After living with a Adcom 6000 5 channel amp for 4 years it was time tofind a 2 channel amp to upgrade my music listening. I have recenty upgraded
my preamp to a EAD Theatermaster Ovation which has greatly improved what
I can get from a CD. So I went looking and auditioning. I first compared
a McCormack DNA 0.5 and 1.0 , a Classe' 300 and a Audio Research 100.2.
Clearly the Audio Research gave the best performance being very transparent. The Classe was very warm almost muffled with no detail in the high end. The DNA on the other hand were bright almost frizzy sounding.

Then a friend of mine purchased a Bryston 3B which he allowed me to audition
and the sound was incredible even beating out the Audio Research which cost
more than twice as much. This lead me to compare the Bryston 3B and 4B at
a dealer where they were played through a set of thiel .5 speakers. The 3B
was very good but the 4B was smoother with better dynamics. This proved
very important when Horowitz begins banging on his piano. The 4B was able
to make sense out of the roar and allowed the thiels to sound more like their
larger siblings.

Now for the final phase, I home auditioned the 4B and compared it to a Krell
kav 250a. The two amps were very similar, the 4B seemed to have alittle more
detail but was also more forward sounding. The Krell sound seemed to come from
behind the speakers and was more airy, I guess this is what sound staging is
all about. I also tested the systems using XLR balanced connectors, this actual
made the 4B sound more airy while retaining its overall detail. In the end
I have decided to go with the 4B, it has the best mix of qualities and price.

I give the 4B a 5, the krell and the 3B a 4.5, and the Audio Research a 4 due
to its price.

Damn these idiot-proof speaker bindings!

Probably the last amp I'll ever buy.

most has already been said about this amp on this site or in magazines, this amp has no serious flaws apart from the already mentioned speaker binding posts which, I'm sure, are very safe and reliable but not easy to use.

Also lets hear it for the customer-relations guys at Bryston. I had a problem with the importer in Germany one e-mail was enough. I got a reply from Bryston the next day, the matter was resolved a few days later!

(I'm also the proud owner of a bp-25 pre-amp, life doesn't get much better than that.)

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon, Restek.

Powerful, well-controled bass, excellent smooth highs, with good control of speakers

This amp won hands-down for me with regards to overall great music reproduction. It performs extremely well and it's performance for its price is unmatched in the amplifier world. Bryston is well-respected and provides excellent warranty and customer support. You cannot expect more from a solid-state amplifier for reproduction of all types of music. This amplifier is well known throughout the music world, and it's virtues are well known. If you are solid-state fan, then be sure to test out this amplifier. It is available now in both black, and silver face.

I have found there to be an extremely quiet background, never an audible hum, very dynamic, excellent bass production, and very clear and precise uppers.

Similar Products Used:

Classe, Krell, and Parasound in home comparisons

Speed, Dynamic ability, control of speakers, soundstage, accurate treble, midrange, and bass. Extremely quiet background, no transistor noise, perfect reliability, great company, great bass reproduction with my speakers

None so far - certainly no excessive sibilance or grain in treble.

Could not expect more from this amplifier. In fact it will be the only amplifer I ever use for my PSB Stratus Gold i's. I do not think you can find a better amplifier for these speakers, it makes them sing, with great balance, and control. It has never strained or been overloaded with these 4 ohm speakers. I have seen other amplifiers not handle this load, like the Parasound AVC-2500. I would recommend this amplifier to anyone that has demanding speakers. Also, if you listen to a variety of music of all kinds. I have tried tubes, but have not found them to do justice to my ears with rock, or particularly dynamic, fast, music.

Since, I enjoy 60% rock and alternative music this is perfect for me. I enjoy classical, jazz, and acoustical the rest of the time, so I have optimized my system currently to be the best all around system for this ratio, and it is.

The PSB Stratus Gold i is the best all around speaker at its price point, and I believe the Bryston 4B ST to be the same.

So, definitely give this amplifier a listen. It has caused me to stop looking for the right amplifier. I hope it survives the 20 years it is warranted, because it will be in my fold until then.

Similar Products Used:

Parasound AVC-2500, Classe, and Krell similar models

Effortless power, neutral tonal balance, very refined sound for the price.

Traditional (albeit enormously refined) transistor sound.

This is a response to the review of Andy Kiriakopoulus. He and I seem to have similar taste in equipment but we disagree on the Bryston. I can agree with his comment about the slight mechanical sound. This to me is an artifact of all acceptably priced high power transistor gear. We differ in our perceptions of soundstage and grain. In my system, the imaging and lack of grain are superb, comparable to any transistor amp at any price. True, for clarity and soundstaging, there is nothing like a good tube amp. However, in Canada at least, there is no product that offers the virtues of this amp at this price point. Perhaps the key to my success with this amp is my Audio Research SP 10 tube preamp which is a bit warm and euphonic by todays standards. The Bryston just loves it though. With this combination, I've had good luck with Maggies and Apogees.
Ststem: Apogee Stage loudspeakers, Oracle Delphi/Syrinx PU3/Koetsu Rosewood Signature, Krell Kpe phono preamp(marvellous) Audio Research SP10 preamp, Micromega Stage 1 CD player MIT cables and interconnects, the usual cast of store bought and homemade tweaks and accesories.

Similar Products Used:

Krell KSA 200S Audio Research D125

Midrange, excellent soundstage, detailed highs, incredible bass control.

Minor, low-level hum possibly due to ground loop interference from other components. Traced some of the hum to my tuner and eliminated it, but there's still a very low-level hum, only noticeable when the amp is on and there's no music playing. It's never gotten in the way of music.

This was a dramatic improvement over the Carver TFM-35X that it replaced.

The most telling difference has been its dynamic performance. The Bryston shines on very loud passages in large-scale choral works (e.g., the last movement of Mahler's 2nd or the Dies Irae in Verdi's Requiem) or in classical and jazz piano works. Massed sopranos and solo piano would cloud up with a sonic hash or haze when the going got rough with the Carver: nothing but absolute, hash-free, crystalline clarity with the Bryston, whether the music is loud or soft. Ditto for solo voices--no distortion or hash.

Reproduction of highs are excellent and realistically render recording venue air and ambience. The Bryston excels at reproducing low-level detail in recordings. Midbass and bass are extremely tight and well-controlled. Drums and double basses are exceptionally realistic.

Owning this amp has seriously convinced me to audition other Bryston products: I'm considering the Bryston BP-25MC as a replacement for my Parasound PLD-2000 preamp. And you can't beat the 20 year warranty.

Similar Products Used:

Aragon 8008, Parasound 3500

Extremely reliable/ noise free/ -10dB and +4dB operation.

None at this price point

Due to my occupation, I frequently have to run multi track and direct synth outputs, ie no compression, Eq. etc (as one would normally here on finished recordings) into the 4BST. For listenning pleasure with finnished recordings the amp is hard to beat for the price-but when doing Pro Audio any amp can and will be greatlly taxed/damaged. I have had this amp running many times 24/7 with dangerous source material as mentioned above-even some accidents such as when one time the amps output was plugged back into itself!! Also cables that have come un-plugged from live mic feeds and lots of others. This amp has never suffered and as mentioned on this site many times...the warrantee.
We have found that it also makes a great Bass Guitar Power Amp as well as The main power amp for processed electric Violin.

Similar Products Used:

Too many to list here ....Pro Audio Consultant and studio owner.

Can you say the ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER OF amps!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This thing POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Police visit's at the door and I couldn't afford two of them at the time

First off I have had this 8 years and had it fixed 3 times. keep in mind though those three times involoved my friends and I having a party and just letting her go!!!!! until she died. I call Bryston next day and told them I had it running 6+ hours at very high levels and we all watched it smoke than go quiet. The guy on the phone was impressed and said no problem we are on out way.

This amp took a pair of Cerwin Vega 380se's and split the wood on the cabinet of the speakers.

I have read some of the reviews in here and i cannot believe anyone has had a problem with it.

Similar Products Used:

Products researched but never compared to this one!!!!!!!!!

Very smooth, excellent bass control, well built

none

I really am pleased with this amp. The sound is so smooth (never harsh or bright), clear and LUSH that I can't wait to get home to listen to my music. I particularly love the way the bass is reproduced. I believe that the bass control is what sets this amp apart from the rest. Krell seemed a little harsh compared to the Bryston and the 4b-st controlled the bass every bit as good at a much lower price. I believe that Bryston is an excellent company that back their products very well. Every time I send an e-mail to James Tanner, I always receive a quick response.
The amp sounded pretty good out of the box, but after approx. 50 to 60 hours, it sounded incredible and getting better. In my opinion I feel that you would need to spend considerably more to hear a very small increment of improvement. You can't go wrong with this amp.

Associated equipment:
Bryston 4B-ST amp.
Bryston BP-25 Per-amp
Magnepan 1.6QR speakers
Sony 29ES CD player

Similar Products Used:

krell, adcom, arcam, AudioLab

Not another 5 star review. Well, yes as a matter of fact it is. I had been looking for an amp to control my Snell B-minor speakers which are a 5 driver 3-way with a 12 inch woofer. My B&K AVR202 (105wpc)did a pretty good job and sounded great, but I felt that the Snells could use more control on the bottom end. I listened to a lot of amps such as Classe, Aragon, McCormack, B&K, Balanced Audio Tech, etc. and because my system doubles as a home theater setup, I wanted something with at least with a 200 wpc power rating. For what I wanted to spend, that narrowed it down to Classe, Aragon, B&K and Bryston. I tried these out in my system and it really came down to the Aragon and the 4B ST. The 4B ST is VERY DYNAMIC with my Snells and its grip on the lower octaves is incredible. My B&K got just a low as the 4B, but did not have anywhere near the control and the dynamic range. The Aragon is so much like the Bryston that I had a hard time deciding between these two. They are definately different, but in very small ways. In the end, price and a 20 year warranty won me over to the 4B. The definition has improved overall from top to bottom considerably, along with soundstage depth. Again, I'm just amazed by the grip this amp has from the mid range down to the deepest deeps. If you have speakers now that seem "boomy" (Legacy Focus comes to mind) or asleep, or you have electrostats, try out a 4B ST. Very high current capabilities, 60uvs slew rate and better than 500 damping and a weighted S/N over 115 make this amp a heavy weight at very good prices. You can do better, but you're going to have to spend a LOT more or you may like the Aragon 8008BB better...but a 20 year warranty, hmmmm.My system consists of:

Cal Audio CL-25 CD/DVD
B&K AVR202 Receiver
Snell B-Minor speaker for mains
Boston Acoustics VR12 for Center and VRS Pro's for Surrounds
XLO Ultra Interconnects for CL-25 to AVR202
AudioQuest Ruby for AVR202 to Bryston
Vampire Bi-Wire 10 gauge speaker cable