Reprint from

The Inner Ear Report Volume 6, #1

Appearance:

This is a rather sleek looking piece of equipment, where Bryston departed from it's earlier pro-audio appearance. The BP2O's control unit is only 1.25 inches high, 12 inches deep and 19 inches wide with rack ears. Three small knobs symmetrically arranged, represent the Selector switch, the Balance, and the Volume control. On the unit's right, a Mute button and the ON/Off switch complement the Monitor and Mono switches on the left. A small LED on the right shows the status of the preamp: Red for muted output, green for unmuted output. The Bryston logo is on the unit's upper left. It is the only other visible element on the uncluttered, logically arranged faceplate. There is an external power supply, which isn't as large as one would expect it to be.1 A small indicator LED on the unit shows when it's connected to the AC. Nothing much to tell you about the power supply, other than that it can be placed away from the control unit in as small a space as you choose. The BP2O looks good, feels good and offers the appearance of quiet decorum.

Technology:

This preamp's attractiveness is more apparent when one looks inside. The BP 20 is a dual mono preamplifier.

Its separate unit isn't the actual power supply for the preamp. It's located inside, on the main chassis. The transformer, however, is external, housed in a small case. Bryston reasoned that the noisiest part of a preamp is the transformer, not the power supply itself. The circuit boards are grounded on separate plains. Each input is individually grounded. There is no internal wiring. All components plug directly into glass-epoxy circuit boards. Intermodulation distortion has been reduced to 0.001% from 20Hz to 20kHz. Crosstalk - practically doesn't exist. Signal switching is achieved with heavy gold plated switches. Buffered inputs provide for low distortion and improved linearity from source components. The BP2O is housed in a steel cabinet to shield and protect it from magnetic interferences. Bryston's pro connection is found on the rear of the preamp. There are two pairs of XLR (balanced) inputs and one pair of XLR gold plated male output connectors. All inputs are gold-plated.

Bryston currently manufactures a phono preamp for the professional industry, such as radio stations. It plans to market the same device, slightly modified, to consumers. Its basic design will incorporate a moving magnet input. An optional moving coil head-amp is also available. Please check with Bryston for details on its availability and its price.

The Sound:

Before we get into this, let us tell you that we never did like the sound of the earlier Bryston preamp, the l2B, which we had reviewed a few years ago. Although it had specked out to be wonderfully linear, its strength and sonic merits were restricted to its phono preamp section. All of the high-level sources, however, sounded rather restricted, giving the impression that it couldn't quite finish what it had started. The new BP2O is an entirely different sounding device. Its sonic signature is best described as rich, mellow and musical. Yet, this unit has the ability to reveal musical subtleties and nuances, usually attributed to much higher-priced designs. The highs come across widely commodiously and well balanced with the entire midrange segment. Upper and lower midrange information is succinct smooth and seamless. It sounds a bit euphonic on occasion, more noticeable when listing to large orchestration. This trait isn't unpleasant at all and some of our panelists regarded it as a benefit, others thought that it sounds too pleasing - too pleasing? Personal taste and the reviewer's bias causes these rather confusing statements. Most of our panel liked the midrange and thought that the BP2O midrange area sounds rather accomplished.

The bass region sounds potent, yet resolute and disciplined all the way down to the pedal-note vicinity. Because of the all-round sonic character of the B P20, bass tenacity comes across a little ambiguous at times. (There it is again, the euphonic sort-of sensation - liked by some disliked by others). Upon connecting the Bryston with three amplifiers, it was decided that the bass does sound accurately after all, and that it was the various amplifiers' sonic signatures, that had been revealed. This, of course delineates the Bryston as a preamplifier with admirable sonic neutrality
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The sound stage conjured by the BP2O is beautifully detailed, renders realistic boundaries and appropriate focal finesse. Its three-dimensional imagery is, rather than overly impressive, a true depiction of a musical pulpit.

Synopsis & Commentary:

Bryston has produced some rather sophisticated high-end gear for the past few years. A lot of their products aren't designed for the home audio market, but find their way into consumers' homes anyway. Regarded as one of the world's best professional audio manufacturers, Bryston's reputation in the home audio market hadn't kept up with the fame they enjoy otherwise. Well, we believe that the time has come for audiophiles to seriously look at this company as a contender for high-end products - affordable high-end. We had connected the BP2O with Carver Silver Nine-t mono blocks, an 0CM 500, a Sugden amplifier and Bryston's own 3B. Not surprising, a special synergy exists when the BP2O is connected with the 3B. This combination literally sings and shows that when the right system is put together, the outcome is stunning. If we had to rate these components as a system, it would rank as high as the 3B (99%). However, since we had arbitrary success with other components, the above rating is appropriate. The bottom line is cut and dry: This is a superb preamplifier.

We invite you to experience the Bryston SST² Series amplifiers

20 Year Warranty - A Generation of Music