[KeneallyFan]

Hi Folks!

I have been thinking about making some changes in my system:

Arcam FMJ CD23
Bryston BP-20
Bryston 3B-ST
Dynaudio Contour 3.0

Right now I am focused on amplification and am considering one of two options. First, purchase a Bryston 4B-SST. The second possibility would be to do something with the pre-amp. Which do you think would net the greater benefit?

In terms of the pre-amp, I noticed that there is an upgrade path from the BP-25 to the BP-26. Can this also be done for the BP-20? Don't know the serial #, but I purchased it in early 2000 and it came with a MPS-1 power supply.

[mantisory]

I think it really depends what you mean by 'benefit'...what are you trying to achieve?
Mantisory

[Lancelot]

Interesting- I had a BP 20, a 3BST, and an Arcam CD72T. IMO, a bit too much on the revealing, transparent side for my tastes. I changed to the Bryston 3B SST which was a significant change for the better- a more natural,smoother sound. Although this was a positive step , I was still not satisfied so sold the BP 20 and purchased a NAD C162 as sort of a stop gap measure.
Except for a slight loss of transparency and perhaps *air* around instruments it was just as good , but most importantly,to me, smoother and more musical.
I personally would change the pre first because the greatest gains can be gained there-especially if you don't change the amp. I don't think you can upgrade the BP 20 so replacing it gives you alot of choices to tailor the sound of your system to your liking ( nothing is perfectly neutral so you might as well go for a system synergy that pleases you.)

[ryder]

It depends. Do you listen to your music at low volume levels or moderate to high levels? Do you feel the 3B-ST is underpowered in driving your speakers? If you think more power is needed to drive the Dynaudio's to optimum then I would say upgrade the amp first. If power is not an issue, then I would suggest to focus on the preamp or source. It is to my opinion that a preamp upgrade will give a more substantial sonic improvement compared to the power amp. 

[Diapason]

I'd say Mike Keneally's music will sound excellent on any of your intended upgrades. Am I right?

Personally I'd start with the pre...

[KeneallyFan]

It depends. Do you listen to your music at low volume levels or moderate to high levels? Do you feel the 3B-ST is underpowered in driving your speakers? If you think more power is needed to drive the Dynaudio's to optimum then I would say upgrade the amp first. If power is not an issue, then I would suggest to focus on the preamp or source. It is to my opinion that a preamp upgrade will give a more substantial sonic improvement compared to the power amp. 

I am currently renting, so I would say I listen in the low to moderate range. I don't necessarily think I am underpowered. I certainly have never triggered the clipping indicators on the amps. On the other hand, a little bump in dynamics would be nice. Sometimes I wish the overall sound was a tiny bit mellower, and have heard that the SST series is smoother on the top end.

To be frank, I could definitely live with the current setup. I haven't made any electronics changes since I bought the amps in 2000, and am probably just feeling a little wanderlust.

[KeneallyFan]

I'd say Mike Keneally's music will sound excellent on any of your intended upgrades. Am I right?

Personally I'd start with the pre...

I am always happy to find another fan. I remember reading a FZ obit where the author lamented that he wasn't going to hear music that surprised him anymore. Mike helps fills that gap for me. The problem right now is that he doesn't do it often enough. With his day job as the director of Paul Green's School of Rock Music, and the DethKlok tour, I don't think he is working on his own music much.   

[KeneallyFan]

Interesting- I had a BP 20, a 3BST, and an Arcam CD72T. IMO, a bit too much on the revealing, transparent side for my tastes. I changed to the Bryston 3B SST which was a significant change for the better- a more natural,smoother sound. Although this was a positive step , I was still not satisfied so sold the BP 20 and purchased a NAD C162 as sort of a stop gap measure.
Except for a slight loss of transparency and perhaps *air* around instruments it was just as good , but most importantly,to me, smoother and more musical.
I personally would change the pre first because the greatest gains can be gained there-especially if you don't change the amp. I don't think you can upgrade the BP 20 so replacing it gives you alot of choices to tailor the sound of your system to your liking ( nothing is perfectly neutral so you might as well go for a system synergy that pleases you.)

Cool. I was interested to hear from people who had moved from the ST line to SST, and what they thought. Your comments seem to fall in with most of what I have read on the internet. I have read that the MPS-2  will work with the BP20, but I haven't found many citations of people trying the new power supply with the older pre-amps. The newsletter on the Bryston site lists the changes involved in upgrading a BP25 to a BP26, and they seemed mostly cosmetic. That's what made me wonder if the BP20 was also a candidate.

I guess that I am just a little bored with my current setup. For the last couple of years I have been focusing on my other expensive hobby, which is playing nine ball and collecting custom pool cues. This is partly because there isn't much new music being released that excites me anymore, and I have been having a lot of fun playing pro level guys on the regional tours. But lately, I have been digging into the collection and actually listening to music again. Not enough to justify spending a ton, but I could throw a little cash at the situation. 

I know that nobody can really tell me what will make me happy, and I need to go listen. That is going to be a pain, as I relocated from NY to central PA area in 2005, and the nearest Bryston dealer is two hours away. 

[jethro]

KeneallyFan:

No BP-20 -> BP-26 upgrade.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=38283.0