Now that I've had the chance to live with the Bryston Mini-T for a few months, I thought some of you might find it interesting to read a few comments regarding how they compare to the Monitor Audio Silver 6, which I moved to the bedroom.
First, it is hard to ignore the price difference, of course. New vs new, the Bryston at about $4k/pair (in black ash) vs the (recently discontinued) MA at its $1150/pair new street price means you'd pay more than thrice the amount. Having bought my Mini-Ts used, it is easier to ignore, since my price difference was less than $700.
Expense is such a relative concept. Many AKers would never spend this much on speakers, even when they could afford them. Some may consider my mentioning their prices as bragging. Others are willing to spend even more, and quite a few would expect to see much larger cabinets for their dollar. We reside all over the map. However, quite a few of you will understand that in today's audio speaker world, these are basically budget models, so if I want to brag, it can only be to simply say I think I made good choices.
The second thing you notice, after hearing both these pairs, is that you can't ignore the Bryston's deeper, richer bass output, nor it's ability to energize a medium-size room (about 370 sq ft) with impressive volume. Although Bryston did choose to use the Mini moniker in their model nomenclature, these aren't Superzero or Minimus 7 size. At 22.5" in height with a 10.5x10" footprint, they are a largish (by current standards) stand-mount loudspeaker. Also, keep in mind that the footprint isn't square - the non-parallel speaker sides are tapered to the rear, making the speaker even smaller. But that eight-inch woofer - apparently designed and built by Axiom - has the cojones to deliver impressive bass performance. To my ear, they blend beautifully with the SVS subwoofers which I use as their speaker stands.
By contrast, the Silver 6 has a taut bass alignment which doesn't delve as deeply. I'm using them with a small pair of Polk PSW-111 eight-inch subwoofers, and love that combination for my bedroom. They sound right together, blending better than the Silver 6 did with the larger SVS models. Now, this is in hindsight. At the time I thought the Silver 6 were wonderful with the larger subs, but once the Bryston supplanted them on the main rig, and I moved the 6 into the bedroom, pairing them with the Polk subs, I came to realize this sounds better to me, and that the Mini-T integrates much more seamlessly with the larger (12") subs.
I really enjoy both presentations. As for the mids and highs, I may as well flip a coin. Not that they sound exactly the same. Sometimes I think I prefer the Silver 6 mids and HFs. It almost comes down to preferring whichever I'm hearing at the time. But, I tend to choose classical music for probably 80% of my bedroom listening, where the taut presentation reveals great midrange resolution from the MA. Also, the MA gold tweeter has impressed me from the start. Of course, when I listen to classical on the main rig, I really like the weightiness of a symphony orchestra which that system does better.
I noticed when shopping for the Silver 6 that What Hi-FI? remarked of it, "not as resolving as some" and one supposes they mean some in the same price range. Whoever opined that probably has the chance to hear more speakers than I. Or maybe has a bias. I am definitely biased. Perhaps this resolution I so enjoy from the S6 is partially a byproduct of its tauter bass alignment, causing the mids to stand out more. I'm uncertain.
But I most certainly do love and enjoy both systems. As a value alert, I have seen the Silver 6 still available now and again, and priced as low as $399 each, in walnut.
Amplification for the two systems consists of the Levinson on the main rig with the Mini-T, and a Yamaha A-S500 driving the Silver 6. I expect the Levinson to deliver, but must add that the Yamaha continues to wow me, too. I run it Pure Direct all the time, and the Monitor Audio seem to be an easy gig for it.
