Bryston BP26 with Pass Labs

"02-16-15: Soix
Hey Zd, Bob said he had both in his system and didn't notice a difference. Um, pretty much says he listened to both."

I was just being sarcastic. We've had disagreements in the past, and I just don't believe him. To make a long story short, he says that he doesn't have to listen to gear. He can tell you how it sounds just by looking at the specs. Now, all of the sudden, he did a listening evaluation between Bryston and Pass preamps? I believe, that if he really did compare the 2 preamps in his system (and I have my doubts that he actually did), he wouldn't say that he heard a difference even if he really did hear one. Even in a moderately revealing system, you would have to be almost deaf, not to hear some type of difference between the 2.

"Have you had a Bryston preamp in your system to directly compare with a Pass pre? And then there's always the personal taste variable of course."

Nope. Like I said above, its a match that really doesn't make sense. Unless I needed some type of a bandaid fix for something, I can't see myself considering them both. They're the polar opposite of each other, and I don't really believe in bandaid fixes.

I don't see how Bryston and Pass preamps are polar opposites. They're both solid state designs that seem to strive for neutrality. I certainly hear my BP6 to be very neutral, and Bob wasn't able to hear any meaningful differences with them both in his system. Now the amps may be a different story, especially when it comes to the Pass pure Class A models.

By the way, IMHO Bryston preamps are under appreciated and unfortunately get over shadowed by the amps.

"02-17-15: Soix
I don't see how Bryston and Pass preamps are polar opposites. They're both solid state designs that seem to strive for neutrality."

I think I see your point. Its just a box with some knobs on it. I'm willing to bet that if you looked at a spec sheet, you could tell how these preamps sound without even listening to them.

It does sem like zd is confusing amps and preamps in this situation. If you hear a big difference between these 2 then at least one of them has a problem. Is the bryston known to be a noisy preamp? I've never heard that.

"02-17-15: Abrew19
It does sem like zd is confusing amps and preamps in this situation."

When you guys get some more experience, you'll find that barring a big mismatch between the amp and speaker, the preamp will contribute much more to a systems sound than the amp. By far. There's no easier way to wreck a system, than by using the wrong preamp.

"If you hear a big difference between these 2 then at least one of them has a problem. Is the bryston known to be a noisy preamp? I've never heard that."

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Its just the opposite. You're far more likely to have a problem if you don't hear a big difference between the 2. This is some pretty basic stuff. Its the kind of nonsense you hear from people that work at Best Buy. This is exactly what happens when you get your listening experience from reading magazines.