From: Wayne Dolnick
Sent: June-09-13
To: Bryston
A COMMENTARY ON MY LISTENING SESSION with the Bryston 4B SST2 Amplifier.
I set up the 4B SST with the SP-3 via a pair of Zaolla Silver Balanced interconnects.
The Blue Ray was connected via HDMI, as was the DVD (Pioneer Elite ) Universal unit, plus Mogami analogue
The 802's were connected with Rhapsody version cables, about 10'. Current amps are 250W Mono-blocks , and were/are connected with Mogami Balanced Studio cable (Same Straight Wire Interconnects ) All listening was done at moderate levels, at lest for me…under 90 dB peaks, averaging maybe 85 *2…Except one!
First track; Gaucho…DACD DSD recording; All I can say is that I thought my sub was on and after 2 minutes had to get up and confirm it wasn't. Shocking at the amount of detail in the lower 2 octaves I heard, and heard musically ! The upper mid-range was [CLEARLY] centered, with a sound stage that sounded dramatically different.
Next I went to something not as complex, but a standard test track of mine as the recording is very clean; Mark Knopfler, Sailing to Phil. What it is; THis time, and I can't stress this enough…I literally had to double check, first my pre-amp setting (PCM in, 2-ch out)…then confirm that somehow the large center speaker I had, and the secondary Speaker bar somehow wasn't getting a signal. I was literally blown away by the sound stage. I have demoed this track at trade shows, setting up people's outdoor systems, and massive indoor audiophile suites. The inky, black hole silence at certain sections was , well, dead quiet. All I kept thinking was if this is so quiet, what will the 28B or the 7B SST be like ! The cut with James Taylor really allowed the slight vocal intonations really come out. It almost made you think he was using a Neumann or other tube mic.
I then went to another extremely well recorded and re-mastered disk, (although I hate to say it )…Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company DTS DVD & Hi-Def Stereo CD combo. I used the CD so it would be in stereo not surround. Now I know he must have been using a Tube mic…WOW, the breathing, the definition, the depth of field … as much as I always knew these attributes were self evident on this disc, the 4B SST defined everything, and not in a hard edge way, but in a very natural, musical way…LIVE…with staging details like HEIGHT amazingly real. Sounded like they were singing about 5' up…as if the piano was on the stage. Felt the same way with the Diana Krall track, but when I got to, "It was a very good year', with Willie Nelson… They really sounded like they were in the room. Hey Girl, with Michael McDonald really allowed the smallest, and shortest of vocal notes to be clearly delineated, but at the same time…musically as part of , not delineated out of his vocals!. Just the slightest of his vibrato was perfect. Mary Ann, with Pancho Sanchez was ALIVE with power and with the added stress of the many timbres of his hands hitting the skins, ZERO stress, and complete, clear, defined musically tones, Not mushy or muddy bass tones.
Moving to a test classic, a gift from one of my clients…The gold pressing of Jazz at the Pawnshop, Limehouse Blues; The absolute dead quietness at the start, into the very lowest of SPL, clearly understood, and then the overall musicality I have never heard this track sound better…and I have heard this on everything from $50,000 tubes, to $100,000 CLASS A ESOTERIC AMPS!!!
In the same vein, I moved to The Quintet, Jazz at Masey Hall…GREAT MUSIC, not a great recording…but the umbershire of Dizzy was so clear, and one of my favorite Alto's…Parker was pitch perfect. Mingus' bass was so clean, that you can close your eyes and hear the 'flavor' of the wood.
Switching gears completely, Went to a DVD / CD set of a Live recording of Adele at the Royal Albert Hall. I used the CD disk, again to assure the lower resolution & to make sure no bleed or chance of center ch. effect. WOW, I MEAN WOW….I have listened to the this disc about 2 times in the BMW, on the [upgrade] Lexicon system, and I think twice, in DVD video format on my system. I never thought anything but a very good recording. Now some of the words that I thought I understood, I REALLY UNDERSTOOD. The low end was simply amazing…another octave or 1/2 octave that I was missing, as SO TIGHT, and SO musical, that at once I was please and disappointed
! I was missing so much with my old set up, I knew instantly that I waited to long to upgrade to the BRYSTON amp!
Then switching to my all time favorite Tenor, Stan Getz, I listened to a number of tracks from Getz & Barron CD…one of his last. Kenny Barron's stand up simply sounded amazing…and the two together…close your eyes are they are playing 12' from you in a small venue !
Wanting to start stressing the amp, I moved to a little more intricate disc, with a lot more bottom end more sizzle at the top with lots of cymbal work; Soul Burst by Cal Tjader; Very active, very wide, very hot music. Between the Timbales, Conga and drums, mixed with the vibe..allowed me to really hear a full work, fast, with a wide frequency range, powerfull and at the same time musically delicate. Soul Sauce never sounded as defined and musical at the same time. The top end was never 'hot' or bright, and the conga's…you could feel the skins.
Keeping in the same vein, but with a remastered…master…I listened to a GIANT of a track , from a GIANT…Savoy jazz Remastered 20-bit transfer Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
The 4B SST was effortless in reproducing the extremely fast playing. The cymbal work really showed my something. Instead of the bright, sometimes harsh output, I heard not just the clear sounds of the wood sticks hitting the cymbal, but the [clear] and ever so gentle nuance of the purpose hitting of different spaces on the cymbal, for ever so delicate changes in tone. I was actually…amazed !
To take it up a notch in complexity, still sticking with jazz, I moved to very revealing piece, sure to stress any amp; The Buddy Rich Big Band, Keep the Customer Satisfied;
A so-so recording of great music, became an easy to listen to, great piece to demo. The speed, the attack, the decay, the nuance of his sticks, the delicacy to the sheer, raw power was COMPLETELY in control by the 4BSST. The transient control was amazing.
Last three tracks sealed the deal, as if there was any concern..>How is this for a change of pace? Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & The Furious Five…DVD-AUDIO Whitelines…Talk about lines ! The depth that I always heard before was brought to a new level, and again, with the extra demands on the amp, seemed it barely was making an effort.
The ultimate test, which I didn't realize until I pushed play, was the next disc, also DVD-AUdio…DTS ES; I must note that throughout the whole test, I never changed any settings, never moved the volume knob… Now I pushed play and thought I MUST HAVE accidentally raised the volume knob as the low end was , LOW…I mean LOW…And musical
*Not my regular musical play material!*
Insane Clown Posse. I actually started to get nervous, as I never heard my system sound like this…DEEP, POWERFULL & in COMPLETE Control, with the ability to control very quickly the cone motion of the woofer's. I mean absolute control. Violent music, in more ways than one…but an insane woofer test that the 4B SST passed with flying colors !
Last, I had to walk out with a smile on a good musical note, so I put in a SACD, DSD version , special recording of the ORIGINAL Sympathy for the Devil… AND I DID RAISE the volume to about 91 dB…and the Stones never sounded better in my home…ever ! Not with Audio Research, NAIM, Denon, Dahlquist, LINN…nothing ! The 4B SST was quite an ear opener….
NOW THE QUESTION is 7BSST or 4BSST ?
Best ,
Wayne
