I recently bought a pair of Bryston 28B3 cubed mono blocks under the assumption ( or hope) that they would be a better match for some new PMC MB2SE speakers --- as Bryston and PMC had a long partnership & I believe many of their speakers were voiced with these amps in mind - in any case -- they are supposed to be a great match from all the reading I've done.
I previously had a pair of ML CLX -- with 2 Decent I subs --- and again matched the speakers with what research I could find for a good match -- Spectron Musician III Mk 2 -- class D amps -- bridged as mono blocks - endless power / high amperage delivery for the demanding low impedance on the ESL's and fantastic sounding with the CLX - enjoyed tremendously for about 6 years
I was very happy with the Spectrons -- but you don't know what you don't know - so I wanted to compare Spectron class D (which often gets a bad rap) to a A/B amp with the PMC speakers -- and was convinced that I would keep whichever one I liked best.
After almost a month of back and forth switching between amps -- (still at it) keeping all the cables and sources identical when switching back and fourth -- playing the same tunes over and over ---- I really don't know why I can't tell the difference -- let alone find a preference - they both have 26db gain -- so the volume between the two amps was as closely matched as I could discern ------ but I'm frustrated that I can't really pick a preference - and by the time I switch the inputs and speaker cables between the two amps -- I've lost some auditory memory -- making it real hard to find a preference (wish I could just A/B with the same song back and fourth - but difficult to do without introducing other variable like cables etc. ) -- they both sound great -- similar tone & I would be happy with either one -
I'm just confused because I've read so many amp comparisons where users state "night & day difference" --- That has not been my experience ------- they are both great amps --- but now I know that there is absolutely no audible difference between this Class D amp ( 6 years old ) and a Bryston 28B3 (brand new) -- to my ears ( YMMV ). ------- Although if anyone can suggest a tune or two that might better reveal an audible difference -- I'd love to check it out -- but I think I'll be fine parting with the Bryston amps -- after realizing that if I can't tell the difference -- then there's no sense throwing money at it in order to feel comfortable having a new piece of gear with a 20 year warranty (knowing that my Spectrons will likely need work in the next 20 years)
Bart
I previously had a pair of ML CLX -- with 2 Decent I subs --- and again matched the speakers with what research I could find for a good match -- Spectron Musician III Mk 2 -- class D amps -- bridged as mono blocks - endless power / high amperage delivery for the demanding low impedance on the ESL's and fantastic sounding with the CLX - enjoyed tremendously for about 6 years
I was very happy with the Spectrons -- but you don't know what you don't know - so I wanted to compare Spectron class D (which often gets a bad rap) to a A/B amp with the PMC speakers -- and was convinced that I would keep whichever one I liked best.
After almost a month of back and forth switching between amps -- (still at it) keeping all the cables and sources identical when switching back and fourth -- playing the same tunes over and over ---- I really don't know why I can't tell the difference -- let alone find a preference - they both have 26db gain -- so the volume between the two amps was as closely matched as I could discern ------ but I'm frustrated that I can't really pick a preference - and by the time I switch the inputs and speaker cables between the two amps -- I've lost some auditory memory -- making it real hard to find a preference (wish I could just A/B with the same song back and fourth - but difficult to do without introducing other variable like cables etc. ) -- they both sound great -- similar tone & I would be happy with either one -
I'm just confused because I've read so many amp comparisons where users state "night & day difference" --- That has not been my experience ------- they are both great amps --- but now I know that there is absolutely no audible difference between this Class D amp ( 6 years old ) and a Bryston 28B3 (brand new) -- to my ears ( YMMV ). ------- Although if anyone can suggest a tune or two that might better reveal an audible difference -- I'd love to check it out -- but I think I'll be fine parting with the Bryston amps -- after realizing that if I can't tell the difference -- then there's no sense throwing money at it in order to feel comfortable having a new piece of gear with a 20 year warranty (knowing that my Spectrons will likely need work in the next 20 years)
Bart