[gerald porzio]

"power cords try to  improve the wall output in the same manner"

Dubious to say the least. Pwr. cord mfgs' rationales are specious @ best, but the faihfuls' belief is unwavering.

[werd]

And so are the naysayers who can't hear the difference.

[gerald porzio]

The faithful can't demonstrate the difference. Claiming it is a horse of a different color.

[gdbalp]

Hi Luigi,

It only applies to the new SST2 amps and it will not be an inexpensive upgrade as we have to totally dis-assemble the amplifier and then go through the burn-in procedure again.  There is a lot of labour involved.

james
[/quote]


Hi James,

For us loyal Bryston owners, is there any chance in the future for some upgrades to the older SST amplifiers?

I don't mind spending approximately $1,000 on each of my Bryston amplifiers. 

Luigi

[James Tanner]

^ Hi Luigi,

I have discussed it with engineering and production and there have just been too many changes between the SST Series and the SST2 series to make it anywhere near cost effective.

james

[gdbalp]

Hi James,

Sure I understand for the most part, but if the cost was not a limitation, then what cost figure would make it worth while???

Luigi

[James Tanner]

Hi James,

Sure I understand for the most part, but if the cost was not a limitation, then what cost figure would make it worth while???

Luigi

No if you sold the older amp and used that money to purchase a new amp you would be up money.

james

[rob80b]

No if you sold the older amp and used that money to purchase a new amp you would be up money.

james

It's also a win win situation, new ones get bought (keeps Bryston around), older models get within reach to those who want but cannot afford a new one (new flock to the fold), and all those great parts do not get thrown in the recycling bin.

Robert

[gtaphile]

Just receivd my CS-15 and let it warm up for 20 hours connected to the amps only at very low levels.

Here is my experince thus far - listerned to Fly Away by Corrine May on JVC XRCD2 at low level (between 8 and 9 on the pre).

Regular set-up - Pre and CD plugged into Monster power conditioner, CD player has Audioquest NRG-2 power cord, amps plugged into 2 separate 15 amp cuircuits.

Plugged upgraded amps only into CS-15 - image moved back and slightly wider but voices and piano became more diffuse. Not my preference.

Plugged all 4 components into CS-15 - image stayed back and remained wider but voices and piano more in  focus. Better to my ears.

Then left Pre and CD in CS-15 and moved amps back to wall - image stayed back and remained wider but voices and piano much more in focus and increased separation between voices and piano. This is closest to the sound pre CS-15 but with a better defined image present. Best to my ears.

I am not sure if 20 hours is enough for theTorus to fully settle in and will spend some time tomorrow listening to other music and chime back.

After waiting about 24 hours for the system to warm up...

As expected for me the upgrade was in line with my other experiences with Bryston in my system. The music is simply that much closer to live in every respect....the background is much quieter. My listening these days is mostly vocals and I can tell you Alison Krauss never sounded so good on this system, not even close.

Will chime back in when the Torus arrives.

[Levi]

Thank you for an audiophile interpretation and review of the CS-15.  I do not have Torus power conditioner, I do have a dedicated 20amp line and power conditioning that is as good as the Torus or perhaps better.  In my system, isolation system sounds much better for the source components.  My preamp and amplifiers are more focused and has more dynamics with minimal filtering.  It is system dependent and the quality of power in your town. 

Power conditioning is a quirky business.

Just receivd my CS-15 and let it warm up for 20 hours connected to the amps only at very low levels.

Here is my experince thus far - listerned to Fly Away by Corrine May on JVC XRCD2 at low level (between 8 and 9 on the pre).

Regular set-up - Pre and CD plugged into Monster power conditioner, CD player has Audioquest NRG-2 power cord, amps plugged into 2 separate 15 amp cuircuits.

Plugged upgraded amps only into CS-15 - image moved back and slightly wider but voices and piano became more diffuse. Not my preference.

Plugged all 4 components into CS-15 - image stayed back and remained wider but voices and piano more in  focus. Better to my ears.

Then left Pre and CD in CS-15 and moved amps back to wall - image stayed back and remained wider but voices and piano much more in focus and increased separation between voices and piano. This is closest to the sound pre CS-15 but with a better defined image present. Best to my ears.

I am not sure if 20 hours is enough for theTorus to fully settle in and will spend some time tomorrow listening to other music and chime back.

[Anonamemouse]

Hi Ian,

4B - SST² - 004719

james

 
hello james,

my 4b sst2 is well below that (004462), so an upgrade would be nice. unfortunately i did not buy my amplifier locally (causing me to pay less than 2/3 of the regular price here), so mafico will not do any work on it for me.
would it be possible to send me details on what the changes are exactly so these changes can be implemented by someone else who knows what he is doing?

thanks, menno

[1oldguy]

MEMO: TO All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Upgrades for Bryston SST² Amplifiers

February 2010

Hi All,

We have recently made some improvements to our SST² amplifiers and we will be offering an upgrade package to all our customers.

NEW POWER SUPPLY TRANSFORMER:
In conjunction with Torus Power, we have developed new transformers which are designed specifically to have very high energy storage. This is a considerably more expensive way to design a transformer, but it has clear advantages.
 
 A 'normal' linear amplifier power-supply is made up of a transformer, a bridge rectifier and a set of filter capacitors. The filter capacitors smooth the DC in the rectified waveform, and also store energy to supply large transient current demands from the speakers. The filter capacitors in turn are recharged by the transformer on each half-cycle. However, that recharging takes place on the very peaks of the 60Hz waveform, over only a few degrees of conduction. Thus, although the average current from the power cord is only a few Amperes, it is actually a series of very narrow, very high peaks of current, as much as 50 Amperes or more per half-cycle.
 
Those high, narrow peaks of current have a consequence. They equate to drops in Voltage from the power cord, from the wall socket, from the wiring in the house.  A transformer designed for energy storage solves those issues. It recharges the filter capacitors directly from its own energy storage capacity, and then takes up the energy from the wall socket over the entire 60Hz waveform. Gone are the narrow peaks of 50+Amp current, gone are the Voltage drops, gone is the negative consequence of restricted instantaneous power delivery.

So all new versions of the 14B SST², 7B SST² & 28B SST² incorporate these power supply changes. These transformer changes do not apply to the smaller versions of the amplifiers (2B 3B, 4B, 6B, 9B) because the advantages of this technology really only apply to very large power amplifiers with large power supplies.

2. INPUT CAPACITOR CHANGE and FEEDBACK CAPACITOR CHANGE:
We also implemented the use of some very specialized capacitors in a number of key areas in the circuitry.  There is a consistent improvement at high frequencies near and  above 20K, and up to over 60KHz. These specialized capacitors are installed at both the input stage and the feedback loop of the amplifier circuitry.  These capacitor changes affect all new SST² amplifiers.

The upgrade is only available for ‘SST²’ amplifiers ‘NOT SST’ or previous models.
                       

At Bryston we are continually trying to improve the performance of our products. Please be aware that these changes are 'evolutionary' not 'revolutionary' in nature. They will provide subtle to noticeable improvements depending on your specific system and setup.


Upgrade Prices:

7B SST² upgrade includes new transformers and capacitors:
$425.00 per unit plus shipping.
This only applies to 7B SST²’s below serial number 001826.

14B SST² upgrade includes new transformers and capacitors:
$850.00 per unit.  Plus shipping.
This only applies to 14B SST²’s below serial number 000677.

28B SST² upgrade includes new transformers and capacitors:
$950.00 per unit plus shipping.
This only applies to 28B SST²’s below serial number 000180

Please contact Bryston at jamestanner@bryston.com or mpickett@bryston.com for any assistance.

Hi James

Would I be right in assuming the new capacitors were implemented in the 7B's at the same serial numbers as those amps that have the new transformer?  Or later perhaps?

[James Tanner]

Hi 1oldguy,

It would have to have the 4 sided bevel faceplate to have all the changes. We did that on purpose to allow easy recognition in the field.

On the pro models I would need a serial number.


james

[1oldguy]

Hi James

My serial numbers are
001843
001844
001845
001846
001847

[1oldguy]

Hi James

the new sticky thread will save you loads of the same questions.
I do wonder if the numbers you gave are for the consumer versions,which I would assume is the case.
Would it be possible to list the serial numbers for the Pro-Versions if they are indeed different than the consumer-Versions?

[James Tanner]

Hi James

the new sticky thread will save you loads of the same questions.
I do wonder if the numbers you gave are for the consumer versions,which I would assume is the case.
Would it be possible to list the serial numbers for the Pro-Versions if they are indeed different than the consumer-Versions?

Hi,

The numbers are sequential including all versions.

james

[1oldguy]

Thanks James

[werd]

Hi Ian,

4B - SST² - 004719

james

wow

My 4b SN is 4069,  this unit was made at the beginning of jan 2009. Now i see you are at least at 4719. Is this true, at one year later if your over this SN by now, which you know doubt are, you are selling at least 2 or 3 4Bsst/2 a day?   

[James Tanner]

wow

My 4b SN is 4069,  this unit was made at the beginning of jan 2009. Now i see you are at least at 4719. Is this true, at one year later if your over this SN by now, which you know doubt are, you are selling at least 2 or 3 4Bsst/2 a day?   

Ya the 4B's our most popular amp especially in the Pro market.

james

[werd]

wow

My 4b SN is 4069,  this unit was made at the beginning of jan 2009. Now i see you are at least at 4719. Is this true, at one year later if your over this SN by now, which you know doubt are, you are selling at least 2 or 3 4Bsst/2 a day?   

whoops i screwd this up my SN is 4609......