Bryston produces a full line of amplifiers, pre-amps, electronic crossovers, digital players, power conditioners, speakers, and more. We will look at and compare two of their products, the 4B and 14B “Cubed” power amplifiers. Both are two-channel systems with very low harmonic distortion and independent power supplies for each channel. The major difference between the Bryston 4B and 14B “Cubed” power amplifiers is the power output. You can see this in the table below:
Power Capability (watts)
|
Bryston Cubed Amp |
4B |
14B |
|
Impedance in ohms |
||
|
4Ω |
500W |
900W |
|
8Ω |
300W |
600W |
|
8Ω (bridged mono) |
900W |
When both Bryston amps were tested with Magico S1MkII speakers, the biggest difference was that the Bryston 14B was overpowering the speakers which resulted in a rough sound relatively speaking. The 4B offered a warmer sound response which makes sense as it is a bridged design with double the transistors of the 14B. The 4B offered a more refined and organic sound which was perfect for the Magico speakers.
Other features and specifications of the Bryston amplifiers include:
- An active extremely low distortion input buffer
- No fans or other moving parts
- A fully aluminum housing with convection cooling
- Balanced and single-ended audio inputs
- Harmonic distortion
The key finding of such a comparison is that you can have too much amp for your speakers of choice. If you need help matching components for your system, Suncoast Audio can help. We sell both Bryston components and Magico speakers, so you can have amazing audio with a properly matched system. Contact us today at 941-932-0282 ormike@suncoastaudio.com.