Having never reviewed the 7B SST—or any Bryston amplifier—in my system, I have no idea how much sonic improvement, if any, has been wrought by these changes. But I thought…
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Other changes made to the 7B SST include new output devices, increased power-supply capacitance, a new low-noise power transformer, new computer-modeled heatsinks, more direct connections and less point-to-point wiring, a new power switch, and new cosmetics. Bryston claims that all of the changes in the circuitry contribute to, per Bryston, "improved low-level clarity, focus, spatiality, and the elimination of haze."
Chad Kassem had sent along 45rpm test pressings of some albums by Nat King Cole that he's reissuing on his Analogue Productions label, using, for the first time, Capitol's original three-track master tapes. With the Brystons in the system, I listened to "When I Fall in Love," from Love Is the Thing (Capitol SW-824). Without first refamiliarizing myself with the sound of this track on a 180gm reissue of this album from the mid-1990s (Capitol/DCC Compact Classics LPZ-2029), it seemed that the 45rpm version produced a wider stage on which I heard a far more detailed rendering of the strings,…
I'll spare you the long list of the (virtual) discs and tracks I used, but among them were: Arturo O'Farrill's Live in Brooklyn (Zoho Music), one of the best-sounding CDs I've ever heard; Tommy Flanagan's Sunset and the Mockingbird: The Birthday Concert (Blue Note); Badfinger's Straight Up (Capitol); and the Beatles' The Capitol Albums Vol.1 (Capitol).
Oddly, it was the primitive-sounding The Beatles' Second Album, including the American meddler Dave Dexter's added reverb, that clarified both the differences between the amplifiers and the Bryston's basic personality. The first track, "…
It seemed only fair to give a listen to a pair of 7B SST2s that included the new transformers and compare them with the original units. John Atkinson also was kind enough to schlep over a pair of Parasound's Halo JC 1 monoblocks, which are similarly priced.
Revisiting the Original 7B SST2s
It took but a few minutes to hear what I reported in the review: the soft attack, murky sustain, and mutable decay. I revisited the Beatles' cover of "Roll Over Beethoven" and some of the other tracks, and added a few new ones, including "We Can Talk," from an exceptionally fine-sounding SACD of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock amplifier. Output power: 600W continuous into 8 ohms (27.8dBW), 900W into 4 ohms (26.6dBW). Gain select and sensitivity: 29dB (2.3V in = 600W into 8 ohms), 1V setting; 23dB (4.6V in = 600W into 8 ohms), 2V setting. Frequency response: not specified. Distortion (IM or THD+noise): <0.005%, 20Hz–20kHz, at 600W; <0.007%, 20Hz–20kHz, at 900W. Noise measured with input shorted, 20Hz–20kHz: >110dB below rated output at 29dB gain (–75dBu), >113dB below rated output at 23dB gain (–79dBu). Slew rate: >160V/µs. Damping…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, Cobra, Castellon turntable, tonearm, & stand; Artemis SA-1 turntable; Graham Phantom B-44 II tonearm; Lyra Titan i, Soundsmith The Voice cartridges.
Digital Sources: Playback Designs SACD/CD player & DAC, BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder, Meridian-Sooloos Music Server.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, Audio-Technica AT-PEQ3, Audio Valve Sunilda, Simaudio Moon LP5.3 (with outboard power supply) phono preamplifiers; darTZeel NHB-18NS, Musical Fidelity Primo preamplifiers.
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Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the Bryston 7B SST2's measured behavior using mainly Stereophile's loaner sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.
Before performing any tests on an amplifier, I run it for 60 minutes at one-third its specified power into 8 ohms, which is thermally the worst case for an amplifier with a class-B or -AB output stage. The Bryston's chassis and heatsinks were way too hot to touch after 30 minutes of…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: When we read Michael Fremer's review of the Bryston 7B SST2, we were pleased with the many positive things he said. The Bryston 7B SST2 amplifier, like all of Bryston's SST2-series products, has received rave reviews, accolades, and awards from the audio press around the world since the products debuted in January 2009. John Atkinson's measurements of the product samples we submitted reinforce that the 7B SST2 is a state-of-the-art high-powered amplifier with extremely low distortion: "Finally, when tested close to clipping into 4 ohms with the demanding…
Two audiophile buddies of mine both own Rogue Audio M-150 monoblocks. I'd always been impressed with not only the sound quality of the M-150, but also its price. For $4495/pair, I thought my friends got a whole lotta amp for notta lotta dough. In this day and age, it's a rare and wonderful thing to get a pair of monoblocks, made in the US by a real audio company, that give you 150Wpc of tube power for under $5000. When Rogue came out with an update of the M-150, the M-180 ($5495), I thought it might be a good subject for my first full review in Stereophile. John Atkinson thought so too. I…
I began with vocal music. Listening to the CD layer of the Theatre of Voices' recording of David Lang's Pulitzer Prize–winning Little Match Girl Passion (SACD/CD, Harmonia Mundi HMU 807496) was as engaging an experience as I've ever had with recorded music. Lang's Passion is an accessible modern masterpiece scored for four singers, each of whom also plays light percussion instruments. The text fuses Hans Christian Andersen's tale of the frozen little match girl with texts from Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Each voice and percussion instrument was rendered with an in-the-room weight and realism…