1. Home
  2. amps-preamps
  3. 136213-92196

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
professorsvsu OP
75 posts
 
I purchased the 4B3 right after the JC5 was released for sale. I thought about purchasing the JC5, or at least auditioning, then I nixed the thought. It's marketed as two JC1 monoblocks under one roof for 2/3 the cost . . . . . or something like that. I'm not an engineer, but it seems as though Parasound had the mindset to market something different as opposed to something better in an effort to stay contemporary. Bryston on the other hand came up with a new input circuit in an effort to make the Cubed series quieter and more revealing than their previous models. Better? I believe that was the goal of Bryston engineers and it caught my attention along with a multitude of other selling points.
I purchased and kept the 4B3 with no regrets except for the fact that the cost is twice what I paid for my first new car (1972 Mustang). It has offered a "better" listening experience than I've ever had and will almost certainly outlive me.
taww's avatar
taww
80 posts
 
Just got my new speaker in, Audiovector SR 1 Avantgarde Arreté. Ruthlessly revealing 2-way monitor. The Bryston sounds very, very good with it, better than my Ayre AX7e. The speaker is one of those small not-that-efficient (87.5dB) monitors that is deceptively power-hungry, and the 4B3 fills it out better than the Ayre which is pretty limited in current capability. The AMT tweeter extends to 52kHz and doesn't cut an unrefined amp any slack whatsover. The Bryston combo is impressively smooth, not a hint of solid state coarseness. Pretty impressed, it's a good amp for sure.
jafant's avatar
jafant
10,525 posts
 

Thanks! for sharing- taww.


I am really looking forward in auditioning the 4B3. Keep reviewing and writing.  Happy Listening!

pwhinson
97 posts
 
I'm trialing (on loan from a dealer) a 4b3 having about 7 years ago trialed a pair of 7b2 which I didn't like at ALL...those monos seemed very hard and brittle to me on the upper mid range and highs although it could have been a question of break-in.  In contrast, I DO like the 4b3 quite alot, the demo unit I'm listening to is well broken in and the amp has a great delicate upper midrange and high frequencies.  I would say the only thing it lacks is a little bit of dimensionality among instruments in the sound stage but I've generally found that only with tube gear.  The front end is an Anesthetix Janus tubed preamp and the dac is a Bryston DBA-1, and my speaker are Thiel 2.4s.  The only thing that keeps me from buying the Bryston unit is a little bit of a thirst to try some Pass labs on the power amp side, probably a pair of XA60.8's if I can get my hands on a pair.  Unfortunately there's no Pass dealer anywhere near Atlanta so I guess I'll need to deal with the Reno folks or just buy used amps outright.  If anyone in Atlanta has a couple of Pass amps sitting around and wants to play, hit me up.  Of course the things are not exactly easily "portable."  Ha.
Post removed 
More to discover