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Bryston 3B ST vs NAD C 355BEE

Hey everyone! I've recently moved and my system has undergone a bit of downsizing and overhaul.

I swapped out my Bryston 7B SST2's and Axiom M80's for a NAD C 355BEE and a pair of Monitor Audio Silver RX6's. My preamp is still a Bryston BP25 and I only use the NAD as a power amp.

The new rig sounds excellent. Warm, detailed, coherent and lots of low end. I'm considering swapping the NAD with a Bryston 3B ST to lower the noise floor, tighten up the bass response and improve dynamics but I'm not sure if it will be as warm and coherent as the NAD.

Would anyone who is familiar with NAD and Bryston products care to weigh in on this one?
pontifex
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
Bryston won't be as worm as NAD, but will definitely bring tighter bass, faster response. Not sure about noise floor vs. NAD which is probably not a substantial improvement if any. For ultimate improvement vs. NAD I'd recommend finding Bel Canto S300 the steal under $1k if found used. Used to be lots now can't see any.
jaxwired
232 posts
 
I agree, the NAD will be warmer than the Bryston.
runnin
397 posts
 
I"ve also heard that Axiom M80's can be bright, not sure about the Monitor Audio silvers. The NAD is only 80 wpc I believe.
pontifex OP
31 posts
 
Thanks guys! The Axioms definitely were a tad bright and the NAD is definitely a warmer sounding amp. The Bryston amps certainly had better command of the bass but the NAD still has lots of punch for it's price point.

My ears have become more accustom to the new setup and I quite like it. It was a good opportunity to try something different. The RX6's are a more refined speaker than the M80's. Much better balanced throughout the spectrum and very smooth sounding with weighty, defined bass.

Since I posted this thread I am actually thinking of putting away some money for a Class A amp by Pass Labs rather than another Bryston.
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