Thanks for the info. Unfortunately your specs didn’t show. From what you stated I might expect my easy to drive 6 ohm Harbeths ( lowest impedes 5.2) to not cause significant temperature issues with the Pass.
Bryston 7B3 vs 4B3: Extra Cost Worthwhile?
Now that my dealer said he can deliver and unbox my amp the weight issue has been resolved. I don’t expect to be moving them as this is my end game system. At my age end game has real meaning. So I decided on Bryston and the 4B3. But then I got to thinking maybe I should go all out and get the 7B3 mono blocks. They are twice the price of the 4B3. For that additional expense I would hope and expect that once I heard them I would not be able to go back to the 4B3. However if the difference in perceived SQ is better but marginal the extra cost would not be worthwhile. I’m not looking for the ability to play loud but am looking for speaker control, dynamics, soundstage, etc., improvements that are clearly and unequivocally heard. So has anyone been done this road with these amps? If so please share your experiences
- ...
- 32 posts total
Please take a look on the net for Krell Resolution 1’s and Stereophile review for the details. Difficult load yes.
I am suggesting you purchase an amp that will suffice for upgrades to come. The Benchmark is an excellent amp if you go that way. If you ever upgrade to speakers that will need a powerhouse amp then you have it with an entry level high end amp like an X350. If I were to redo my decision and stay away from difficult loads I would select a 50W/ch amp such as an old Krell KSA 80B and prepared for the high maintenance costs or something newer such as the Coda 5.5 which seems to have great reviews for price. To tell you the truth if these positive reviews continue for the 5.5 and they come back as no difference in sound bridged or not then I would definitely sell the X350.5 and get a pair of 5.5’s.
With your speakers no there will not be a super heating of the room. I looked, your speakers are a rather easy load to drive and even large scale orchestral won't cause any issues taxing the amp to create real heat.
I hope people do not laugh hysterically before they try however if someone wants to try to see how to heat up an amplifier play The Key the Secret from Urban Cookie Collective 5 times one after the other and hop on it. Not to the point of clipping on transit but right there LOL. People can decide if they have the "powerhouse of the century" amplifier or not. This song is filled with information all over the frequency range, recorded in a bit of unusual fashion and a constant bombardment of power sucking requirements. If anyone can detect power consumption during playing please report back on that when the women only is singing. |
@jfrmusic I spoke with Doug at CODA earlier this week on bridging 2 S5.5's for my Yamaha NS5000. He said like most stereo amps bridging is not the optimal way to use the S5.5. He suggested another CODA amp for my speaker. That is a heavy one so not useful for you. The Benchmark AHB2 is a bit better in regard to bridging a stereo amp. The AHB2 is unfortunately not a the very best match for my NS5000. |
Once I get my new streamer and DAC I will give my AHB2 a new audition. Maybe the upper mid lower treble forward issue I didn’t like was a product of the DAC3. Still waiting for the DAC to arrive at the dealer. Probably this Wednesday. If it sounds better then I might consider getting a second and going bridge mode. But I keep hearing negatives about bridging stereo amps. Right now I haven’t felt completely good about my choices. Although I will be able to audition the 4B3 and the pass x250 at my dealer. And he can deliver to my house. |
- 32 posts total