Amps: Bryston vs Electrocompaniet

I own the 4B-ST and have heard Electrocompaniet gear but can't remember if it was the AW-120. The Bryston is a great product especially at its pricepoint. The Electro.. is also nice and has a warmer sound IMHO. There is a large dollar difference between the two amps and I would think the Electro... is in a class higher than the Bryston. $2300 vs $3995 is a big jump and therefore there should be a sonic difference but not necessarily and increase in sound "quality". I am not sure this is a fair comparison. As for the 7B monoblocks, its the same thing, same neutral sound as the 4B but loads more power! Will really depend on your speaker's requirements. If the Electro... is a serious choice give YBA,Classe and the SIM Audio W5 amp a listen too... Good Luck

Rgd, First of all thanks for sharing your opinion. I think that you really hit upon the issue that I'm struggling with. The concepts of sonic difference, sound quality, or musicality and the differences that should be percievable at these price points. It's difficult to make accurate A-B comparisons when there's no local dealer who carries the brands that I'm interested in (I've also considered Sim Audio but can't find a local dealer.) and I can't get the equipment in my home. I'm definitely going to listen before I buy but I thought I'd use this forum to get some opinions about these products which I agree cover a wide price point. I'm hoping that the opinions posted here will assist me in my search for my "perfect amp" because my better half won't let me do this too many times. Thanks again for your comments.

I use the 7B ST 's with a BAT VK5iSE. Wonderful combination. Have heard the EC in Europe, and though it was too "laid back" for my taste. However..different preamp and speakers, different room. I will only say EC seems to spend far more on "cosmetics" than Bryston, and they ahve to deal with higher import taxes into the US. I wouldnot let th eprice difference be the driver for your choice, since it is likely drivne by factors extraneous to the performance itslef. As with anything else, you just have to listen and follow you ears. The Bryston is definetly very good, and great vlaue for the money..but whether its "better" or not will be highly system and room dependent. Good luck, but I think you won't go wrong with either choice.

i've only heard bryston in dealer/show situations, but what i heard sounded nice. i *do* have electrocompaniet stuff at home, tho, & like it a lot. lotsa folks say its solid state for those who like tubes - seems pretty close to me. the only reason i replaced my older ec-1a preamp was cuz i am a lazy slob & wanted to have a remote-controlled preamp. i'm still using my two electro amps, tho - an aw75dmb driving the tweets of my monitors & an aw100 driving the mid-woofs. (a pair of bridged adcom gfa 555's are used to drive my subs). if ewe like the electro sound, i would suggest buying used an older model - according to heinz preiss, the n. american electrocompaniet technician, they *all* have pretty much the same sonics. if i could ever find another aw75dmb, or an aw100dmb, i'd sell my aw100, but only cuz it's not bridgeable, and i want to try my monitors biwired/bridged, instead of my current bi-amped set-up. and, w/bryston *or* electro, new *or* older models, if ya buy used, ewe won't take such a financial hit if it turns out ya wanna try something else. oh, heinz has a www: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/grundig/ good luck, doug