| Sophisticated Audio On Steroids |
 Ever
since I have been evaluating electronics, Bryston’s
4B model was in their line-up and, I understand, is one of
the company’s best selling components. As I checked back
issues of the print journal, I came across a review we published
in a 1990, where it was stated that, at that time, the 4B was
a fifth generation amp. This would make the current model Bryston’s
eights generation among their family of components. The early
4B was soon replaced by 4B NRB and later the SST versions.
All these amplifiers were good and every time they changed
models, I noticed improvements. That’s over a period
of twenty-some years. The SST versions were designed with the
help of one of Bryston’s engineers — Stuart Taylor — who
also played a significant role in the development of Bryston’s
flagship, the 28B SST. Rooted in technical and design advances,
the current modes, including the ones identified as “Squared”,
have resulted in amplifiers that offer, in addition to oodles
of power, lower noise floors, amazing stability and the most
important element — improved sound.
Several years ago, when I evaluated the company’s newest
development, the powerful 28B SST monoblocks, I found that
Bryston’s designers had achieved a much higher level
of sonic refinement, one that can easily compete with the best
and most expensive the audio industry currently offers. It
was to become the basis for the new “Squared “ series
of amps, also employed in the recently reviewed 7B SST Squared
monoblocks. The newest 4B SST Squared amplifier features most
of the technology used in the top-of-the-line 28B SST and shares
many of its sonic elements.
Appearance
The amplifier has the traditional Bryston look with only one
(appreciated) difference — a rounded faceplate to soften
the all-round appearance. The single front panel control — the
ON/Off pushbutton — is centered with the customary light
that indicates the amp’s status — red for “trouble” yellow
for standby and green for ”go”. A main power switch,
a switch to choose balanced or single-ended operation, a ground
lift switch and new and improved binding posts are on the unit’s
rear panel.
The Sound
Having had the new 7Bs in-house for a couple of months, I had
become intimately acquainted with their sound as I listened
to my favourite CDs and FM radio almost every evening. As well,
to prepare the amplifier for David McCallum’s upcoming
review, I burned in and listened extensively to a 14B SST Squared.
To evaluate the sound of the 4B, all I had to do was to disconnect
the 7Bs and the 14B and connect it (all squared models, of
course) to the existing system configuration. The loudspeakers
I used were my in-house Ethera Vitae speaker, a pair of large
two-way custom designs as well as a pair of Gershman Acoustics
X2 with woofers. A friend’s Martin Logans were also use
in another system setup. A Wyetech Labs Ruby, a Modwright and
a modestly priced older Dolan preamp were used to connect a
couple of CD playback systems — the Bryston player and
an Elite transport with the new Bryston DAC. Wiring was achieved
with Ultralink’s Argentum and BIS interconnects, speaker
cables and AC power cords. (I have tested and used both of
these cable companies’ products for some time now and
found them to be compatible with most upscale electronics.
Additionally, they will not deplete your bank account and still
provide you with audible improvements overall).
I fired up some of the same CDs I had used for the earlier
evaluation (for the 7Bs); and the first thing I noticed was
the amplifier’s sonic resemblance with the 7B monoblocks
and, later, the 14B. There were differences and I’ll
get to this a bit later, but for now, I want readers to know
that I was actually taken by surprise, as the 4B’s primary
sonic character was not only comparable to their top models,
but also exhibited sonic refinements — not heard in the
earlier models. Whereas the older amps showed an abundance
of power with rich bass, good, but not exceptional, midrange
and somewhat intense highs, the new 4B SST Squared introduced
poise and refinement to the entire frequency range, making
it sound more coherent, less forceful, thus more realistic,
more musically correct. The amp handled my recordings of Steinway,
Boesendorfer, Yamaha and Baldwin grand pianos with the kind
of finesse I had experienced from Bryston’s more expensive
models. Yet, the 4B SST (squared, of course) dealt with the
instruments’ harmonics, timber and dynamics, making it
easy to identify the pianos by their sonic characteristics.
For me, this is an indication that the amplifier provides the
tonal realism that can only be achieved by it ability to manage
not only any fundamental frequency, but also the following
harmonics.
Bass, midrange and highs are necessary to reproduce all genres
of music, but it is important that one frequency range doesn’t
dominate or diminish another. This is where the new 4B does
better than the previous model(s). The Squared 4B’s tonal
equilibrium is in line with its siblings, the 7B monoblocks — a
dramatic improvement over the earlier 4Bs. The older model’s
bass, though full-bodied, fed a little of its energy into the
lower midrange area. The pure midrange segment was always clear,
but its lower part was slightly tenebrous, compared with the
new 4B. The new model’s entire midrange is crystal-clear,
well balanced with upper and lower frequencies and smooth,
as a baby’s to boot. Highs, that is the upper range from
about 8,000Hz to 20,000Hz are exceptionally smooth and, again,
a marked improvement over the older model. I daresay, the new
4B’s high frequencies can be mistaken as those produced
by some of the good vacuum tube amps. Think of a single-ended
tube amp on steroids, and you will have a fairly good idea
of the sound I experienced.
 Bass — deep bass — is authoritative and offers
a touch better resolution than the older model, though barely
perceptible. What is obvious, however, is how the amplifier
combines all frequencies and conveys the information effortlessly
and time/space coherent to the listener.
What is left to say is that the 4B SST Squared provides listeners
with a well-delineated soundstage. Imaging in the horizontal
and vertical planes is excellent and falls short only when
compared to the 7B monoblocks. Still, there is enough space
and air on the soundstage to provide a realistic mirror of
the recording space. Though focus on instruments and voices
is outstanding, the amp doesn’t over-emphasize any one
imaging element.
The above-mentioned system (a friend’s) with Martin Logan
speakers in the set-up was another surprise. The 4B replaced
a pair of Chinese-made tube monoblocks — which my friend
held in high regard. When the 4B was inserted and fired up,
my friend wouldn’t stop listening to his favourite music.
He bought the amp.
I too had a hard time, separating the evaluating part from
the sheer joy of listening to the amp — or was it the
music …
Synopsis & Commentary
A little while ago, I read an unfair, almost offensive Bryston
7B SST Squared review in one of the industry’s highly
regarded publications. I have reviewed the same components,
thought they were great audio, and was baffled by the reviewer’s
judgment with which I strongly disagree. I do not know the
reviewer personally, but I do know that he has been around
for decades and has a good reputation. However, his opinion
regarding Bryston leads me to believe that he has not assessed
the amp fairly. The reviewer was quite obviously biased in
favour of his own audio gear, which, by the way, I consider
quite good, though a bit over-priced — and I am quite
familiar with his amps. I can’t help but wonder about
his hearing acuity, which certainly may affect his ability
to judge sound. As one of the senior reviewers for a high profile
publication, his judgment should be or must be impartial — and
I believe it was not.
Most of Bryston’s electronics have been reviewed by reputable
reviewers in respected trade journals, and countless reviewers
have praised the equipment. This is especially true In Europe
and Asia where Bryston is sold at a much higher price and the
equipment is considered high-end in those markets. Foreign
journalists rate Bryston equipment in their top categories,
often referring to it as “the Big Canadian”. In
North America, most reputable reviewers consider Bryston amplifiers
to be outstanding value and many associate their designs with
much higher-priced gear. It should be known that Bryston employs
self-imposed high standards, not much different from the best
known high-enders admired by consumers and reviewers alike.
The aforementioned reviewer seems to have an axe to grind,
though I do not know which axe or why. For what its worth,
I think that audio journalists should demonstrate professionalism
and integrity as they are supposed to serve the public, not
their own egos.
My candid opinion is straightforward:
The 4B SST Square is a medium-priced component that provides
the kind of sound that cannot be labelled good or good for
the money. Rather, the amplifier provides high-end sound that
can compete with components sold a twice the price. At least
some of this amp’s sonic characteristics remind me of
the Boulder amp, I had auditioned a few months ago and, while
there were dissimilarities regarding minor sonic refinements,
the all-round sound IS similar and up there with the industry’s
big, expensive guns. If you want to achieve better, there is
always Bryston’s 14B or the 7B (read the review, also
posted on this web-site). |
| MODELS |
MANUFACTURER |
| Bryston 4B SST Squared |
Bryston Ltd. |
| RATING |
CONTACT |
♪♪♪♪
|
BRYSTON LTD.
677 NEAL DRIVE
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO
CANADA
K9J 6X7
PHONE: 705 742-5325
www.bryston.com
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| PRICE |
$4,195.00 each (US & CDN)
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| Dimensions |
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TECHNOLOGY
The amplifier is rated at 300 watts per channel into an 8-ohm
load and 500 watts into 4 ohms, but specked out at 330 watts/channel
into 8 ohms (it can be bridged to deliver over 1000 watts).
Gain is selectable with either 2.3 or 4.6 volts @ 8ohms; input
impedance is 50Kohms single ended, 20Kohms balanced; distortion;
IM and THD is quoted as <0.005% at 300 watts and 0.007%
at 500 watts; signal to noise ratio is >110dB from 20Hz
to20kHz (superb, and the reason for the very low noise floor);
slew rate is 60volts/ms; bandwidth is < 1Hz to over 100kHz.
When idle, the amps consume 170 watts; when in full operation
at 300 watts consumption rises up to 1280 watts.
As the previously reviewed 7B SST and the 28B SST, component
and design changes include a beefier power supply (but not
the same transformer as in the 7B, 14B and 28B), new and improved
capacitors and re-engineered circuitry. Bryston’s research
department discovered new input and feedback capacitors that
will lower total harmonic distortion and improve the sound
quality across the upper frequency range from 20kHz to 60kHz.
(the caps are now used in all Bryston amps).
Bryston checks each amplifier’s specifications and burns
it in before it is delivered to the customer. The amp is placed
on a test-bench and operated at full output for 100 hours (one-hour
on/one-hour off), with a high frequency square-wave input and
a capacitive load. This stabilizes the amps, though additional
burning-in is required — about 100 hours (of a music
signal) will provide the best sound.
Bryston’s design criterion for the new series amps is
to “get the first watt to the last watt” at equivalent
quality. This translates to the amplifiers’ ability to
maintain an ideal power curve.
Bryston states that they use only the finest components, which
includes 0.1% metal-film resistors, polypropylene capacitors,
custom-wound toroidal transformers, and hand-matched transistors.
There are gold-plated balanced or single-ended (RCA) input
connectors and even the 5-way binding posts are gold-plated
to minimize distortion and prevent corrosion. The SST chassis
are extremely robust, not only to prevent resonance, but also
to restrain vibrations. Overall, the new design is well constructed
and provides flexibility and features found only premium components.
Contact Bryston for a white paper that describes technical
details. |
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