There's no absolutely neutral component.
I'm a Bryston owner and participate in the Bryston Circle; that doesn't mean I'm some close-minded fanboy who thinks anything and everything else is junk by any means.
I chose my B60 and have kept it for going on 5 years now for several reasons, but the main and easily most important reason is that it simply gets out of the way better than anything near my budget. I've heard it next to stuff that's quite a bit more expensive and 'better' in some ways, but everything else had a presence that my B60 lacks (in a very good way).
Bryston makes bullet-proof stuff that's very neutral. Dollar for dollar, it's the closest to neutral stuff I've heard. They're a great company to deal with as well.
But there's a lot of stuff out there that's extremely well made, great customer service, yadda yadda that's also excellent sounding. My favorite is Bryston. McIntosh, CJ, Manley, Audio Research, et al. are just as good all around, IMO; just different presentations.
I guess that's my take on this thread. Most likely way off, but I'm not the only one.
I'm a Bryston owner and participate in the Bryston Circle; that doesn't mean I'm some close-minded fanboy who thinks anything and everything else is junk by any means.
I chose my B60 and have kept it for going on 5 years now for several reasons, but the main and easily most important reason is that it simply gets out of the way better than anything near my budget. I've heard it next to stuff that's quite a bit more expensive and 'better' in some ways, but everything else had a presence that my B60 lacks (in a very good way).
Bryston makes bullet-proof stuff that's very neutral. Dollar for dollar, it's the closest to neutral stuff I've heard. They're a great company to deal with as well.
But there's a lot of stuff out there that's extremely well made, great customer service, yadda yadda that's also excellent sounding. My favorite is Bryston. McIntosh, CJ, Manley, Audio Research, et al. are just as good all around, IMO; just different presentations.
I guess that's my take on this thread. Most likely way off, but I'm not the only one.