2. amps-preamps
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Bryston B3 vs. LSA Standard - What would you do?

I recently acquired a pair of Bryston B3 amps to replace my Quad II setup which, as much as I adored it (with Mullard EL37s and Seimens EF86s upgrades) it simply didn't have enough power for my also recently aquired Sonus Faber minuettos :( I liked the sound and I like the fact that I could either pair them as monoblocks or use one with my Sonus Fabers and one with my main system if I so desired. My friend however has an LSA Standard integraded amp that he wants to trade me for my Brystons. I've auditioned both the Brystons and the LSA with the Sonus Fabers using an AVA PAS 3i with Phillips miniwatt 12AX7s as the preamp. I liked the sound of the LSA a little bit better but went with the Brystons for the versatilty, even though monoblocks for a bedroom system is overkill IMO. I've got the chance to do a swap here, do you guys think I should go for it or keep the Brystons? I'll have a PAS 3i preamp without a home if I do it.
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Showing 1 response by artmaltman

artmaltman
769 posts
 
Bryston is a far more well established brand. So if resale value or maintenance very long term are the issue, go Bryston.

Having owned both Bryston gear and the original LSA "Standard" integrated amp, I much prefer the sound of the latter. This is partly because I think I prefer the LSA "family sound" and partly because you can experiment with different tubes on the preamp section of the LSA and get vastly differing sounds. The amp of the LSA being solid state and heavy has serious cojones :) Combining tube preamp with solid state amp often achieves something close to best of both worlds.

BTW, I found the LSA sound benefited hugely from being left on all the time.

Art
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