To Doug Schneider,
I have a question about the Bryston 2B SST2 power amplifier. I never see any reviews on it. Is it any good?
Robert B.
You’re right, there aren’t many reviews on the 2B SST2, probably because it’s Bryston’s least-expensive power amplifier and reviewers tend to gravitate toward the more expensive components in a line. That’s actually unfortunate because there are a lot of budget-conscious audiophiles in the world. But we actually reviewed it, just not on this site. The 2B SST2 was reviewed by Bob Wood on SoundStage! Hi-Fi, our sister site. We even measured it too. I just looked up the price and the 2B SST2 retails for $2750 today.
Is it any good? I’ve never heard it, but I suspect it is, not only because of Bob's review. Bryston says that all their amplifiers share the same circuit design and build quality, so, therefore, they tend to sound the same. The biggest difference is the power output, which has mostly to do with how loud you can play the speaker it's partnered with. The 2B SST2 is said to deliver 100Wpc into 8 ohms; the larger and more expensive 3B SST2 is rated to deliver 150Wpc into 8 ohms; and the still larger and even more expensive 4B SST2, which I have here, is rated at 300Wpc, again into 8 ohms. There are more powerful Brystons yet. In a nutshell, the 4B SST2 is excellent, so if the 2B SST2 sounds just like it and simply delivers less power, it must also be very good. You can read a recent article about the 4B SST2 on SoundStage! Hi-Fi. . . . Doug Schneider
