[alanford69]

Hello, anyone matched Sugden preamps with Bryston 4B3? Do you see any incompatibility from electric point of view? How about the sound?

Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks.

[alanford69]

nobody?

[Blueshound]

I know nothing about the sound of Sugden, but as far as compatibility goes, you need only to look up a) maximum output voltage of the preamp, and b) ensure that the max preamp output is sufficient to drive the amp to full output. Back in the day, this was occasionally an issue pairing British preamplifiers with amplifiers designed elsewhere, particularly in North America.

Does the Sugden pre offer balanced outputs? If you're using the two physically close to each other, you may not care.

Brian

[alanford69]

Here there are the main parameters of both, what do you think?

[Blueshound]

Per Bryston's website today, below are the input sensitivity etc. specs for the the 4B3. Note these are for full power output of 300W into an 8 ohm load, in other words, a resistor. There are two values, as the amp has gain settings of either 23 or 29db, selectable on the rear panel.

The input sensitivities are 1.73V and 3.46V,, depending on which gain setting is used. So with a max output from the preamp of 10V at 600 ohms ouput impedance, there's no reason to assume a compatibility issue.

In my opinion, the Cubed series amps are quite neutral while also sounding transparent to the source (these qualities don't always accompany each other). So I think it depends on whether you like what you hear from the preamp, and the rest of your system.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[alanford69]

Thank you very much! That exactly the info I needed.

[josip]

I run a similar system, which is the Sugden masterclass LA-4 preamp and Bryston 4bSST2 power amp.

I understand the XLR input impedance on the SST2 is higher than the new Bryston 4b3 but the Sugden masterclass LA-4 preamp seems to work well with both the Bryston XLR or SE inputs.

I do run my setup in 23db setting as the sudgen preamp does have lots of gain and at 23bd that provides more volume control.

I am just using canare l-4e6s XLR at the moment and it seems to work well even through the pF/m seems higher than others.

The Bryston is pretty neutral so the preamp and sources will definitely make the difference.

[alanford69]

Thanks for your feedback, how would you define the sound you get with this combo? Still silky and refined how you could expect from a Sugden amp?

Pairing with a 4B3 using a balanced connection should be even better because on Bryston website I can read that the Input Impedance is even higher
- Unbalanced 7.5kΩ
- Balanced 30kΩ+ / 6kΩ-

[josip]

The Sugden offers a very expansive sound stage and is a fast, responsive preamp. While it may not be as detailed as some solid-state preamps, it remains dynamic with excellent focus and timbre, and I feel it does not lack in the way it presents the music. The frequencies are well balanced, providing a natural sound for acoustic instruments and vocals without any harshness or analytical edge. In my setup i.e. Sugden la-4 preamp and bryston 4bSST2 amp, there is no excessive bass slam as some solid-state preamps might deliver, which is something I appreciate about this combination. It is pleasant to listen to for extended periods.
The Bryston 4bsst2 provides excellent power and control, enhancing my setup with PMCs with the additional of the Sugden it adds the perfect amount of coloration through its class A preamp implementation.

I am using single ended for all my sources and have also previously had a balanced output dac in the past ie benchmark DAC3 which I have tested as well.
Additionally, I found the balanced is not as loud as the unbalanced and as per the Sugden Stereophile review as per the following. This review may also provide a source of some of what I am hearing but I did not hear the bass differences in balanced vs unbalanced in my combined setup which seemed to suggest in the review test.

J E Sugden Masterclass LA-4 line preamplifier | Stereophile.com
https://www.stereophile.com/content/j-e-sugden-masterclass-la-4-line-preamplifier

I am enjoying the presentation and timbre it delivers with the combination of neutral power handling of the Bryston amp, but it still is not a full class A setup as you would get if you had the Sudgen masterclass A power amp which would deliver a different presentation maybe even more smoothness.
Here is a view of my simple setup, you may have some reference to these sources and speakers I am using but this will have an influence on sound that I am hearing.
•   Analogue - Rega P8 turntable with Soundsmith zephyr III MI cartridge/MMP3 preamp, Digital - Chord Quest DAC and audirvana on MAC and Speakers - PMC twenty5 24i
 

[alanford69]

The Bryston 4bsst2 provides excellent power and control, enhancing my setup with PMCs twenty5 24i

Thank you very much for your feedback, I am a PMC lover too and I am evaluating switching to the new Prophecy 9 but there are still too few of them around so inky easy to audition them.