Bryston 4B Cubed Still A Superstar

If anyone writes into hi-fi rags saying that advertising buys reviews, the mags refute that with anger. Yet what are we to deduce from reality? We see the same companies not only getting reviews, but garnering fawning reviews. Some of these reviews are accompanied by test measurements that show the product under review does not perform as presented by the company. The…

A Sight For Sore Eyes … Bryston speakers at Audio Emporium!

Magnepan MG 1.7i, $3000 Per Pair Shock of all shocks, Magnepan is catching up with providing us inventory! We actually have MG 1.7i in stock (black cloth/dark cherry wood) for the first time in… 3 years. C19 hit Magnepan as hard as any company. It was almost immediate in March of 2020, that Magnepan’s back orders became extreme. Orders of MG 1.7i,…

Bryston A1 Speakers $4990 Per Pair Walnut, Black, Boston Cherry, Walnut Expresso (47.5h, 9.25w, 17d, 71 lbs, 88dB, 4 ohms) Bryston’s A1 is my favorite tower on the market for the popular $5k per pair price point! There are hundreds of competitors at $5k. But none do everything that the Bryston A1 does. Before reading about A1 here, please take a minute…

B&W 703 $6000 Per Pair Made In China Efficiency B&W 703 Specs Claimed Vs Tests by British HiFi News (3/23 issue) B&W specs efficiency of 90 dB- It tested at 89, so pretty close. Impedance B&W specs impedance of 8 ohms- Nope, not even close. The 703’s Impedance tests – 2.9 ohms at 111Hz It is under 6 ohms 70-1.2k The EPDR…

Please don’t let these marvelous Maggies escape your attention as you consider new, or additional (!!) speakers. Maggies simply do some things better than any other speakers. If you would like a tall, wide and realistically deep soundstage with definition to die for, consider the MG 1.7i’s. Their bass is as taut and controlled as you can get. They’re ideal for a…

Reviewer Buys Bryston BR-20 Preamp

NAD C389 Integrated Amp $1500: 130×2 (4h, 17 1/8w, 14 1/2d, 130 w/ch, 8 ohms) In the Feb 2023 newsletter I told you the C389 was imminent. Turns out, they made me a liar by about two months. You can refer to the Feb newsletter for the nuts and bolts. Finally, we have C389 in the flesh. It’s HERE and it is…

Bryston Mini A $1665 Per Pair (15.5h, 8.5w, 8.25d, 87 dB, 4 ohms, Black, Walnut or Boston Cherry) Why does Bryston’s small (not tiny) speaker sound so large and powerful? After all, there are plenty of speakers about this size and price that sound respectable- but have little bass. What separates Bryston musically from its price class is its substantial bass and…

My wife and I saw him in Chicago, Sunday, 4-16-23. What a treat! When you get to hear a pianist with the most perfect technique on the planet from short distance, it checks a special box on the bucket list for a die hard piano fan. When Kissin’s name is posted, you don’t even need to ask what he’s going to play….

I love to tear open new hi-fi mags. Let’s see what they’re talking about this month! Headphones They talk a lot about headphones. I’m not tremendously interested in them. But I sell the Bryston BHA-1 headphone amp ($2500) that takes a back seat to NUTHIN. It is quiet as a mouse, drives any headphones and has a 20 year warranty. It’s among…

A hundred years ago when I was in high school shopping for my first stereo, I was confused by amplifier power ratings. I was trying to compare receivers- starting with power as one of the most important categories. In the late 60s the same amp could be rated at 30 watts, 22 watts per channel, or maybe even 70 watts IHF. The…

Bryston BR-20: Another Rave!

Bryston A Series Speakers Three of my favorite speakers in all of hi-fi are BACK! After being discontinued- temporarily. With so many resources spread thin during Covid 19, Bryston announced they were going to discontinue its A Series of speakers. They were having a tough enough time making those AND its higher end range, the T Series, and its amps, and its…

Rogue Pharaoh Mk2 Integrated Amp $4000 (250×2) Rogue is finally shipping the Mk2 version of its high powered integrated amp, featuring a tube preamp section. P2 has quieter background than its predecessor. It is now compatible with virtually all speakers, whether high SPL or not. P2 uses a pair of 12AU7 tubes in its line stage. P2 has MM and MC phono!…