Transparent, dynamic and build-quality

Several months ago I wrote a review under both the Bryston B60 and their 3B amplifier. The proof that I was won over was the fact that I put my electronics up for sale. Once sold I headed down to Bryston dealer to confirm my decision and place an order.

Before ordering a B60 and a 3B I gave a listen to their pre-amp driving a 3B and compared it to my intended combo. A little better but, mainly different. Finally, I tried one last combination: The Bryston pre-amp. feeding a 3B for the woofer/mid-range and the power section (basically a 2B) of the B60 to drive the tweeters. WOW! Even the store owner did a double take.

MAGICAL. The best of all worlds. The focus, dynamics and openness that a quality pre-amp provides, the sweet, airy sound of the B60/(2B) from the tweeters and the control, detail and quickness of the 3B for the rest. The stores B&W 802s sounded better than I have ever heard. They came to life and sang like never before. It just felt right. The music was dynamic, controlled, detailed and a focused and holographic soundstage was produced. And, just as important given their past reputation, no matter how loud we set the volume AT NO TIME DID IT GET HARSH.

I ordered a BP 25P with a 2B (the second Bryston amp will come when finances allow).

In regards to the BP25P and the subject of this review, now that I have had it in my home for a month, I'm starting to realize the key role it played in the total musical improvement. Since I'm still using a LINN power amp for the woofer/mid-range, I can testify to its key role contributing to the descriptive adjectives used above and in the final musical outcome.

They say our reference should be live, unamplified music. That's fine but,
for me it would be to be in the studio when the music is being made. With
the BRYSTON combination I felt like I was listening in on the
studio/recording session. If this is what reviewers mean by transparency,
then it was A+ by me.

Regardless of what one has, I believe that you more than owe it to yourselves to
hear what a separate pre-amp driving separate amps for the tweeters and woofer/mid-range can do.

Given the implication for and of the 2B, I plan on posting a modified review
under its namesake.

To conclude, lately I have been reading more and more comments on the benefits of not going beyond a single pair of output transistors per channel. Could be one of the key reasons why the 2B sounds so very musical. I may end-up with a second 2B instead of a 3 or 4B.

Similar Products Used:

LINN, NAIM

Everthing

The remote

At this price range this preamp has no competition. I would have to have spent twice as much to get any better performance. I really don't even have the vocabulary to accuratly discribe what this pre has done for my system. But, I can say that by using this pre I have "rasied the stakes" and now feel compelled to look into a better CD player then my Planet and my Concerto's have NEVER sounded better!!

The remote is cool but is slow, but I used a "one Remote" and it works much better.

Similar Products Used:

Classe, VTL

Vander-

I'd be understating things to say I was surprised at your review of the BP
25. Couple of questions: when you describe its cold, analytical character
are you speaking of the line level or low level inputs? I've found little
difference in character in either: the signal passes through with the
utmost in purity. What amp are you driving? Matching, or mismatching
components can seriously change what you hear. If you've teamed it up with
an aggressive, bright-sounding amp, you're going to get bright sound. What
about speakers? Which speakers do your electronics drive? Are you driving
them into distortion?

I don't doubt your impressions but do wonder whether the unit is defective
(highly unlikely) or it possibly is mismatched with amp or speakers. I can
think of few preamps I would take in its place. If you read this, please
take a moment to respond. Gracias.

I've had Bryston BP25 to some months and really I did not like the choice. It posses virtues, is very analytical, but he does not possess depth of palco.Compared with ARC LS15, CLASSE CP50, MacCormack, Electrocompaniet, and plus some others that I compared it lose ugly in musicality. It is the type of cold device, without emotion. Inferior models it that I know are pre Aura, Classe CP35 and Adcom.

Many

Lack of aesthetics (if that troubles you)

A long delayed followup to my original post. Just read Nate's review and believe he got it just about right. I, too, have trouble with the syrupy sweet sound of tubes ("valves" if you're feeling British.) Euphonious? Yes! Accurate? Probably not. Have owned tubed preamps and got tired of the constant and subtle degradation of sound as the tubes wore. Anything that alters the sound recorded is, by definition, a distortion. Bryston excels at neutrality - let the music speak for itself, recording flaws, eccentricities and all.

I have the BP25P and truly believe it is one of the most underrated preamps in the game. Those of us who still spin vinyl know how good this beast is, both high and low level inputs. I'm beginning to think that what "undoes" Bryston with this one is the lack of "sex appeal" in the packaging: its appearance is so pedestrian, it perhaps dissuades a lot of people from even giving it an audition. Me, I prefer substance over style. Mine is two years old and still performing brilliantly. One hell of a buy, all things considered. Overall rating is 4++, but this software doesn't allow for fractions.

I AUDITIONED SEVERAL PRE AMPS BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE BP-25.THE AUDIO REASEARCH LS-9, WHICH WAS THE SAME PRICE.$1995. AS THE BP-25. A REGGA, AND A $2500. BEL CANTO DESIGNS SEP-2. I ALSO LISTENED TO SOME LESS EXPENSIVE ROTEL GEAR.
THE BP-25 DID EXACTLY WHAT A PRE IS EXPECTED TO DO. LET THE MUSIC FROM THE SOURCE PASS THROUGH UNCHANGED. THE NOISE FLOOR IS VERY VERY LOW. THE PRE IS AS SOLID AS THE OTHER BRYSTON PRODUCTS. IF YOU HAVE A BRYSTON AMP, THE PRE WILL MATE PERFECTLY WITH IT. I HAVE USED IT WITH THE 4B-ST, AND NOW THE 7B-ST BLOCKS.

FOR SOME REASON EVERY TIME I TRY SOMETHING FROM THIS COMPANY IT ENDS UP IN MY SYSTEM. IF I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING BETTER FOR THE VALUE I WOULD GET IT. I CAN HONESTLY SAY IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT PRE AMPS. TRY THIS ONE. OR THE BP-20 IF A REMOTE IS NOT IMPORTANT.

NOTHING FANCY JUST GOOD SOUND AND VALUE. I GIVE IT A 5.

Price to performance ratio is very good
02 XLR Balanced Inputs
Small compact size [easy to fit in a rack]
Seperate Power Supply [good isolation]

No Visual Display [Hard to read from a distance]
Lacks transparency [Stuart Taylor must work harder]
Poor build quality of the Power Sopply

28th August, 2001.

BRYSTON BP 25 PRE AMPLIFIER

Serial Number :- 251744-BP25.

Date of Purchase :- 05th June, 2001.

Price Paid :- US $ 1,960/-

BRYSTON BP 25 PRE AMPLIFIER

I purchased the BP-25 to replace the Simaudio Moon Eclipse P-5 [Serial Number A 081291-Pre] so as to create some kind of a ‘synergy’ between my Power Amplifiers [7B ST, serial numbers 773793 & 773775] and the Btyston Pre Amplifier. Unfortunately it was an error in my judgement.

The BP 25 is not one of the success stories that ‘Stuart Taylor’ [The man behind the ‘ST’ on all new Bryston models] can tell others in the audio fraternity. He has done a great job on the power amplifiers [My 7B ST’s I am very happy with] but the Pre Amplifier just does not measure up. I was really hopeful on the performance of the BP 25, it would have saved me US $ 2,000/- [Since I had to buy the Pass Labs X 1 pre Amplifier instead], but that was not to be. I was destined to cough up the extra money for the ‘Transparency’.

The BP 25 is a great ‘value for money’ pre amplifier, but not for use with ‘hi-end’ Systems [I do not intend to sound snooty here]. It is just not in the same league as the ML, CJ, Hovland [Superb pre amplifier], Pass etc. My speakers are the ‘non forgiving’ type. The smallest anomaly is magnified and re-produced. The fundamental purpose of having a pre amplifier is to be in a position to choose between various inputs and transfer the music from your CD Player / DAC to your Power Amplifier and volume / amplitude modulation. The pre amplifier should not hamper / alter or distort the audio signal in any manner. Now that is perfect, but the BP 25 does not do all of that very well; Input selection is great, transfer of signal is altered [covers the sound with a ‘veil’], is not able to modulate the volume effectively either.

It is a good pre amplifier for some one on the look out for a reasonably good pre amplifier with a budgetary limitation. Hence I would say it is one of the best value for money pre amplifiers around, but on the ‘absolute performance’ front it is in no way at the top, actually quiet far from it. Sorry BRYSTON !

I love the Hovland pre Amplifier [my first choice, but does not have balanced operation], Pass X1, ML 380, BAT VK 40, Sonic Frontiers Line 3 etc. I could go on and on,………… but any one on the look out for a new pre amplifier please give the Hovland a definite and serious audition.

Testing and review carried out with :-

A] Equipment

Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD Player [Stand by]
Electrocompaniet EMC-1 CD Player [Current CD Player]
Ultech Audio UCD-100 CD Player + Sonic Frontiers SFD II [DAC] Spare
Audiomeca Mephisto II CD Transport
Audiomeca Enkianthus 24/192 DSP based D/A
Simaudio P-5 Pre Amplifier [Stand by]
Bryston BP-25 Pre Amplifier [Stand by]
Pass Labs X-1 Pre Amplifier [Current Pre-Amp]
Bryston 7B ST Power Amplifier
Dynaudio Confidence 5 Loudspeakers
vdH [Van den Hul] ‘The Second’ Balanced XLR Interconnect
vdH [Van den Hul] ‘The Integration Hybrid’ RCA Interconnect
vdH {van den Hul] ‘The First Ultimate] Digital Interconnect
vdH [Van Den Hul] ‘The Revelation’ Speaker Cable
vdH [Van Den Hul] ‘The Mainstream Hybrid’ Power cable

B] Music

M.A. Recordings - Begona Olavide / Mudejar MA042A
Water Lily Acoustics - Tabula Rasa WLA-CS-44-CD
ECM Records – Making Music / Zakir Hussain ECM – 1349
Moment Records – Ustad Sultan Khan MRCD – 1006
Reference Recordings – TUTTI ! RR-906CD
Telarc – A tribute to Oscar Peterson CD – 83401
Chesky Records – The Raven / Rebecca Pidgeon JD 115
Mercury – Essential / Yello 512 390 – 2
Pope Music – Entangled Devotions PM 1004 -- 2
The Grapevine Label -- Mary Black – The best of… GRACD 012
Warner Bros- Ry Cooder – Crossroads – Movie O.S.T. 25399-2
AMMP Ustad Ali Akbar Khan plays ALAP CD 9303


Mazher Bashir JAFFAR

28th August, 2001.

Mumbai [Bombay] INDIA

e-mail :- schwinn@bol.net.in

www.schwinnwarehousing.com

Similar Products Used:

Simaudio Moon Eclipse P-5 Pre Amplifier [A-081291-PRE]
Pass Labs X1 [08331]

Build,Balanced Outputs and Inputs,Neat Steel Remote

No display window-for source ,volume etc.

Had Bryston .5B for several years. Main difference with BP25 is that the music seems much more smoother -hard edges are taken off even poor discs.
Remote works great and looks like it will last twenty years also. Wish it was more complex though and could learn CDP functions.
I have a Bryston 3B Power Amp and the synergy is great between the two.
After researching Pre-amps- the Bryston BP25 (which lists for 2250 CDN)is a bargain for a high end pre-amp.
I had seen reviews and heard from some dealers that the BP25 and Bryston Power amps do not match well and the sound would be lean and hard. But, I have found the opposite- the new sound in my system is very smooth and 'silky'.

Similar Products Used:

Linn pre-amps,Simaudio

Pure, unadulterated sonics

None that I know of, unless you prefer syrupy sweet preamps, like a CJ preamp

This is my 2nd Brsyton preamp, my first being a .5B. The unit I presently have is a BP25P, which includes a MM phono stage. I am delighted with the BP25. It is a relatively quiet and very dynamic preamp. Infact, it is in the area of dynamics where I believe this preamp shines, especially in comparison with older Bryston preamps. There is an effortlessness which this preamp exudes. A typical knock on Bryston gear is that it's bright, and in comparision to older Bryston gear, well, the older stuff was brighter. But I have found, with the right cables (I'm particularly pleased with Harmonic Tech Truth Link), the balance is just right. Take a superior preamp, add in a 20 year warranty, and an outstanding company to stand behind its gear, and you have a winner. It is no Krell, but then again, Krell ain't Bryston either.