Any Bryston 4B3 amp owners out there?


I'm strongly considering a 4B3 amp purchase. Bryston's warranty and build quality are as good as it gets and the price is in my budget. Pro reviews are good, I'm just wondering what owners may think. Are you pleased with the performance, what it's matched with, etc. I'm already aware of the specs, the story behind the design, and all the press release stuff. Plain talk would be appreciated.

Thanks 
professorsvsu

Showing 6 responses by hikmer

I bought the 4B3 amp and sold it fairly quick.  I lost a considerable amount of soundstage on the top end compared with my older CJ solid state amp.  It had very nice attack on drums and bass, just didn't fit my system otherwise.  I'd audition if possible, yes I agree that warranty is hard to beat.  Also make sure to verify that the reseller of person selling bought form a reseller, they changed their terms on the ability to transfer the warranty a few years back.  
I'll be honest, any reputable company making gear these days should last a very long time warranty or not.  An amp doesn't have a lot of moving parts so you really shouldn't have to worry about things breaking....I know a long warranty is a nice thing to have but will you still own this gear in twenty years?   Yes nice to have if you resell but I'd consider other brands at the $4K price point....there is a lot out there.
I've recently acquired a completely rebuilt McCormack DNA-1 gold (with extras) which is really musical and for under $3K quite a bargain.  While I did not compare against the Bryston 4B3 directly, I can say I am much happier with this amplifier than when I owned the 4B3.    
I owned a CJ MF2300a that was recently recapped...while it didn't have the same punch and dynamics of the 4B3, it did have more soundstage and upper range imaging.  The 4B3 in my system was way too laid back, dark and frankly not all that impressive.  The recent DNA-1 is a fantastic amplifier and gets into the music more while still keeping the character I had with the CJ amp.  Have a new pre-amp inbound now too as the gain on my LS17 is not a good match for the DNA-1
I was considering the ML 532H for a while too.  The heat sink placement (cannot stack or put in tight top bottom enclosure) and rear binding posts were a turn off.  I also don't think its made with the same care and quality as their highest end gear and more suited for home theater (could be wrong).  There is one for sale at a super low price but with some cosmetic issues.
This just posted...I'd grab it McCormack DNA-2 LAE SMc Audio Signature Edition