[R. Daneel]

From Stereophile 2005....

Deutsch: How did you come to implement your current 20-year warranty?

Brian Russell: The amplifiers don't break, so there's no point in having a short warranty.

Tanner: We had 18-year-old amplifiers that were still performing without any problems. At the time we had a five-year warranty, but we had an internal policy of doing free repairs on products no matter how long ago they were made.

Chris Russell: We used that internal policy as a marketing incentive. We wanted good word-of-mouth about the way we treat our customers.

Deutsch: Has that been costly to implement?

Chris Russell: It has made us more money than we could have believed. Usually the problems are minor, or there's no fault found. On some early preamps we used a nickel-plated input connector. If one of these preamps comes into our service department for any reason, all of those nickel-plated input connectors are replaced with gold-plated jacks, no charge. The effect of this policy is that they then go home and invariably tell their friends how well they've been treated. That became the word of mouth about Bryston. You can't buy that kind of advertising. So in 1990, we just defined that policy on paper.

A superb post - and PRECISELY the right "perspective" to have on this!

Thanks!

[gbaby]

It really feels like the end of an era. That 20-year warranty was exactly what moved me to purchase my BP26 preamp and 3B SST² from a dealer, especially after a bad experience with another expensive brand.

My confidence in Bryston grew so high that I ordered a Cubed Series amp, immediately after release, without even hearing an audition first. That level of trust was built entirely on their reputation for standing behind their gear.

I noticed the newer Class D amps carry a 5-year warranty, and I can't help but wonder if that’s the direction things are headed. It’s a bit discouraging, especially considering how impressed I was with their "Back to the Future" refurbishment service a few years ago. The precision and care they took in retrofitting capacitors and other parts into old chassis was proof of a "product for life" philosophy.

I hope that dedication to longevity remains, even if the warranty period is changing.

I think you are right, this is an end to an era. But, in calm reflection, I think all of us may be the last audiophiles. Many of us may not be living another 20 years. I hope I am, but who knows? Lowering the warranty to 10 years was probably done by the company understanding the reality of the owners' ages and wanting to by able to satisfy warranties so at least Byston is being honest. Today's music doesn't even warrant being played back a a Bryston system.    All we can do is enjoy the moment and hope for longevity.

[FullRangeMan]

I think you are right, this is an end to an era. But, in calm reflection, I think all of us may be the last audiophiles. Many of us may not be living another 20 years. I hope I am, but who knows? Lowering the warranty to 10 years was probably done by the company understanding the reality of the owners' ages and wanting to by able to satisfy warranties so at least Byston is being honest. Today's music doesn't even warrant being played back a a Bryston system.    All we can do is enjoy the moment and hope for longevity.

I think all of us may be the last audiophiles.
HI-Fi always was a golden goose eggs for manufacturers, but now with this current generation that only listen free music on the web, the golden goose is dying.

A super TV set with spectacular picture costs less than $500usd with Stereo speaker and remote.
In Audio with $500 it's difficult to buy a decent integrated amp.

[rob80b]

We got spoiled, all my 1st Brystons .5 pre, 2BLP & 3B had 5 years..and did come in handy on numerous occasions, repairs also had 2-3 day turn around. lol
Only one that took longer was a 3B NRB I purchased in 1993 that developed a problem 10 years later and went back and forth from service 3 or 4 times until Chris Russell stepped in and replaced it with a 3BST in 2003. 
Like many things today, in retrospect we had it good.
But totally understand 10 years, new owners, the industry has dramatically changed, margins have diminished, parts availability, labour costs and very few households actually have a stereo system.

[rob80b]

I think all of us may be the last audiophiles.
......

Some truth in that but mostly in regards to stereos, but IMHO there are more youngsters into audio than ever before but it's concentrated in the personal hi-fi sector, headphones and whatnot (funny though I'm into both) and very affordable equipment today can indeed sound very good and doesn't require extended warranties as it has become cheaper to replace than repair.

[FullRangeMan]

Some truth in that but mostly in regards to stereos, but IMHO there are more youngsters into audio than ever before but it's concentrated in the personal hi-fi sector, headphones and whatnot (funny though I'm into both) and very affordable equipment today can indeed sound very good and doesn't require extended warranties as it has become cheaper to replace than repair.

So the 10 or 20 years warranty could be a optional feature ?
at a extra cost.