bass, detail, build quality, cost

soundstage, musicality

For the price it is a very good amp but you have to make sure that it's "sound" is one that you have a preference for. I found the sound to be detailed with excellent control of the bass but with minimal soundstage depth and width. The presentation of the music was too forward and a little bright for my tastes. I acknowledge that it is a very good value for the dollar but if you're looking for a musical sound with more of a 3 dimensional image then you're going to have to look elsewhere.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, Classe, Sim Audio, Blue Circle

Very articulate and neutral with conventional speakers but not a good match for electrostatics. I use it to drive a gradient woofer for QUAD ESL 63. Excellent bass.

Some lack of smothness you find with high end gears like Levinson or Rowland Research.

Good sounding with conventional speakers.Very reliable and well built and a secure investment ( 20 years warranty )

Dead silent

None discovered yet.

This is a tough review because I changed too many compenents at once. However, the most distinct feature of this amplifier is the pitch black backgound it presents. There is no noise. Period. So far, everything else is there; bass control, fluid mid-range, power supply, and fabulous transients. Effortless, never seams to be out of control. Homey talked me in to it, and I am sure glad he did.

Associated Equipment:
Adcom Gfp-750
Bryston 4b-ST
PSB Stratus Goldi
Adcom GCD-750
Cardas Interlink and speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, Aragon, Rotel, Parasound

I'm happy to find a site where folks of like, and sometimes unlike, mind can
chat. I own the 4B ST and love it. It was an upgrade from the Adcom 555-II, not at all a bad amp, but not much of a comparison either. Man has this amp
rejuvenated my system! It's now driven by a Bryston BP25P preamp and the synergy is wonderful. The speakers I use are ML Aerius i.

All the adjectives others have used are apt: open, clean highs and lows,
powerful,rock stable, bulletproof construction and quality. I maintain that
you have to spend quite a bit more to make an improvement, and even that will not be by orders of magnitude. Yes, I biased but let me point out that I listened to many other beasts before arriving at the Bryston. First-rate products and company.... very responsive and conservative in the best sense of the word.

control

subtle dynamics

About the most perfect stereo subwoofer amplifier.
Tried four or five other amplifiers to run a Celestion System 6000. The Bryston 4B-NRB has great control and snap in the low frequencies.

I did drive it full range and compare it to my Naim NAP250.
Naim won in the ability to extract the subtlest of dynamics. Besides - I was looking for a subwoofer amp, I'm happy with the Naim top-end.

The pair split through the System 6000 crossover are magic.
The reduced load from removing the bass from the NAP250/SL6 combo frees them - specially at loud levels where they used to get congested. The raw power of the 4B combined with the boxless subs make the speakers go away.
From low building resonances to the difference in weight of piano key strokes there is only music.

Superb bass, very quiet, very accurate. Great customer service. Great warranty. Great value.

none

I just rec'd my new 4B ST this afternoon. Normally, I'd wait until the piece of hardware was broken in before I reviewed it. I was so impressed that I couldn't wait.

First off, my associated (relevant) equipment:
Toshiba SD-3109 DVD Player (as CD player)
BetterCables.Com interconnects (between DVD player & receiver)
Yamaha RX-V992 AV receiver (as pre-amp)
Kimber Kable KCAG interconnects (between receiver & 4B ST)
Bryston 4B ST
Analysis Plus Oval 12 (bi-wired) speaker cables
B&W Nautilus 804s

The way this amp "sounds", with NO break-in, is incredible! I can't wait to get a few hundred hours on it. I've never heard N804s sound so good. They don't sound like the same speakers. With the Bryston, I don't need my sub for stereo. The bass &/or bass control is incredible. The midrange & highs are wonderful. It's also very quiet, especially so when you consider what I'm using for a pre-amp. Eventually, I want to get a BP-25 pre-amp, 2 more pairs (1 balanced & 1 un-balanced) of Kimber KCAGs and a decent CD player.

Before the Bryston, I tried Parasound (150w) monoblocks in my system. They hummed badly and had very little impact on bass. Compared to my 4B ST, they had crappy midrange and highs.

I mentioned great customer service. I've been emailing Christopher Russell & James Tanner since July of last year. They are always VERY helpful and truthful.

Needless to say, I'm very happy with this amp.

Similar Products Used:

Parasound

This is a fine product, solid, clear, powerful sound. No shrill highs, but not as liquid as a tube amp in the upper ranges. The bottom is presented with authority, the mids with an airy solidity. This one is truly a keeper.

I have owned a Bryston 4b st for about two years. For a 250 wpc amp it is relatively well priced at about $2,500. It delivers good solid bass and can drive my power hungry Totem Mani -2's without a problem. It is not, however, the last word on finesse, transparency or the kind of adjectives one is looking for when describing an amplifiers ability to reproduce high's and mid's. I find it to be somewhat gritty in the upper frequencies. Horns and brass instruments in general can make your ears bleed. It is too bad that upgrading would mean paying double and probably triple what I paid for this amp. I haven't heard anything significantly better in that price range. Some amps I'm considering are the Sim Audio Moon-5, Audio Research VT100, Pass Labs X-150. I give the amplifier 3 stars and the good people at Bryston 5 stars for first rate service. If you have a technical problem with this amp, Bryston will replace within days!
Components in my system:

Meridian 506 cd player
Meridian 552 preamp
Totem Mani-2 speakers
Cardas interconnects and speaker wire (entry level)

I wrote one of the rave reviews of the Bryston 3B-ST under that categroy heading but I don't disagree with Robert Cherkos. The 4B-ST will sound better if the speakers need the power. I'm just not sure everybody needs the power. Personally I tend to choose speakers that work best with 100-wpc and less, and so of course I prefer amps of that rating. But the 3B-ST's big brother is undeniably a great amp too.

I have owned a Bryston 4b st for about two years. For a 250 wpc amp it is relatively well priced at about $2,500. It delivers good solid bass and can drive my power hungry Totem Mani -2's without a problem. It is not, however, the last word on finesse, transparency or the kind of adjectives one is looking for when describing an amplifiers ability to reproduce high's and mid's. I find it to be somewhat gritty in the upper frequencies. Horns and brass instruments in general can make your ears bleed. It is too bad that upgrading would mean paying double and probably triple what I paid for this amp. I haven't heard anything significantly better in that price range. Some amps I'm considering are the Sim Audio Moon-5, Audio Research VT100, Pass Labs X-150. I give the amplifier 3 stars and the good people at Bryston 5 stars for first rate service. If you have a technical problem with this amp, Bryston will replace within days!
Components in my system:

Meridian 506 cd player
Meridian 552 preamp
Totem Mani-2 speakers
Cardas interconnects and speaker wire (entry level)