| Author |
Thread: Bryston B60RP |
    
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1864
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - 10:25 pm: |
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I can get a great deal on one. Manufactured 10/99, meaning under warantee until 10/2019. According to the seller, this one has the SST output and specs. It was one of the last ones made without SST written on it. "RP" means remote and phono section.
I'm a big fan of Bryston. Their build quality, customer support, sound quality, and on and on. As long as I can confirm the product is covered under warantee by the manufacturer, I think Bryston and their 20 year transferrable warantee probably make the safest bet buying second hand.
The price will be a few bucks cheaper than a new Mira 3 that I'm still coveting.
If I can confirm warantee coverage and SST output by contacting Bryston, what do you think?
Has anyone heard one with a Rega Apollo? Any opinions on synergy? If not heard together, theoretical synergy?
Any particular speakers they like best?
The last time I heard a B60 was about 8-10 years ago. I remember it sounding amazing. But I must admit, I don't remember the rest of the system, and therefore it could have been a best case scenario which is out of my league financially. This model is supposed to be better than the model I heard.
Nuck, I think you've got some pretty good Bryston expereince. Strangely, I can't recall having heard Art's take on Bryston.
Any and all opinions are greatly appreciated. I don't think I have much time to ponder this.
What do you guys think? |
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Relevant Product Info
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Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7364
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 05:56 am: |
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http://www.bryston.ca/warranty.html
Stu, to be honest, the last 2 listens I had with Bryston(amps) left me a little bit put out.
The dealer had a 4B ST at the store for me to A/B with the Classe ca200 when I bought that stuff. The Bryston seemed a little 'coarse' in comparison. That was using unbalanced connections, but that should have no effect on the way it sounded. I found absolutely no noise from the amp.
The other was a 3B ST, but I heard that setup the day after a rock concert, so toss that one out.
Scanning the warranty info, moving parts are 3 years only. Further down there is something on 5yr electronics warranty as well.
Giving up on the whole system synergy before living with a whole Rega might be something you regret? However, if the price is very good on the Bryston, you should be able to recover some, or all, of the cost at a later date.
I have no idea on the quality of the phono from Bryston at all. |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 4793
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 07:16 am: |
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Last time I listened to Bryston it was their biggest power amp with another manufacturers tube preamp driving Thiel speakers. It did sound very nice but I believe the $5500 tube preamp had a lot to do with it and I don't think that I would buy one for the Rega gear. It's a mismatch in my opinion. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1865
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 12:06 pm: |
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Interesting views, guys. Thanks a bunch. I just found a Bryston dealer about 20 minutes from my house that has one on display. Seeing as how I'm on vacation this week with no where to go, I'm going to drop in and have a listen. I'll let you know how it goes. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1866
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 02:56 pm: |
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As it turns out, the shop didn't have a B60 on display, they only had the B100. I misunderstood what he was saying over the phone. Anyway, the salesman was very helpful. He owns a B60, so he had a lot of insight on it.
I heard the B100 and Bryston lowest seperates. The main differences were noise floor and low level listening. They weren't very big, but just enough to say so. He told me to expect a tad more of a noise floor from the B60.
I really liked what I heard. Its kind of hard to describe - it was very slightly forward, not bright or warm, very well balanced, and tonality seemed dead on. Its a very honest presentation. The only thing it lacks is that last bit of PRaT. The salesman said that the B60 sounds the same, just with a little higher noise floor, and a little less power behind it.
So here's what I'm currently pondering -
Do I want to sacrifice that last little bit of PRaT for that last little bit of resolution?
If so, will the Apollo and B60 bring out each other's best charecteristics, or their worst. From what I heard in the Bryston gear, I think it should be a pretty good match. But will it be as good as the Mira/Apollo match?
They're both very musical, just in a slightly different way.
I heard the Bryston gear with Arcam's entry level FMJ CD player, B&W 603, 704, and the entry level PMC passive monitors. The Brystons and PMC are are great combo. If I go the Bryston route, I'll most likely go with PMCs too.
Regarding the warantee coverage, B60s have the full 20 year warantee. The moving parts thing is for when they come out with CD players (the dealer said they have a working prototype they're fine tuning). The volume control is covered under the 20 year warantee. The DAC section in their gear is covered for 5 years, and the rest of the piece is covered for 20. The one I'm looking into doesn't have a DAC built in.
I think I'm going to sleep on it. Let me know what you guys think. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1867
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 03:09 pm: |
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Bryston confirmed the warantee is intact, and confirmed what the dealer told me regarding what is and isn't covered. |
Silver Member Username: Stryvn
Post Number: 204
Registered: Dec-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 03:14 pm: |
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Is it worth taking your Apollo in there to give it a listen with the B100, Stu? |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1868
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 03:33 pm: |
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I didn't want to do that. The guy was doing me a favor so to speak. I didn't want to make the guy switch out CD players, amps, speakers, etc. I told him up front that I was looking into buying used from someone else. He was a great guy and didn't mind helping me out at all. I think asking him if I could bring in my own CD player would have been a little too much.
The person I'd be buying from isn't close enough to be able to audition it with my gear. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1870
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 03:58 pm: |
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Scott,
I got the CDs a week or two ago. Thnaks a lot. They're pretty good. Sorry I didn't write back, but I've been a little busy on my so-called vacation.
With the great chore list Mrs. Stu has given me, I sometimes ponder going back to work and telling her I got called in. I'm using up comp time I've accumulated over the school year that I have to use before June 30th. |
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Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7368
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 05:02 pm: |
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Stuie, clean the home? A little dusting?
hehehe |
Silver Member Username: Stryvn
Post Number: 205
Registered: Dec-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 06:00 pm: |
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Fair enough, Stu. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1872
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 07:41 pm: |
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Nuck,
You know me too well.
Well, at least when we go to Mexico in July, I won't get stuck cleaning the hotel room.
Then again... |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 4796
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 09:25 pm: |
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IMO Stu buying the Bryston should have something to do with a whole system approach. Keep in mind that Arcam will go far better with Bryston than will Rega and so too will B&W speakers. If you want what Rega offers then I would stick with Rega if you are heading in another direction still keep the whole system approach in mind and start asking folks who own Bryston amps what speakers and other sources they use...just to get another perspective. |
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne
Dallas,
TX
Post Number: 10461
Registered: May-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 11:39 pm: |
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.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. |
Silver Member Username: Stryvn
Post Number: 209
Registered: Dec-06
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| Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 12:00 am: |
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And a high paying job. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7383
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 04:01 am: |
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Stu, you say the Mira3 and Bryston are nearly on par, yes? |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1873
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Friday, May 25, 2007 - 04:19 pm: |
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The B60RP is on the way. I just sealed the deal this afternoon.
I have a contingency (sp?) plan if things don't work out - My brother in law is willing to buy it to start a new system. His current system? A 10 year old Walmart house brand receiver and CD player connected to my family heirloom White Van speakers.
Is the B60RP outright better than the Mira? I think its pretty tough to quantify. But, IMO the Bryston gear I've heard does more things better than the Mira. Keep in mind a new B60RP retails for more than twice the price. I think it does most of the 'HiFi' things better - Imaging, soundstaging, resolution, details, etc. I don't think that's all that makes an integrated amp musical, but it helps. The Mira has it beat when it comes to PRat. But, I don't think its a night and day difference by any means. Combined with the PMCs I heard, the B100 had a very good sense of PRaT. I think the Mira 3 and R5s just have that very last bit of it.
Also, a big part of my decision was the warantee and support. The B60 I'm getting has about 15 years left. Not too shabby if you ask me. When I originally set out to build a new system, my main objective was to get something I'd have forever. Not that I think a Mira 3 would let me down at all, but I feel a little more comfortable buying something with a long warantee.
For speakers, I'm most likely going with PMC. I just have to save up for a little while.
As far as synergy goes, the Bryston/PMC synergy is phenominal. As a side note, I'm pretty sure Bryston is the North American importer or distributer of PMC. They make the amps for PMC's active monitors. Its entirely subjective and impossible to quantify, but from what I heard the other day, the Bryston/PMC synergy was as good to my ears as the Mira 3/R5.
Hopefully it'll be here by the middle of next week. Then again, you never know what'll happen due to the holiday weekend. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1874
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Friday, May 25, 2007 - 04:21 pm: |
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Sorry, the B60 has a little over 12 years of warantee remaining. |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 4803
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Friday, May 25, 2007 - 04:26 pm: |
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Congrats Stu...the weekend definitely has us all waiting, then again it's a weekend so that's ok with me! |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 4855
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 10:22 pm: |
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Ofcourse a Mira just came up for sale on Agon for $625.
Hope your gettin' some playing time in with that new Bryston...or is work gettin' in the way. |
Gold Member Username: Frank_abela
Berkshire
UK
Post Number: 2177
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 07:51 am: |
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Stu,
Bryston and PMC have a very close relationship indeed. PMC is the Bryston distributor in Europe and bruyston distributes PMC in NA. PMC use Bryston amplifiers in their active speakers and there is a lot of input on both sides for each other's requirements. I'm not surprised that the combination is truly synergistic.
Regards,
Frank. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7443
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 01:58 pm: |
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Stu can't pull himself away for insights at the moment.
Remember to sleep, man! |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1885
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 05:01 pm: |
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I picked up the B60 on my way into work yesterday from UPS. I had to stare at it all day. Talk about watching the clock all day long.
Then I get home, unpack it, and as I'm briefly testing each input to make sure everything works, I get a phone call. A minor family situation took me out of the house until about 11:30.
But let me tell you... I was pretty impressed with the 30 seconds I heard on each input. My stereo cabinet is still half way out in the listening room. My 320BEE is still sitting on the couch. My Hotel California LP is still on the Xpression.
I figure I'll get everything organized tonight and give it a full eval.
...Unless of course someone else tears their ACL playing soccer with a bunch of guys half his age. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7452
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 05:18 pm: |
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Oh no, not the ACL. I still hear mine popping in the nightmare reel. Your brother, Stu?
I await patiently.
Which PMC speakers were you liking, Stu? |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1887
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 05:49 pm: |
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My step father. In his native Peru, he played semi-pro one level below their top level. He'll be 58 in October, yet insists on playing in the 30 somethings league because their's not enough competition in the older guys' league. In fairness to him, he's easily one of the top 5 players in the league. I don't know how he's gonna take it when we confirm it. I've got the Doc who takes care of my athletes taking care of him.
We've gotta let the swelling go down before we can get him an MRI, but my professional assesment is an ACL tear at the minimum. More likely what's called the Unhappy Triad - ACL, MCL, Medial Meniscus.
Back to speakers, the PMCs were the DB2+ and TB2+. Both are transmission line monitors. Fast and neutral. I heard a tower that's further up the line and it was great. Way out of my price range, and out of my amp's league. Not that my choices are based on a review, but I came across a review on Bryston's site that's got the B60, Rega Planet 2000, and PMC TB2. If I go with the TB2+ (most likely I will), my system will be the updated version of the reviewed system. Here's the link -
http://www.bryston.ca/reviews/b60/focus_b60tb2.html
I not a big fan of bookshelves, but these are great. I find the sub/sat set ups often lack integration, unless you've got more money than I can comfortably afford. These most likely won't need a sub. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1889
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 06:09 pm: |
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I've got the late shift at work tonight, meaning I won't get home until about 9. Gotta love it. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7458
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 06:14 pm: |
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Read the link, Stu.
Did you get more of an idea on the phono of the Bryston beforehand?
Or just find out tonight? |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1890
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 06:25 pm: |
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I was told by the dealer I visited that the phono section was on par with the rest of the amp. I tried it out last night and it sounded on par with everything else, which is very good. But it was only for a minute or two, like everything else.
I've got a date with it at 9:30. Don't wait up! |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7460
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 06:27 pm: |
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how about EC?
Journeyman. You got that one?
Pretending, or maybe Running on Faith.
I found great rythm on the 2nd cut there. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1891
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 08:02 pm: |
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No Clapton, for some stupid reason. I do have some Cream though.
It's quittin' time. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7462
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 08:16 pm: |
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(whistle blows) Yabba Dabba Doo! |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 4867
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 02:05 am: |
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PMC's are excellent Stu...waiting for impressions. Sorry about your Stepfather, hopefully he will play again. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1893
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 12:32 pm: |
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I don't have much time to post an extensive review and impressions, I'll be able to later on. Describing it in one word - ruthless.
I absolutely love it. And for the same reasons that I love it, I hate it.
I'll elaborate later. My wife and I have a million errends to run. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7485
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 01:03 pm: |
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Ruthless...welcome to the big stupid, Stu, it only gets worse |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1897
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Monday, June 04, 2007 - 05:02 pm: |
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At first I thought the amp was a little too dry and clinical. The more I listened to it, I realized my ears were too used to the 320BEE's sound. The 320BEE is muddy, boomy, and very warm compared to the B60. Initially listening to the B60 it sounded dull and lifeless with no bass. The more I listened, the more I realized how honest the presentation was, and how bad the 320BEE's was. After two days, I hooked up the 320BEE. It sounded awful. It has no resolution or clarity (esp in the highs), the bass is artifically bumped up and doesn't go very deep. Then again, I am comparing a $400 integrated with a $2300 one.
The presentation is very honest. Its not bright or warm, very slightly forward, and very accurate tonally. It sounds very close to live music to my ears. Whatever the instrument or voice, it just sounds right. Nothing smoothed over, nothing hyped up. It is what it is. Everything in the music is very easy to follow. All its missing to my ears is that last degree of PRaT. It does this very well, but Naim and Rega do it very slightly better. Just like Naim and Rega, it gets the emotion and the heart of the music right, regardless of the recording quality. This is by far the most important thing IMO.
Normally with such an honest presentation, bad recordings sound even worse. Not so here. While the recording's flaws are more appearent, the strengths are more appearent too. Awful recordings are far more enjoyable on the B60 than my 320BEE. I'd even say that the best recordings on the 320BEE don't sound half as good as the worst one on the B60, if that gives some idea of what I mean.
This amp is very transparent. It shows everything in and out of the chain, and not in a subtle way. Everything I've done makes a definite sonic change, and its far more appearant with this amp than any amp I've heard before. Its not tempermental in a way that it'll sound horrible if its not set up perfectly, but it'll definitely let you know. The sonic properties of different interconnects aren't very subtle. I initially put the amp in my oak cabinet, then I tried it out on my Ikea Corras table (very popular with the Naim crowd). Everything else being constant, it sounded different. I tried a bunch of different things under the amp - Vibracones, squash balls, granite blocks, a wooden butcher block, and combinations of those. Everything yielded a different result. I don't know which is the best, but they're noticably different.
This isn't an amp for a person with OCD. It'll drive them crazy. People on another forum (can't remember which one) said it sounds dry and lifeless. That has to be from one of two things - either something else in the chain is causing it, or they're comparing it to another stereo rather than live music.
I said I love it and hate it. I love how transparent it is. In some ways I hate how transparent it is. I feel like I'll be trying different cables, interconnects, isolation, etc. as long as I own it. The less transparent the amp, the more subtle these things are. The more transparent, the less subtle they are.
I love it more and hate it less with every song I play through it. |
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne
Dallas,
TX
Post Number: 10527
Registered: May-04
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| Posted on Monday, June 04, 2007 - 06:15 pm: |
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.
A better component, or even so much as a better set up, should allow you to find the musical value of virtually any recording (with the possible exception of the very few that are truly horrible in every way). Any component which sets you toward limiting your musical selections is doing you no favor no matter how high it may reach in a few particular aspects of "hifi" desirables as pantingly described by magazine and web reviewers. Forget "the best ever" aspect of the system and just listen to the music. Enjoying and understanding the music and the artistic expression that went into putting it on a disc is what matters. The artistic expression of how it gets from disc to your ears is far less important.
"I feel like I'll be trying different cables, interconnects, isolation, etc. as long as I own it."
Don't. You will be doing yourself no favors. Settle on a presentational style that once again favors the music and then stop reading advertisements and listening to recommendations for something that will only change in some fashion what you already have. Keep it simple, that's all that's required of cables and accessories. The less the system f...s with the music, the better off you will be. Isn't that what the amplifier is already suggesting to you? Careful set up of a very good component system is far more valuable to the listening experience than all the cables, cords and cones you can afford. Use logic and clear thinking to achieve the best results, do not rely on magic.
. |
Silver Member Username: Stryvn
Post Number: 217
Registered: Dec-06
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| Posted on Monday, June 04, 2007 - 06:16 pm: |
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Nice review, Stu. Makes me wanna listen. An amp that minds it's own business....what a concept.
I really need to get out more. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7503
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - 05:31 am: |
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Very good, Stu.
How is your tt liking it? |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 4881
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - 07:56 am: |
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Good reading Stu! |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1900
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2007 - 03:19 pm: |
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Thanks everyone for your comments. I’ve got a few more thoughts/observations…
For the longest time, I thought my room was the cause of most of my problems – muddy bass and congested mids. I also thought that my PSBs were adding to it. Using a Rives Audio frequency response CD and Rat Shack SPL meter, there were big bumps and dips all over. The biggest bump was right around 200-125 Hz, a dip around 70 Hz, and back to normal between 60 and 30 Hz. The B60 proved to me that the 320BEE was the culprit. I haven’t tried to re-measure yet (I’ve been enjoying music way too much), but to my ears, everything is pretty much flat. The only thing I’ve changed is the 320BEE for the B60.
I didn’t realize my speakers were this good. They’re more neutral and tonally accurate than I thought. I thought I was hearing a little cabinet noise before. It wasn’t the speakers.
I really only see two weakness in my speakers now. They can get a little dry at times. This was there before, but now that the 320BEE’s flaws are gone, it’s more obvious now. Its not any drier, it’s just more apparent now. They’re also not as fast as I’d like them to be. The PMCs showed me how fast Bryston gear can be.
When I bought my speakers, I wasn’t too concerned with how they’d sound with other gear. I was concerned how they sounded with the 320BEE and other NAD equipment. At the time, I planned on moving further up the NAD amplification ladder when funds allowed.
To answer Nuck’s question, my turntable loves the B60. It sounds the way vinyl is supposed to sound to my ears. I’m 99% sure the phono card in the B60 is the same as Bryston’s separate phono stage. I know Bryston’s dedicated pre-amps use the same board as the separate phono stage.
Jan,
I appreciate your insight and comments. You’re absolutely right. I didn’t buy any of the stuff I used for experimenting for this purpose. I had this stuff lying around the house. The interconnects are/were used for different components. I simply tried each one of them with my CD player. The granite tiles were left-overs from a project involving isolating my speakers a few weeks ago (more on that later). The Ikea table is my listening room coffee table. The butcher’s block was from my kitchen. The Vibrapods came from under my TT.
My thought was there’s no sense in not trying out a free tweak. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1901
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2007 - 03:20 pm: |
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On the subject of cables, I just discovered that I chafed the jacket to the power cord last night. It wasn’t there when I bought. I must have done it when I was pulling the cord through the hole in the back of the cabinet. I’m temporarily using an IEC cord form an old computer. I can’t really hear any differences though. I’m looking into an entry level PS Audio power cord. Music Direct has a 30 day return policy, and I don’t have a local dealer. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7539
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Saturday, June 09, 2007 - 09:17 am: |
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Stuie, if you didn't notice the difference in cables from the 'chafed' one and the 'el cheapo' one, why look further?
I suggest diaper cream with zinc for chafing, BTW |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1909
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Sunday, June 10, 2007 - 08:37 pm: |
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From what I've heard - I don't have any kids that I know of - Desitin (sp?) works pretty well for diaper rash and chafing.
You make a good point Nucko. However, upon inspection of the factory cord and the computer cord, they're identicle to my eyes. Sole difference being colors.
I'm going to try to borrow a hospital grade cord from one of the machines at work. The electrical stim units all use a hospital grade 15 or 20 amp cord. I've read in a few places that these work great. I'll try one out for a night sometime this week. If it works out, I'll buy one. |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 4927
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Sunday, June 10, 2007 - 09:11 pm: |
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Your post from Wednesday was an excellent one Stu. It's amazing how room acoustics issues turn out not be with a different piece of gear in the chain. Everything shifts. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1964
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 12:55 pm: |
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Just an update -
The B60 gets better each day. An added bonus is that it warms up pretty quickly, meaning that I don't have to leave it on 24/7 to get the best out of it. After about 2 CDs is when it really opens up. Being in the Northeast where lightning is in the forecast about 5 days a week, its good to know it'll sound right pretty quickly.
But the main reason for the update - I replaced the pre-amp/amp jumpers and power cord. I did the jumpers first for a few days, then added the power cord.
The stock jumpers are standard jumpers I've seen on everything, only these are gold plated. I replaced them with Audioquest's jumpers. They've got the same wire and configuration as my King Cobra interconnects. The connectors are different, and I'm asuming the dialectric is different too. Music sounded a little cleaner and clearer. I'm assuming this is probably due to shielding, whereas the stock jumpers were exposed metal. It was pretty close in every other aspect. The improvements were definitely worth the $25 cost.
I replaced the power cord with a Shunyata Venom cord. Music was again cleaner and clearer. Its also more cohesive and sounds slight fuller, and more dynamic.
To sum it all up, they both made my music sound more believable, or more real. Worth $130 total including shipping? To me, absolutely.
Regarding why these thing made my system better, I don't really care. It could be the better connections, EMI/RFI rejection, and/or heavier gauge wiring, but I'll leave that to the Audioholics guys. Then again, according to them these tweaks are all in my head and a scam. My response to the naysayers - Ignorance is bliss.
Links to the gear -
http://www.musicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=AAQFPS
http://www.musicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=ASHUNVENOM15AMP |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 1966
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 01:34 pm: |
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I forgot to mention -
Everything seems more tonally accurate.
The biggest overall difference is in low level listening. At low levels, everything seems to be in better balance than it was before. Before, I had to turn it up to a certain level before everything was even. Now everything seems even right from the begining. This is a huge plus when listening at night. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 7955
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 07:12 pm: |
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