Bryston 7b3
Okay, here’s the low down. The amp is actually smaller than the Parasounc
JC1. It is lighter as well. It does have
a sizable transformer, but the JC1 transformer is bigger. However, it has a larger capacitance bank in
the power supply sections (16 x 10,000uf = 160,000uf!!). Initial assumptions that it works only off a
circuit breaker are incorrect. There is
actually a small 12.5A fuse on the board close to the IEC plug input. It is covered by a rubber grommet that is easy to remove with pliers.
Stock – initial listening showed this amp
as very clean. It is definitely cleaner
and faster than the Parasound. I thought
that it sounded somewhat thin, but it might sound different in other systems. Extended initial thoughts seemed that this
amp sounded a bit clinical and just a tiny bit sterile in presentation.
With Furutech fuses. I had one 10A and one 5A that I put in these
two 7b3. The 5A is undersized, but I am
not going to consume more than 600 watts of A/C for my tests, especially since these
will drive my bookshelves, which are crossed over at 80hz. With the Furutech fuses, it definitely filled
in more of the midbass body. Made things
better and just a little bit more natural over all. However, extended listening told me that this
was still too clean and fast. There was
too much attack and it pushed it over the edge into the “too solid state”
characteristics. Bass was extremely
clean and clear, but just bordering on a tiny bit harsh.
Isoclean 5A fuses (5A was the biggest I
had). Isoclean uses gold-plated endcaps
and conductor wire. Much much
better! The amp sounds more neutral
now. The upper mids and highs are not so
push hard and it gives you a sense of tonality.
This is great because it tells us this amp can be tamed if it is too
bright and hard edged. The bass was very
good here. Overall, this was the best
this amp sounded. It does not have the
slam and bass punch that the Parasound has.
I would describe this as a very gentle and delicate sound – extreme amounts
of resolution and detail. Even with the
Isoclean fuses, this amp was extremely clean and resolving.
Here’s a note on others that have had
extreme success with the new Bryston cubed amp series:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/finally-took-the-bryston-4b-cubed-plunge
That being said, the Bryston in my system
was very good, but it was still just slightly thin. It was very clean and clear, but did not have
the organic life that the Parasound JC1 had.
Since the Parasound had more body, the overall sound was fuller and, as
a result, louder. I could hear more of
dialogue and voices in movies. I think
that my system is just way too high resolution for the Bryston amp. I have rhodium plated everything. Audioquest Rocket 44 with Furutech rhodium
spades. Rhodium XLR connectors and power cord connectors. The Krell S1200 is definitely not a warm
preamp/processor.
I suspect the Bryston 7b3 would excel in a
system that had a warm tube amp or something like a NAD or B&K preamp. My Krell and cabling is just not warm enough
to transfer to the Bryston. With your
Marantz processor, it might just be warm enough to give the Bryston a fully
rounded signal. However, with the Esoteric
preamp, the Bryston might come out being too thin. You’ll have to wait and see. I will say that the Bryston is just about the
highest resolution and highest resolving amp I have heard. That being said, it will not add anything
(which could be bad if you need something added into the signal).
