Soliciting Member Perspectives: Levinson vs Bryston vs Audio Research

@oldmandave :

"but sadly find that my home geography suffers a severe lack of us"

Relatively speaking I think our home planet suffers (maybe not the right word) a severe lack of us.

I have a large home office I work from. I sit and listen to my system maybe 45 minutes a day, but it runs pretty much all day as I work at my desk or relax with home theatre. System is Vandersteen 5a’s with Vandersteen center, sub and surrounds, Bryston 6BSST (3 channel) for front, Bryston 4NRB for rears (the original Bryston I bought around 1990 to drive B&W 801 II), Bryston SP 1.7 (running in pass through since 1996), Bryston BDA 3 and BDP 2 playing back thousands of Hi Rez downloads and ripped SACD’s and CD’s. I enjoy this system musically - but you can see I buy always for the long term. The reason I went Bryston for digital was the incredible service I had received through the years from Bryston for repair, upgrades and warranties on pre and amps. I’ve never known a more responsive company, whether directly on the phone or through the AudioCircle groups. This has proven true with their digital products. For someone whose priority is a system that turns on everyday and runs without complaint all day, Bryston’s been the lasting solution for me. Best of luck as you find what works for you.

I have loved the Bryston amps I have heard many times at The Show with Magnaplanars. In fact, was a complete Bryston system and breathtaking. My only local high-end dealer has Acoustic Research and those were fantastic with Aerial speakers. I love the 7Ts; maybe one day. Here at home, I lucked out with a Levinson #336 driving my ADS L1230s. I've had several amps before; Mac 2105, Bedini 250/250, Krell KAV-300il (horrid), Sumo Andromeda, & Nine Class A. I used to bi-amp with a pair of Nines but the Levinson just blows away everything I've ever heard. Completely invisible, effortless, and dimensonal. Even my tube loving goldern-eared friend said it was the only solid state amp that did not offend his ears. So I have never been able to compare these amps in the same system and environment but you picked some very good amps to choose from I think. I'd also check out Conrad Johnson and PS Audio amplifiers and the Merrill Class-D Veritas monoblocks impressed me as well. It's all about the synergy of system and room and your personal taste. I'd definitely get a tube preamp with whatever amp you choose would be my advice.

I think the original owner of my system was aware of some synergy with Aerial Acoustics, Audio Research and ML. The components seemed to have been carefully selected and matched. My AR LS-16 runs into the Proceed via balanced XLR and drives the Aerial Acoustics 7Bs.

I can say a lot of things about the SQ of this system that may or may not be accurate or relevant based on my inexperience. But the one thing I can say with some certainty is that the system is invisible or maybe transparent. The speakers simply disappear and there is never a sense that sound is 'coming out of them'. It is just right there in the middle of the room.

Finally, a thread I can contribute to ...

When I was auditioning equipment for my current system 25+ years ago, I compared Bryston and Levinson amps. I had a hard time hearing much difference between the Bryston 4B and whatever the corresponding Levinson was, especially enough of a difference to justify the huge cost difference. I also compared the Bryston 12B preamp against a Conrad Johnson preamp that was a little more money (sorry, don't remember that model, either). The CV was noisy to the point of interfering with my enjoyment of the music. The Bryston was noticeably absent from the sound, meaning it didn't add any coloration. These auditions were through Martin Logan Quest speakers. I purchased the 12B, 4B, and Quests.

Fast forward to a year ago. I finally acquired a pair of ML CLS IIz speakers. I hooked up my Bryston equipment and compared to the Quests, the CLS sounded edgy. I got listening fatigue fairly quickly. I put the 4B in my theater system with the Quests and got an ARC D240 amp. It is a much better match with the CLS as the sound is musical again. I love the CLS speakers; still some of the best speakers I've heard.

I just sent in my BP12 for an overhaul; second time in the 25+ years that I've owned it. I think it's a great preamp (others will no doubt point out preamps that they like better). It's got a nice phono stage for my moving coil cartridge (AT OC9) and I like having balanced outs for the amp. I find the music very engaging and lifelike in my rig.

When I called Bryston about the repair (wish I could remember who I spoke to), I asked whether I should consider upgrading given the age of the preamp. His response was "Absolutely not." When I pushed a little, he replied "Enclose a letter saying you'll sell it to the repair tech for $5 and I'll gladly take it off your hands." That made me laugh and reaffirmed my desire not to change a thing. No audiophilia nervosa here. :)