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Speakers for Bryston

Suggestions for speakers that mate well with Bryston electronics?

Running Bryston BCD-1 CDP, BDA-1 DAC, BP25 pre, and 4BSST amp.

I tend to listen to jazz, classical, vocal and instrumental music.. and, of course, a smattering of everything else! I don't usually listen at loud volumes.

Thanks in advance!
headshrinker2
magnumpi205
504 posts
 
As I recall both Magnepan and Reference 3A are voiced with Bryston.
agisthos
508 posts
 
Seriously I would not be concerned with just your speakers, but the 4BSST amp. Bryston is a cold, clinical, and grainy sound.

The reason for this is not because Bryston 'tells it like it is', but because Bryston engineers come from a pro audio backround and designed their amps with measurement theory rather than listening.

The new SST2 range of amps have supposedly resolved this problem and are much better, some say.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
I haven't found cold, clinical, grainy or any combination of the above with Bryston. I've owned a B60 for a few years (SST no less), and have heard others countless times.

Bryston is very transparent. Transparent to the degree where many mistake the end sound with Bryston rather than looking upstream and downstream.

I've found systems with Bryston in them to be bright, dark, edgy, smooth, forward, laid-back, and everything else. What does that tell me? It's showing what it's fed.

Sounds like a BS answer to the original question, but I can't think of much of anything that'll not work well. It all depends on the sound you desire. The 4B will drive pretty much any speaker well from an electrical standpoint. It's a robust and stable amp. I'm sure there's some absurdly hard to drive speakers out there that'll make the 4B sweat a bit though.

Go on Audio Circle and ask James Tanner which speakers used Bryston in shows. That may give you a start. Thiel and Magnepan come to mind.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
To add...

Personally, I like Audio Physic, Totem, and PMC with Bryston. B&W is a popular match, but I never really cared for B&Ws that much. They're not crap by any means, but I think they've got a ton of competition at their price points that are better.
headshrinker2 OP
110 posts
 
Agisthos,
You describe Bryston as having a "cold, clinical and grainy" sound. Have you owned Bryston gear in the past? Auditioned it a dealer?
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