[yenkell]

Hello,

I'm about to buy a pair of IB2S to upgrade my studio monitoring
i'm wondering wich amp to choose...

everyone here know that the Bryston 4BSST is a very good match to start with a pair of IB2S for a small room
(mine is 170 sq ft, heavily treated accousticaly, with special geometry, elyptic diffusors to the side, quadratic ones to the rear and skyline type to the ceiling, and 2 big bass traps to the rear)

but does any body have tryed other combinations ?
like
    IB2S --- Krell FPB 300 c or cx
or IB2S --- Pass labs X 250 or 250.5
or IB2S --- Lipinski L301


 
thanks

[Thunder]

Why mess with perfection. Bryston and PMC are made for each other

Consider Bi or Tri amping them for added performance

[yenkell]

so what kind of bi : tri amp ?
active ? passive ?
with bryston amp you'll tell me of course

[Thunder]

Bryston naturally

I use 7Bsst's for bass driver and 4Bsst for the mid range/Tweeter

IB2 is not available in an active form, only passive.

[HifyFreaky]

I'm willing to consider Classé Omega mono amps plus matching preamp. It's a lot of money, but I like a lot these things and the vertical boxes are really convenient to put beside my IB2S monitors.

I am considering too Bryston 7BSST, but the horizontal box would take a lot of floor space.

I want to put the amps nearby the speakers, so I don't have to change those short NBS The Statement speaker cables I have. With those Brystons probably I would need longer cables.

[onthefly]

If you are worried about space and cables then why not do what I did and invest in a pair of PP300's.  Each one is basically half a 4B.
I have mine right next to each speaker sat on a piece of granite (bought from my local fireplace centre).

[HifyFreaky]

Well, it seems to me that powerpacks are really small. Are they really as powerful as 4B?  What's then inside the 4B box?

Speaking about convenience, I have a pair of Electrocompaniet Aw180 (180 W/8 ohm) that sit right under the speakers. They perfectly fit under the PMC support. The thing is that I'm not sure if Electrocompaniet is a good choice as power amp for these speakers, specially regarding the bass management. Somebody told me Electrocompaniet are not fast enough to manage well the bass. I wonder if the transmission line technology demands faster amplifiers or quite the opposite. Does anybody know the answer?

Anyway, I love the sweet sound of Electrocompaniet power amps.
I once compared A/B (one after the other) the following combinations:

PMC IB1-Electrocompaniet Aw120DMB (120W/8 ohm)-Ayre K1x preamp
PMC IB1-Ayre V1x Power amp (150 W/8 ohm) - Ayre K1x Preamp

The Electrocompaniet won hands down, and it was a fraction of the price of the Ayre (3 times the price in Spain). The sound was much sweeter and equally detailed. Even the dealer agreed with me that the Electrocompaniet was better, and he was an Ayre dealer, not Electrocompaniet. I bought the Electrocompaniet and now I have a 7.1 system all with Electrocompaniet power amps and a Bel Canto PrePro.

[onthefly]

You say PP's are small.  Don't forget Bryston make three versions with different outputs.  1 PP300 is basically one half of a 4B.  They are officially rated at 300 Watts.  My build certificates say 340 Watts (each).

[HifyFreaky]

I mean they are small because if you take 2 PP300, they both make a smaller package than a 4BSST. What's then inside the 4B box? Maybe the transformer is smaller... I don't know.

[onthefly]

Mmm, I should check the PDF on the Bryston website or perhaps JT will offer the advice you require. aa

[James Tanner]

Hi All,

Yes the PP60, PP120 and PP300 are mono versions of the 2B-LP, 3B SST and 4B SST.  The only difference is that the PPacks have slightly less heatsinking than the standard amplifiers so they will run a little warmer at high power into low impedance's.

james

[HifyFreaky]

How are they supposed to be attached to the back of a PMC IB2? One should make some holes and screw it to the back of the speaker???
How short should be the speaker cable needed? Like 2 inches?

Thanks.

[James Tanner]

How are they supposed to be attached to the back of a PMC IB2? One should make some holes and screw it to the back of the speaker???
How short should be the speaker cable needed? Like 2 inches?

Thanks.

HI,

When you order the speakers from PMC they have an option which provides the appropriate holes predrilled and mounting bolts.  Give PMC a call and they should be able to provide all the particulars you need.

james

[HifyFreaky]

I'm having trouble to buy the Bryston 7BSST, which seem to be the perfect match for my PMC IB2. There is no Bryston distributor in Spain. I've found some offers in Audiogon but they are always 110V American models. I could buy from Portugal or France, but if some problem arise I would have to send them back and forth and spend a lot of money.

Any other  alternative power amps for the PMC IB2 Krell, Mark Levinson, Classé, Halcro, (all those have respectable distributors in Spain) ?

Is it tri-wiring so important?
Thanks.

[James Tanner]

I'm having trouble to buy the Bryston 7BSST, which seem to be the perfect match for my PMC IB2. There is no Bryston distributor in Spain. I've found some offers in Audiogon but they are always 110V American models. I could buy from Portugal or France, but if some problem arise I would have to send them back and forth and spend a lot of money.

Any other  alternative power amps for the PMC IB2 Krell, Mark Levinson, Classé, Halcro, (all those have respectable distributors in Spain) ?

Is it tri-wiring so important?
Thanks.

Hi,

Here is the distributor in Spain for Bryston:


Pleyte Audio

email: pleyteaudio@pleyteaudio.com

web: http://www.pleyteaudio.com

Calle Colombia nº 22 28016 MADRID

Tlf: +34913504965 - +34913503130


james

 

 

[Sasha]

I must say that all preconceptions I had about Bryston amps, based on less that favorable reviews and my own experience with what I see now as less than optimal synergy with other components, had been shattered.
That was a costly journey.
Now I consider Bryston 7B SST the ultimate amplification, what I hear now with BP26, 7B SST, PMC IB2, and appropriate source (what is very important) is the sound closest to live performance of acoustic instruments I ever heard, what I always tried to measure against.
I cannot apply any of the commonly used words to describe sound of Bryston 7B SST, it is neither warm or cold, sweet or whatever the opposite is, there is no shrill or mellowness to its sound.
It has no character of any kind, it is simply a truthful presentation of what has been recorded on given media.
This is applicable even to the power cords that come with Bryston gear. I trust my ears, and despite what logic and electrical engineers may tell you, power cables do have an impact on sound, sometimes profound. This is still true with Bryston amps, but I find that Bryston power cables offer better performance with Bryston amps then any of the power cords I have accumulated over time in search for the right sound.
As time goes by and amps are further broken in, my newly discovered admiration for them gets affirmed. Truly wonderful gear.
Having said that, question on what amp to choose to drive PMC IB2s has only one answer in my opinion, there is no alternative.

[HifyFreaky]

Thanks for your remarks.
The problem I found was only the lack of proper distribution in Spain, but now it has been solved with the new importer.
I'm gonna go for a pair of 7BSSt and, in time, three of them, since I have PMC IB2S in the 3 front channels.
I also have PMC AB2S in the rear channels (for SACD and DVD Audio), a PMC SB100 passive subwoofer and PMC LB1S in the side channels (for DVD Video). I will also go for Bryston power amps for all these channels, each one with the recommended power output. Any recommendations are welcome.

I recently bought a Music First Passive preamp and I found it to be extremely transparent (truly a revelation), although it lacks facilities like remote control.
Do you think I would lose some transparency going for the BP26?
And what do you think about the BP26 phono preamp? Is it comparable to a dedicated phono preamp of, say, $2000?

Thanks.
Pedro.

[Sasha]

I do not have enough experience to comment on phono section in BP26 or any potential loss of transparency in comparison to passive pre-amps.
However, a friend of mine, Nenad, which I believe you talked to (there are not many Pedros from Spain that have IB2, so it must be you  ), is very satisfied with phono section in BP26, and did compare BP26 to passive pre-amp (do not remember which one) but did not find a very small perception of better transparency in passive pre-amp worth dropping BP26.
I am very satisfied with BP26. I have reached the point where I absolutely have no desire to consider anything else, be that pre-amp, amp, or speakers, simply because I have not heard anything better. 28B SST does bug me somewhat (Damn Bryston), I will do my best to avoid any opportunity to hear it 

[HifyFreaky]

Ha ha
Yes I am the Pedro who Nenad talked to. Nice guy, by the way. We had some interesting chats. Give him regards.
Probably I'm the only Pedro in Spain with IB2. It is not a popular brand here. Here rules Avalon, Sonus Faber, B&W, Dynaudio...

I am with you. I haven't heard anything better than IB2 and I've gone as far as Watt Puppy 7 and Avalon (Eidolon, I think). It's different sound, but not better, and I am totally in love with IB2. I don't mind if they are not as beautiful as Sonus Faber, and the Black studio finish is perfect for my home cinema.  That's why I began constructing my system beginning from the speakers and wanted the best amplification for them. Electrocompaniet is very good, but I find somehow that they don't control really well the bass. I'll check Bryston and if it pleases me more, I'll start selling the Electrocompaniets. Since I don't have any, I'll see if I can afford the 28 B SST. I have read tremendous critics about them, but probably I'll have to upgrade my electric installation!!