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Bryston Integrated Amplifier
Model B-60
Bryston needs no in-depth introduction to the world of audio,
other than to say that this Canadian company has been building
audio equipment since 1974. That's twenty-two years in business
and twenty-two years of experience. Conservative and careful when
it comes to electronic designs, the company's successes over the
past decade or so can be attributed to tradition - craftsmanship
first, elaborate testing second. During the past few years, they've
added new designs and new technology with the integrated amplifier
yet another new product to their line up - the product under review
here. The B-60 is the "brain child" of Stuart Taylor
who is responsible for the ST series of Bryston's products.
Appearance:
The B-60 is similar in appearance to the BP-20 preamp. It's streamlined
appearance offers a touch of class. Black in colour, the integrated
amp measures only 17" (L) x 10.5" (W) x 1.75" (D)
and weighs in at 12 lbs. The faceplate is uncluttered and arranged
- from left to right - with the Bryston logo, a toggle switch
for Tape/Normal, followed by a headphone jack, a selector knob
- four high level inputs, (Tuner, CD, Aux & Video), the balance
control, volume control, a red LED and finally the power switch.
The rear of the unit accommodates two sets of speaker terminals,
preamp out/main in, RCAs and the various inputs. A socket for
the detachable power cord accommodates the unit's fuse. An optional,
spartan remote control for volume and mute functions, is available
and makes life a little easier without confusing its operator.
Technology:
The B-60 is basically a combination of the BP-20 and the 2B and
is rated at 60 watts per channel at 8 ohms and 100 watts per channel
at 4 ohms. Upon a look inside the unit, readily noticeable are
the two toroidal power supplies which are customized to fit into
the compact chassis. Bryston explains that by employing independent
power supplies, any possibility of channel to channel interference
is prevented. All signal circuitry is fully discrete, avoiding
non-linearities inherent in IC designs and a unique, ultralinear
input buffer with gain, results in a substantial reduction in
noise and distortion. The unit boasts gold plated, five-way speaker
binding posts and gold plated RCA input/output. The B-60 can be
used as a stand alone amplifier or a preamp. All-in-all the pristine
inner core is totally hand-assembled and then tested. Only the
best components are used; 1% metal-film resistors, polystyrene
capacitors and the implementation of military-grade components
assure quality throughout the design. Although there are two series
of heat sinks, they are not visible since they are directly attached
to the chassis inside the unit.
The Sound:
This unit made two trips to our studio. On the first trip, we
had a quick auditioning session for several hours and our first
impression was quite favourable - almost astounding. It left us
quite anxious for the unit to be returned for more elaborate listening
tests. When the B-60 came back for the second time, we connected
it with the rather upscale Gershman Avant Gardes and a pair of
Totem Tabu loudspeakers. A Copland CD player and a Magnum MD 108
tuner were used for the source components, connected with Vampire
interconnects. Transparent Audio cables connected the loudspeakers.
We auditioned this unit with a wide variety of musical program
material, ranging from pop to classical. The first - usually the
most lasting - impression was that of surprise that an integrated
amplifier with 60 watts a channel can produce the finesse and
the musical calibre of more expensive separate components. Although
Bryston used a modified version of their 2B amplifier as the heart
and soul of the B-60, the integrated unit more or less matched
the performance of a 3B-ST power amp with a synergistic preamplifier
which also sounded better than the BP2O I 3BNRB combination. We
all thought that the B-60's musical finesse must be considered
in line with some of the real high-enders out there in stereo
nirvana land. To describe the unit's sound in detail is almost
pointless because it seems to have all the attributes of the stuff
audiophiles and music lovers look for. But here goes:
The highs come across as sweet as honey in the
summer (liquid and smooth), while the midrange information is
well balanced with frequencies above and below this segment of
the audible spectrum. Additionally, the unit offers that certain
clarity, but not restricted to the highs or mids. Rather, the
B-60 offers sonic transparency coupled with resolution right across
the spectrum. Another impressive part is the unit's ability to
recreate a sound-stage which is best described as multi-dimensional
- that's when listeners aren't sure how to describe the sensation
of listening "into" the music - a sonic phenomenon which
allows listeners to identify instruments and their location within
the sound-stage. Front-to-back layering (one of the dimensions)
is outstanding. When driven at high volumes, the B-60 doesn't
crumble, provided that medium efficiency speakers are used. We
liked the Totem Tabu loudspeakers with this unit. The Avant Gardes
also performed very well with the Bryston, but clipped the amp
on high volume. On lower levels, however, this combination revealed
the amp's sonic character as one with which even the fussiest
ears can live with.
Synopsis & Commentary:
A few words about integrated amplifiers. Usually, separate components
allow the end-user to customize the sound to complement loudspeakers
or to cater to personal taste. Thus, one could use a great preamplifier
with a lowpowered amplifier, or any other configuration. The upside
is that components can be upgraded one by one, spreading the expense
over a manageable period of time. The downside is that it's more
expensive and potentially more troublesome, starting with interconnects,
continuing with the wide variety of "sonic signatures"
and ultimately the question of synergy must also be addressed.
An integrated amplifier such as the Bryston
and other serious designs, however, will not allow the introduction
of an interconnect's personality, there are less connections to
worry about and there isn't room for fussing around. All this
adds up to a component which - when designed properly - can simply
plugged into the AC outlet, connected to the loudspeakers and
that's all there is to it.
So the Bryston qualifies as a serious component
which is made for those who aren't about to change their systems
around every couple of years or so, but wish to have an excellent
system with the emphasis on sonic quality without fuss. The pre-out/
amp-in functions allow upgrading the system to employ a multichannel
configuration, home theatre etc. It's easily done and allows audiophiles
at least some tweaking.
E.F. - our editor-in-chief - commented that
the B-60 is one of the best, perhaps the best effort Bryston has
come up with. The amplifier easily outperforms rivals in its price
range, matches the calibre of equipment in the $3,000.00 range
and outright destroys a lot of the imports currently available.
With the Bryston B-60 we feel that people out there in audio land
are, as the old saying goes, getting a good bang for their buck.
Connect this integrated amplifier to a
good pair of loudspeakers with quality cables and listen to your
system sing - and sing it will; and buyers will sing too, or maybe
they'll whistle, or laugh all the way to the bank when they think
of the money they have saved.
We invite you to experience the Bryston SST2 Series amplifiers
20 Year Warranty - A Generation of Music
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