V rather than 1W, it seems speaker manufacturers are driving towards lower and lower impedances to make their speakers 'appear' more efficient. 2.83W is equivalent to 1W at 8 ohms, but is 2 watts at 4 ohms, and so on.... Looking at recent review measurements, it's not uncommon to see speaker impedances <3-4 ohms for much of the frequency range, which when coupled to phase angle, can lead to equivalent peak dissipation resistances of down to 1 ohm. If an amp shows specified powers to 8 ohms and 4 ohms, how does one go about predicting ability to drive impedances below that?

James Tanner · « **Reply #1108 on:** 26 Nov 2021, 08:30 pm »

Hi jbc

I agree…it’s confusing and there are many factors that will influence which amplifiers will drive a particular set of loudspeakers well.

2.83Vrms is commonly used as a standard reference voltage, even though you are correct that it would result in more than 1W into anything other than an 8 ohm loudspeaker. However, we need to keep in mind that the impedance AND the phase angle are constantly changing over the operating bandwidth of the loudspeaker. An 8 ohm speaker is only nominally 8 ohms…it can dip as low as 80% of the nominal value and the skies the limit on how high it might go.

But none of this answers your question of how to predict an amplifiers drive capability or compatibility with a particular set of loudspeakers. If you see a spec for the amplifier output rated into 2 ohms, that would suggest it should not have an issue driving the majority of loudspeakers. Phase-angle tolerance is another matter, and there is usually no spec that can give us that information. As always, I recommend talking to owners, dealers, and looking for reviews with comprehensive measurements to determine potential compatibility with your loudspeakers.

For Bryston amplifiers, it’s unlikely you’re going to run into a drive issue for the majority of loudspeakers on the market.

jbc · « **Reply #1109 on:** 26 Nov 2021, 08:55 pm »

Thanks James,

Quick and helpful reply. The 4BSST2 has consistently maintained excellent musical control over my PMC speakers... so much so that my brother also has Bryston-powered PMC speakers.

Best,
JBC

Markd51 · « **Reply #1110 on:** 12 Dec 2021, 03:11 pm »

Why? The purpose of a cover is for protection.

What I began noticing with my 7BSST2 Amps, was starting to see an accumulation of dust on and in between the side cooling fins.

At the time I was living in a quite dusty location. As I mentioned earlier, I chose to have covers made for all my main system components. The time involved to remove and replace them takes very little time that doesn't bother me in the slightest. And the costs for such were not significant.

No one else ever touches my system, so why the worry? I think it would be rare that an owner would be that ignorant not to remove a cover prior to use.

Whyme · « **Reply #1111 on:** 29 Dec 2021, 03:43 am »

@James - Merry Christmas and happy new year!

Due to space constraint, I have to place 4B Cube amp face down vertically. The amp's face is facing the floor and it is supported by Isoacoustic pucks. When I touch the amp, it is luke warm.

Just want to check with you if that the vertical placement negatively impacts the amps performance or longevity.

Thanks!

James Tanner · « **Reply #1112 on:** 29 Dec 2021, 02:43 pm »

Quote from: Whyme on 29 Dec 2021, 03:43 am

@James - Merry Christmas and happy new year!

Due to space constraint, I have to place 4B Cube amp face down vertically. The amp's face is facing the floor and it is supported by Isoacoustic pucks. When I touch the amp, it is luke warm.

Just want to check with you if that the vertical placement negatively impacts the amps performance or longevity.

Thanks!

Hi - it should be fine as it does not appear it is heating up at all. The heatsinks are designed to allow for maximum convection cooling if the normal position.

james

yyz · « **Reply #1113 on:** 23 Feb 2022, 06:01 pm »

Hi,

I am considering getting a Cubed amp for my headphone setup, RAAL SR1a. I was wondering if the Cubed amps support hooking up 2 preamps at the same time. That is 1 via XLR and the other via RCA, with only 1 preamp turned on. The input source on the Cubed amp would set to either XLR or RCA to match the ON preamp.

I used to own a Parasound A21+ amp, and even though they had a switch similar to Bryston Cubed amps, they said not to hookup both XLR and RCA at the same time. It was said to degrade the sonic quality of the amp.

The reason I am asking is that I want to hookup the cables only once and use the amp input selector switch when I want to alternate preamps.

James Tanner · « **Reply #1114 on:** 23 Feb 2022, 06:45 pm »

Quote from: yyz on 23 Feb 2022, 06:01 pm

Hi,

I am considering getting a Cubed amp for my headphone setup, RAAL SR1a. I was wondering if the Cubed amps support hooking up 2 preamps at the same time. That is 1 via XLR and the other via RCA, with only 1 preamp turned on. The input source on the Cubed amp would set to either XLR or RCA to match the ON preamp.

I used to own a Parasound A21+ amp, and even though they had a switch similar to Bryston Cubed amps, they said not to hookup both XLR and RCA at the same time. It was said to degrade the sonic quality of the amp.

The reason I am asking is that I want to hookup the cables only once and use the amp input selector switch when I want to alternate preamps.

Hi YYZ

Yes you can hook up that way. I have a similar setup in my one room with a balanced BR20 and a BR26 RCA.

james

yyz · « **Reply #1115 on:** 23 Feb 2022, 07:11 pm »

Thanks James.

Time for me to get back into the Bryston family.

Armaegis · « **Reply #1116 on:** 24 Feb 2022, 04:00 am »

Quote from: yyz on 23 Feb 2022, 06:01 pm

I am considering getting a Cubed amp for my headphone setup, RAAL SR1a.

Very curious to hear your impressions on the SR1a pairing, as I have one but with their HSA-1b amp.

1oldguy · « **Reply #1117 on:** 19 Apr 2022, 01:04 am »

I am telling this to anyone on the fence.....................The Cubed is where it's at!!!!! Incredible!!!! Clear, smooth, articulate! My new 28's have that X factor!!!

1oldguy · « **Reply #1118 on:** 19 Apr 2022, 01:42 am »

Thank You

James Tanner · « **Reply #1119 on:** 19 Apr 2022, 11:43 am »

ENJOY! - Brandon

james