[headshrinker2]

Greetings all.  Starting with a S/H BDA-1 I picked up in silver, I then went with a silver S/H B100SST.  I'm on the fence about black vs silver. 

From those who have bought and sold Bryston stuff, is it easier to resell black Bryston gear?  Is there much of a market for silver?  I'd especially love to hear from any dealers on the forums.

Thanks.

[rmurray]

 I have everything black. If I bought a used piece it would be only black. It looks more studio like and goes with any all my ties and shirts as well......

[ricko01]

Three comments:

1- all "big box" retailer gear is black... so from a psychological (for me)... if its black.... its low end

2- While both silver and black are anodized (and therefore undergo the same treatment), silver looks more luxurious... again psychological

3- Most highend gear from other manufacturers is silver... its rare to see black in someones listening room.... so to me its would seem easier to sell silver cause most gear the purchaser has is already silver.


Looking "studio like" might appeal to you, but for me ... having spent $$$ on a component... I want it to look upmarket.

[Diamond Dog]

 Hi Headshrinker: Perhaps this will help.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=58416.0

D.D.

[95Dyna]

My 7B SST2's, BP26/MPS2 and Torus CS15 are silver with the Brystons in 19" w/handles.  My sources are all black and there's no way the Esoteric X-05 looks like a box store piece.  The VPI classic kind of ties it all together with the table in black and the big 22 lb. platter and JMW 10.1 SE tonearm in silver.  Sitting under the table is the Ray Samuels F-117 Nighthawk phono stage in black with silver load and gain adjustmentt knobs.  To each his/her own, it looks mighty fine to me.

[Phil A]

Hi Headshrinker: Perhaps this will help.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=58416.0

D.D.

As the thread above noted, it gives details on sales of colors.  Mine are black as they are part of a HT (as are 80% of sales).  It matches my other stuff and I find silver more distracting when watching something.  Even where I have looked at bedroom TVs, I don't like silver as a frame around the screen.  It seems to me that more components today are black so I like to have it match.  Many moons ago, I owned Phase Linear equipment and it was always challenging to find things in silver.

[Stu Pitt]

I bought my B60 second hand in black.  Matched my CDP at the time.  When I moved, I had to put everything in the living room.  Changed the faceplate on the B60 so it could blend in with the cable box and Xbox somewhat.  Had I known how much better silver looked on my B60, I'd have changed it a long time ago.  My new DAC is silver in order to have a uniform look between the B60 and ATV 1.

I've seen pretty much all the Bryston current gear.  I think silver looks better, but that's just me.

I don't anticipate ever selling my B60, but if I do I won't be limited to a silver vs black buyer, as I have both.

I'd have loved to get the current silver faceplate, but I'd have to drill some holes which I'm not 100% comfortable doing. 

[jas007]

I think the the colors go in and out of favor.

I'm sort of a contrarian, so I ordered all black stuff because everyone now seems to like silver.

Remember the colors of all the kitchen appliances back in the 70s?  Harvest Gold or some silly green stuff.  It was all the rage then, but now it looks dated.

[Elizabeth]

I have all black stuff. party because i HAD black stuff, and as i added other stuff it was black to match the stuff i HAD before.. so i am in the black camp, due to historical 'blackness' of the stuff i used to own going back 30 years....
It is usually easier to read the print on black equipment, rather than black print on silver faces.
I sort of would be willing to opt for a real Gold faced product. But it would be expensive, now. (and faux gold usually get scuzzy.)

The one real flaw with black, is if it gets scratched, it really shows. Somehow my BP-26 got a tiny nick on the face top edge. I used a marker to 'hid' it. But I know it is there. 
Then if I clean it, it looks odd. The surface of the black Bryston looks best if it is very teeny tiny bit 'oily'.

Added: then the rack handles issue. I got the wide face and rack handles on my amp because it just has no character without the handles. (and they make it a LOT easier to lift!!)

[srb]

There are some brands of components with really ugly silver finishes, particularly some of the Chinese offerings.  But the Bryston silver brushed aluminum finish is extremely attractive and precise looking.
 
I think a nice rack with all Bryston components looks great whether the components are silver or black, as long as they matched - all silver or all black.  Mixing silver and black tends to look a bit more thrown together.
 
James said that 70% of North American sales were silver, so I think that could translate into a slightly quicker resale, but I think that if priced correctly for the used market, either one will sell, at worst case the black could take a few extra days or weeks.
 
That being said, I would just buy and enjoy the color that is most appealing to you.  Just like you would the color of a car.
 
Steve
 
 

[redbook]

 Looking "luxurious" may be important in some minds but basic black appears more serious. That's why the cheap stuff copies the Studio look. Bryston is a studio grade name and anyone that is aware of this will appreciate what's behind the color.

[Diamond Dog]

I have all black stuff. party because i HAD black stuff, and as i added other stuff it was black to match the stuff i HAD before.. so i am in the black camp, due to historical 'blackness' of the stuff i used to own going back 30 years....
It is usually easier to read the print on black equipment, rather than black print on silver faces.
I sort of would be willing to opt for a real Gold faced product. But it would be expensive, now. (and faux gold usually get scuzzy.)

Another perspective...
From the Manley Labs website - EveAnna Manley on gold-finished faceplates, audiophiles, crows and shiny things :

FAQ #124K. Why did you switch all your hifi cosmetics recently from that wonderful gaudy gold and shiny stainless-steel back to your old classic colors: black and that blue-grey color?

A few reasons: First, I'll go on record and state that I personally never liked the gold look although many audiophiles are like crows and like shiny things. But what I like takes a back seat to what you guys like, so we were doing this 24K gold plated faceplate thing for everyone since about 1994.

Second, this was a massive headache. We must have gone through ten different plating houses trying to get a flawless job consistently done. We probably rejected getting near to 80% of the panels at times and I don't want to know how much that really cost us over the years.

Third, especially in humid countries, we were finding that the gold-over-nickel-over aluminum process was really not "lasting forever" and the plating was flaking off the faceplates. I do not like this and neither would you if you had to keep sending customers in Hong Kong and Singapore new faceplates every year. We even tried lacquer over the gold to seal it all in but again, this also was problematic and many panels would get rejected for flaws in the lacquer (sags, dust, runs, etc.) We know you guys will not accept flaws in the finishing. What I am trying to tell you here is that flawless gold plated panels are nearly impossible to achieve especially for large production runs.

Fourth, I find that the shiny stuff scratches easily leading to more rejects we have to eat and gear not looking as beautiful as it should after a few years. The black wrinkle powder coat now used on the chassis is as tough as nails and the brushed aluminum anodized faceplates are much more durable and scratch-resistant.

D.D.

 

[Lancelot]

 I like black and is the colour of all my components ( which includes a Bryston amp). I can understand why someone might prefer silver but I really don't get the silver front but black body as found on Bryston and from many companies.

All silver ( like Ayre ) is a far more attractive option IMO. I really dislike the combo silver/black faceplates ( some Classe for example).

[jaxwired]

Love the silver.  In fact my BP6 was originally black and I purchased a silver faceplate and swapped it out.  My amp I purchased new in silver.  I also prefer the 17" face without handles.  Just looks more elegant with the smaller face IMO. 

The black is also very nice but I like how much easier the silver is to see.  It's kind of hard to make out the Bryston logo on the black face.

[sfraser]

Well the good news is that beauty is only skin deep.......except with Bryston products, where it is clean to the bone.

[SoundGame]

I'm with black for the HT gear and silver when it comes to the 2-ch rig.  My BP6 and 4B-SST2 are both silver 19", the amp having the rack handles - the handles come in very handy when you need to move the 60lb bohemoth.

[vegasdave]

I like both actually. There's advantages to both.

[SoundGame]

I would think that since traditionally Bryston produced only black and silver was a newer introduction (not sure what year / series), the silver may tend to reflect a more contemporary trend.  This could also be why all the primary images on the Bryston site are of the silver version - and with amplifiers, usually silver with handles.  That said - the pro versions are shown in black.  Perhaps, black for pro and silver for consumer?

[won ton on]

silver all the way. though i do like the look of all silver on the ayre stuff

[spinner]

I'll stick with the pro looking black.... It is a timeless look  and not subject to tends..