First:
James has very kindly posted in the forum that most Lexicon/Bryston amps were NRB, and few were ST versions.
Another helpful poster mentioned that if the green LEDs are close to each other in the middle, then, from a quick glance, you can be assured that a given Lexicon is actually an ST unit. This makes intuitive sense.
Does everyone agree to at least the latter statement? I have not seen an ad for a Lexicon unit that appears to be an NRB in that case. If the back says NT for example, guaranteed ST guts without opening it and looking at circuit boards?
Second:
Trying to research to see if there were any differences between the re-badged Bryston/Lexicons, before finding the statements in here regarding warranty, and the obvious cosmetic paint difference, I found at least one forum where people were complaining that the RCA inputs "failed" and tripped fuses in an unreliable and unpredictable fashion on the Lexicons. I was surprised by this. Not surprisingly, out of (short at 5 years vs 20) warranty Bryston seems to fix these of course, and in an affordable manner I would say.
So, 2A: If the amps are the same, are Bryston ST units also exhibiting this problem? If so, would leaving it alone, and simply moving to XLR (not repairing "the issue") bypass the problem?
......2B: Can anyone from the factory comment on the failure mode of those connectors? Is it simply a matter of a cold solder joint cracking at the mounting of the RCA plug unit to a board? Something one might fix if they had the skills, and the unit was out of warrantee anyway? Or, was it more complex, and the actual RCA plug was disintegrating in some way?
I love this brand. I have a 1B pre-amp that has NEVER failed me, and its often in use.
I also run a 3B ST, 5BST, 8B NRB, and just added a 8B ST (presumably hidden under Lexicon skin. Couldn't resist, ebay purchase at $125 per channel with free shipping. Whats not to like?)
