Bryston?

[_Scotty_]

I good friend of mine recently heard the Pass XA60.5 and said it was very good. Transparency,PRAT,
dynamic life and sound staging were all present and accounted for. Both he and I are looking for neutrality and the ability to just pass the information through without loss or alteration. The XA60.5 meets this criteria.
I would hesitate to extrapolate beyond the XA60.5 and expect the same transparency and life from the higher powered models. Frequently when the rail voltage is raised to increase the power output of the amp
the higher voltage transistors do not sound as good as their lower voltage counterparts and the sound of the amp takes a hit,an unfortunate fact of life. It would certainly be worth hearing his higher powered amps in the current line if you need more power than 60watts/ch. His latest designs are not as dark, have improved transparency and are more dynamic than his older designs.
Scotty

[spudco]

I have the X-350.  I have used it for several years.  It replaced a Goldmund 28M in my system and I have never looked back.  In addition to the Goldmund, I have also owned Plinius solid state amps with these same speakers.

Although I have a large room and have been know to rock the casbah on occasion, I have never even begun to challange this amplifier.

As for the X-1 preamp, I can only say that is "disappears".  It seems to be without character.  In the past, I used Aloia and Goldmund solid state preamps.  The Pass is similar to the Goldmund.  I did have a Kora tube preamp for a while with my Plinius amp and it was a good match (and had a great phono section) but somewhat colored.  I love the harmonics from tubes but they can be a hassel.  I use my system around 19 hours a day and never power it off...  That is hard on tubes...

The Pass Labs stuff is truely built to last a lifetime.  You might wish to spend a few minutes talking with the folks at Pass Labs.  They are extremely helpful and know their products inside and out.  They are very happy with the newer versions.  I haven't heard them in my home, but a freind who traded up loves his X-250.5.  He thinks it has a slightly better midrange.

If I were able to make a change in my system today, after replacing my Audiomeca DAC, I would buy an X-350.5.

[richidoo]

Been reading some Pass reviews. Thanks for the comments guys. I will look for a chance to listen to one.

I have the same problem with system play time, I have to retube about every 10 months, which is part of the consideration. It is encouraging to learn that there are ss possibilities that tube lovers are digging without reservation. That's exactly the advice I was looking for.
Rich

[bobrex]

Rich, why not just buy tube equipment that doesn't eat tubes?  I recently retubed my Joule Electra and Herron after 7 years of problem free operation.  My 2A3 monoblocks went 5 years without problems before I lost an output tube.  Did I lose performance?  Maybe a little ( a real little), but it still sounded better than SS.

[bpape]

That's part of the trick.  Especially in preamps, the tubes usually are run at voltages well under their rating so their lifespan can be quite good.  Output tubes in amps on the other hand are usually run harder so their life isn't so pleasant many times.

Bryan

[richidoo]

I think I'm getting pretty typical lifetime from the tubes, but like spudco I play music all day. Tube life is rated typical 2500 hours and that goes by in a year for me. I think Manley runs them a little warm, but the sound is great, and it's only a couple hundred bucks to retube.

I'm with your bobrex, I am skeptical that SS can really replace a good tube amp. But there are so many cocky ss amp designers nowadays, they can't all be full of shit, right? I think it's worth a listen. For convenience it would be great to send my tubes the way of the steam locomotive, but I am still true to the final result, so we'll see where it leads.

[EricH]

I owned a 4bsst for 2 years. It was a very good amp. Very clean and neutral without being etchy. I also owned Audio Valve challengers which are tube amps. What the Brystons lacked is the warmth in the mods that tubes offer. But I have no complaints regarding the bryston. Great amp. I hear the 28bsst's are really amazing, but at 8,000 each they are out of my reach (way out)

[rollo]

Bright O Bryston. Only with speakers on the dark side IMO. If you listen to rock only its a winner.


charles

[EricH]

Bright O Bryston. Only with speakers on the dark side IMO. If you listen to rock only its a winner.


charles

I think that was probably more true with the pre-sst versions. The SST changes have added more musicality and smoothness to the Bryston amps. YMMV

[richidoo]

28B-SST lauded by his holiness Harry Pearson in newest TAS mag. Review coming, but other reviews have been equally gushing about the delicacy and intimacy combined with almighty power in one box.  The amp design is cool. I'm still looking forward to hearing them!

[EricH]

28B-SST lauded by his holiness Harry Pearson in newest TAS mag. Review coming, but other reviews have been equally gushing about the delicacy and intimacy combined with almighty power in one box.  The amp design is cool. I'm still looking forward to hearing them!

They are another one I would love to audition. I wonder if there is a dealer in or near Austin that has them

[richidoo]

TX dealers are in Manuel and Houston.

[rollo]

28B-SST lauded by his holiness Harry Pearson in newest TAS mag. Review coming, but other reviews have been equally gushing about the delicacy and intimacy combined with almighty power in one box.  The amp design is cool. I'm still looking forward to hearing them!

Me too. Hey my first amp was Bryston paired to Maggie 3As. Great company who stands behind their products. When I damaged my amp Brston fixed it for FREE and upgraded the transformer as well for FREE. Hoping their new 28B SST.


hoping,


charles

[allenzachary]

While I haven't heard any of the recent (mid '90's or newer---I'm so out of touch) Bryston amps, I will say the ones I have heard were gritty and strident.  They were a great "First amp" as Rollo said.  Bryston, indeed, was a step above your Japanese receivers that touted "Discrete Technology" as a high-end feature.

Bryston amps were cool looking, too.  Shiny and muscular, with chunky handles and ample heat sinks.  They got freaking loud and impressed your friends, (whose hifis consisted of those Jap receivers or, perish the thought, a boom box or walkman).  They had a similar effect on teenage boys as Camaros or GTO's.   A "wow" factor for the uninitiated.

Pass designs, on the other hand, are spectacular.  Dating back to his days as the founder of Threshold Electronics, his amps are fast and fluid.  They make hifi sound like music.

Bryston has its fans, certainly, otherwise they wouldn't have stayed afloat in a competitive industry for so long.  Still, their products just don't cut it when given serious, mature consideration.

[rollo]

   Ok boys for kicks we hooked up an older bryston 4B to the Maggies again. This time though the preamp was an olde VAC Renaissance. Well boys I'd forgotton how much slam these babies produce. With the warmth of the VAC it was truly a great listening experience. The ol 3As never sounded so good. SYNERGY SYNERGY SYNERGY !!!!!!!!


charles