Pairing Bryston 28b3 with tubes


Hello all

I have a pair of Bryston 28b3 monoblock which I want to pair up with a tube pre-amplifier.

I want to add that "tubemagic" to make the music come alive and I´m interested in hearing from
you guys what you recommend. What could be a great match with the monoblocs from Bryston. 

These are some of the pre-amps I´ve been reading up on.

- Cortese from http://www.supratek.com.au/
- Microzotle from LTA https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/microzotl-preamplifier

The speakers I will have is custommade with these specs

Drivers: 4 x 17,4cm
Treble: 1 x 2,8cm
Impedance: 7 ohm
Effect: 800W
Maximum effect: >20 kW (> 400 hz)
Sensitivity: 92dB-2.83 V
Power handling: 5w (min) to 2000 W (max)
Soundpressure: >130 dB/pair, 100 Hz (1,4 kW)

Thanks

128x128melchor

Backert Labs.,     Zesto Leto Ultra 

I had the original Zesto Leto and it was the best sounding preamp I have owned or had firsthand use with.   It commits zero sins and sounds incredible 

As you make a list of pres to research, be aware of the input impedance of your amps.It needs to be at the very least 10 times higher than the output impedance of the pre.Pres with highish gain can be an issue also. A gain of 10db is good,but higher gain that reaches close to 20 and above means barely turning the volume control or it will be quickly too loud.Then you'd miss out on all of that tube goodness:-)I have no experience with Bryston so no recommendations.

You could also try the BAT product line. I had a lesser Bryston amp quite a few years back ..4BSST2 paired with an older BAT VK30 preamp which housed 6 - 6922/6DJ8 tubes. I used many NOS and even newer stock tubes and really enjoyed swapping the tubes while paired with the 4BSST2. I always found it softened or evened out the overall audio characteristics of the Bryston amp which some would often term them to be harsh in nature. I found it quite an enjoyable listening experience as compared with the older BP Bryston preamp. The model escapes me but it would have been about 20 years ago. One word of caution is please be sure to match the AMP input impedance to the PREAMP output impedance by using the 10:1 rule. I believe the 4BSSt2 had an IP impedance of 10Kohm while the BAT VK30 had an op impedance of 750 ohm.