Bryston question

[eddiem67]

Can a Bryston 3bsst go down to 4ohm bridged without any issues (heat, shutdown) be for a sub.

[Victor]

The 3BST in a bridged mode will do an honest 350 Watts. It may even go to 400 Watt but I suspect that the distortion will rise just as well. With normal program material you will not have any problems with heat or anything else while using the 3BST, - just do not expect it to deliver 350 Watts continuously for a long period of time.

I will not use it for the subwoofer that may require a lot of power all the time, but with your more normal 3-way speakers it will do fine. Also 350 Watts is a lot of power considering that the ‘normal’ speakers might be 88-92 dB efficient. I can, however, foresee that if you play 1812 overture real loud, like at 105+ dB levels on the sub-90 dB efficient speakers, you may consider getting a bigger amp, - otherwise 3BST will suffice in my view.

In principle 3BST power rating of 350-400 Watts when bridged is considered a short-time rating only. 3BST has 10,000 microfarad capacitance in the power supply, so it will run out of energy real quick, within 2 seconds, during a high power demand of 350 Watts and the voltage rails will fall with corresponding decrease in power before it will overheat.

Bryston has an integral heat sensor and also the over-current protection will start kicking in at about 320 Watt peak with the amp shutting down at about 370 Watts with 4 Ohm loads. Bryston protection scheme is not overly sophisticated, but it woks well and it will protect the amplifier from an early demise.

…regards

[eddiem67]

I was just wondering, I gues I will just get the 7B-SST for my sub then. Thanks.

[Victor]

I was just wondering, I gues I will just get the 7B-SST for my sub then. Thanks.

7B-SST is a very powerful amplifier with stellar THD numbers. It is an absolute overkill for subwoofer application. I would recommend a much less expensive switching pro-audio amplifier. Many companies make them and you can get a 1000 Watts from Behringer for less then $400, which will be perfectly suitable for the sub duty.

..regards

[jimmyp58]

You could also go for a Crown pro amp too --- great amps!

[Patt]

Hi Eddie,

That does seem like bigtime overkill...

Dont most subs, even the high dollar ones use a "not so high quality" much less expensive amps?
Those big Brystons are for running nice full range speakers I believe.

[gianni]

Eddie,

Do you know of a good Bryston dealer in the Bay Area?

[eddiem67]

I already tried a QSC, amp, didnt like it, sub level (20-30Hz)were weak plus the fan noise. I switched over to a NAD S200, worked great, but since I am now a bryston dealer I sold the NAD and was thinking of getting the 7BSST. I just wanted to get some input on the capablilities of how well these amp perform at a lower resistance. What I think I am going to do is sell my 4BSST C Series and get a 6BSST, and use one of the channels from my Cinenova to run the sub OR keep the 4B SST and buy a Parasound Classic 2250 which will do about 700-800 watts bridged. Input anyone?

[Patt]

I have read about people enjoying their Krell Gamut McIntosh and a few other high quality monoblocks for each speaker so why not Bryston.

Especially if you can get a good deal on one.

[ToddAnisman]

7B-SST is a very powerful amplifier with stellar THD numbers. It is an absolute overkill for subwoofer application. I would recommend a much less expensive switching pro-audio amplifier. Many companies make them and you can get a 1000 Watts from Behringer for less then $400, which will be perfectly suitable for the sub duty.

..regards

Really?

I will say this-
I would never even consider a Behringer amp, asuming their build quality in HT is the same as it is in Pro Audio...

I love a 7b for the Subs..basically the transient response is so darn quick on it. When I am mixing I can punish the subs and they keep asking for more...
Also, there are many 7B's/4B's on mixing stages in town, and they pretty much kick you know what..

my .02

--Todd A.

[whoaru99]

I'm surprised the QSC didn't do it for you. There are LOTS of people using pro amps quite satisfactorily and not just for sub duty.

I played with a Crown K2 for a while and found it to be most adequate for sub use.

[ToddAnisman]

I'm surprised the QSC didn't do it for you. There are LOTS of people using pro amps quite satisfactorily and not just for sub duty.

I played with a Crown K2 for a while and found it to be most adequate for sub use.

I was actually surprised by that as well...I just finished a Dubbing theater install where we used QSC DCM 3022's for the entire front wall, and I was impressed with how good they sounded....

-Todd A.