[Barilko]

Hello out there

if you are here thanks

if i may just a little pre amble first...

I am slowly building up my system and as of now have some decent stuff for sure

without complete details   Bryston Pre amp and Cd 
                                      Kenwood Rock Table and Rega 1 table  with a Moon Phono amp

im not yet ready to go all in on speakers  as of now i moved from Totem Staff up to Totem Forest

anyhow  to the point  im looking at going with Bryston Cubed 3b or 4b   and believe it or not even though i have (certainly semi entry level high end) i really am quite ignorant to understanding specs and all..

thus   here are the Forest specs

Frequency Response:   30 Hz – 20 kHz ± 3 dB (in room).
Recommended Power:   50-200w
Woofer:   6.5″ / 16.51 cm  3″ / 7.62 cm voice coil
Tweeter:   1″ / 2.54 cm aluminum dome, chambered
Impedance:   8 ohms (6.4 minimum)
Sensitivity:   87dB
Dimensions (w x h x d):   7.7″ x 34.3″ x 10.6″ / 19.558 x 87.122 x 26.924 cm
Placement from rear wall:   1′ – 6′ / 30.48 – 182.88 cm
Placement distance apart:   4′ – 12′ / 121.92 – 365.76 cm
Break-in Time:   100-150 hours
Crossover Frequency:   2.5 kHz compensated, 2nd order
Speaker Terminals:   Bi-wireable, Gold WBT connectors
Weight   45.2lb / 20.53kg

can i safely use the 3bsst3 with its   Power output: 200 watts per channel at 8 ohms; 300 watts at 4 ohms; bridged mono 400 watts per channel at 8 ohms.
Gain: High 29 dB at 28.28 V/V; Low 23 dB at 14.14 V/V.
Sensitivity: High: 1.0V, 100W; High: 1.4V, 200W; Low: 2.0V, 100W; Low: 2.8V, 200W.

can i even move up to the 4b cubed with its 300 watts per into 8

or should i step back to the 3bsst squared series and its 150 watts into 8


sorry for the long and i hope legible post

any help would be appreciated     maybe even James chimes in for a fellow Canuck 

Thanks everyone in advance..

Cheers and please be safe....

[CanadianMaestro]

Maximum power: 4B cubed.
Only 87 dB (sensitivity) -- you'll want it!
Enjoy!

[BCRich1]

Hi,
I have Totem Mani-2’s with a 4B cubed. Definitely gonna want the headroom with Totem’s. It’s not so much that you will ever use all the power, it just makes things more efficient and effortless. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy and stay safe and healthy!
Mike

[Ron D]

Though I don't own a Bryston amp at the moment, nor have I owned a cubed version but since the 80s I have owned or borrowed prior to purchasing all of their 2 channel amps save the 28s.

The 3B3 might well do the job but IMO the 4B wiĺl do the job. Again only IMHO and my experience with the amps I have had it's kind of like looking for HP in a normally aspirated stock engine - while there are exceptions to every rule there is no replacement for displacement...

[gberger]

I use a 4b cubed to drive a pair if Thiel 2.7s. IMO, the amplifier is clearly capable of driving difficult speakers.

[Nordkapp]

4B3......

[mrhyfy]

no such thing as too much power, if you're an adult.

[veloceleste]

I used to own Forest speakers and drove them with a Hafler 9500 (255wpc@8ohms). I think you would be fine using the 3B3. The Forests are an easy load to drive.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I am a fan of high powered amps as I own a Pass Labs X250 at 500wpc.  But the 3B3 would have plenty of headroom and should be able  to drive those speakers effortlessly at 200wpc.  But the 4B3 would be future proofing if you ever jumped up to more demanding speakers.

How large is your room?

[Barilko]

Wow  and thanks every single one of you

my biggest fear (ignorance) has me worried that i can not use more than 200 watts into 8   as that is what i thought the Forests max would be as its recommended power states 50-200

i know ill never play it using all the power that the Bryston can output   

i have no fear that any of the Brystons i listed will drive the speakers

my real concern is will the wattage be too much if i choose the stronger amps

if im understanding all the very much appreciated feedback correctly i can actually use an amp that puts out more than 200 per

again is that correct?

thank you one and all

@I.Greyhound Fan  i do love your point about future proofing 

alas my room isnt actually to big  its  basically 12 feet by 12 feet  and 6.5 feet tall

[CanadianMaestro]

No such thing as too much power.

If anything, not enough power can damage speakers, which can clip (or worse) if there's insufficient transient power during crescendos/loud passages of musik.

imho if speakers are rated as "50-200W", get an amp that delivers 300W; you also want future-proofing in case you get more power-hungry spkrs later, or move to a bigger space.

Don't stress over this, have fun.

[R. Daneel]

can i even move up to the 4b cubed with its 300 watts per into 8

or should i step back to the 3bsst squared series and its 150 watts into 8


sorry for the long and i hope legible post

any help would be appreciated     maybe even James chimes in for a fellow Canuck 

Thanks everyone in advance..

Cheers and please be safe....

Hi!

You should keep this in mind - 3B SST2 and 3B Cubed have identical output section meaning the power output is the same. Bryston likely realized 3B was underrated and changed tthe specification sheet of the Cubed model in order for it to 'sit' in-between 2.5B and 4B.

That being said, considering the Totem has a 3-inch voice-coil on it's woofer, it would likely benefit from greater current delivery but considering it's impedance curve is reasonably flat and the minimum impedance never goes below 6 Ohm, it is safe to say you would be satisfied with a 3B. Whether it's worth it to go from SST2 to Cubed is a matter of taste more than anything else I think but keep in mind the Cubed revision is more expensive and the gain with a moderately sensitive speaker like yours might not be so obvious since the SST2 model has a very low noise-floor too.

If I were you, I would first check the price difference between the SST2 and Cubed and then decide. I wouldn't bother with the more powerful 4B as the 3B would be more than adequate.

Also keep in mind that more powerful amplifiers are potentially noisier at low volums and that manufacturers typically quote the signal-to-noise ratio at full output. Also, electricity isn't exactly free.

Cheers!

[Barilko]

Again everyone Thank You oh so much..

@Canadian Maestro from where i am I love that handle....I love your future proofing idea  and the dont stress have fun

@R Daneel  great stuff thanks  and straight to the point of my thread... im watching carefully and have been for a few months  the cost range on the after market and on demos in store.... im definitely balancing all you mention between the 3bsst squared and 4b squred along with the 3b and 4b cubes..

one note though the 3bsst square is 150 max  they upped it to 200  when they went to 3b cubed

again thanks   Be safe everyone...

[R. Daneel]

Again everyone Thank You oh so much..

@Canadian Maestro from where i am I love that handle....I love your future proofing idea  and the dont stress have fun

@R Daneel  great stuff thanks  and straight to the point of my thread... im watching carefully and have been for a few months  the cost range on the after market and on demos in store.... im definitely balancing all you mention between the 3bsst squared and 4b squred along with the 3b and 4b cubes..

one note though the 3bsst square is 150 max  they upped it to 200  when they went to 3b cubed

again thanks   Be safe everyone...

Let us know when you decide and be sure to post some pics! Best of luck to you and yours as well!

Cheers!

[CanadianMaestro]

Again everyone Thank You oh so much..

@Canadian Maestro from where i am I love that handle....I love your future proofing idea  and the dont stress have fun

@R Daneel  great stuff thanks  and straight to the point of my thread... im watching carefully and have been for a few months  the cost range on the after market and on demos in store.... im definitely balancing all you mention between the 3bsst squared and 4b squred along with the 3b and 4b cubes..

one note though the 3bsst square is 150 max  they upped it to 200  when they went to 3b cubed

again thanks   Be safe everyone...

Hi

Whatever you decide, be sure to get a receipt -- need it for Bryston's warranty.

Keep safe and distanced. Flatten the curve!

[Barilko]

Yes sir Maestro thanks for all the advice 

and yes we will flatten the curve....

[gbaby]

Maximum power: 4B cubed.
Only 87 dB (sensitivity) -- you'll want it!
Enjoy!

Very succinct and really all he needs to hear. 

[CanadianMaestro]

Very succinct and really all he needs to hear. 

Yes....I always seem to agree with you, Robert.... 

stay safe.

[Barilko]

@Canadian Maestro @ gbaby    what sensitivity are your speakers  i know my 87 is a hair low to be high end for sure 

[Stu Pitt]

@Canadian Maestro @ gbaby    what sensitivity are your speakers  i know my 87 is a hair low to be high end for sure

Sensitivity spec has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the speakers. There are great speakers from very low to very high sensitivity. And there are awful speakers in the same range. All that spec tells you is how loud the speaker will go with a given amount of power behind it.