Bryston 4B What's Your Opinion?

[parisphoto]

I have an opportunity to swap for one, from the original owner.
I'm not at all familiar w/Bryston.
My tastes are for Rock & Roll through Sansui 517, AR2ax.
Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[vons]

Bryston makes excellent stuff. Some folks say their amps run to the bright side of the audio spectrum, others are just fine with them.

The build quality is superb, and they have a 20 year warranty that you will probably never use.

 

[RichPA]

There are several generations of the 4B, and they have defnitely improved: 4B, 4B NRB, 4B ST, 4B SST, now 4B SST2 - which are you looking at?

 

[SoCal Sam]

I think the 4B NRB is the first one with dual toroidal transformers. I had one for evaluation and while the sound was good, it was nothing special. The NRB I had did not have a speaker relay which allowed severe bumps to get through. I have a negative opinion of them.

 

[John in MA]

I have a late '80s 3B. Best-sounding amp I've owned. Not too bright.

 

[Alaric]

Bryston amps are generally built like a tank. Very good reputation for quality. I've heard them sound analytical , but that is also dependant on the pre and the speakers. Good resale value , so if you don't like it you should be able to sell it pretty easily.

 

[jerrygunther]

I used to sell them, and my customers loved them. The 4B has; authoritive bottom, good imaging and amazing reliability. It sounded its best when used with a tube pre like a CJ

 

[House de Kris]

I have two 4B amplifiers, one for the woofers and another for the tweeters (also a 2B-LP for the mids). For my shoestring budget, I'm very satisifed. I also don't have any desire to upgrade (for now).

 

[Jupiter1610]

If you listen to rock and currently use a Sansui AU-517 (loved that amp), I think you will like the bryston. Never heard the 4b specifically, but the later 4b-st and lived with a 3b-st for years. Excellent build quality, bomb proof reliability, and punchy clean sound. I have heard that earlier 4b incarnations can sound a little hard, and later generations become more mellow. However you are using pretty warm sounding speakers, so it may all balance out.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Brystons can be a bit bright in some systems but are superbly built and Bryston takes superb care of their owners and give great support on warranty, parts, and service. They are in my opinion up there with McIntosh in that arena. Their equipment is broadcast and recording studio reliable. I have never had a Bryston monitor amp ever give issues in Studio service. And those amps get 8-12 hours a day use daily.

 

[baneste]

Bryston Quality

Forgive getting slightly off topic, but this is just a quick note to second the positive comments about Bryston quality. I have had their electronic crossover powered up nearly 24/7 for the last 15 years without as much as a hiccup. It performs and sounds superb to this day. It is without doubt the most reliable, trouble-free component I've ever owned.

 

[pathdoc]

I had the 4B NRB and then upgraded it to the 4B ST. Great amp! Clean, clear, and with terrific bass. A little lean compared to a good tube amp, but what SS amp isn't until you start spending LOTS of money. Build quality is about as good as it gets.

Great company.

 

[RickB]

What are you going to have to give up for the 4B?

I have a 25+ year old 2b that has never, ever, missed a beat...

I can't say that about any of the gear from Sansui (QRX-7500A), Pioneer (PDR-05 and Elite CT-43), Philips (SACD-1000), Toshiba (SD-900), TEAC (Z-6000) that have all died excruciating (for me) deaths way before their time...or even my Adcom GFA-555II that had to have service due to a meltdown it had....

Pair it up with an excellent tube preamp be be prepared to be amazed....pair it with anything pedestrian or mediocre and you may experience the "brightness" that others claim these amps have...it's not brightness, per se, but rather a revealing of all that is fed to it, they are clean and not euphonic amplifiers...if you want euphony you have to feed that to the amp...

I wish mine was a 4b, but I also have played with the 4BSST2 from work extensively and really, really like that amp....