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Bryston: THX for 2 ch - a good thing or not?

Several Bryston amps are available with THX certification and badging at extra cost. Is this a good thing for 2 ch setups?
I recently had an email exchange with an Audiogon seller of a Bryston 8B ST amp. I told him I was also looking at two Bryston 8B ST THXs on eBay. He related to me an opinion he had heard that the ST THX versions were somehow inferior to the ST versions. Was he just hyping his amp or is there something to this allegation?
I googled this issue every which way without much satisfaction. One source mentioned that the THX stardard required expanded dynamic headroom, which sounds like a good thing, but doesn't the ST version also meet this requirement?
I spoke to a Bryston designer at the factory in Peterborough some months ago, before the current question became an issue for me. I got the impression from him that the THX versions were just the ST/SST versions with THX certification and badging, for which Bryston had to pay Lucas for the priviledge. Therefore, amps were certificed as THX compliant more for marketing reasons than due to any design modifications, except perhaps for some features (like a different input gain for the THXs).
Bottom line, is there any reason I should avoid THX versions for 2 ch listening? Are they better, worse, or just about the same?
russelllondon

Showing 1 response by pontifex

pontifex
31 posts
 
10 years late but I feel like contributing my 2 cents to this thread.

I have owned the 7B ST's, 7B THX's, 7B SST2's, a 4B THX and a couple of very old 4B pros.

In short, I found that the Bryston THX amps performed noticeably differently than the non THX versions and is more than just a marketing scheme. 

To my musical tastes I would say the THX's sounded better. More dynamic, more weight in the bass, lots of midrange presence and I would even dare say a tad on the warm side. The 7B THX's drove my big subs way better than the 7B ST's. They had some serious punch.

Currently I have a 4B THX in my system and it is substituting for my Threshold T-400 which is in the shop for some repairs. Before I "Pass" my final judgement in the Threshold I will wait for it to return to my rig with a clean bill of health but for half the price the 4B THX could very well become my preferred amp. 
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