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Bryston amps VS the rest... too clear and neutral?

Ok right now i am on the market for an amp..
need something in the 100W+ range stereo..
My speakers are Mirage OM-9 wich i really love!
( really nice in my small room because of small reverb times so it increases the volume and the presence alot with their bipolar setup!:)

Everytime i listened to mirage amps ( mostly 3b or 4B + )
i was really impressed by the clarity of the sound and the really nice neutral tonality of thoose amps.
Is it me or the Bryston are really neurtral amps that reproduce the sound really close to how it was input?
( like cheap records really sound cheap and everything sounds clear )

So i was asking myself is it is really good for a music used amplifier to sound almost perfectly the same as the input signal ? I mean, theorically this is what we are loking for right? but then, does it makes some music "hard" to listen to ? or gives fatigue quite fast on long listening periods?

So how does Bryston compares to most other high quality amps?
SS and tubes...

The only time i've been listening to other high end sutff is at the Montreal's Sound and image show and they all use different sources or speakers...it's so mixed up that you can't really put characteristics on any part of the systems but rather have to qualify to the complete system.

I've heard some $$ Logan sounds like crap on Classe amps because the source ( i think ) was really bad..
So it's pretty hard not having auditionned with a fixed system any or almost no other god amplifier brands to decide on wich path to go!

i hope that some of you have any input on that :)
thanks! :)

JIN

PS... i'm not even sure how my Mirage sounds since i didn't even try them on more than 2 amps ( yamaha and old akai :p )
jinmtvt
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
Based on my experience with my Bryston 4B-ST and 5B-ST amps, I think that the "ST" line essentially reproduces accurately whatever is on the recording -- good or bad. I recall a remark by Stevie Wonder about the Bryston amps he uses in his home recording studio: they reproduce sound the way he has heard it in his head, which no amp ever did before for him.

I can't comment about the new "SST" line, but if you want a very neutral, transparent, accurate amp, the 4B-ST sure does the trick.
thsalmon
348 posts
 
I'd personally take a pass on the Bryston amps. I've found them to be grainy and a bit harsh. If you like the Bryston sound, I bet you won't like tibed amps at all. For the same money, I'd consider a used Chord or a Linn Klout.
aball
2,016 posts
 
I agree with Sdcampbell but I find Brystons nonetheless a little thin and not very involving. Perhaps a plus for some ears but I like sound with more body. Most of my experience is with the 4BST and 4BSST (I find the difference between the two small) and comparing them to Classe, McIntosh, BAT, CJ.
dudeaudio
39 posts
 
Stay away from the ST line, which you will probably find fatigueing in the long run, based on what you have said. I find the new SST line far more warm and musical, while maintaing the detail.
dudeaudio
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