2. amps-preamps
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Bryston 7Bsst2 vs Parasound JC1

Just bought a used(basically brand new) pair of Polk Lsim 707. I know the Polks don’t get much attention in Audiogon forum, but to my ears they just sound excellent. I am coming from Magnepan 1.7 and 2 subs. Been using the maggies with Parasound JC1’s via JC2 preamp and W4S dac2. After swapping out the speakers, the low end of the Polks were incredible right off the bat. No need for subs. The only issue I did see with these speakers were high frequency which I thought was the effect of Polk sound signature. It is a warm and laid back sound. I heard no complaints from the wife, and I sensed she approves the purchase. I just wished it had just a bit more sparkle.

Just for giggles, I replaced the JC1s with Bryston 7Bsst2 which I had stowed away. Holy $%!#. The treble comes alive and the bottom end is even tighter than JC1s. no bloat what so ever. I likeeee.

Anyone prefer Bryston 7B series over Parasound JC1 with their speaker of choice?

One more question.  Any preamp recommendation to my system?  I would love to upgrade my preamp, currently JC2. 


lvolleyer
8 responses Add your response
nolacap
84 posts
 
If you like the Bryston, there's a guy on Agon right now with a Two BP-26's & MPS2 for $2k. That's a deal. I paid more for one BP-26 and I love it.
mike_in_nc
1,147 posts
 
I haven't heard the Parasounds, but I have heard the Brystons, and they are great amps, in my opinion.
jaytor's avatar
jaytor
765 posts
 
Before you swap out your preamp/amp, you might consider trying a different DAC. I had a W4S DAC2 for a couple years and wasn't really happy with it (I had MG3.6r at the time). I thought my two-decade-old Levinson 39 CD player used as a DAC sounded better (granted, this was higher $$$ even though fairly old). I bought a Schiit Yggdrasil which I liked MUCH better than the W4S. 

I'm now using a Denafrips Terminator with the Parasound JC-2 BP and JC-5 and think it sounds quite good, but of course it's all about system synergy.

Bryston gear is excellent as well (I have a couple of components), and if that works better in your system, go for it. I'm sure you'll be able to get a good price for your JC-1s as they are very highly regarded. 
arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,572 posts
 
My choice would be stay with the Bryston monos!

 Better service.
great amps.

pack up the Parasound for backups. I have a backup amp,pre, cd, just in case.
yyzsantabarbara
4,810 posts
 
A long time ago there were a huge up roar when a Stereophile reviewer , Michael Fremer, compared the Bryston 7B-SST (or SST2) with the JC1. Bryston made a change to the amp after this I believe, "filter choke" change? Anyway, the gory details are there to read on AudioCircle.com Byston Owners Circle.

I think I sent my 7B-SST to have the filter choke upgrade done.
oem-wheels
196 posts
 
I had a JC2 for a couple of years. Very nice preamp. Eventually sold it, not because I thought I needed to get better, but because I wanted to try tubes. I bought a Manley Labs Neo Classic 300B tube preamp. Glad I did. Can't explain what about it that makes me think its better than the JC2 , but it is.. Maybe its the 2nd harmonic distortion that you get with tubes ? Maybe its all the tubes that glow in the dark ? Maybe I'm tricking myself in believing since I spent about $1500 more ? ha .. Anyway I like it a lot.. More than the JC2.. Check it out.. Its feeding a Coda .8 amp .. 
nekoaudio's avatar
nekoaudio
489 posts
 
In my experience from listening to both Parasound and Bryston and from talking to people about the two brands, the companies have such different design goals that a preference for one or the other matches very well to what the listener is specifically looking for.

Along those lines, if you wanted to go farther in the Bryston direction, then getting a Bryston preamp to match makes a lot of sense.
lvolleyer OP
4 posts
 
After extended listening sessions, I have even more appreciation for Bryston. It pairs very well with warm speakers. What I missed in prior listening sessions with Maggies paired to Bryston Bsst2 was that the amp was just too "honest". It left nothing out. Would a warm tube preamp provide a bit more air and holographic soundstage than say a SS preamp? From my research in the forum, Pass and Bryston preamps are just too much of the same. hopefully something in $3K-5K range, used.  Thanks for recommending Manley labs preamp.  Will look for it in future.   As for a new DAC, been looking at Chord Hugo and Arye Codex for a long time but trying to save up.
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