Bryston bashing over on Audio Asylum

Elizabeth · « **on:** 23 Jan 2011, 04:48 pm »

In the General forum, someone diss'ing Bryston, saying they cancelled advertisiing over the 7B-SST2 review.
I told that OP off. but James might give them a 'what for' also.

werd · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 04:57 pm »

Quote from: Elizabeth on 23 Jan 2011, 04:48 pm

In the General forum, someone diss'ing Bryston, saying they cancelled advertisiing over the 7B-SST2 review.
I told that OP off. but James might give them a 'what for' also.

You gotta give us a link!!

Laundrew · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 05:05 pm »

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=general&m=582804&VT=T

Would this be the one

Be well...

mclsound · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 05:28 pm »

Well I have been(to this day) still looking for a person with Wilson Max 3($68,000),DCS($70,000)etc. that would buy the 7bsst2's($8000).To me this level of audiophile would look at a amp/s that are at least in the 50-60%($30-$40,000) value bracket as the other pieces.I believe Mikey Freemer(to this day) should have been a little more realistic on his product testing.I see for a skeeming(to justify himself some how) review he looked at PMC's dinky box(What a joke!!) when he should have looked at the EB1's/IB2's with the 7bsst's....So kudo's to Brystons decision!

James Tanner · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 05:36 pm »

Quote from: Elizabeth on 23 Jan 2011, 04:48 pm

In the General forum, someone diss'ing Bryston, saying they cancelled advertisiing over the 7B-SST2 review.
I told that OP off. but James might give them a 'what for' also.

Hi Elizabeth,

Yes advertising and with which magazine to advertise in is always something we wrestle with at the beginning of every year when we set the budget. This past year we thought we would try more on-line advertising instead of the traditional hard copy advertising so we have placed Bryston banners on a number of online sights and are assessing if that works better for us.

Also we have decided to spend more of our advertising budget on attending industry trade and consumer shows. So nothing sinister going on that I am aware of.

Stereophile is a terrific magazine and I know many of the reviewers there and have much admiration for many of them - including Mike I might add

james

Elizabeth · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 05:44 pm »

True. The spreading of Bryston being a good choice is pretty well going on all by itself on the internet sites. The folks to reach are the indecisive ones.. they need demos.. so they can hear Bryston for themselves.. As soon as they do.. they will be impressed.

KJ · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 05:48 pm »

Quote

To me this level of audiophile would look at a amp/s that are at least in the 50-60%($30-$40,000) value bracket as the other pieces.

You believe someone should consider a product based off a "value bracket" simply because their other gear has a particular price tag associated with it?

Pez · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 05:51 pm »

Haha people still read Stereophile? Got a free copy of it at RMAF opened it up... Yawned... Chucked it into the pile of other crapizines my wife reads.

James Tanner · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 05:57 pm »

Quote from: Elizabeth on 23 Jan 2011, 05:44 pm

True. The spreading of Bryston being a good choice is pretty well going on all by itself on the internet sites. The folks to reach are the indecisive ones.. they need demos.. so they can hear Bryston for themselves.. As soon as they do.. they will be impressed.

Hi Elizabeth,

Yes if I look back over the past few years and especially the last 2 years I think we have been able, through demo’s, to show that Bryston gear sounds very good with many different speakers. PMC, Thiel, Magnepan to name a few.

So I agree the more we can expose people (especially younger budding audiophiles) to our product the better. I have always said “THE DEMO IS EVERYTHING” – it’s easy to talk a good story but being able to assemble a quality sounding system time after time at these trade shows goes a long way to proving the quality and value of a Bryston product in my opinion.

james

Phil A · « **Reply #9 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 06:24 pm »

I have not looked at an audio magazine in ages. Like any other profession, there are good and bad reviewers. Many moons back when my friend worked at the local high end shop, I did all his deliveries/installs with him. We set up a system for a well known TV weatherman. He wanted what he wanted. Needless to say and to make a long story short, his set-up included a Rel Sub. A well known and still current magazine reviewer lived next door. My friend was furious when he had to go back there after this 'expert' took the sub from the front corner of the room and moved it behind the listening couch and hooked it up wrong. If one follows a particular reviewer over a period of time and is somewhat familiar with what is in the review system, they can be a useful tool in gauging how things might sound. When I used to get the magazine, I found I liked the music reviews best and found out about a lot of things that way. That was before the internet. Years later (and many many moons ago), when I resubscribed for a year, I got nothing out of it. Boring and not useful for anything. I have not even looked at a magazine in probably over 5 years if not closer to 10.

1ZIP · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 06:52 pm »

Valid or not the January 2010 review of the 7B SST2 is pretty ugly! I did think that one of the AA posters description of Bryston folks sitting on the edge of their seat listening to the conductor fart was pretty funny.

James Tanner · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 06:56 pm »

Quote from: 1ZIP on 23 Jan 2011, 06:52 pm

Valid or not the January 2010 review of the 7B SST2 is pretty ugly! I did think that one of the AA posters description of Bryston folks sitting on the edge of their seat listening to the conductor fart was pretty funny.

Did not see that - implying that resolution of inner detail is a fault?

James

Phil A · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:03 pm »

Here is the whole post:

"First Bryston is one of those kind of like it or you don't amp sounds. I know so many audiophiles personally that just can't stand the sound (and these are Canadians so you want to support the team and everything).

Still, it's not the first time Bryston has received mediocre press. One of their amps got a so-so review in the Canadian review magazine UHF and another got 3/5 stars in one of the British magazines (hi-fi Choice/what hi fi).

I doubt they pulled their advertising over that - they probably shifted it somewhere else. They are a pro amp maker first and foremost and audiophiles tend to listen to music more passionately and perhaps more romantically sitting back in the chair letting the music wash over them than front of the seat listening concentrating on whether he can hear the conductor fart in the second movement. Which makes it difficult to relax.

And the many fans know where to find them. They're hugely popular and have maybe the best warranty out there so they don't really need to advertise much."

James Tanner · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:05 pm »

OK - that's valid - we have always stood for 'tell my the truth - good or bad'

James

ralph1950 · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:17 pm »

While I will read reviews on products, I take them with a grain of salt. Most professional reviewers are really full of, well you know what! While I am more into movies that audio now days, I find the pro reviewers on movies are usually wrong compared to most viewers out there in the mainstream public. One bad review compared to many good reviews does not a bad product make! I always said, make a customer happy and he/she will tell several others. Make one mad, and he/she will tell every Tom, Dick, & Harry in the world. So, I would say, just overlook this bashing, and don't feed it or it will grow. You folks know Bryston products are great and some Joe is not going to change your mind.

bummrush · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:20 pm »

Isn't Fremers room on the small side to even be reviewing items ,I could be messed up not sure

ricko01 · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:27 pm »

Quote from: ralph1950 on 23 Jan 2011, 07:17 pm

While I will read reviews on products, I take them with a grain of salt. Most professional reviewers are really full of, well you know what!

Over at The Absolute Sound, 'HP' has a hard on for Bryston. In the lastest magazine, of the Bryston 28B (SST-2) monoblocks he says "I say this is the most musical solid-state design I’ve heard".

Whether you place any kudos on comments made by HP, the statement has been made.

And while the 7B-SST-2 reviewed by MF isnt a 28B, there is obviously a strong family resemblence between the two so as they say "One man's meat is another man's poison "

Peter

James Tanner · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:39 pm »

Most reviewers I have met are just like us in that they enjoy music and the gear that makes it. The advantage a reviewer has is the exposure too so many different products that few of us have the time or the where-with-all to assess.

I have been to many reviewer’s homes over the many years I have been doing this and most are quality people with a love for music and the audio business. Sure they all have a particular bias and areas of performance where they assign more emphasis than others when evaluating a product. But I think most care about what they are doing and take it seriously and try to be as fair and open minded as possible. Also remember that reviewers like ourselves may change their opinions over time as they mature – what I liked in an audio system when I was 25 is almost unlistenable to me now!

So I do not think you can just dismiss what a specific reviewers opinion of a specific product is. Take it for what it is – an opinion based on his particular system and set-up and bias. One thing I will say is that there appears to be a line where most people will agree, ‘that sounds good’ – (I really notice this at audio shows) – but beyond that we all start to dissect what we prefer about system A vs system B vs C etc.

It’s all about enjoying the reproduction of music in our homes given the level of our understanding at the time.

James

Elizabeth · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:47 pm »

One point about reviews that has drastically changed over the years:
Used to be a review was a make or break comment.
What a reviewer said in a magazine could either be a death knell. or a new opportunity to become a major player. (the original HP love of Audio research for example, brought ARC out of the shadows and into being a big brand.)
So now, with the internet, that power is really gone from the reviewers' hand. The internet softens the results so much so that a review, one way OR the other, is only a small drop in a very large pond of comments, reviews, criticism and praise.

Laundrew · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 08:00 pm »

I was bored so I went looking for it...

http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/bryston_7b_sstsup2sup_monoblock_power_amplifier/index.html

It would be very interesting to compare the 28B SST² to the Titan; after all, an “apples-to-apples” comparison would be expecting perhaps too much. Reinforces why I place little creditability in these professional publications. Oh well, at the very least, they do have pretty pictures.

Be well...