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| Model: | 2B-SST |
| Category: | Amplifier (SS) |
| Suggested Retail Price: | $2650 |
| Description: | 2x100 W Power Amplifier |
| Manufacturer URL: | Bryston |
| Review by Belgarchi on June 15, 2008 at 12:08:49 IP Address: 216.80.144.198 | Add Your Review for the 2B-SST |
- Very well built (2 toroidal transformers, 60,000 microF caps)
- Very convenient: RCA and XLR input, selectable gain (23 or 29 db), not too bulky.
- 20 years warranty, and Bryston's service is excellent
- Sound is disappointing: a little bit thin, flat soundstage, mid-highs slightly aggressive. Better than Parasound A23, but inferior to Musical Fidelity A3.2cr or Conrad-Johnson MF2250A.
| Product Weakness: | Huge price increase (Canadian/US dollar), sound at this price level. |
| Product Strengths: | Built quality, Features, 20 years warranty |
| Amplifier: | Conrad-Johnson, Musical Fidelity |
| Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | Arcam |
| Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Classe, Thorens-SME |
| Speakers: | B&W, Dynaudio |
| Cables/Interconnects: | Audioquest, Kimber |
| Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Jaz, Classic, Other |
| Room Size (LxWxH): | 30 x 20 x 15 |
| Room Comments/Treatments: | Neutral |
| Time Period/Length of Audition: | 6 months |
| Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | Monster Cable |
| Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
I don't have as much time as I wish for, and I thought that it is useful to others to say the plain truth about components which are disappointing in terms of sound quality / price ratio.
The Bryston 2B-LP Pro is, in my experience, far better than the 2B-SST.
A little bit 'warm', but so involving, huge soundstage, way more dynamic than the 60W per channel suggest,...
Yves
Is your 2B the new "C-Series"? I understand the new output circuit, taken from the well reviewed 24B, is a big improvement.
we are setting the bar pretty low lately.....
Oz
... but if you want a lot of blah-blah, just tell me what you want to know, I will answer.
He did get to the point very quickly so in that respect I thought it was useful. I didn't have to weed through a ton of audiophile gibberish to learn that he didn't like the amp.
He could have simply said, this Bryston sounds like a Bryston and I would have known exactly what he meant. Snicker snicker. ;-)
As Joe Friday said, just the facts Ma'am. The "review" does convey the nuts and bolts. Adding paragraphs of descriptions like " Miles horn flowed seamlessly" or "the clocks in DSOTM were more dynamic than I heard before" is a "waiste" of space for me. That said most people would like to see more description of the experience.
ET
No No you've got it all wrong,Setting the bar low is when Stereophile does a reveiw of a ps1,and it wasnt even April 1
Tis a bit thin!
Well, hate to say it, but that's how my B60 sounded driving my Magnepan MMG's. That's kind of the archetype of the 'old' Bryston sound (ST and earlier); I'd heard the new SST's were supposed to be way better in that regard. My Odyssey Stratos monoblocs sure are. But as always, it's horses for courses, with amps. I've heard Bryston 3BST's sound just FINE, driving a pair of Vandy's.
Doubt that!
What he described is what I associate with the "SST" sound. The B60 was largely free of it.
Everything matters, don't forget to tweak your placebos!
Sounds like Bryston.
The sound should be familiar to anyone who ever listened to the first-generation of high-end SS amps. in the late 50s.
Greetings from the sunny Brønshøj riveria on the banks of the lovely Utterslev Mose
I would normally have agreed with the characteristics you describe and attribute to Bryston amps, it has been my experience as well, but....
I currently have at home a 14B SST that I purchased literally at the advice of someone I have no reason to doubt, and I just love this amp. I've been a Classe guy for many years, always liked Pass too, but my short time with the 14B is telling me I'm going to like this amp better than all those others.
I'm trying it with a number of pre's, I'll also have the chance to try it out with a number of different speakers and sources over the next 2 months, then I plan to do a review - but right at this moment, with about 30 hours of listening under my belt - I just love this amp!
Rick.
Having had a lot of experience with Bryston ( although not the 2B SST) I have to say that the SST series ( I have the 3B SST) is a significantly different animal. They still retain the transparency and detail of the older designs but with an added naturalness that sets them apart from the older designs. The SST series is especially good at soundstaging ( look at the Stereophile reviews and others).
The older ST series, which I had, was, IMO, simply on the analytical side and needed a tube pre ,warmish speaker etc. to balance the sound.
The new 28 SST( I think that's the model) is actually getting rave reviews ( from 6 moons and others) for actually have a sweet top end.
It is rather strange that the negative qualities attributed the Brystons are routinely used to describe the earlier Nuforces that you liked so much - I don't mean that as a criticism, just an observation.
The 2B SST review was very interesting to me because what he described is what I heard in the older Brystons. I had assumed that these issues were fixed in the newer models.... but I guess it's model dependent as so many Bryston fans are quick to defend the newer "SST" line.
You found that review interesting? Really? That unit probably had about as much setup up time as the actual review. So many "audiophiles" talk a great board but really lack when it comes to actually tuning in a rig.
Some just want to be heard I suppose.
Well, I don't think one needs to do a lot of "setup" or fine "tuning" in order to get a good feel for major weaknesses in a product especially when they scream at you from the get go.
I found his review interesting because what he described in the modern 2B SST is pretty much what I had heard in much older Bryston gear.
...are not useless, but let's be honnest, for a CD Player, their effect is very small compared to the differences between units.
I would say that the difference between a $25 Monster Cable interconnect and an excellent Audioquest King Cobra ($225) is ridiculously small compared to the difference the Cary CDP-1 and a Classe CDP-10, for example.
Or to answer my own assumption, I also tend to agree with the 2BLP Pro vs 2BSST assessment which supports that fact that you can't say "Bryston" and stereotype as many do. Their models do vary greatly from the 2B incarnations. The B60 is a sweet sounding amp up top with a warm and decent midband though has it's other weaknesses just as other amps do.
.
Or better perhaps, the speakers need an amplifier that isn't so flat into the speaker load. I've never had a problem with Bryston amps. For example, when I auditioned my speakers at my dealer's, we used a Bryston B100 integrated amp. They sounded very fine, and I'm sure I could live quite happily with a Bryston amp. Lots of people do.
-
"It pertains to all men to know themselves and to be temperate."
---Heraclitus of Ephesus (trans. Wheelwright)
... I had very mixed results with Bryston!
- 2B-LP : I liked the sound very much (soft and detailed, dynamic, great soundstage), but made the mistake of selling it to buy the
- 2B-SST: more watts, better look, more convenient, but disppointing sound
- Than, I bought a B60R, thinking that I would get back the sound of the 2B-LP (very similar electronic): nope! Sounds more agressive, something between 2B-LP and 2B-SST
Speakers: hum... I am going over the board, but... I have 5 different pairs of speakers for my main system, and I listen to one or another depending on my mood... B&W M802s2, diy Seas 10" 60 liters bass modules + Dynaudio F140 or B&W N805 or Seas 7" / Seas 1" or Seas 6" / Scan Speak 1", using one, two or three power amps after digital crossover (BSS FDS-336)
I appreciate the Bryston's build quality and listened to the 2b and 3b when auditioning amps, however I thought they were somewhat harsh. I ended up buying a McCormack DNA 125 and couldn't be happier. For $1600 it outperformed many amps in the $2000 to $3000 range, it has an easy to listen to, musical quality that is very addictive.
The Bryston 4BST that I used was not a harsh sounding amp. I suspect that it was better than the 4B in that regard, although I have not heard the 4B. The 4BST was just not as transparent as some newer amps. I suspect that that the latest SST series amps are improved in transparency over the ST series and are even more musical.
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