Bryston A1: $4990 Per Pair
{47.5h, 9.25w, 17d, 71 lbs, 88 dB SPL, 4 ohms}
They’re baaaaack! My fave sub $5k speakers are at long last back in the house.
Covid 19 put Bryston behind the 8 ball as much as any company out there. After three long years of being at least 6 months behind on product delivery, Bryston is catching up. As they’re catching up, they’re finally producing some of their A Series speakers that were virtually extinct for three years. Tops among them is the Bryston A1. What a treat it is to have this smooth, powerful
Canadian built speaker with a 20 year warranty- back.
A1 is a prodigiously powerful (!!) tower with a gorgeously smooth top end. Please note that it is only 9.25” wide and doesn’t present a massive footprint in your room. It is also reasonably efficient at 88dB. There are many affordable integrateds that will drive them, like the NAD C399 and Hegel H190.
Its main competition at this price point is from China and the differences are dramatic. The imports are skinny in the bass and more scratchy up high. Finally, for the first time in 3+ years, you can visit to hear A1 in person. And yes, the warranty is still 20 years!
Bryston Tiny A: $990 Per Pair
{13.5h, 8.5w, 8.25d, 90dB, 8 ohms}
Bryston has introduced its first 2-way stand mount monitor speaker. Tiny A is small, though not exactly tiny. It features Bryston’s 6.5” woofer and Titanium tweeter. Literally all of its similarly priced competition is from China. Bryston’s TLC (please read the Bryston Speakers yellow tab at the bottom of our home page) provides bass and warmth that the mass market cannot achieve.
Bryston has precision driver construction to assure your music is “in focus.” When a mass production house blasts speakers out like popcorn, driver variation produces music in a less clear, noticeably more foggy presentation.
You guessed it, the warranty is 20 years! We welcome this little guy for use on its own or pairing with a fine sub- like the JL Audio lineup from FLA. How nice, to have full N American speaker/sub (JL D110, $1300) combo for only $2300?!
Rogue Dragon MonoBlock Power Amps: $6000 Per Pair
{5.5h, 12.5w, 19d, 33 lbs, 300 watts per chassis}
Rogue’s Dragon STEREO power amp has been one of my faves since the day it came out. It has 300×2, $4000. It uses 12 AU7 tubes in its design.
The tubes are used in more than just the input stage. Rogue has its own TubeD circuit that allows the tubes to also be used in driving the amplification section. The Dragon has been a stereo star. Mark O’Brien of Rogue has seen fit to build the Dragon in MonoBlock form AND soup it up a bit in the process!
The Dragon MonoBlock amps are more than just mono versions of the stereo Dragon. The MonoBlocks are also rated at 300w. Each has its own power supply which provides a higher level of dynamics. The monos use higher level components in critical locations. There are improvements in other aspects of the circuitry as well. The monos have more weight, attack, better dynamics and a higher level of transparency- with improvements in the soundstage.
And of course… the MonoBlocks allow you to put one amp behind each speaker and run short speaker cables of the highest quality if you’d like to. Kimber Carbons anyone?
Rogue RP-7 Preamp $5000
{4.5h, 18.5w, 17d, 35 lbs}
You’ll need a great preamp to run with your Dragon MonoBlocks. Please consider the RP-7.
RP-7 is Rogue’s mid level preamp and has balanced circuitry- to play ball with the Dragons, of course. RP-7 has two sets of XLR inputs, and two sets of XLR outputs (both variable). Additionally, RP-7 has 3 RCA line ins, No Phono, 2 RCA variable outs, a processing loop and HT bypass.
RP-7 runs four 12 AU7 tubes and sounds smooth as silk- an ideal mate for the Dragons. Its volume control has 157 steps in .5dB increments, so you can be sure to land exactly where you want. RP7 runs 17 regulated power supplies. Premium parts include oil based Mundorf caps, Vishay resistors and Vishay Hexfred diodes.
RP-7 sounds distinctly more tubey than its little brothers, RP-1 and RP-5.
Hit Songs Second Time Around
Some songs were not a hit the first time they were recorded. Take 2- a smash!
“Respect”
By Aretha Franklin in 1967, was written and recorded by Otis Redding a couple years earlier.
“Girls Just Want To Have Fun”
By Cyndi Lauper in 1984, was written and performed by Robert Hazard in 1979.
“Twist & Shout”
By the Beatles in1964, was written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell in 1961, recorded by Top Notes.
“I Will Always Love You”
By Whitney Houston in 1992, was written and performed by Dolly Parton in 1973.
“Time Is On My Side”
By the Stones in 1964, was written by Jerry Ragovoy in 1963, recorded by Kai Winding.
“Hound Dog”
By Elvis in 1956, was recorded by Big Mama Thornton in 1952.
“Turn Turn Turn”
By the Byrds in 1965 was written and performed by Pete Seeger in 1959.
“Nothing Compares 2 U”
By Sinead O’Connor in 1990, was written and recorded by Prince in 1985.