Bryston 4B SST vs SIM Audio W-5

Sdcampbell
My speakers Thiel 2.3, McIntosh C2200 tube pre-amp, speaker cables and ICs Transparent Super MM, Jolida 100a tubed CD player. Bryston Compared to Mcintosh MA 252 power amp

If the Bryston sounds hard and lean..change your cables. It is not a hard or lean amp by nature. The Bryston does not like up-tilted audiophile cables.

Generally I find the Bryston/Lexicon stuff a little sterile and plain/processed sounding. I think the Sim stuff is sweeter, more pristine, extended, airy, and more tonaly right! I never cared much for Lexicon/Bryston, and think they never made anything (yes, including the HIGHLY OVERATED 7B's) so special sounding. sim however, which I've never sold, but have respect for, makes more refined audio gear. I'd vote Sim purely on Bryston's more "manufactured, middle of the road sound!"

Bunkeromantik:

I'd like to have you clarify a couple of points, which will be helpful to others trying to answer your question.
1. What speakers are you using?
2. What preamp are you using?
3. What speaker cables are you using?

The amp-cable-speaker combination is truly an interactive one, and a change in any one of the components can (and often does) change the overall sound presentation. Hence, one needs to consider all three components as a system, and not just isolated components.

The reason I am asking these three questions is triggered largely by your comments. You state that you like the bass reproduction of the Bryston 4B-SST, yet find it a "little dry and lean". Generally, good bass reproduction would NOT suggest being dry and lean. Infact, the term "lean" in audio parlance usually means a lack of bass response.

There are a lot of comments posted on this forum about Bryston gear, and people's opinions about their audio qualities seems to run the gamut. Personally, I find Bryston amps to be quite neutral, and if the reproduced sound from a system is "bright", or "lean", or whatever, it's usually due to other components (usually the speakers), not the Bryston amp. A number of audio reviewers have commented that the 4B-SST is "chameleon-like", in the sense that its' audio qualities are largely dependent on other components. Hence, my first question about what kind of speakers you are using.

The kind of preamp you are using will also make a significant difference, particularly when used with a fairly neutral solid-state amp. If you are using a solid state preamp, and want to "warm up" your system a bit, then you might consider getting a tube preamp.

Last, speaker cables. Not all speaker cables -- even some of the expensive ones -- are "neutral". There have been a number of recent threads on A-gon about the Alpha-Core Goertz speakers, which is one of the most "accurate" low-impedance cables made. With some amp-speaker combinations, however, they can cause amplifier oscillation, UNLESS used with a Zobel network (a resistor-capacitor circuit). My point here is not to discuss particular aspects of the Goertz cable, but rather to use it as an example of how speaker cables can alter the interaction between the amp and the speaker.

Taking all of these points together, it will be very helpful to get some more information from you about your preamp, speakers, and speaker cables.