Parasound A21 vs Bryston 4bsst 2

Zd542,

I understand that I need to build a system. I had one before, but I thought I was done with music and sold everything. After several months I missed listening to music and decided to build a modest system. My prior system consisted of Wilson Sasha's and Densen electronics. I begin my new adventure with Revel F52s and Peachtree electronics. The F52s were great for the money; however I wanted a little more transparency. I listened to a couple of speakers to include Rockport, B&W, higher end Revels, but decided the Aerial 7Ts offered the best value. Now I've decided to slowly build my system...the amp is just the first step. If I get the A21, the P7 will be the next piece, followed by a new source, and finally cables.

I don't have the opportunity to compare them directly, that's the only reason why I posted the question. I agree that Bryston may have raised their prices too much.

I see. Very well then. Well, it looks like you're leaning towards the Parasound stuff. Their stuff isn't bad at all, and should last you quite a while if you take care of it. Keep in mind it's middle of the road stuff, and not the ultimate, imo. Bryston leans more towards actual high end equipment, especially in the case of the 14BSST2 and the 28BSST2. Anyway, those are out of your price range, but I was using that as an example. You should be ok with the Parasound, I don't see why not...

The A21 will drive the Ariels without issue. I have not heard a Bryston and so cannot comment. I found that this amp provides the best results with XLR connections. Great bang for buck!

Dave_72,
Have you compared the A21 to your 4BSST. I was wondering how I would be able to identify a middle or the road vs really high end component, if I get a chance to compare.

"Now I've decided to slowly build my system...the amp is just the first step. If I get the A21, the P7 will be the next piece, followed by a new source, and finally cables."

I don't know if I did a good job explaining my point in my first post. You list some specific qualities that you want your new amp to have. Setting goals is excellent on your part. Very few people actually do that. I'm just questioning how you are going about this. When I say you need to build a system, I don't mean that you need to buy everything at once, but just have a clearly defined path. At the very least, you need to hear your speakers with the A21 and P7. Otherwise, its just a coin toss. Its more work, but I would say that you really need to hear the combo before you purchase.

One other thing I see from reading your posts, is that you seem to be favoring the amp as the more important piece, as opposed to the preamp. I won't tell you what to think or how to spend your money, but I would highly recommend you treat the preamp as the more important of the 2. As long as whatever amp you get has enough power to drive your speakers properly, the preamp should make a bigger difference in terms of sound quality. If you skimp on the preamp, you're just going to start fooling with cables, tubes and other various tweaks. By the time you figure out what's going on, you'll have spent a lot of money. Not getting the right preamp has to be the biggest and most common mistake in audio.