Why Bryston?

nocrapman · « **on:** 21 Dec 2010, 02:10 pm »

Disclaimer: I am not a current Bryston owner, but considering jumping in!

There are so many amps out in the market currently... at higher, lower and comparable price points. Why Bryston?
Help me justify the expense to myself!!
I currently own a NAD 272 that drives a pair of Salk songtowers with a Rotel preamp. I am getting an upgrade itch... I am very much drawn to the 4B SST2.

I know about the superb looks and the 20 yr warranty but is there a difference in design/component quality/musicality that sets it apart from the crowd?

Not trolling... will appreciate all non-cynical answers!

Thanks folks!

drummermitchell · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 03:24 pm »

Being a musician for many a year,I really think Bryston has something going on.
I'm no tech type,but if you look at their user list you have:
World class studios
World class Musicians
For me,that tells me alot as these people listen,play and produce music,sound tracks all day and night,
they have been putting in way more time to the above than the average person.
Besides reliability and everything else,it comes down to one thing,THE SOUND.
They know what to listen for as they live and breath it 24/7.
For me it's all about the music,that's the star of the show,not the fancy boxes,blue meters,or tech words,give me something that will reach my emotions,music,Bryston does exactly that.
I'd better get outta here and do something

.

1oldguy · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 04:19 pm »

One simple answer.James Tannor the man.Bryston looks after their customers,they listen.The gear almost becomes the bonus.

Mag · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 05:03 pm »

Why Bryston?

First of all they're a Canadian company. I prefer to keep Canadians employed and the technology in Canada.

My main reason is that Bryston made it possible for me to enter the Hi-Fi world of sound at a relatively affordable price. There may be better Hi-Fi products but their higher cost put them out of reach for my budget. Thus I would not have ventured past mid-fi components and never would have obtained the Hi Fidelity sound I now have.

IMO you have not yet heard the capability of your Songtowers. Up till now you've only heard mid-fi. A Bryston 4B SST2 amp will elevate the Songtowers into the realm of Hi-Fi.

But please audition for yourself as it is your money not mine to spend.

1ZIP · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 05:15 pm »

Keep the technology in Canada? I don't want to burst your bubble, but those days are long gone!

1ZIP · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 05:37 pm »

nocrapman;

Maybe a little company info would help.

http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/ccc/srch/nvgt.do?sbPrtl=&prtl=1&estblmntNo=207483980000&profile=cmpltPrfl&profileId=1861&app=sold&lang=eng

turkey · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 06:55 pm »

Quote from: nocrapman on 21 Dec 2010, 02:10 pm

I know about the superb looks and the 20 yr warranty but is there a difference in design/component quality/musicality that sets it apart from the crowd?

There are two ways of doing a product with a 20 yr warranty. One is to build an average product and then charge extra to cover the cost of all the warranty service it will need.

The other way is to actually engineer it so that it will last 20+ years without breaking. This requires skilled engineers and high quality parts. It's also obviously the approach that Bryston uses.

The end result is that you get a very well-built amp that will last you at least a couple of decades. You also get the pride of ownership that goes along with a high quality product.

I don't know whether or not it will sound any different than some other amps, but I guess that's a judgement call you'll have to make for yourself.

A Bryston amp will probably last you twice as long as a lot of other brands, so when comparing you might want to multiply the other brand's price by 2 to make for a fair comparison.

wywires · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 07:04 pm »

+1 on turkey's comments...Bryston stuff is built like a tank and will outlast you in all likelihood. I have an old 2B, 30WPC power amp that I use occasionally and it is really an excellent piece. I've driven it to the clipping point many times and it just keeps on truckin'. I don't recall what it sold for back in the day but it was probably under $1000. In fact I will say that it sounds like way more than 30 watts.

rollo · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 07:09 pm »

If you like the house sound of Bryston gear then by all means buy one. The warranty and customer service is one of the best if not the best around.
When I owned Bryston amps I blew it up by accident and Bryston STILL fixed it for free. I will never forget that. Highly reccomended.
BTW Classe is right up there with them. Excellent customer service. Listen to both as the character of sound is different. Good luck listening.

charles

1oldguy · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 07:11 pm »

Quote from: rollo on 21 Dec 2010, 07:09 pm

If you like the house sound of Bryston gear then by all means buy one. The warranty and customer service is one of the best if not the best around.
When I owned Bryston amps I blew it up by accident and Bryston STILL fixed it for free. I will never forget that. Highly reccomended.
BTW Classe is right up there with them. Excellent customer service. Listen to both as the character of sound is different. Good luck listening.

I saw a guy blow up a Bryston amp on youtube.Perchance was that you?It went poof.

charles

rollo · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 07:55 pm »

No no no. twas not me. I did the ol speaker wire touching with the amp on. That occurred in my Maggie 3A days. Great combo.

charles

vegasdave · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 07:59 pm »

BRYSTON for sound, service, and build quality. Nothing comes close at the respective price ranges. BRYSTON is great bang for the buck as well. You'd have to spend thousands more to get better sound, and is it really better? Probably not. Just different. BRYSTON is not colored like many high end amps and preamps. So, if that's what you're after, then avoid BRYSTON. With BRYSTON you hear exactly what's on the recording. Good, bad, and otherwise. It really is good stuff! I compared it to megabuck Swiss-made FM Acoustics, which I used to own, and the BRYSTON was really about the same sound quality! That's high praise indeed.

1oldguy · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 08:49 pm »

Quote from: vegasdave on 21 Dec 2010, 07:59 pm

BRYSTON for sound, service, and build quality. Nothing comes close at the respective price ranges. BRYSTON is great bang for the buck as well. You'd have to spend thousands more to get better sound, and is it really better? Probably not. Just different. BRYSTON is not colored like many high end amps and preamps. So, if that's what you're after, then avoid BRYSTON. With BRYSTON you hear exactly what's on the recording. Good, bad, and otherwise. It really is good stuff! I compared it to megabuck Swiss-made FM Acoustics, which I used to own, and the BRYSTON was really about the same sound quality! That's high praise indeed.

I somehow get the impression you like bryston.

Your in good company.

Laundrew · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 09:43 pm »

I have come home...

Be well...

Laundrew · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 09:47 pm »

Quote from: drummermitchell on 21 Dec 2010, 03:24 pm

For me it's all about the music,that's the star of the show,not the fancy boxes,blue meters,or tech words,give me something that will reach my emotions,music,Bryston does exactly that.

What more requires to be said?

Be well...

nocrapman · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 10:06 pm »

Thanks guys!
That was very helpful! Exactly the enabling, this addict needs!!

Now to look for a place to purchase. No local dealer here in Syracuse NY.

Any reason not to buy used from AG? Is the warranty transferable?

nocrapman · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 10:09 pm »

Quote from: rollo on 21 Dec 2010, 07:09 pm

If you like the house sound of Bryston gear then by all means buy one. The warranty and customer service is one of the best if not the best around.
When I owned Bryston amps I blew it up by accident and Bryston STILL fixed it for free. I will never forget that. Highly reccomended.
BTW Classe is right up there with them. Excellent customer service. Listen to both as the character of sound is different. Good luck listening.

charles

Thats awesome!
Now can someone verbalise the difference in the two voicings - Classe vs Bryston?
I am highly unlikely to find them side by side for a while, if ever...

Laundrew · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 Dec 2010, 10:28 pm »

Quote from: nocrapman on 21 Dec 2010, 10:09 pm

Thats awesome!
Now can someone verbalise the difference in the two voicings - Classe vs Bryston?
I am highly unlikely to find them side by side for a while, if ever...

Greetings

At the end of the day, you should definitely audition the equipment you wish to purchase - at all costs. Also, audition as much gear as you can. What I do enjoy about the Bryston Audio Circle is that the majority of members here will be upfront and tell you what they like about Bryston and perhaps more importantly; tell you what they do not like about Bryston.

At times, I am at a loss for words to adequately describe how I feel about the performance of my audio system and what it means to me. Having said this, my system may not sound very good to you. Appreciation of music is such a personal choice and after all, we all hear music differently.

Best wishes on your quest.

Be well…

vegasdave · « **Reply #18 on:** 22 Dec 2010, 12:00 am »

Quote from: nocrapman on 21 Dec 2010, 10:09 pm

Thats awesome!
Now can someone verbalise the difference in the two voicings - Classe vs Bryston?
I am highly unlikely to find them side by side for a while, if ever...

Good question. Classe to me is a bit colored and congested. BRYSTON is neutral, but bright recordings will be bright, dull recordings will be dull, and so on and so forth.

vegasdave · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 Dec 2010, 12:02 am »

Quote from: Laundrew on 21 Dec 2010, 10:28 pm

Greetings

At the end of the day, you should definitely audition the equipment you wish to purchase - at all costs. Also, audition as much gear as you can. What I do enjoy about the Bryston Audio Circle is that the majority of members here will be upfront and tell you what they like about Bryston and perhaps more importantly; tell you what they do not like about Bryston.

At times, I am at a loss for words to adequately describe how I feel about the performance of my audio system and what it means to me. Having said this, my system may not sound very good to you. Appreciation of music is such a personal choice and after all, we all hear music differently.

Best wishes on your quest.

Be well…