Bryston VS Musical Fidelity


Hi gang,

I'm looking for opinions on this. Has anyone compared
The Bryston 4BSST to the Musical Fidelity A5 power amp?
greg_lett
Musical Fidelity is overrated but more musical to me than the Bryston.
Yet there are many tube amplifiers that have more musicality than either. So I guess I am a tube groupie, in that regard. Tubes sound more like music to me than solid state, and further, hybrid combo's of tubes and solid state, with tubes as pre's and solid state as the amplifiers sound most life like.
For example, in the past an Adcom amp, with a conrad johnson amp had a more palpable sound with regard to sonic realism to me, than many other combinations.
There is a reason why amps use mosfet designs, and it has to do with the sense of tube like sound.
The question is, what do I recommend. VAC is a good place to start. Oftentimes Kevin Hayes of VAC has used pieces for sale on his website. Or just call and talk to him. You will learn more about tube gear from him in minutes than I could write in hours.
I've compared and used many solid state amps. The Brsyton SST series amps offer great sound quality within their price range and up. As a matter of fact the only amp that has sounded better (in my current system) than my 4B-SST, has been a Pass Labs X-250.

Bryston amps have some of the best bass I have ever heard, solid, fast, and extremely well controlled. The SST series have very competitive mids and none of the exaggerated highs of the much earlier models.

As far a a MF to Bryston comparison, well... you can see I have no MF gear. They make fine products and I have never heard a MF piece that made me say, ugh!
Lrsky, in the two years we've known each other, you have owned SS or digital amps...Belles, Spectron, Gryphon, Halcro, Jungson and now the unmentionable one. Have I missed any? I know you look for tube qualities in your amps, and you write of being a tube-o-phile, yet you own SS. You're not walkin' the walk, my friend.

Gregg_lett is asking about a 300wpc SS amp for $2000 (4B SST). What does VAC have at that price point...even used...that's comparable?
Has any one listened to the Bryston and Belles amps side by side? What are the sonic differences? Also is there any difference in the Bryston line between the 4bsst and say the 14bsst or 7bsst mono's, or is it just headroom?