[McShads]

Hi Zero
Reluctantly I had to let the Leben CS-600 go! It was way too hot (literally) in my setup which faces the morning sun in tropical Singapore! Eevn the speakers next to the Leben was warm and I worry the long term effects. I also realised that tube-rolling (and one scary experience tube rolling) was too much for me to handle!

But, I have decided on another integrated, SS this time! Will let you know once it arrives and I have had some time with it.

Best Regards
Dennis

I know it's a bit hard to quantify but how hot was the Leben? To try and put that into some sort of context my Sugden A21, to me, runs warm (though it's always reviewed as being hot) whereas a parallel 300B, to me, runs hot (same for 845).
Regards

[denjo]

McShads
With the top grille on and the Leben on full throttle (it has 9 tubes), I would imagine you could cook a sausage! With the top grille out, ventilation was better but my hifi upper shelf (where the TT sits), which shelf is made of granite, would get very warm and I was worried about the long term heat "cooking" my TT. In Singapore, daily temperatures are usually 35 degrees Celcius. From nearfiled listening on a hot morning, I could feel the heat from my listening position. I thought about installing a fan but felt the rushing air would cause the tubes and the innards to vibrate - not good! I was remarking to my friend that I had unwittingly bought a heater and installed it in my living room!   

Best Regards
Dennis

[denjo]

I started this thread as a personal journey I had decided upon early this year and the travails I encountered in my search for the "ultimate" integrated amplifier. I hope that this thread will also vicariously benefit those who are looking to simplify their system but are not prepared to compromise musicality in the process.

For the past couple of years, I have been switching around with amplifiers and speakers in my quest to find the Holy Grail of audio, a musical system that would bring me endless hours of musical enjoyment. I have made many mistakes along the way and I will probably still make mistakes in future but I hope my audio decisions hitherto will be wiser, more practical and rational (and less hasty).

I have finally decided to settle for a simple integrated packed full with features from an audio company that has been around for many decades and has built a strong reputation for reliable equipment. For those who find this thread interesting because they are also looking to simplify their system, please stay tuned. More will follow ....

[Zero]

Decades of experience, reputation for reliability, feature rich............    Sounds like an MA7000 to me.

[denjo]

Hi Zero
The McIntosh MA7000 is really nice with years of reputation and good reliability but that was not what I chose! It may have phono and headphone jack (features on my wish list) but it does not have a DAC!  Its also outside my budget.

Best Regards
Dennis

[Zero]

Dammit. I suck at these games.

Is it a Bryston?

If not, I give up!

hah

[denjo]

Zero

Bull's eye!

[Zero]

WOOT! *does touchdown dance*.  Awesome score Denjo.  I'm sure you'll love it!      Take pics when it arrives !

[denjo]

Zero
I will certainly take pics and post by and by! I hope this will stop my audio merry-go-round!
Keep well!

Best regards
Dennis

[denjo]

The amplifier I choose must be an integrated SS with the following built-in features - DAC and Phono MM - powerful enough to drive my Harbeth HL5, with headroom to spare. It must also be reliable and come with more than a 1 year warranty. My past experience with an amplifier that broke down 16 days past its 1st anniversary and the ensuing hassle to repair it, is never to be repeated! It must be simple to use, allowing family members to use all of the functions with ease. It must be relatively small - no Krell-like behemoths - and it must be elegant in a subtle, understated way. Above all, it must be musical and provide my family and I with musical enjoyment for many years to come.

A little background about my audio experience: I started this audio hobby in 1993 and over the years owned various audio brands (Musical Fidelity A1 integrated, AudioNote Otto, Soro, Meishu, Arcam Delta 290, YBA INtegre DT, McCormack DNA-0.5 Rev A, AVI LS21 Laboratory series (integrated amp), Cary 300 SEI, CIAudio D*200 Monos, Sanders ESL300, Leben CS-600 - quite a mix, from solid state to tubes, integrated to pre/power. In my search for digital excellence, I have tried the Philips 963SA (modded), Benchmark DAC1, VDA2, Altmann Attraction DAC and Paradisea, chasing that elusive vinyl, analog sound. My family has had to put up with much inconvenience - constant swaps, nest of cables, equipment lying around, etc. In all of this, my restlessness intensified, followed by sleepless nights and periods of fickleness (moodiness). Before this year started, I had resolved to simplify my system. Half a year breezed by with no promise that I was simplifying my system - until one day I decided to sit down and do some serious reflection. I observed that in my audio journey I was happiest when I started the hobby with a simple integrated (Musical Fidelity A1), CDP (Arcam 5), tuner (Audiolab 8000T - still with me!) and Mission 760i bookshelf speakers. I knew little about cables or power conditioners or cones or tweaks. I simply sat down and enjoyed the music, paying little attention to insignificant details like the violinist who was seated in the second row to my left, the conductor who dropped his baton or someone who had yelled something from the crowd. Then I was introduced to Stereophile, influenced by the reviews of Corey Greenberg, fascinated with the numbers of John Atkinson, etc. Then came weekend visits to audio showrooms, drooling over equipment I would like to own and lamenting equipment I could never own! That period had its own crowd of audiophiles (read audio-fools) who talked about nothing but the equipment and little about the music. It was always about how transparent that system was or the latest audio equipment fad. One thing I observed about my past enjoyment of music was that simplicity was the key! And with it contentedness and an acceptance that audio nirvana was just an elusive dream!

There were several offerings of integrated (with built-in DAC and/or phono) that met my objectives: PS Audio, Bel Canto, Accuphase, Bryston and many others. What if I could find an integrated that had all of these features in one box and yet was uncompromisingly musical? After months of study, I chose the Bryston B-100DA/P as the cornerstone of my simple but musical system. The 20-year warranty was a great boon. Imagine owning a piece of gear that might probably outlive me and which I could pass down to my sons. The Patek Philippe advert comes to mind: "You never really own a Patek, you merely hold it for the next generation!" (or words to that effect). I find this trusteeship thing highly attractive in this age of transient chattels and throw-aways! It came with a DAC (similar mould as the well reviewed BCD-1) and a phono. 4-in-1. Power amp, pre, DAC and phono. No longer would I need separate boxes for the DAC, phono and pre. No longer would I need power cables for each unit. No longer would I need additional interconnects. My hifi rack would be simple and tidy. The rear of my rack would not be an untidy mess of wires and cables! Paradoxically, I am gravitated by the philosophy of less is more! Perhaps I have reached a stage in my life when all I want is simplicity. Even my horological interests has changed; when I was young I was greatly attracted by complex watches, the more dials, the more complications the better. It reached its zenith when I owned a watch that looked so complicated I had trouble reading the time! Much of this philosophy applies to audio and just about every facet of my life - my work, my family, my relationships!

After a much anticipated and eager wait, the Bryston B100 arrives. It is much smaller than I expected but looks elegant in a simple way. Lifting it in my hands (which I could do on my own but would not try the same with the Leben CS-600) made me doubt for a second if I could expect anything much. I could still hear my old self - the heavier the equipment, the better! Placing it in the middle shelf of my hifi rack - something I would never do with tube gear as the heat would "cook" whatever else was above it - I praised myself for getting the dimensions right! Turning to the rear, it was really easy to connect the B100 up. My spartan cables were waiting in readiness. First up were the speaker cables, single-wired. Then the interconnects (and there were only 2 pairs, tuner and phono). Then the digital cables (RCA for SB3 and Toslink for Oppo DVD player). Last up was the power cord. The rear layout is beautifully designed to be almost symmetrical. If you cut the amplifier in half, the left connectors go in the left portion and the right connectors, the right portion. I celebrated my emancipation from cable mess! What a wonderful feeling of freedom!

I then power the unit on from standby. The assuring green lights and music that follows. I hear the promise of the B100 and toggle the various source selector to see that all has been properly connected. It has! About an hour into the music, the red clipping light flickers and the B100 goes into thermal protection mode (red/green flashing). Bewilderment, then frustration and disappointment! I shoot an email to Bryston and make a call to the local dealer. When I had calmed down and accepted the fact that even the best of manufacturers will have a faulty piece that amazingly cleared strict QC (and Bryston has a torturous factory trial for every unit before it is despatched). What ensued made me realise what first class customer service and professionalism is all about! Bryston's President replies to my email, then VP James Tanner no less, with profuse apologies about what had happened and the assurance that a new piece would be despatched as soon as possible. No arguments, no hassles! It seems the bias adjustment in the unit went awry and was much higher than normal, thus the safety thermal protection feature kicked in to protect the unit and my speakers.

So, here I am enduring another anxious wait and philosophical about the experience! I must say that Bryston's communication and customer service has impressed me and went a long way in restoring my dented faith. More to follow ....

Best Regards
Dennis

[denjo]

Still waiting for the arrival of my B-100P/DA! Any day soon! 

[selfdivider]

Aww, too bad to hear the Leben didn't work out for you, with the tube heat. I seriously don't feel much from my CS600. As for tube-rolling, I haven't really done much but I hear you about scary experiences. I think you have to buy from reputed dealers b/c often NOS tubes can cause problems. Which is why I ordered Genalex reissues of KT-77s. For about 50-60 bucks more, I could have probably found used Mullard EL-34s, but I like well-built modern tubes, too, and hope the KT-77s work out.

That's surprising to hear about the Bryston amp! Bryston's usually rock solid. I guess there are lemons all around. I'm sure you'd get better control, especially over the bass, as Bryston amps are studs when it comes to low-end. And that built-in DAC is a real nice feature to have. One SS integrated amp I'd love to hear is the Naim SuperNait, as it also has built-in DAC. Even though I have my Leben, which I continue to cherish, I can't let go of this one SS integrated I have: Plinius 8150. If I had to name one SS integrated that did not lose much ground to tubes, I'd say the Plinius 8150. Has the built-in MM/MC phono stage, but no DAC, which I don't mind. I still haven't heard better music from SS amp than from my old-ass Plinius 8150. I know DartZeel is coming out with an integrated, though... 

Anyways, look forward to your report, Denjo!

[richidoo]

Sorry to hear about the bad luck denjo, but you have a good atttude. Looking fwd to your impressions.
Rich

[satfrat]

I just ran into this thread of yours Dennis,,, geesh I can't believe I missed this journey of yours. Hopefully you'll get your Bryston soon and even more hopefully it'll be the answer you've been searching for in your system. 



Cheers,
Robin

[Cacophonix]

Did you consider the pass int-150? I've read good things about it, but costs mucho $$$ 

[denjo]

Thanks guys for your posts and thoughts!

Selfdivider
In fairness to Bryston, it seems during transit of the amplifier there was some damage to consignment (containing other amplifiers) but I don't know the full details. The surveyors were wanting to investigate and report. Not sure if this had a bearing on the B100 because as you say Bryston's are usually bulletproof! Anyhow, the replacement unit arrives this evening and will probably reach me on Friday sometime.

Naims have an almost cult following but from my limited experience with previous Naim gear I was quite underwhelmed. Perhaps if I had given more time and with the proper setup, the Naims might have been on my shortlist. I have heard other Brit integrated gear (Musical Fidelity, AVI, Rega, LFD) but without the DAC/phono combo, that was a big disadvantage to my objective of simplifying my system.

Richidoo
Thanks for kind words. Guess we need to keep a sane attitude in this insane hobby! Will certainly share my thoughts by and by.

Robin
Thanks for your well wishes in my search of the "ideal" integrated! I certainly hope this will end my audio nervosa!

Cacophix
Yes, but Pass Labs amps usually generate a lot of heat and one of my key requirements is that the amp must run relatively cool. Otherwise I would have stuck to tubes. Plinius falls in this category as well! Don't get me wrong, Pass Labs and Plinius sound very musical!

[denjo]

The B100-P/DA arived safe and well! I hooked it up, turned it on from standby (red) and watched the "Power" light turn green. The amp has been playing non-stop for the last 7 hours and will need some burn-in time before I post a more detailed review. It does sound much, much more powerful than my YBA Integre DT. The heatsinks are quite hot, even the faceplate and volume pot is warm, but not as hot as tube amps. The setup was very simple and almost intuitive. The amplifier looks very appealing, with the assuring green lights to say that all is well! My Harbeths are getting quite a workout and seem to have sprung to life. One of the first things that struck me was the copacious bass, I am told a hallmark of Bryston.

I will have more to report with time ... now back to my SB3 feeding the B100 DAC. The station is IOJazz and Chick Corea Akoustic Band is playing "Spain"!

[richidoo]

Congrats - enjoy the mental adjustment period, usually the most exciting time with new gear!
Rich

[McShads]

Denjo - I'm just curious, which Totems did you demo the C300 with?

As an aside, I've had the pleasure of rubbing noses with the lovely Karan Acoustics Ki-180 integrated amplifier.  There is something utterly beguiling about a well executed integrated piece.

Hi Zero

Just wondering how you got on with the Karan?

Regards
McShads

[pardales]

Glad to hear your new piece arrived safely and is working. I look forward to hearing your assessment of it given other integrated amps you have had. Interested in the DAC section too. good luck,