3B SST or 4B SST for N804s?

Nice informative post Sdcampbell. Summed it up pretty well.

I think the 3B-SST will be okay as long as you don't try to reproduce spl peaks over 100db.

Thank you very much gentlemen! Sdcampbell--I especially appreciate the time you took to develop such an eloquent and insightful response. Regards.

Sdcampbell,

Thank you so much for your response to my 3B SST or 4B SST question. Clearly, you take this hobby very seriously and are willing to help us newbies with your experience and knowledge. That said, I hope to tap into your expertise and ask one more question. Should I invest in the Bryston BP-25 ($1330 new on Audiogon)as the premier preamp to mate with the 3B SST or are there other alternatives I should consider? I'm starting from scratch with a set of B&W N804s sitting in my living room simply looking pretty and nothing else.

I greatly appreciate any advice you may give me...many thanks in advance.

AJ

AJ - having owned a variety of Bryston gear over the last 15 years or so I can offer the following as it pertains to the Bryston BP-25:

It is an extremely detailed preamp that does nothing to hide the components upstream from it. Brutally revealing is my take on it. I had one mated to a 4B-ST and found it to be too revealing for my taste. My analogy would be that the BP-25 is a black and white HDTV - every little detail is provided but after a while the lack of "color" becomes a tad overwhelming. In the end I chose a tube preamp (Rogue 66 Magnum) - ran like a very good color television in comparison - less detail but the color added the "warmth" I was missing with the BP-25. I still think the BP-25 is a great preamp but your choice of source may weigh heavily on whether it will work in your system...