Authorized RePrint of
Audiovision - April 2004
Canadian Triumph
Processor/Preamp and Power Amplifier from the
Canadian manufacturer Bryston.
Bryston SP-1.7/9B SST
PRO very high quality workmanship; fantastic sound;
20 year warranty
CON minimal configuration; somewhat involved setup
It
can't be the absent video or the straightforward layout, so what
is it that justifies the total of 12,600 Euro that one spends for
the Bryston Processor/Preamp Power Amplifier combination?
20 Year Warranty - A first indication is the 20
year warranty which Bryston offers, and which is even transferable
to children, grandchildren, and purchasers of used equipment. As
far as we know this is unique, no other manufacturer has confidence
in his products for such a long time, and rightfully so because
electronic components normally work for only a limited time.
Therefore Bryston employs specific long-life components.
For example for the electrolytic filter capacitors the rule-of-thumb
applies that for every ten degrees that they are operated under
their specified temperature their lifetime is doubled. Therefore
Bryston uses 105 degree filter capacitors exclusively instead of
the usually specified 85 degree units. When the superbly hand assembled
Bryston components are finished, they are subjected to a 100 hour
long "burn-in" with varying loads, because with most electronic
components defects occur during the first hours of use. Therefore,
customers receive their combination in a "tried and tested"
state, and suddenly 12,600 fter all.
Power Amplifier: Thanks to the
efforts in reference to reliability and long life only very high
quality parts are used in the Bryston circuitry. However, the developers
did even more for the sound. Besides obvious matters like high quality
ground planes and construction with the shortest possible signal
paths, circuits are used which Bryston has developed to the limits
of perfection, such as the Quad-Complementary topology for the power
transistors in the output stage. The conventional construction with
complementary NPN and PNP transistors for the positive and negative
voltage supply has the disadvantage that the characteristics of
both types do not perfectly match, resulting in non-linearities
in the output signal which is just another term for distortion.
Bryston, on the other hand, connects one NPN and one PNP transistor
together into each half wave of the supply voltage and thus eliminates
distortion right at the source.
No IC will be found in the signal path, all signal
stages are built with single transistors, and in fact symmetrically
from input to output. Consequentially each channel of the power
amplifier also incorporates a balanced XLR as well as a coax RCA
input jack. A small switch between the jacks designates which one
is active. With additional switches "phase" can be rotated
180 degrees, and the input sensitivity can be adjusted in three
steps, whereby the sensitivity is halved with each step which, in
turn, represents a change of six decibels. This is indeed useful
when one uses some balanced and some unbalanced channels, since
the balanced XLR input levels can be matched "in a vel coax
RCA inputs. flash" to the exactly six decibel lower le
Processor: The configuration
of the SP 1.7 processor is almost complete in matters of sound formats,
and only Dolby's newest creation Pro Logic 2x is absent, otherwise
everything is on board, even the 7.1 systems as well as THX ultra
2. With the provided input jacks extensive systems can be connected
without problems, the output stages even in balanced mode as long
as they are limited to five channels, because the surround back
connections are only available in coax RCA jacks. Furthermore Bryston
offers the choice of two optical digital inputs or one, in the home
use sector rare, AES-EBU connection, but the customer must make
this selection prior to purchase.
A video section is missing completely (also refer
to info box) and therefore an on-screen menu. Because of this the
basic setup is sometimes a bit arduous, but in daily use the front
panel with its indicator lights and its display provide sufficient
information. (The companion Bryston SPV1 Video Switcher provides
for on-screen display - ed)
Measurements and Sound: The
laboratory results are sheer delight:For the 80 attainable points
for tonal quality, the Bryston combination achieved a full 78, and
the two missing points are really a theoretical margin rather than
an appropriate criticism. That the Bryston combination is able to
handle every kind of sound perfectly was ultimately also confirmed
by the listening test. Delicately and at the same time powerfully
the signal triumphed through our loudspeakers and did not hold back
the slightest detail - true high end in its most forthright form.
Practically militarily precise reproduction but in no way stiff
or without feeling. It breathed real life into the sounds, and with
well recorded discs conjured tangible "live-atmosphere",
for example with the Sheffield CD "New Baby" from Don
Randy & Quest, an outstanding stereo recording from 1979, and
likewise with multi-channel signals it achieved equivalent results.
Fabulous how acoustically convincing it reproduced Diana Krall,
at the piano and the band around her, in the selection "They
Can't Take Away From Me" from the album "Love Scenes."
The Brystons equally
fascinatingly reproduced movie sound tracks, no matter whether soft
tones or room atmosphere was called for, or brutal bass heavy thunderstorms
and directional effects all around. The reproduction pulled the
listeners downright into the scenes.
Admittedly the Brystons have their price, but
they are truly worth it because of their fantastic sound and their
20 year warranty. Also periodic updates for the processor promise
those that have the money that they absolutely cannot do anything
wrong here.
PRACTICALLY A MATTER OF COURSE: The large
majority of the actual AV amplifiers and processors incorporate
video switching capability. However especially demanding customers
usually do not use them, because they primarily use a high quality
DVD Player as the exclusive video source, which they connect directly
to the TV set, and switching then becomes unnecessary. Quite the
contrary is true, additional switching entities would only add unnecessary
losses to the pure video signals. Furthermore video technology in
audio equipment can indeed adversely affect the sound quality, because
it processes high frequency signals which at times can "sneak
into" audio circuits as distortion.
IN LIGHT OF THIS Bryston configured its processor/preamp
totally without video circuitry. However those that nevertheless
want to switch several AV sources need not despair, because for
1,800 Euro there is the Bryston SPV-1 Video Switcher for FBAS, S-Video,
and components. It can be connected into the RS-232 port of the
processor/preamp and also provides an on-screen menu for its functions.
| Listening Test Music: |
Very Good - 24/25 |
| Video (Film): |
Very Good |
| Sound Quality |
Very Good - 78/80 |
| Loudspeaker Configuration
|
Very Good - 5/5 |
| Configuration |
Satisfactory - 5/5
|
| Evaluation |
Very Good - 93 of 100
Points |
SHOULD ONE always do without video in the preamp
in one's pristine home theater? Not necessarily. The Yamaha DSP-Z9
for instance does not just switch, but due to its outstanding up-conversion/line
doublers is also highly interesting when one uses only one video
source. In this case the video technology in an audio component
does make sense, but one just has to live with somewhat reduced
signal-to-noise ratios. Extra: Video signals are routed through
separate circuitry with 100 MHz bandwidth - thus also suitable for
HDTV.
CONFIGURATION
Bryston SP-1.7 / 9B SST
Approximate Price 6,800 / 5,800 Euro
There is nothing to criticize here: Neither in
the laboratory nor in the listening test.
Translated from the German
by Peter Ullman
