The original 7B was intended to be Bryston's most powerful amplifier. The first designs were reverse-engineered from the company's 250Wpc 4B power amplifier by dropping that model's power-supply voltages to enable it to provide more current, then bridging the two channels (series operation) or paralleling them. The result was the Bryston 6B, a subsequent redesign resulting in the 7B. TJN reviewed the NRB-THX version of the 7B in October 1993 (Vol.16 No.10, pp.193-202), praising it for its "sweet...subtly…
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Larry Greenhill reviewed the 7B-ST power amplifier in October 1996 (Vol.19 No.10):
Sidebar 3: The Bryston STs
Stuart Taylor was working in a sound studio in Toronto in 1972 when he purchased one of the very first Bryston amplifiers. Over the years he kept up a close relationship with the Russell brothers, who ran Bryston, and in 1988 came to work for them. Taylor's first assignment was to redesign Bryston's four-channel Home Theater amplifier, the 8B. Though the job began as a routine fine-tuning of a product before it was to be reintroduced to the market, it quickly led to major redesigns of all Bryston amplifiers.
Chris Russell, Vice President of Engineering…
Sidebar 4: 7ST Measurements
Following its one-hour, 1/3-power preconditioning, the Bryston 7B was hot, though not unusually so considering its rated power output. I ran a complete set of measurements on each on the 7B-ST in its series mode (recommended for 3-8 ohm loads), with selected measurements in the parallel configuration (including the 2 ohm tests). Most of the measurements were made in the balanced mode this time around, though a number of significant measurements were repeated in the unbalanced mode.
The input impedance of the Bryston measured 16.7k ohms, balanced and…
Sidebar 5: 7ST Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock amplifier. Output power: 500W continuous into 8 ohms (27dBW), 800W into 4 ohms (26dBW). Distortion: 0.007%, 20Hz-20kHz at 500W, IM (60Hz+7kHz, 4:1, SMPTE method) or THD. S/N ratio: 106dB ref. rated output, 90dB IHF. Slew rate: >60V/µs parallel mode, >120V/µs series mode. Damping factor: >300 at 20Hz at 8 ohms, equivalent to an output impedance of 0.03 ohms. Input sensitivity: 1.4V for full output, unbalanced; 2V for full output, bridged. Input impedance: 50k ohms unbalanced, 20k ohms balanced. Polarity: non-…
Kalman Rubinson wrote about the 7B-ST in March 1999 (Vol.22 No.3):
The Bryston 7B-ST was more assertive and full in the bass than the Simaudio Moon W-5, with a bit more sparkle in the treble. This difference made the W-5 a better match with the Apogee Duettas, but made the Brystons happier with the Genesis 500s and the PMC and Coincident speakers. Large dynamic contrasts were more distinctly terraced with the W-5, but one could argue that they were more seamless with the Brystons—a toss-up, the outcome of which was greatly influenced by the tonal balance of the partnering speaker.—Kalman…
Larry Greenhill wrote about the 7B-SST in April 2003 (Vol.26 No.4)
For the past 18 years, the Bryston 7B-ST, a 500W solid-state monoblock, has been the company's flagship power amplifier. Stereophile praised it in 1996 for "its speed, drive, slam, bass control, and superb control of the mid- and upper bass response" (Vol.19 No.10). The 7B-ST supplied very high power (954W into 4 ohms!) and a powerful bass response for bass-shy dynamic loudspeakers in a relatively small, lightweight, economical (less than $6000/pair) package whose bridged output circuit could be switched into parallel…
Sidebar 6: Larry Greenhill's 2003 Review System
The loudspeakers used for the Bryston review were Quad ESL-989 and Innersound Eros Mk.III electrostatic panels and Revel Ultima Salons. Preamplifiers included a Krell KCT for CDs and a Mark Levinson ML-7A with L3A moving-coil phono module for LPs, which I played on a Linn Sondek-Lingo-Ittok turntable-tonearm with a Sumiko cartridge. The digital source was a Krell KPL-28c CD transport. A Day Sequerra FM Reference Classic stereo tuner provided music from WQXR, our local New York classical music station. Interconnects were Bryston Balanced,…
Some people believe that high-end audio is mostly fluff whose cost, compared to standard professional studio electronics, is not justifiable. Moreover, they argue, if the music has been piped through any number of studio devices before it gets to your home, you can't expect to get more out of it than the studio devices will pass. Just as the argument is made about the final 6' of power cord, how can one Over-The-Top device make up for the foibles of those that precede it?
But how good, really, is studio equipment? Although most professional components are not readily available…
My first sample of the Medea DAC took more than 10 seconds to lock on to a new input. After I'd spent a weekend away, it failed to lock without multiple cycles of power on/off. Another week, and it wouldn't lock at all. Weiss suggested that the lock window might be too narrow for my Meridian 508.24 CD player, California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD-Audio player, and Sony SCD-XA777ES SACD player, and that I should try to adjust the internal trimmer that sets the acceptable lock window. When this didn't work, Weiss sent me a replacement sample, which is the subject of this report. It sounded identical…
All meaningful comparisons were based on coax S/PDIF connection via the Illuminati D-60, as TosLink obscured many distinctions, particularly in the bass. I preferred to use the balanced outputs with the High output-level setting, since that permitted me to reduce the gain in the preamp and take advantage of the Medea's very low level of noise. I could confirm that preference with my ear to the speakers, but it was less than obvious from the listening position. Nonetheless, the Medea seemed quieter and more dynamic with this setting. Lest you suspect that this put the other DACs at a…