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Bryston goes Class D for its Hybrid Zone amps
After you're done pulling all the wires for whole-home audio, you probably want some peace of mind that the system will just work with no fuss, like, forever. If your setups are of the high-end variety, Bryston's new Hybrid Zone amplifiers might be just the way to complete the job -- the marque has legendary performance and reliability. Bryston has built its own linear power supply to go along with the Class D amps, so you can be sure the D-130Z and D-250Z aren't just knock-off reference designs, and the per-channel power (90-Watts for the D-130Z, 150-Watts in the D-250Z) can be divvied up a number of ways to suit your needs. Sounds great, but sadly this is some more Bryston gear that's out of our tax bracket -- $4,395 for the D-130Z, $5,695 for the D-250Z -- and these only get a five-year warranty to boot, a far cry from Bryston's standard 20-year promise. Press release after the break.
Bryston offers up a square deal on its SST amplifier updates
Amplifiers are pieces of gear that tend to get passed over when upgrade-itis strikes -- maybe it's the lack of bleeding edge tech features, dizzying lights or the scarcity of buttons. But Bryston's SST line of amplifiers has been a longtime fixture in the high end, both in 2-channel and surround sound setups. All eight models in the SST lineup have been refreshed to SST2 "Squared" status, updating the input stage, power supply, output chokes, and even the lowly power switch. Bryston's hand-built quality has never been cheap, but the company is offering up the SST2 upgrades without raising the price; so prices will range for $2650 for the 100-Watt, 2-channel 2B SST2 all the way up to $8000 1000-Watt, mono 28B SST2. For those of you who crave the latest, check the details after the break; the rest of us will be waiting for your previous generation Bryston hand-me-downs.
Bryston's $500 BR2 remote, complete with 20-year warranty
Just because your Bryston BCD-1 CD player was assembled by loving human hands doesn't mean it can only be operated by hand. Thanks to the company's BR2 remote control, your other Bryston preamplifiers, integrated amps and DACs can be controlled (more or less) as well. The remote is constructed to typical Bryston standards out of milled aluminum and comes in either black or silver. We like Bryston gear, but we'll pass on this remote with its array of identical buttons (not sure if they're backlit, either) and keep the $500 -- for that kind of money, we expect more control over the SP2 preamp/processor than volume and mute controls. But if you've been looking for an heirloom-quality remote control, this just might be the thing for you, so check out the full press release after the break.
Bryston intros 1000 Watt 28B-SST amp
More Bryston gear from the "overdesign, just in case" school of thought. The pictured hulk is the new 1000 Watt 28B-SST mono amplifier. Even when the design goal is to make an amp that can drive any speaker in the world, this seems like overkill. Bryston assures us this beast isn't just brawn; it also gets the nuances right. And with specs like a -115dB noise floor, and total harmonic distortion below 0.001%, we'd believe them. Price is securely in the "if you have to ask..." realm, but you do get the standard 20 year Bryston warranty for your $7500.
Bryston's hand-assembled BCD-1 CD player
You read that headline right, CD player. No SACD, DVD, and certainly no format war-bickering HD DVD or Blu-ray. Just the most "perfect sound forever" Redbook audio bits the Canadians at Bryston can deliver. This player has high-end pedigree: premium DAC's, separate analog and digital power supplies, discrete op-amp Class A analog stage, and the usual output jacks + XLR and AES/EBU. If all the nuts and bolts in the kit aren't enough to let you know you've got a high-end piece of gear, then the 18 pounds of heft will. A cool $2395 puts the last CD player you'll ever need to buy in your rig.
