[punter45]

I had an interesting observation this past week.  I have a Bryston 4B sst that I have been running for my front speakers and a 6B st that I am using for my center and surround speakers.  I recently rearranged my system in such a way that it made more sense cabling wise to use the 6B st for the mains and center channel and the 4B sst for the surround speakers.  I was hesitant to do this as I was thinking the 4B would sound better for the mains than the 6B.  However, after setting things up, the 6B seemed to have a greater sense of air and larger soundstage.  Thinking I was probably imagining things, I went ahead and put the 4B back into the system.  Switching the amps back and forth several times confirmed the fact that the 6B seemed to have a slightly larger soundstage (wider) and more air around the instruments.  Thinking I might still be delusional, I dragged my better half into the room and ran the experiment with her (I hate to admit it, but she seems to have a better ear than I have).  She also picked the 6B in several tests in which I switched between the 2 amps.

This doesn't make sense to me at all, but I can't deny what I and my wife heard.  Has anyone else ever compared the 6B and 4B sst amps, and if so, did you notice any differences?

[vegasdave]

That's interesting since they are basically the same amp.

[mv038856]

Has anyone else ever compared the 6B and 4B sst amps, and if so, did you notice any differences?

Hi Punter45,

I haven't compared the 4B SST and the 6B ST, but I have had a similar experience comparing the 4B ST and the 9B ST. The 9B ST cleary outperformed the 4B ST. I attributed this outcome to the different signal routing and grounding protocol in the 9B ST that just like the 6B has the modular design concept and was the last 'real' ST amplifier. In contrast to your 6B ST - which has the new output devices - the 9B ST has the same output devices like the older ST's. Maybe the signal path in the compact amplifier modules of a 9B and a 6B has its advantages...

Then again, your amps might be outliers... the 6B ST up, the 4B SST down...!? But surely, Bryston's quality department would negate this... 

Cheers!

Markus

[Lancelot]

Having used two different 3B ST's and now a 3B SST in the same setup ( two channel ) I much prefer the SST series.

The ST series IMO was a little less smooth without a more *noticeable, sort of stand out* high end which can very well, in the right circumstances ,translate into a more open , airy top end that makes the sound stage appear larger.

This openness can be very attractive but it usually requires extreme care with when system building or it often turns into too much of a good thing .First impressions can sometimes wear thin-see if you still like it after a few weeks.

 I think that the SST series is simply less demanding and more easily mates with a wider variety of systems.