B&W 801N and Bryston match


I have a pair of B&W 801N as part of a home theater system and I'm looking to upgrade my amplifiers. I like Bryston because of their warrenty and pricing on the used market. If you had a choice between upagrading the amp to run the 801N only would you choose the Bryston 4B SST or the Bryston 7B ST. I know I would be sacrificing some power going to the 4B SST but would the benefits of the SST line be worth it?
velesmj
So what I'm hearing is a mix of views. I guess I would be more comfortable if I heard more positives than negatives. What about Mcintosh MC352 as an alternitive?
The main problem of your speaker is the N tweeter. I owned the 802N as well. It can become harsh sometimes. You need a warm en controlled amp. New tweeters are superior to the N tweeter. More authority, less harsh much more open en more resolution. The thing I do not like about B&W is the fact they make poor filters. I owned and sold them for many years, now I would not want them even for free.
Agree the tweeters can potentially sound harsh, and not sure Bryston would help there. That's probably why you see B&W speakers frequently paired with Classe amps, and I think you might have a good idea looking at McIntosh as well. Best of luck.
I'm in the same boat as most people here. I owned the 802N's and tried pairing them up with mcintosh and pass labs. Congested and boring speakers. As Bo1972 says, the image is very flat behind the speakers with no depth.
@ Chadeffect" Yeah, that's been the complaint about Bryston for years now. I'm not saying you're wrong, however. I will say that Bryston is more on the analytical side of things, but I don't mind that too much. Depending on the recording, I actually get rolled off highs instead of bright and what have you. It's definitely garbage in, garbage out equipment. And I will say at high volumes, it can get too bright. But, again, it will depend on the recording, imo.