[pmcd]

Asking for a Friend who is considering purchasing my 7BSST2's to pair them with his La Scalla AL5's  He was curious how long the Bryston's stay in class A as the his speakers do not require much power to drive them so he would like to be driving them in the class A end of the Bryston's.
Any help on this will greatly be appreciated and does anyone have that type of pairing ?

                           Thank you      Paul

[newzooreview]

James Tanner covered this 11 years ago on this forum.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=96377.0

The answer seems to depend in the year the amp was made.

Back in 2011 the 4B-SST² was 'biased' to class A about 5%.

In 2017 the Bryston amps are biased to 1% class A

So if the 7B SST2 is rated at 600W into 8 Ohms then it would be running in Class A for the first 30W.

For La Scalas I would strongly consider a Pass Labs XA 25 which runs in a rated 25 W into 8 Ohms in Class A, but which Stereophile found to be running 50W into 8 Ohms due to Pass Labs' very conservative approach to stating specifications. For a 105 dB efficiency on the La Scalas, this is as much power as would be needed. The XA 25 has been reviewed extremely favorably with the La Scalas.

[pmcd]

Thank You very much!    This is exactly the information I was looking for, you certainly saved me many hours of frustrating research.

                                                                                      You have a Great Day and Thanks again     Paul

[gbaby]

Thank You very much!    This is exactly the information I was looking for, you certainly saved me many hours of frustrating research.

                                                                                      You have a Great Day and Thanks again     Paul

Tell your friend to keep his Bryston. I own a Aleph J amp built by Nelson Pass, but I like my Bryston 2.5 SST2 much better due it its power. You will need it.

[pmcd]

gbaby      What speakers are you running with the Bryston's ? and I didn't follow you when you said "keep them I will need them"

                                                                                       Paul

[Emil]

Paul

A 600 watt/channel amp for LaScalas is RIDICULOUS

Listen to Newzooreview

[S Clark]

Paul

A 600 watt/channel amp for LaScalas is RIDICULOUS

Listen to Newzooreview

Got to agree.  You'd be better off with a $5 Chinese knockoff TDA7297, and put in some orange drop caps.

[pmcd]

I have been doing a ton of research and everything you are all saying appears to bang on on all fronts ,  thank you all for your time.

                 Paul

[Luxmancl38]

The La Scala is rated at 105db at 8 ohms. Heard it at my local store hooked up to a Luxman LX-380 a 18 wpc tube integrated. More than enough power to blow the roof off the house.

[gbaby]

gbaby      What speakers are you running with the Bryston's ? and I didn't follow you when you said "keep them I will need them"

                                                                                       Paul

I am using Infinity Composition Preludes P-FR. I purchased an Aleph J First Watt amp that runs in Class A mode at about 25 wpm. While the Infinity Speakers play 95db with a 1 watt input at 1 meter, the Bryston 2.5 SST2 made the speakers sing much better with its power. You need more power than you think.

[pmcd]

Honestly I'm in the infantile stage right now as I checked out the PASS integrated models INT-25 & INT-60    I have Balanced cables that I wanted to keep and use so that's why I entertained the INT-60.  Those La Scala's are 105dB Sensitive.

What are your thoughts?                                         Paul 

[gbaby]

Honestly I'm in the infantile stage right now as I checked out the PASS integrated models INT-25 & INT-60    I have Balanced cables that I wanted to keep and use so that's why I entertained the INT-60.  Those La Scala's are 105dB Sensitive.

What are your thoughts?                                         Paul

No doubt, the PASS will drive those speakers. Just make sure you are in a cold climate as the amp runs noticeably hot. It will warm up the room.

[pmcd]

Haaaaa yes thank's

[gbaby]

Haaaaa yes thank's

You are welcome.

[newzooreview]

I am using Infinity Composition Preludes P-FR. I purchased an Aleph J First Watt amp that runs in Class A mode at about 25 wpm. While the Infinity Speakers play 95db with a 1 watt input at 1 meter, the Bryston 2.5 SST2 made the speakers sing much better with its power. You need more power than you think.

For the benefit of others (not contradicting your observation), the Aleph J is a First Watt amp, and one of the earlier models at that. First Watt is for Nelson Pass to experiment with amp circuit designs (and use of novel transistors): First Watt amps are niche products, not a general-purpose match across loudspeaker types. The Pass Labs amps are all more capable across a broad range of loudspeakers.

The Aleph J, for example, has a damping factor of just 20. The Pass Labs XA25 has a more than 20 times greater damping factor of 500. The XA25 also has half the noise of the Aleph J, and the XA25 has twice the maximum output current as well. The XA25 can control a larger 15" paper cone woofer very easily, as I'm sure the Bryston 2.5 SST2 does as well.

[techguy0192]

Tell your friend to keep his Bryston. I own a Aleph J amp built by Nelson Pass, but I like my Bryston 2.5 SST2 much better due it its power. You will need it.

Not the case at all.  A 20 watt amp on a pair of La Scala speakers will take your head off.  It's about synergy.  Pass / First Watt or a low watt tube amp is the way to go.  I'm saying this as a person that has owned over a dozen Bryston components. 

[JeffS.]

As a prospective La Scala owner and a current Bryston owner, I have also been researching amp pairings for the La Scala.  Although the La Scala needs little power, it does benefit from clean, noise free power.  I had been thinking of the Benchmark AHB2 for its ridiculously high S/N ratio. Paired with the Bryston BR20, you can’t get much closer to a “straight wire with gain”.  Unless you are specifically looking for “Class A magic”, that pair is about as transparent as it gets.

[pmcd]

Thank You everyone for all the information
                                                                  Paul

[gbaby]

Not the case at all.  A 20 watt amp on a pair of La Scala speakers will take your head off.  It's about synergy.  Pass / First Watt or a low watt tube amp is the way to go.  I'm saying this as a person that has owned over a dozen Bryston components.

You are correct. But, for me, whatever sonic advantage Class A power has is diminished by the heat it produces and the heat is real. I prefer a well designed Class A/B amp. I still have my Aleph J, but its in the attic. By the way, I almost purchased a XA-30.8 Pass Lab amp. However, the heat made me change my mind.

[newzooreview]

As a prospective La Scala owner and a current Bryston owner, I have also been researching amp pairings for the La Scala.  Although the La Scala needs little power, it does benefit from clean, noise free power.  I had been thinking of the Benchmark AHB2 for its ridiculously high S/N ratio. Paired with the Bryston BR20, you can’t get much closer to a “straight wire with gain”.  Unless you are specifically looking for “Class A magic”, that pair is about as transparent as it gets.

I have been using the Benchmark AHB2 with my 92 dB efficient Spatial Audio M3 Sapphires since I got them in August. I am now 60 hours into breaking in my Pass Labs XA25. Although the XA25 is rated at 25W per channel, it has significantly better bass tone, texture, and extension. It has a firm grip on the two 15" drivers in each speaker that the AHB2 did not have. The XA25 also has better timbre and reveals more detail than the AHB2, and the XA25 is much more dynamic. The AHB2 isn't bad at all and served me well. When I bought it I also tried to convince myself that it measured so well that I would never need another amp. I'm glad I went ahead and tried a new amp. I'm hearing more of the music and enjoying it more.

  Happy listening!