Which Processor: Sunfire or Bryston?

I second SD Campbell’s recommendation – the Bryston SP1 is a wonderful pre-pro. Wonderfully transparent and neutral, well made, and very intuitive in its operation – easier to operate than any receiver or preamp processor I’ve ever used. It really is an audiophile's processor, and I am delighted with mine.

I'll add a third vote for the SP1, for many of the same reasons Herr Campbell has cited. BTW, don't mean to be confrontational, but I have heard the Classe units and, while I thought them good, I did not hear the pedigree the first poster raves about. As always, our perceptions differ and you have to follow your ears. Note that I did not say Classe is bad; rather it didn't quite fire me the way the SP1 did. As with Mr. Campbell, audio quality assumed primacy in my selection. And it is there I thought the SP1 superior to Classe's offerings. Geddie wrote: "It really is an audiophile's processor, and I am delighted with mine." To which all I can add is ditto.

Thanks, one and all, for your considered responses. I'll do some listening. Any one actually compare these two directly?

You should also consider the B&K reference 30. This is the one I ended up getting. I listened to the B&K vs the Sunfire (for two-channel mostly) and picked the B&K. I haven't directly tested the Bryston or the Classe side-by-side with these, but I did listen to them and neither of them blew me away.

I use the B&K for D to A as well, though, so this was my priority. If you are just using it as passthrough, the Bryston or Classe might be better bets.

If you can, make sure to listen to them _in_your_setup_. The amp you match with it will especially make a difference.

John

What about Krell Showcase in comparison with Sunfire and Bryston.

David