We all have to draw our own line in the sand somewhere... If you do not perceive the Bryston to be worth 3X as much then it will not be a good buy in your eyes. Purchasing the 4BST will no doubt alleviate any amp "upgraditis" you might get with the Anthem (which btw is a nice product but is not a Bryston amp). Its too bad that you can't try out both as only your ears will define how much $$$ you are willing to part with. Remember that when you get past "low-fi" on the way to hi-fi the costs go up exponentially... Slight or incremental returns for what can be large investments!
Bryston 4B-ST overkill for Paradigm ??
I have a pair of Paradigm Ref Studio 100s v2 speakers and have been looking for a decent amp to drive them. The Anthem MCA-2 and Bryston 4B-ST are readily available where I live but not for home audition. I can get the Anthem for a good deal, the Bryston is 3 times the cost of the Anthem, is there really that much of a difference between these two amps driving the paradigms, thanks for the help.