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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
auxinput
2,924 posts
 
@xcool - I have found that the Parasound amps are not necessarily bass monsters.  In fact, you need a really good high current low resistance power cord to improve the bass on JC1 monoblocks!

That being said, the Bryston are not bass monsters either, especially on a faster high resolution preamp such as Parasound JC2.  If you had a warm/slow preamp, the Bryston would probably be a better match.  The Bryston's are very fast responding amps and need a warm full sounding preamp, such as a Marantz or maybe even McIntosh type warmth.

I'm not sure what to recommend to you for strong bass.  Maybe a Pass Labs X250.8 would be good, but I don't know how they are on bass.  Maybe others can chime in with recommendations.
ddafoe
271 posts
 
I have a X250.8 and tried a 4B3 in my system for a few days to see if I could replace the big Pass to save some $$ and make my room less hot in the summer.

I thought the Bryston had faster and tighter bass in my system.   In the end I decided to keep the Pass but the Bryston was also excellent with a more forward/detailed presentation and lots of speed & punch.  I did not find it bright in the higher frequencies; I thought it was very smooth and easy to listen to.

Cheers
xcool's avatar
xcool
273 posts
 
Thank you all so much for the responses so far.  They are all very helpful.   I will try to read up on Bryston a little more and maybe give it try.
phcollie's avatar
phcollie
342 posts
 
xcool, thank you for your post on the JC5. I have been going back and forth between purchasing the JC5 or the 4B3 to pair with my Magnepans. Today a dealer offered me a very attractive price on his demo 4B3 with about 50 hours of use. It should arrive Friday and I will be happy to report back after the weekend. I know Bryston runs them 100 hours before they leave the plant so I should get a reasonable idea of the sound after the weekend.
I will leave my Odyssey powered up as well and plan on doing some A/B testing on a range of Qobuz high res files.  
xcool's avatar
xcool
273 posts
 
Thanks @phcollie looking forward to your impression of the Bryston.   

As with the JC-5,  after another week of burning in, it started to open up a little.  I can definitely hear more low bass that I couldn't from my A31, but mid and upper bass still lack the slam that I had wished for.   Occasionally, I find the treble might be just a tad too bright.  I have tinnitus on both ears and they are very sensitive to high frequency.   I was hoping it could be just a tiny bit warmer.  

Overall JC-5 is not a bad amp.  I have no doubt that it sounds great to many people.  I'm just looking for the perfect match to my ears.    I'm still considering keeping, but might try to listen to the Bryston before making the decision.
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