Which Preamp for Bryston 4BST. BP-25 or Rogue 66

Thanks once again everyone,

You have all made this much easier that I expected. I spoke With Mark at Rogue, and he is just as pleasent to deal with as everyone mentioned. I have ordered a Rogue 66 Magnum with remote from one of his dealers and can't wait to receive it. Being completely new to tube gear, does anyone have any additional suggestions for setup, break in etc.

Alan

Alan- Great choice!
Get yourself some Black Diamond Racing cones #4
They deepen and tighten up the bass like you won't believe! Get a bit of weight on top of the 66 too.This will help reduce microphonics,again for deeper and tighter bass.The cones and weight combo is the best tweak I believe for tube gear.I use (3) 1 lb. brass cones on top of my 99.
Talk to Mark about filling your output power suppy with sand.This WILL lower the noise floor.Or you can do a search for my description of how to go about it.
Again,great choice Alan!!

As stated above I to have a Bryston 4B ST power amp and had the opportunity to audition,in my own system a Blue Circle
BC3.1, and all I can say is..WOW!!!!!!
In all fairness ,the BC3.1 is a more expensive preamp than my previous Bryston BP 25 preamp,but the improvement in sound is worth every penny.
Before you buy try a Blue Cicle preamp.
They have a excellent entry level preamp BC 21.
There is a couple for sale on Audiogon at this moment.
Customer service is EXCELLENT..
Happy listening..

I've been using an ARC LS-2, with remote, for about two years now, with bridged 4BSTs. The only thing I'm unhappy with is the fact that this version doesn't have balanced inputs.

The LS-2, being a hybrid, provides the best of both worlds
(SS and tubes).

Alana,

Good choice with the Rogue. I demoed both the 66 and 99 and ended up with the 99 bought as a demo which I have mated with a Bryston 4BST. I've just had it upgraded to Magnum and will probably keep it forever.

My point is writing is tha like the 99, the 66 can be tweaked with tube rolling (replacement) which can significantly refine the sound of the amp to suit your taste. There a lots of tubes available online, each of which can give you different sound and it is just plain FUN to play with the preamp 'til your heart's content.

Also, whether or not you tube roll, you might want to try some Hal-O tube dampers at about $12.00 each. They are definitely worth the small investment which results in clearer, more defined imaging by minimizing microphonics which can muddy the sound of tubes - a noticeable difference immediately.

Also, consider Vibrapod isolators under the preamp. You don't really notice that the preamp needs anything until you try them (as well as the Hal-os) and then don't want to do without them. At $24/4 it's a cheap investment with noticeablly good results.

Have fun tweaking.

Joe G.