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Finally took the Bryston 4B Cubed plunge

Back in January, I solicited folks on the forum for input on the Bryston 4B cubed amp. I was kicking around the idea of replacing my Parasound A21 amp. After dealing with poor health for the past few months, I finally did it! My take on the Bryston is: it's a keeper. It is a better sounding amp than my A21, but by only a very small margin. The Bryston gives the feel of being in a concert hall. An extremely full sounding amp with great detail and there's more emphasis on instrument placement than I've experienced before. The bass doesn't suffer at all either, very tight and clear. In comparison only to the two amps I'm discussing, if the Bryston were a "10", the Parasound would be a close "9". If I were to improve on my system (God forbid, I already have $35K into it), the 4B cubed would definitely be driving it. A premium solid state amp. 
To all the the forum members that were willing to guide me with their opinions, I give a heartfelt thanks. My previous posts (inquiries) were met with sincerity and am grateful that none of the discussion went off the rails. A few members contacted me personally, some I couldn't respond to. I didn't try to ignore anyone, there's simply a downside to old age and a weak heart.
professorsvsu
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,446 posts
 
Enjoy !  Bryston is good stuff......    
jafant
18,770 posts
 
Not at all- professorsvsu
Nice system indeed. I am certainly interested in the Bryston BCD-3 for CD playback duty. It is an interesting combo w/ the Parasound pre-amp and Bryston power amp.  I have not heard these (2) brands mixed/matched into a demo, same system. Looking forward inreading more about your musical tastes.Happy Listening!
professorsvsu OP
78 posts
 
When I got back into seriously listening to music about 7 or 8 years ago I was completely overwhelmed by the shear quantity of audio equipment available. I knew that I would go dizzy and most certainly broke trying to indulge in countless combinations of equipment to suit my taste. I took a different approach and listened to what people had to say about value, reliability, and of course sound quality. I did more homework than I probably should have and excluded some brands that I shouldn't have,  but came up with three names that folks were always pleased with: Parasound, Bryston, and Pass Labs. Great solid state equipment (I'm too cheap to keep replacing tubes) and all within a particular price range. There were a few outliers in my rack (i.e. the Marantz 8005 SACD player) and they've all disappeared except for my Simaudio phono stage. I started at the bottom of the price range (Parasound) and as the stock market has increased my net worth (thank you NVIDIA), I've "stepped up" to see if I can make improvements. Bryston has been a pleasant improvement, but Parasound is still a steal. I really don't think I can improve on the JC 2 BP for anywhere near it's cost. Someday, I may be in a position to afford Pass Labs equipment and drool over what I've been missing.

For what it's worth, I did the same kind of reasoning with a turntable purchase (the Avid Diva II SP rocks!), tonearm (the SME 309 tonearm replaced a Rega RB303 and was one of the most dramatic improvements in my system), and cartridge. The AT-ART9 replaced an Ortofon 2M Black. The 2M Black may be a better all around cartridge for any recording, but when the AT-ART9 strikes a groove that it likes, I'm listening to a live performance. It can be that good.With respect to speakers, same old story on how I came to Focal. I love the way they sound, but couldn't be more disappointed on reliability. A broken voice coil wire on a woofer followed by the same problem on a tweeter on the opposite speaker before the pair was a year old. Warranty took care of the problems, but I was informed I was at the end of being covered. Any further issues would be viewed as abuse of the speakers and I'd have to pay repairs. If I move on to different (better?) speakers, Focal will be scratched from my list of 3 companies.
Well jafant, there you have it. The very, very, very long story of how my mix and match system came together. I didn't address the Bryston BCD-3 CD player. I like it and probably won't look for anything better. The only downside  has to do with no remote control. It can be purchased separately,  but is too costly.
Whew! I haven't written this much since my last college history class about 25 years ago. Not complaining, this helps keep me going =)
jafant
18,770 posts
 
An excellent over-view of your Audio journey - professorsvsuThe Bryston BCD-3 is a top-tier player. No need to look any further for rbcd playback. I would be interested in the BCD-1, but, drives/transports are no longer available? A poor decision on Bryston's behalf if you ask me.Luckily, these guys learned from this mistake and corrected it w/ the newer BCD-3.  I agree that this is a value-based company, minus the error with BCD-1, indeed. Focal was a better company under the older JM Labs moniker. Any speaker should never have a broken voice coil under any circumstance. Poor QC.The Marantz 8005 can benefit from a ModWright treatment to brin gthe spinner up to the same standard of playback as your BCD-3, only SACD in nature. Still, not  a bad player at its price-point. Finally, do not forget Cabling, to tie it all together.
Happy Listening!
professorsvsu OP
78 posts
 
jafant,It appears that know and have a passion for audio equipment. At the risk of taking my own thread off on a tangent, what kind of equipment are you using?
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