Bryston 7B (not SST or higher) still Viable Option

Well as I was looking at a set of Jeff Rowland monoblocks, a pair of 7BST’s from 1998 single owner original packaging hit eBay.  Location was 3 blocks from my office.  Near mint condition.  Took this as a sign and bought them.  

Thank you all for the info. Yes the capacitor thing of course is an issue with any amp

I had an original 3B, was the original owner since 1982 or so.  I had it fixed once when it was about 18 years old, was blowing fuses in one channel.  Bryston fixed and brought up to spec free under warranty, though I had to pay shipping one way. 

Same 3B had a channel die last year.  I called Bryston, and they still service the unit (probably same generation as the 7B).  However, they wanted $500 flat fee to fix it, and they sell used/serviced for around $700 - $800.  So I decided to sell it as is and got $350 for it which I considered a win.

Keep in mind, if you don't have the original factory packaging, you need to buy if from Bryston.  They won't accept anything not packaged with their packaging.

One repair 38 years says they're reliable.  The only question is how were the 7B's treated by the previous owners.

Any amp will have failing capacitors in the power supply eventually. The older the amp, the sooner it will happen. That said, I would bet that Bryston still will service it for you.

You liked this model a long time ago, and the 7B would have a hell of a kick. (I owned a 14BSST -- a powerful and wonderful amp). Still, maybe don’t rush into an amp 5 or 6 generations old without a fresh listen, if somehow you can get one. It’s not that the amp will be bad, but simply that another model -- maybe even something new -- might appeal more to your now-more-experienced ears.

Regarding AVA, I think very highly of Frank and his products, and they are MORE than competitive at their price points. He was a model of fair dealing when I bought things, and when friends did.

Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks.  Last time I heard them was 30 years ago when I was just getting into hi end audio.  

I take it this is something you sampled before and love the sound? Anything such as this has its own sound.  I love playing with different amps and speakers, looking for that "oh" spot.  Hard to go wrong with a name like Bryston.

That said, years ago I had a Van Alstine that was an early solid state they had done.  Wonderful unit, sound was phenom.  It stopped powering up.  I called Van Alstine and they would not share schematics to allow anyone to repair it and they would not repair it. Used as a door stop for years and then a "friend" made it vanish in the trash.  As to Van Alstine, I heard it was due to a awkward ownership phase they were going through.  That said, I will not buy anything with their name on it, forever.  I do own a Dynaco ST-70, that Van Alstine "the person" put together and spec'd out, how he got started to originally go out on his own.  Wonderful unit, but it says Dynaco. 

So, if you can score schematics or you know Bryston will be able to service, do it.  That is something that has given Audio Research, Nelson Pass and others a place that will never go away.  Give it a listen first though.  Make sure you are leaving with something worth leaving with.  Good luck.