MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston 14B Cubed Review from France

The manufacturer (Bryston) applied their philosophy of “first to last watt” to the Cubed range consisting of seven models of power amplifiers, an approach designed to maintain an ideal power curve where the threshold noise and distortion remain low and constant from first to last watt.

THE BRYSTON WAY

For this purpose, ultrafast bipolar driver transistors are used to eliminate a second type of crossover distortion that adds to the distortion of crossing of the exit stage specific to class AB. The Quad Complementary bipolar output stage reduces the capacitive load seen from the driver.

So the response time generated by this capacitive load is removed, which helps eliminate nonlinearities at zero crossing of the current.

The behavior of the output stage then gets closer of a class A floor, so without distortion crossover, but remains effective as a circuit in class AB. As indicated by the manufacturer, 14B3 is mounted in an aluminum frame within which are virtually installed two mono blocks 7B3.

The interior is thus arranged in pure double mono. On each channel, a huge toroidal transformer of 850 VA followed by six capacitor filtering of 15,000 μF feed after regulation the different balanced circuits distributed between the motherboard and two cards on the back of each heatsink.

Eight pairs of channel-protected power transistors temperature deliver more than 600W (670 measured and guaranteed by the measurement sheet provided on our copy) under 8 ohms.

MANUFACTURING AND LISTEN

CONSTRUCTION: We find with the Bryston 14B3 the characteristic look of the high power block with a consistent overall volume and weight. However the aesthetics has been seriously reworked and the massive front face softened by rounded edges largely erases the professional pedigree own to the brand. The front handles are beautiful and the rear handles very useful for stir the beast.

COMPONENTS: The technological choices are nothing extraordinary. On the other hand, they have done for a long time their evidence in terms of performance, quality of restitution and reliability, which enables the manufacturer to guarantee the device for a period 20 years old parts and labor! Moreover, the schema has been the subject of much attention and includes a few house tricks that are causing a phenomenal restitution.

SERIOUS: Among our favorite tests on this criterion, the landing of the helicopter on The Wall of Pink Floyd vinyl takes a special place because it is simply revealing qualities of impact, power felt and firmness of a device. With the Bryston 14B3, the helicopter was literally in the piece! The slapping of the blades, the blast of the thruster and the air around this show of apocalypse were felt on a scale of veracity never reached so far in our auditorium, what that was the price of the amplifier tested. The energy of impacts and the linearity of the descent into the basements are absolutely exceptional. As for the articulation of the register, we have not yet heard better, especially on the tablecloth synths in the extreme low on "Christine" by Christine and The Queens. This is the first time we came to follow a score as well low in frequency.

MEDIUM: The use of bipolar technology brings in our
opinion a more incontestable listening, because it
develops a harmonic gradient much more coherent and better cut off from the top medium than other transistor technologies. We received the new 14B3 from nine and it was a short half-hour to block gets into the leg and delivers stamps already very structured and very nuanced. Listening to Mars in DSD128 file from Holst's Planets by Karajan challenged us by the flamboyance of the notes and by their very plausible texture. Everything sounds right, without tension, without greenness, without perhaps the thickness ultimate references of the moment, but that's so unexpected for such a powerful monster do not sulk his pleasure.

ACUTE: The Bryston does not change gear when the message goes up in frequency. He does not lose anything this very great spontaneity in the diffusion of the treble which is part of a tonal continuity absolutely perfect with the medium. The flexibility of register is remarkable even in the extinctions. Bryston Quad Complementary technology that duplicates the harmonic distribution of a montage in class A here proves its effectiveness.

DYNAMIC: Whether you are listening very, very loud or muted, the 14B3 offers a dynamic range sensational and unusual readability what that is the complexity of the message. The most spectacular in the good sense of the term remains the energy considerable feeling about a powerful spike, like kick kick on "Animal". The holding the speakers is otherwise absolutely incredible for an electronics that only displays one damping factor of "only" 300. In reality, the depreciation factor does not explain all because we must also consider the capabilities of food to quickly deliver a lot of current. On this point, the 14B3 can already be considered a reference.

NOTE ATTACK: The Bryston 14B3 is a pure block of dynamite. Just send the music to light the wick and then it's a real fireworks sound that starts. The liveliness, the spontaneity of the device releases a huge amount of information all over the place in the development of notes. And these go out in the long term with great delicacy to deep silence.

SOUNDSTAGE: On the introduction of the track "Day in the Life" by Jeff Beck recorded in public at the Montreux Festival in 2001, we were able to visualize with even more conviction than usually every musician on stage, every sound in the space. The width as the depth of camped decor are of a unique realism, as this amp elsewhere.

TRANSPARENCY: Once in, because the 14B3 does not was not when we listened to it, it is very likely that this power block is one of the most transparencies all prices available on the market. Marriage with PMC speakers (Bryston and PMC are longstanding partners) is simply ideal. Value for money:

At the risk of getting angry with the competition, we would still like ask him a question because we probably have not yet all-inclusive. Why electronics as brilliant

as the Bryston 14B3, very powerful, incredibly delicate and musical and, which plus is, guaranteed 20 years, costs just over 10,000 euros when you have to pay several tens of thousands to get something from similar in the very high end of others manufacturers? Our advice for Free: By associating it with an excellent DAC with variable output level, you get one of the most simple systems and the more magnetic that are.

VERDICT

It's been a long time since we had took pleasure in discovering and listening to a amplification electronics of this caliber. In this price niche at least we do not see any competitor able to play in the same yard qualitative.

Maximum recommendation.