Hi, I signed up on Audiogon specifically to respond to this post because I have both these amps and have been comparing them all last evening on different material.
Setup:
mac air with a jitterbug and audioquest forest usb cable
Macintosh mc52 pre and dac
black cat 3020 xlr interconnects and speaker cables
Dynaudio Contour 5.4 speakers
Oem power conditioner and Gotham power cables.
I had bought a Bryston for a second system and the pass 350.8 has been my amp up till now while I have been upgrading other components in my system.
The more I learn about setting up your system I realise how much it’s personal preferences and not whether one is better than the rest.
On paper the 350.8 is a preferred amplifier and also on reviews. When I switched to the Bryston I realised I liked how it sounded and I got a bit confused so tried with different music and material all night
I found a free track on the DCS’s website the spirit of turtle records which was some classical material with huge dynamic range and depth in the soundstage which validated my preference clearly to the Bryston.
The 350.8 has been great with amazing detail and presence but somehow maybe my positioning and room has to be setup better because I was finding a lack in a soundstage depth and separation.
Overall the brystom felt more black and quieter with a deep soundstage, the dynamic range was amazing and the highs and mids also smoother but not muddled.
On specific instruments and voices when I compare the pass there is immense detail in each individual instrument and depth in its own sound but somehow I felt that I was enjoying listening to the Bryston more as it felt like one integrated and deep and high soundstage. My head was saying Pass better as it felt more live each instrument but I was enjoying the dynamic range and soundstage of the Bryston more.
It also feel a bit more like the Bryston is reflecting the sound of the Mcintosh C52 preamp more without interfering too much. This is my impression only. If there was a small negative on some songs maybe with my Dynaudios and the Bryston / Mac maybe sometimes the bass / mid ass is a bit heavier and not as tight as I would like but still not a major concern.
This is my impression after one night of listening so if I change my opinion will update you guys.
This is is all from listening last night and also for clarity I would like to state that I do like a mellower warmer sound similar to that of tube amps and less in ur face. Quietness from which the music emerges as opposed to it being in ur face.
Setup:
mac air with a jitterbug and audioquest forest usb cable
Macintosh mc52 pre and dac
black cat 3020 xlr interconnects and speaker cables
Dynaudio Contour 5.4 speakers
Oem power conditioner and Gotham power cables.
I had bought a Bryston for a second system and the pass 350.8 has been my amp up till now while I have been upgrading other components in my system.
The more I learn about setting up your system I realise how much it’s personal preferences and not whether one is better than the rest.
On paper the 350.8 is a preferred amplifier and also on reviews. When I switched to the Bryston I realised I liked how it sounded and I got a bit confused so tried with different music and material all night
I found a free track on the DCS’s website the spirit of turtle records which was some classical material with huge dynamic range and depth in the soundstage which validated my preference clearly to the Bryston.
The 350.8 has been great with amazing detail and presence but somehow maybe my positioning and room has to be setup better because I was finding a lack in a soundstage depth and separation.
Overall the brystom felt more black and quieter with a deep soundstage, the dynamic range was amazing and the highs and mids also smoother but not muddled.
On specific instruments and voices when I compare the pass there is immense detail in each individual instrument and depth in its own sound but somehow I felt that I was enjoying listening to the Bryston more as it felt like one integrated and deep and high soundstage. My head was saying Pass better as it felt more live each instrument but I was enjoying the dynamic range and soundstage of the Bryston more.
It also feel a bit more like the Bryston is reflecting the sound of the Mcintosh C52 preamp more without interfering too much. This is my impression only. If there was a small negative on some songs maybe with my Dynaudios and the Bryston / Mac maybe sometimes the bass / mid ass is a bit heavier and not as tight as I would like but still not a major concern.
This is my impression after one night of listening so if I change my opinion will update you guys.
This is is all from listening last night and also for clarity I would like to state that I do like a mellower warmer sound similar to that of tube amps and less in ur face. Quietness from which the music emerges as opposed to it being in ur face.