I’ve owned the Bryston BP17 and Primaluna Evo400 preamps with Bryston 2.5B3 monos. Assuming the BP19 is similar (house sound?) to the older model, the Bryston preamps have more immediacy and punch to the sound than the Primaluna. If I listened to rock music I’d probably want the Bryston preamp. The Primaluna is really nice. It’s not lacking in detail and is a bit smoother than the solid state preamp, while offering a more 3D soundstage. As for tubes being a burden? It’s a very reliable preamp. Change the tubes every 3-5 years depending on how much you use it and it will be fine. A lot probably depends on your speakers and room, in terms of which would bring more synergy overall. They do sound very different. I’ve also owned the Benchmark LA4 and it is the quietest and most neutral of the three. Some might consider it boring compared to the other two. If you like the character of your amp and speakers as they are, it could be a great fit.
Preamp for Bryston 4b3 & Tannoy Cheviots
I recently upgraded my amplifier from a Parasound A23+ to a Bryston 4B3 and upgraded my speaker cables to my Tannoy Cheviots to good effect. Before this upgrade, the other upgrade I’d been considering was to upgrade my Parasound Holo P6 preamp. Now that I have done the amp upgrade, I am starting to wonder what paired with the Bryston might make an additional increase in sound quality. I listen to a wide variety of rock music, a lot of roots music, Jazz and singer songwriters. I see a lot of music live, and having real instruments sound as real as possible and breadth and three dimensionality of soundstage are the goals I would like to maximize. I primarily stream music and have a separate DAC and digital reclocker so I am primarily looking for a pre where I am not paying for an on board DAC. A phonostage is also of no current value to me. Though I have 1000 LPs in the garage, I haven’t had a turntable in years, and am reluctant to add an analog element to my system whose quality would be proportional to the other elements of my system. I have a large number of cds, but rarely play them. Similarly, I have no use for a bunch of home theater features and connections as my system is only for music.
I note the relatively new Bryston BP-19 is analog only and I assume would be a good mate to their amp. However, I haven’t found any in-depth reviews of it. I was also pondering the Primaluna Evo 300 or 400, but one of my dealers has been cautioning me against the long term expense and hassle of tubes. I’m thinking I might be able to spend around $6000 if it made a significant improvement in sound quality.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
The details of my system are as follows:
Amp: Bryston 4B3 300 w x 2
Pre: Parasound Halo P6
Speakers: Tannoy Cheviots, Analysis Plus Black Mesh Oval 9 gauge biwired cables (21’ run)
Digital Streamer/Source: Heavily modified BlueSound NODE 130 (added Fidelity Audio clock board & LPSU)/ Innuos Phoenix USB/ Gustard X26 Pro DAC (connected by Shunyata Alpha USB cables.
All other interconnects: Synergistics Research Foundation or better
Power: Power conditioner: Synergistics Research Powercell 10 SE Mk 3 w SR Atmosphere level 3 cord; All power cords SR Foundation
My listening room is also known as my wife’s living room. Please no suggestions as to room
corection as I have no control over the room. The speakers are on the 14 foot wall at the front of the house, and although the living room is 16 foot deep, it flows into a dining room space where the ceiling lowers. There are also a couch and windows on the left side, and interior wall on the right (where the TV and stereo system components are).
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Thanks @jimmy2615 and @yyzsantabarbara for the very useful information. If I ever get this sorted, I’ll give you both shout outs. And Soix, the LTA was brought to my attention here before, and it sounds like an excellent device, but as my DAC and amp are both internally balanced, I was disappointed the LTA wasn’t. Of course if I end up deciding I need some “tube sound”, most tube amps are not internally balanced , so it would then be something I should try and audition. |
- 25 posts total