[markkingston]

hi
after several years with a classe ca 5200 i've decided that i have in fact gone down the wrong direction, in that i rarely listen to dvd-a or 5ch music at all and i don't care about film soundtracks. what i do care about is music and so instead of a very fine multi-channel (and it is very fine indeed) i should take the monoblock route. to that end i'm thinking about purchasing bryston 7bsst2 and would be grateful if anybody had any thoughts on the difference i might expect between the two amps. the speakers are b&w802d.
cheers
mk

[Mesanjah05]

I cannot comment on that specific Classe amp, but I just recently bought the 7BSST2 and love the improvement in sound stage and clarity.  Running the amps with Gallo 3.1's.  I moved to the 7's from the 4 BSST, which was no slouch in SQ.  I have now displaced my Classe CA 101 with the 4B in my secondary system.  The house is filled with wonderful sound all powered by Bryston. All the best but do give the 7's full consideration.

[markkingston]

thanks mesanjah05. had the 4bst before the classe and had enjoyed it for over a decade so will probably change back. muddled thinking going 5ch but to be fair it's been a fine amp.

[MarvinTheMartian]

MK
The 7B mono-block route has the Bryston sound and the preferred long interconnect - short speaker wire setup.
But before you abandon the Classe I would try using it to bi-amp the Diamond's.
For the price of a pair of speaker cables it's a relatively cheap experiment.
Shawn (sorry Mr.T)

[James Tanner]

MK
The 7B mono-block route has the Bryston sound and the preferred long interconnect - short speaker wire setup.
But before you abandon the Classe I would try using it to bi-amp the Diamond's.
For the price of a pair of speaker cables it's a relatively cheap experiment.
Shawn (sorry Mr.T)

HI

Sorry for what?

james

[95Dyna]

I've said this several times in various threads on the Bryston circle so apologies in advance for here we go again.  I have a pair of circa 1990 Infinity 9 Kappas.  Google them and you'll quickly discover they are notorious amp killers dipping to .8 ohms at 31 Hz and again at 340 Hz with nasty phase angles.  When I installed the 7BSST2's I felt like I also bought a brand new pair of speakers.  The sound stage opened up wide and high with precise imaging plus I can play them loud with no signs of compression.  All this and they don't seem to break a sweat no matter how demanding the music that is being played.  The 7's are rock solid great sounding amps.  I've had them for six years now and have no desire to replace them and if the did I would go straight to the 28's.

[stereoal]

I have 7bsst2 amps and B&W 803D speakers. I love the sound and like others have said, the 7bs don't break a sweat. The amps have been flawless. Your 802s are an even better match in my view and if you love the B&W sound, you love it with the 7bs. Plus, you don't have to spend a lot on speakers cables because they can be much shorter.
Enjoy.

[markkingston]

thanks all. the speaker cable option has kinda bolted as a few years ago as i bought 2x2m of transparent ultra bicable, which is half a metre more of each than i actually need but i got them for a lot less than 1k of your dollars so i was laughing then and still am now. apart from the stereophile review, whose criteria of comparison i think is unfair, have not seen a bad word on 7bs and this seems the best way forward.

[Rod_S]

I power all my B&W speakers with Bryston amps. I have a pair of 28B-SST2's powering my 800 Diamonds (D2's) and a 6B-SST C Series powering my HTM2 Diamond (D2) and 802 Diamonds (D2's) and the sound is fabulous. Super clean, and neutral. When funds allow I plan to replace the 6B with three 7B-SST2's. Not because I feel the HTM2 and 802's need the extra power but because I want monos all around. The 600+ watts of the 7's match up with the 802's really well so should never overdrive the speakers regardless of listening volume. Before I got the 28's I was powering the 800's with a 4B-SST C Series which I still have in case I get back to a 7.1 layout.

[MarvinTheMartian]

MK
Bi-amp not bi-wire, you have a Classe "5" channel amp to play with for a single pair of diamonds.
Drive the bass section with two channels and the mid / treble with the other two, one channel wasted.

Mr. T How is your "active" life going?

[James Tanner]

MK
Bi-amp not bi-wire, you have a Classe "5" channel amp to play with for a single pair of diamonds.
Drive the bass section with two channels and the mid / treble with the other two, one channel wasted.

Mr. T How is your "active" life going?

Hi Marvin

Still have the Active Model T's at home but there has not been much interest on that front so kind of on the back burner for now.

james