Any Love For Bryston Here?


I've been reading this forum for years but have just recently started chiming in. I never see very many posts/threads about their products. I own and have owned a few of their pieces and I honestly think that pound for pound, or $ for $ their equipment is pretty close to top notch, not to mention their "best in the business" warranty. Also their aesthetics are complement worthy. Thoughts?
128x128joecollege
I recently bought a pair of Bryston 28B3 cubed mono blocks under the assumption ( or hope) that they would be a better match for some new PMC MB2SE speakers --- as Bryston and PMC had a long partnership & I believe many of their speakers were voiced with these amps in mind - in any case -- they are supposed to be a great match from all the reading I've done. 

I previously had a pair of ML CLX -- with 2 Decent I subs --- and again matched the speakers with what research I could find for a good match -- Spectron Musician III Mk 2 -- class D amps -- bridged as mono blocks - endless power / high amperage delivery for the demanding low impedance on the ESL's and fantastic sounding with the CLX - enjoyed tremendously for about 6 years 

I was very happy with the Spectrons -- but you don't know what you don't know - so I wanted to compare Spectron class D (which often gets a bad rap) to a A/B amp with the PMC speakers -- and was convinced that I would keep whichever one I liked best. 

After almost a month of back and forth switching between amps -- (still at it) keeping all the cables and sources identical when switching back and fourth -- playing the same tunes over and over ---- I really don't know why I can't tell the difference -- let alone find a preference - they both have 26db gain -- so the volume between the two amps was as closely matched as I could discern ------ but I'm frustrated that I can't really pick a preference - and by the time I switch the inputs and speaker cables between the two amps -- I've lost some auditory memory -- making it real hard to find a preference (wish I could just A/B with the same song back and fourth - but difficult to do without introducing other variable like cables etc. ) -- they both sound great -- similar tone & I would be happy with either one -

I'm just confused because I've read so many amp comparisons where users state "night & day difference" --- That has not been my experience ------- they are both great amps --- but now I know that there is absolutely no audible difference between this Class D amp ( 6 years old ) and a Bryston 28B3 (brand new) -- to my ears ( YMMV ). ------- Although if anyone can suggest a tune or two that might better reveal an audible difference -- I'd love to check it out -- but I think I'll be fine parting with the Bryston amps -- after realizing that if I can't tell the difference -- then there's no sense throwing money at it in order to feel comfortable having a new piece of gear with a 20 year warranty (knowing that my Spectrons will likely need work in the next 20 years)   

Bart 
@bjg I have a Piaget Dancer (about $15k) beautiful watch, and a Movado SE (about $1k) very nice also, both quartz movement. Doesn’t matter which one I wear, I’m always 5 minutes late for work. I thought the Piaget would get me there sooner..... 
I set them next to each other and watched them for hours, A/B comparison, nothing. I love Bryston and could sometimes tell the difference between it and a couple other amps I had. Where I could tell a big difference was listening to live and/or acoustic music, especially when listening to loud music with very quiet passages like Counting Crows’ “Round Here” or “Anna Begins” or electronic music like Dido or Sarah Fimm. 
I own a 4B-ST & 4B-SST2.... they sound different!  The ST is a bit more lively and dynamic, and the SST2 more refined & controlled.  The ST is the ideal amp for my old B&W 801series2's, whereas the SST is better on speakers that are a bit brighter.  I like them both for system matching.   On some speakers, I can see the argument that they might be too bright.  But the bottom octaves just go down forever!  Bass control and slam is the best.  I had my 22yr old ST reconditioned by Bryston a few years ago... One channel was having DC offset issues..... Best $600 I ever spent.  It's better than new now with modern capacitors!  
By far the best high end audio value for the money.  I have over 35 pieces of equipment.   You can't beat the build quality! (MIL SPEC), bulletproof.  The sound is precise, uncolored with extraordinary sound stage and presence.  Most of my electronics are 15 years plus, with no issues.  The speakers are glorious and built to last.
Brystons are super reliable and built like tanks. Plus they perform very well. I have used to have two 4B3s running in bridge mode in my system. I agree with positive comments about the 4B3s. I would still have them if I hadn’t received a great opportunity to get a pair of 28B3 monoblocks. My Magnepans have all the power, dynamic reserve, and headroom they need. The 17B3 is a great preamp. But I have one complaint about it. Certain phono preamps with minimum MM gain in the 50dB range overdrives it. You need a phono preamp with MM gain in the 40-50dB range. So Pass Labs phono stages except for the Aleph Ono are out. The Bryston DAC is also great. Overall, Bryston has been good for me.