Looking for opinions of the B&K ST 125.2

That's interesting that B&K products aren't very much discussed. Anyhow, I purchased the B&K ST125.2 about 3 months ago so I'll try to give you my impressions of it.

I have the B&K ST125.2 driving JMLabs Cobalt 816 speakers. Associated equipment is a Rega Planet 2k and a Conrad Johnson PV-10BL pre-amp. I originally had a NAD C350 driving these speakers, so my main point of reference amp-wise is the NAD.

I'm not good at writing reviews, so I'll just come out and say that I think that the B&K is a great amp. Compared to my old NAD its sound has more weight, authority, and power, but at the same time is a lot more relaxed. The sound is very open, with good space around the instruments, imaging, and a wide soundstage. The harmonics have a very natural sound to them, i.e. when vocalists sing together or a string section... they blend more naturally instead of sounding edgy or strident. I believe this can be attributed to the MOSFET design of the amp. The bass isn't ultimately the tightest or fastest that I've ever heard(although to be fair, the limitation may be in my speakers, I don't really know. They're -3db at 43hz) but it is deep and full and never runs out of power. I was listening to a recent Telarc issue of Beethovens 9th last night with the volume at an obscene level and there was no compression or confusion at even the loudest passages. It's a relaxed, pleasant sound, but it has the power and grunt to get down when you need it to. I listen to every style of music, classical, jazz, metal, rap, etc, and it performs everything well. Again, comparing it to the NAD, the sound is very full, open, and relaxed while at the same time sounding way more in control.

So while I can't think of a real weakness of this amp, I might hesitate to pair it with speakers that are too laid back, or in a system that's too laid back. While the detail is there, it doesn't smack you over the head. It's also probably not the last word in dynamics or in transient snap. My speakers tend towards the bright/lean side, and I think this amp helped rein them in a little bit. Not that it gives a colored presentation, per se, just that it will probably match better with some gear than others.

All in all I'm very happy with this amp. The sound and build quality(its built like a tank, with great fit and finish) that you're getting for $800 make it a steal, IMO. I'm sure you can do better, but I don't see it happening at anything near this price point. Sorry for the length of this posting, but I hope that it helps.

I too cannot see why B&K products are not discussed more. I am running Vandersteen 2CE sigs through a B&K PT3 Mk2 and a reference 4420 (225/ channel). Sound is warm, nuetral and I can listen for many hours without fatigue. I had purchased a Sunfire Symphonic reference pramp that was supposed to "blow away" units worth thousands more. The way it turned out alleast in my listening room was that the PT3 blew away the Sunfire. I sold it about a month later. Maybe it is because a B&K AMp and Pre match well together but, with the Sunfire in the system, the highs rolled off, transients were not real sharp and the midrange was hard sounding especially the voices. I just purchased from a fellow audiogoner a counterpoint SA 3 to use as a phono pre. Curious to how this will turn out. Curious to see if anyone will challenge my opinions here....

Eagleman

I have owned a ST-202 Original model which was modified for 15 yrs.. Actually I blew a channel about a year ago,but it was considered the finest amp they ever made.

B&K I feel makes the best entry level gear you can purchase. There will always be exceptions,but they are made of good material and the only other gear I would consider at their price level would be used gear that hasa shown or known to be of great sonic quality. Forte ClassA amps(used) I would recommend other than the B&K's. Anthem is another good entry level amp ,but you will pay more. After that I would look at Coda,Plinius,Monarchy and a few others.

BTW I mated my B&K with an FT Audio Passive Controller and a Modified ART DAC which for the $$ was great to listen to. When you use a Passive you need to ensure that the output from the source is high.On the level of 6-7v. It worked amazingly well until I sold the DAC and a few other pieces in order to just use a Panasonic Digital Reciever which is also a remarkable piece for the $$.

The B&K you are considering I think is their entry level amp which might have less watts than the 200.2 or something and uses a few less output trannies.Still if you do not need the power they are good pieces.

It is hard to get good MOSFET amps as most people use Bi-Polars,but B&K make them or implement them well.

Anyway good luck and I cannot see anyone being offended by the B&K sound.WHen it comes down to B&K or Adcom I always would go with B&K because their sound is sweet as opposed to Dark.

Larry
www.nearsota.com

Thanks for the information, it is very much appreciated. Since the intended speakers are going to be either Paradigm S2's or S4's, and it's not intended for window shattering bass, I thought the 125.2 would be more than adequate for my use.

Is anybody familiar with the PT5?

A B&K thread !! I'm in good company !!
I run a pair of modified M-200's and a Counterpoint SA-5000A.
Everyone thats heard my system can't find any faults what so ever, they love it.
Above posters,wave your flags !!
I wanna see more B&K stuff posted here, they sound fabulous after some John Hillig mods.

I've had excellent experience with B&K products and their customer service. I own several pieces I'm using in various rooms. A vintage ST140 amp and CS117 pre, 2 AVP3090 processor preamps, and a AV5125 5 channel power amp. I bought one of the AVP3090s and the AV5125 for my home theater, and was blown away. So I bought another one (used off ebay) for the living room. I've called the company for questions and support on this equipment - they actually answer their phone, and you can speak with someone who knows what they're talking about. And then we can talk about the build quality . . .
For the money their stuff is hard to beat.

Hey There!

I have a B&K PT5 running a pair of B&W DM303's powered by either an Adcom 535II or 545. The amps are starting to have oscillation problems an I'm looking to replace them with a B&K 125.2.

The PT5 is an excellent preamp soundwise. Clear, detailed, maybe a touch on the warm side of neutral. The crossover is fixed at 80Hz for the lo/highpass connections or you can run it fullrange. There is also a summed L+R if you have a sub w/xover. The volume can only be adjusted in 2db increments and is a bit touchy. Have you seen balanced outputs in such an inexpensive piece? The remote would make things much easier but I opted to run it through my PC for setup. The required software is available on their site. The unit is very well built and the tuner is much better than my Denon AVR-2807.

I imagine the purchase has already been made but thought I'd add my 2cents anyway.

I have a B&K Ref 5s2 pre and a Ref 202.2 s2 amp driving Paradigm Studio 40's. I'm also using a Cambridge Audio 340 cdp and a CA Dacmagic with it. I love the soound, open and airy compared my old Carver gear. My Carver stuff was very edgy and when listened to side by side the Carver appeared distorted. I'm running the speakers full range and have a sub to help augment the bass.