Hi All - Please see English translation of German review above.
Technology Music Way of Life
HIFI STARS VOLUME 05 December 2009
In Combination: Bryston 100B SST Integrated Amplifier, Bryston BCD-1 CD Player, and CS 1.6 Thiel Loudspeakers
Completely Troublefree
Let us assume that you are pragmatic, that you value quality, and that you appreciate the finer things in life. You like to hear different kinds of music and you value the hobby "HiFi" - however you are not willing to undertake the walk through the many varied components in the many different price ranges. You also do not have the time or inclination for extensive (mostly expensive) experiences, and therefore basically a "Plug and Play" solution would be best for you. Fine, then you will find a really good alternative in the following description, which provided the reviewer with much pleasure immediately after unpacking the components.
Everything from one source has always shown itself to be the most practical approach, and even more so if the quality is excellent. Bryston, the company located in Canada, offers its already legendary 20 year full warranty for their amplifiers, and three years for their CD player. Since the BCD-1 Bryston CD player was already been tested in HIFI-STARS Number 4, it will not be reviewed once more here, but merely joins this family combination in order to show where it fits sonically. The Canadians have already earned an outstanding reputation in the professional arena many years ago, and in HiFi circles a product from Bryston is a synonym for uncomplicated and extremely reliable technology. All in all the best requisite to assure long listening enjoyment.
One can also assume this proposition unhesitatingly for the Thiel CS 1.6 American loudspeaker. Although the smallest model in its family, for years it has captivated its audience by means of its continuity in form and function. The small Thiel is a completely unproblematic loudspeaker, which stands before me for review in marvelously detailed maple veneer and a black front. The instruction manual self-confidently indicates a ten year warranty - That's reassuring. The distinctiveness of all Thiel speakers is the coherent tonal reproduction. The bass reflex opening is hidden in the CS 1.6 Thiel speaker behind the front grill which is attached magnetically. This time there is no round (or square) opening, instead a long vertical slot more than half the height of the entire speaker which serves this necessary function. A radiating advantage which provides many benefits during the setup of the speakers, and allows them to be placed closer to the rear wall. For this reason it is considerably more "female friendly" than speakers with the classical bass opening in the rear.
With a width of 22 cm., a depth of 29 cm., and a height of 90 cm. it is indeed an easily loudspeaker to integrate in a listening room. However, as must be pointed out here, it cannot just simply be "placed in a corner." Like any speaker the CS 1.6 Thiel disperses sound energy through their wide dispersion pattern. Therefore the basics of room acoustics must always be considered, but these will not and cannot be detailed here. But it is clear, the closer to a wall, no matter whether on the side or the rear, that wall obviously will affect the sound balance. Despite all that, the CS 1.6 speaker is quite uncomplicated. It bandwidth is listed as 48 Hz to 20 kHz, which becomes quite believable at first listening. With an efficiency of 90 dB (2.8 V/1m) into four ohms it represents an uncomplicated load for practically any amplifier between 50 and 300 Watts.
There are better optimal stands, so called "Outriggers", heavy aluminum parts, which can be attached to the underside of the speaker with likewise rugged screws. This represents not only visually a significant upgrade, but also a considerable more secure base. The upcharge of 250 Euro would be an area of discussion during the purchase, although the manufacturer's recommended price of 2800 Euro represents a very fair offer.
High quality parts, manufactuered by Thiel, with the special feature of the central arrangement of the neodymium magnets inside the voice coil, few components in the crossover network, and over dimensioned cabinet walls, are standard with this manufacturer. One simply has a good feeling when viewing the inner as well as the outer materials used in these speakers. The slanted, five centimeter thick, rounded front panel prevents standing waves from occurring. The side walls consist of two and a half centimeter thick MDF and are braced repeatedly.
An especially efficient and wide-band dome tweeter is responsible for the respective high range reproduction. Even the low mid-range reproduction is very high-tech. It is produced by a 16.5 cm. diameter ultra stiff aluminum-magnesium membrane, connected to a 75 mm. voice coil, with a strong neodymium magnet in the center. This arrangement guarantees the lowest distortion during simultaneouslarge membrane excursions. The end results are a clear and expansive mid-range, and clean bass reproduction. Carefully selected parts in the 6 dB crossover with acoustic crossover of the first order (including low-loss polypropylene capacitors and styroflex tin foil capacitors) assure the largest possible transparency. The combination of both drivers result in both time and phase coherent reproduction. Those who are familiar with Thiel's philosophy of honest tonal reproduction, can of course expect this also from the smallest model of this manufacturer, and they certainly will not be disappointed.
The electronics are of the same caliber, and for this reason the title is appropriate for all of the components of this stereo installation, of which the Bryston B100 SST amplifier is the epicenter. At first glance it appears quite nondescript with its black anodized aluminum front panel, the alternative being the silver colored finish. Those who value understatement are well served with the pure black combination. In silver the electronics provide a somewhat "cooler" appearance, which also has its appeal. Of course a massive aluminum remote control is provided for both components, i.e. the amplifier and the CD player, in which the back lighting provides a nice feature.
The gene of Studio technology becomes evident when the innards are inspected. Strict double mono construction, with two 250 VA toroidal transformers, and four ultra long life filter capacitors totaling 60,000 Microfarads, assure ongoing superior performance. A small third transformer is only used for input selection and standby. Additionally the incorporated power supply filtering prevents interference from computer and other digital line debris. Therefore additional external line filtering could produce opposite results. Incidentally the German Bryston distributor SUN-AUDIO supplies each amplifier with a robust (more than three times two square millimeters diameter) shielded and properly phased SUN-Power cord. The proper handling of the input current makes an extremely positive impact upon the sound quality of the Bryston 100B SST amplifier. The relay activated input selection assures short signal paths, and additionally the ground decoupling in this area results in perfect isolation of non-chosen input sources.
Likewise perfect is the solution for volume control. Not, as usually done, with a potentiometer, but with a Wolfson high precision volume regulator which offers over 100 precision steps, and also assures excellent channel-to-channel balance. All of the included parts originate from the upper echelons of the manufacturers, and names like Wima, Analog Devices, Motorola, Neutrik, and Plitron are self-explanatory. All of these are built into an all-aluminum cabinet with appropriate heat sinks on the sides (Measurements W x H x D 43.5 cm. x 12.5 cm. x 40.6 cm.) which make the indicated 14 kg. quite logical. The utilized screws are retained in high-quality thread inserts. How refreshing for once not to see self-threading cheap screws, often discernible in diverse far-east equipment. The integrated amplifier incorporates seven high level analog inputs, which are appropriately labeled. If one equips the amplifier with the optional 500 Euro MM phono stage, then the AUX/Phono Input serves as the appropriate connection for the phono signals, a concept which has unfortunately fallen out of public favor during the last few years, and sadly to say no one really knows why... The Bryston phono stage provides superb sound no doubt thanks to its especially precise RIAA compensation with the truly sensational accuracy of +/- 0.05 dB. Therefore one should really look around at the various MM choices in the market place, and then one can indeed affirm that "The Bryston phono stage is truly superb!"
See Below.
