Well Folks it Does Not Get Any Better Than This!

James Tanner · « **on:** 4 Feb 2010, 06:45 pm »

MEMO: To all Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Absolute Sound Magazine HP’s Editors’ Choice Award

Hi All,

We are extremely pleased to announce that the Bryston 28B SST² Mono Amplifier has been awarded HP’s 2010 Editors Choice Award in the March 2010 issue of the Absolute Sound Magazine.

Here’s what Harry had to say:

“Bryston 28B (SST² revision)
Monoblock amplifiers
Bryston.com

Since I first reviewed this 1000-watt monoblock (issue 189), Bryston has twice updated its innards, each an audible improvement over the original.

Yet it is the latest version (SST²) that is, putting it simply, a solid-state breakthrough, so much better than the original that I am flabbergasted (and a bit perplexed). It is faster by a good bit, with absolutely no edge or enhanced “definition”; indeed, it sounds much airier (particularly at the top) and more relaxed than did the original, while exhibiting more subtle dynamics, both at the micro- and macro ends of the spectrum. All of this is bathed in a pool of ambience that never sounds like too much second harmonic distortion (or, to these ears, euphonic in the colored sense at all).

Need I say this is the most musical solid-state design I’ve heard, and from what I once would have considered the unlikeliest source?

Update in progress.”
Harry Pearson.

werd · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Feb 2010, 06:50 pm »

Thats awesome ...... congratz on that.... big

95Dyna · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Feb 2010, 08:17 pm »

Yes James, this dovetails nicely with the 7B SST2 threads where we've been discussing the newly designed power supply. This PS has to have alot to do with what Harry is hearing with the 28's, no?

Mad Mr H · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Feb 2010, 08:25 pm »

Thats is a very large tick in the box marked "perfect"

How many of these reviews can I hear about the SST² series until I finally give in, sell the sofa, cat, (GF

), anything of value just to have one........

I have to date resisted all demo's , and convinced myself that the 28B does not exist - Its getting more difficult and causing arguments with myself.......

....in public........

It is so good to hear that the SST² series ups the anti yet again.

Well done Bryston on another set of full marks

vegasdave · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Feb 2010, 09:21 pm »

Congrats, James. You guys deserve it.

John Casler · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Feb 2010, 09:53 pm »

Quote from: vegasdave on 4 Feb 2010, 09:21 pm

Congrats, James. You guys deserve it.

Have known Harry for many years and got a chance to "catch up" with him in Vegas last month.

We talked of many components and speakers and he pretty much told me he was VERY HAPPY with the 28B SST².

(he knew I was a dealer)

Lot of reviewers out there, but HP still has heard just about every HIGH END amp and speaker system, and his impressions carry a lot of weight with me.

vegasdave · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Feb 2010, 09:58 pm »

Cool, sounds good.

Robert D · « **Reply #7 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 12:19 am »

Congrats to the Whole Team !

Robert

drummermitchell · « **Reply #8 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 01:33 am »

So we have 2 upgrades,one being the transformer+what's the second upgrade on the 28s.

James Tanner · « **Reply #9 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 01:34 am »

Quote from: drummermitchell on 5 Feb 2010, 01:33 am

So we have 2 upgrades,one being the transformer+what's the second upgrade on the 28s.

New capacitors.

james

Laundrew · « **Reply #10 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 01:34 am »

“Gently wipes solitary tear of joy from eye knowing it is but the vanguard…”

Well done Bryston

drummermitchell · « **Reply #11 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 01:52 am »

Thanks James,I just did a quick search

,+found it.SOOOoooooooo it looks like my amps have to
go for a holiday,JUST BECAUSE WE CAN.

werd · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 07:00 am »

Quote from: drummermitchell on 5 Feb 2010, 01:52 am

Thanks James,I just did a quick search ,+found it.SOOOoooooooo it looks like my amps have to
go for a holiday,JUST BECAUSE WE CAN.

Hey Drummer

Just get the cap upgrade imo, you have the Torus so that kinda is the upgrade i think.

drummermitchell · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 02:24 pm »

Hi Werd,perhaps your right,but for me,should I have the new transformer

.probably doesn't hurt to have both.Perhaps James might have an answer.
It might bother me should I have or shouldn't I have.Just like the Torus(s)I'd rather have more than enough power than just enough as you never know when you might need it.
When I did my dedicated lines my electrician said I had enough power to run eight commercial dryers

,80a

,
I like that,I like that alot,feels like Tim Allen in the tool section argh.

Laundrew · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Feb 2010, 06:41 pm »

Quote from: drummermitchell on 5 Feb 2010, 02:24 pm

Hi Werd,perhaps your right,but for me,should I have the new transformer .probably doesn't hurt to have both.Perhaps James might have an answer.
It might bother me should I have or shouldn't I have.Just like the Torus(s)I'd rather have more than enough power than just enough as you never know when you might need it.
When I did my dedicated lines my electrician said I had enough power to run eight commercial dryers ,80a ,
I like that,I like that alot,feels like Tim Allen in the tool section argh.

In for a penny, in for a pound…

pjg66 · « **Reply #15 on:** 7 Feb 2010, 02:12 am »

Haven't heard the 28B (sigh ...), but I'm sure HP's accolades are well deserved. Congratulations.

I do have issues with HP's assertion that, hithertofore (his word, not mine), Bryston has not had the
respect of high-end aficionados (are any of you Bryston guys out there high-end aficionados?). Be that as it may, HP remains an influential force in high-end audio, and he has given Bryston some very positive recognition.

For those of us who have, hithertofore, respected Bryston, that is good news.

Enjoy your Brystons!

pjg66

Laundrew · « **Reply #16 on:** 7 Feb 2010, 04:54 am »

Quote from: pjg66 on 7 Feb 2010, 02:12 am

Haven't heard the 28B (sigh ...), but I'm sure HP's accolades are well deserved. Congratulations.

I do have issues with HP's assertion that, hithertofore (his word, not mine), Bryston has not had the
respect of high-end aficionados (are any of you Bryston guys out there high-end aficionados?). Be that as it may, HP remains an influential force in high-end audio, and he has given Bryston some very positive recognition.

For those of us who have, hithertofore, respected Bryston, that is good news.

Enjoy your Brystons!

pjg66

As I am Relatively new to this level of audio equipment, I am still not sure what a "high-end aficionado is."

I have a passion for music and am extremely pleased with the exceptional level of performance my Bryston preamplifier and mono-blocks brings to me on a daily basis.

Be well...

DEV · « **Reply #17 on:** 7 Feb 2010, 05:06 am »

Congrats!

My MBL 101E speakers are very happy indeed.

Just read the thread I started some time back asking if there are tubes inside.

A week or so ago I had a few guys over for a listen, they did not know what amps I was using currently, (they actually thought I either had the Karan 1200 mono blocks which list for around $70K or the Tenor mono blocks that list for over $100K) it was later in the day so I had the lights dimmed down and the amps covered to the point that you could not tell what they were. Well many hours later of listening to all types of music everyone who was present was very impressed and had their opinions of which amps they thought were being used, they were anxiously awaiting to know so the lights were turned up and the amps revealed. You had to be here to see the facial expressions and hear the remarks made, it was a blast.

Reminded me of when I was present once years ago at Bay Bloor Radio upstairs, Bose home theatre speaker system demo, they were showing big speaker cabinets and then at the end of the demo revealed that these small cubes were actually the ones being played and just but inside those larger speaker cabinets, people were in absolute awe, shocked, saying things out loud and just couldn't believe what they had just experienced, including myself.

Well all I can say is that Bryston will be having some more new owners.

VOLKS · « **Reply #18 on:** 7 Feb 2010, 06:38 am »

Thats awsome Dev...great to hear news like that about how Bryston made such a positive impact.Incidentally about 10 years ago i was visiting an audio shop that also did that "Bose Demo" even though most people have no idea that it is an actual demo for bose "Tiny Bose Cubes inside Big Empty Speaker Boxes" and then the sales people sit you down and crank up the music and "Wow" you afterward when they show you the little cubes underneath.........the issue i had was that while the guy was doing the demo i kept telling him that the bass sounds very congested and there is a lack of any clear midrange...not to mention that the highs were all but absent....he kept saing..."Wait till i show you the "Real Speakers" when the song is over" .....finally he pulls the big fake speaker box up and exposes the little Bose cubes and he is grinning like a Cat that swallowed the Canary.....i look at him and i could not help myself....i actually busted out laughing.....he looks at me and says "whats so funny"?........i looked back at him and bluntly said "They sounded like a kid beating on his mothers pots and pans with a kick drum thrown in for good measure,but now i know why" Like the old saying "BOSE...No Highs and No Lows-Everyone loves Bose LOL"....what a terrible product.

DEV · « **Reply #19 on:** 7 Feb 2010, 11:00 pm »

Hi VOLKS, don't want to really debate the comments made by you but feel I do need to at least address such;

Just so that it's clear I wasn't in the same room as you and don't know what they had actually hooked-up so your experience is just that, yours which is okay. I wasn't listening to music either but actually just watching a movie "Top Gun" and it was a pretty cool experience to the point of actually purchasing the set-up for an upstairs tv viewing rm and to date still use it. (Wife would not allow anything larger and it sounds 100% better then what the Elite 64 inch system offers.) Now it does not compete with my all Meridian home theatre rm set-up which is in a designated rm and includes DSP 8000's speakers etc. but then again we are talking apples and oranges, the cables alone in this M set-up cost more than the whole Bose set-up. Oh ya I don't listen to serious music in there either, just movies.

My 2-channel listening set-up consists of;

MBL 101E speakers
MBL Ref 1621a transport
Audio Research Ref3 pre
Accustic Arts Ref Tube Dac
Bryston 28 Squared mono's, each paired up with Torus RM20's
Cables Stealth Audio

VOLKS curious what does your set-up consist of?