Finally took the Bryston 4B Cubed plunge


Back in January, I solicited folks on the forum for input on the Bryston 4B cubed amp. I was kicking around the idea of replacing my Parasound A21 amp. After dealing with poor health for the past few months, I finally did it! My take on the Bryston is: it's a keeper. It is a better sounding amp than my A21, but by only a very small margin. The Bryston gives the feel of being in a concert hall. An extremely full sounding amp with great detail and there's more emphasis on instrument placement than I've experienced before. The bass doesn't suffer at all either, very tight and clear. In comparison only to the two amps I'm discussing, if the Bryston were a "10", the Parasound would be a close "9". If I were to improve on my system (God forbid, I already have $35K into it), the 4B cubed would definitely be driving it. A premium solid state amp. 
To all the the forum members that were willing to guide me with their opinions, I give a heartfelt thanks. My previous posts (inquiries) were met with sincerity and am grateful that none of the discussion went off the rails. A few members contacted me personally, some I couldn't respond to. I didn't try to ignore anyone, there's simply a downside to old age and a weak heart.
professorsvsu

fsonicsmith

ARC and Bryston makes for a very nice combination for those that want a tubed pre/solid state power amp. Specifically, I auditioned the Ref5SE and 4B-SST2. Wonderful synergy in full effect.


Happy Listening!

Rock On! elizabeth

The BP-26 is most certainly no slouch at all.

Happy Listening!

jafant,
Now I await your update on the 4B3. =)I speak for myself and hopefully elizabeth as well when I say, "try it, you'll like it."
@jafant for interconnects I'm using either Audience Au24 SX (admittedly a little out of whack price-wise with the Brystons) or DH Labs Revelation. I also have DH Labs Air Matrix and some assorted other budget things lying around, but most of my time has been with one the Audience or Revelation.

For speaker cables, Audience Au24 SX or DH Labs Q-10 Signature. Power cable has been Audience powerChord SE-i, DH Labs Corona or the stock 14-3 cord which is actually pretty ok on the 4B3. 

The funny thing is early on when the Brystons weren't broken in, I much preferred the DH Labs wires - the Audience made the darkness and murkiness worse. Then as the gear opened up, the DH Labs became a bit too forward and I went back to the Audience, and now everything is lovely. The Audience are more refined cables and cost a pretty penny more so this isn't an indictment of the excellent DH Labs cables at all, but I also think it points to how it takes time for the Bryston to balance out. If gear works well with the Audience that could be taken as a good sign we're getting closer to the big leagues, as they are outstanding wires used as a reference in some extremely impressive ($$$) high-end systems.