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Bryston or Aragon

My son is a music lover like I am.  He plays bass and dabbles in audio recording.  Well he’s all grown up now and has his own family and home and he has decided to leave his Yamaha receiver behind and stick his toe into the world of hi fi.  He needs a power amp.  He has done his research, browsed audiogon and talked with me and has decided on either a Bryston 4BST or an Aragon 8008BB.  Both are within his budget on the used market.  Initially the amp will be paired up with an Adcom GFP 555 (I think), a Technics turntable, some kind of CD player and my old Polk SDA 1A speakers.  If you have had experience with either of these amps please share your thoughts. I know there are other options that might fit the bill but he is firm on these two.  Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
128x128pipebro
Post removed 
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
wow, you guys are really bashing Aragon.  But forget that the 4BST is already 20 years old!   Sure, it can be fixed, but it's just as old as the Aragon 8008BB.  I'm sure the Aragon can be fixed as well.  Not sure if Aragon is actually out of business.  They had a revival about 5-6 years ago:

http://www.aragonav.com/products/

As far as the amps are concerned, they are radically different.  The older Bryston are very fast and high resolution, but can sound a bit dry and sterile.  The Aragon is completely different.  It's very warm sounding and very full sounding, but the high frequencies can be rolled off somewhat.  It really depends on what kind of sound you want.
pipebro's avatar
pipebro OP
32 posts
 
To set the record straight Aragon is still in business under new ownership.  It was founded by Mondial in1982.  In 2001 it was sold to Klipsch who had it until 2005.  In 2009 a company called Indy Audio Labs resurrected the the brand and continues today per the link above.
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mike_in_nc
1,157 posts
 
I love my Bryston 4B3, but it’s 3 generations newer than the 4BST your son is considering. I also loved my old Bryston 14BSST (one generation). Unfortunately, I haven’t heard the ST, but it sure had a good rep. And Bryston service is legendary.

On the other hand, I have a friend whose system includes an Aragon 8008 (older version) combined with much costlier components, and it sounds great.

So I don’t think there is a clear answer to your question, and I bet your son will enjoy either one. I do see your son is a bass player, and Bryston amps are typically cited for their excellent bass control. For that reason, for their typically great sound, and for serviceability into the future, I would lean towards Bryston.
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