Bryston 7B ST - Sounds anaemic. Any help?

Sean, don't take my comments too personally. I think that there might be some merit in the fact that if someone is not used to tight bass, of the type to be heard with a 7B ST, but is rather used to a fat, floppy sort of bass, the conclusion could be that (assuming the only change in the system was the power amp) the power amp is not hefty enough. Unless a Bryston is not working properly or is being asked the impossible in source material being reproduced, SPL and load, it, like any other amp, will clip. The point at which it does is, for all practical purposes short of torture testing, so high as to be irrelevant. I stick to my point that manufacturers are at the whim of people who invent problems where they don't exist and would rather believe gibberish than rational explanation. No, it's not good enough in my opinion to say, nay to insist adamantly, that one's ears are the only and final arbiter and that anything goes in high-end audio. Like I said before, some people out there are laughing as I write this thinking how gullible their customers are. On the other hand, some honest, hard-working, intelligent people are not so prone to hilarity when nonsense about their wares has put them, if not in bankruptcy, on the edge of it. On the topic of measurements: what is being measured and how is very important, the correlation between the numbers generated and the sound is another kettle of fish. A sane and rational approach to evaluating components individually and systems as a whole in the one and final important criteria, that is listening to music in a real world situation, is sorely lacking. The placebo effect is all to real. So many audiophiles cannot tell the difference between a malfunction and some artefact in the reproduced sound, that another problem has crept up: audio-psychosomatic disorders. As a technician you surely must have come across such instances. One and all, stop fretting and listen to music is my advice. You will still enjoy the "hobby", not to worry.

A 7B ST anaemic? I have a pair and they could drive the proverbial brick. Two possibilities come to mind: the amp is sick and needs professional care; your level of anticipation was such that the amp can never be equal to the task. This second possibility happens more often than subjective audiophiles care to admit. After all, no matter how good an amp is, it's just an amp. The same goes for any other component: too much hype equals disappointment. Most level-headed audiophiles come to that realisation sooner or later. Those highly touted HUGE differences are, as likely as the sun is to rise in the East, in the ear of the behearer (did I write that?). Get the amp checked. If it's ok you have two outs: claim that there is some sort of mismatch between amp and speaker or, as a lot of audiophiles are wont to do, undermine the reputation of one of the most honest companies in high-end audio by repeating in every forum and to all concerned (heck throw in some not so concerned for good measure) that this amp is "thin", "lightweight" or any other purely subjective epithet. Oh, by the way, make sure that the switch at the back is properly set for series or parallel operation: it could make an appreciable difference. Good luck and good listening and don't give up on Bryston they are great amps.

Sean,
I have looked briefly at the Asylum thread you referred to. I think you prove my point that when subjective listening by an avid audiophile such as you does not jibe with any rational measurement, some sort of explanation is drummed up to support the golden eared. Two of the favourite ones being some incompatibility (less virulent a position) to questioning the reputation of the manufacturer (example: Bryston may have found a loophole in the mandated measurement method). Reading too much into what the insane press says is also a good way to shore up one's subjective defences (well this "critic" said that he heard clipping and saw the indicators and it sure sounded that it happened on more that one occasion). Reading between the lines is a hazardous propostion. Oh yes figures lie and liars figure. Where does that leave pure subjectivity though? I'm just happy I am not a high end manufacturer having to survive with the whims of audiophiles, with the flavour-of-the-week syndrome and where conjecture, if not out and out fabrication, passed off as "discussion" or "opinion", can force me into bankruptcy. In this search for every perceived fault in any piece of gear, it's a wonder you guys find any time to enjoy music.

All power amps that I have owned did something similar. Ask Sean, but I believe it's the storage caps that are discharging.

Hafeez: Bryston is the real deal. I'm glad people like them are in business. In the quest for perfection, we sometimes lose perspective. I hope you enjoy the music and forget the hardware for a while. Regards. BTW, leave them on and the issue of the noise on exit is solved.