Bryston vs MBL

Thanks everyone.  IIm going to do more resarch but its tough to find this level of equipment to bring in for demo in ones own home.  Therefore have to base purchase on reviews.  For now, i think the Brystons are best bang for the buck. Pass Xa 200.5 is stretching the budget but could do if i only knew it was signficantly better than the 7b3.  Back to need auditioning which is unrealistic.

" Pass Xa 200.5 is stretching the budget but could do if i only knew it was signficantly better than the 7b3."

That's the problem. There is no one is better than the other. If you listened to both amps, you would see that they sound very different. The designers take a completely different approach as to how they do things. Some people will like the Bryston, while other will pick the Pass.

" Bryston appealed more due to power for dollar, warranty and still have decent looks."

You need to be careful with power amp ratings. There's no standard that everyone has to go by. Each company does it their own way. If you took 5 power amps from 5 different companies, all rated for the same amount of power, and measured them all the same way, you would get different results for all 5 amps. 

Just to give an example, I used to have a Pass amp that was rated for 40 watts/ch. When I put it next to my Krell that had 250 watts/ch, there wasn't much difference. The bass was a little tighter, but you would never guess that you were comparing a 40 watt amp to a 250 watt amp. 

If you live in the US and don't have any local dealers, give The Cable Company a call. They should be able to send you some amps to demo. They carry Accuphase, BAT, ASR, Luxman, NuForce, Auralic, Bel Canto and probably a few others that I'm forgetting. Out of all those brands, I would want to try a solid state BAT. I can only guess, but I'm pretty sure you would prefer a BAT over the Bryston. Bryston is a good sounding amp, but its a high feedback design, and they don't come alive with music when compared to amps like BAT. 

You haven't mentioned tubes, so I'm assuming you're not interrested. But if you would consider tubes, you can get something like an ARC VT-200. Needless to say, it would be a good match for your preamp.

Another high power consideration for you is the Aesthetix Atlas. Underappreciated in my opinion, and resale units seem like a bargain. I own a stereo Atlas amp.

" Another high power consideration for you is the Aesthetix Atlas. Underappreciated in my opinion, and resale units seem like a bargain. I own a stereo Atlas amp."

Its funny you bring the Atlis up. I know its a good amp but I won't recommend anything I haven't heard myself. But it is tempting, especially since I have a Calypso. Have you compared the Atlas to Ayre? I have 2 V-5's in my system now and I haven't heard anything that makes me want to upgrage. Just curiouis. 

MB1, Your point about the Pass 40 vs Krell is well taken! I plugged in my Krell 250 in place of the Levinson and the extra 300 watts at 4ohms was negligent.  Sound was tinny and lifeless with the Krell with the additional wattage that it supposedly delivered.  Im sure Krell has better amps but for now, steering clear of them.  My old Sunfire Cinema Grand sounded better.  So yes, your point about power is well taken. Perhaps i just proved to myself that power doesn't mean a whole lot.  I posted a new thread about Pass XA200.5 vs Pass X350.8.  IS the power difference significant?  Sound quality or characteristics?