MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston Middle TREX – Customer Feedback
January 2020
“I had the good fortune to hear an absolutely remarkable Active Bryston system a week or so before Christmas – “hear” isn’t an adequate descriptor – “experience” is much better I think. It moved me, and changed my entire attitude toward Active systems.
I was purchasing a Bryston turntable for my passive Bryston system, which I always thought sounded very good. While picking it up I met James tanner and he invited me to listen to the Active system he had assembled. It was composed of the BDP-3.14 Digital Player/Streamer, BP-26 Preamp/MPS-1 Power Supply, BAX-1 Electronic Crossover, Middle T-REX speakers, driven by two 21B3 amplifiers and all connected with Bryston cables.
I asked James how loud he normally listened to that system. To my surprise (given my own listening habits), he indicated that he listened at a rather lower volume than I expected. I own a pair of Middle T’s and they are well driven by my 4B3 power amp, so to see the Middle T-Rex’s assembled, hovering over me, well I was expecting to be blown away by the sheer power and volume of the system. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Importantly, however, it wasn’t the power or volume of the listening experience that so moved me – though the system doubtless was capable of massive volume and power if that is your preference. It was the sonic clarity, texture and dimensional composition of the music that was playing. Volume didn’t need to be massive at all to hear sonic details of music that, as well as I knew most of the music, hadn’t heard like that before. Regardless of the kind of track, from classic rock, to jazz, to classical, the sound stage was absolutely massive – much wider than the speakers themselves were apart from one another. Guitar finger role-offs, the feeling and images of movement of drums from one side of the kit to the other – the subtlety of vocals at once close to the recording mic, and then backing away – absolutely breathtaking, all without massive volume to find those sounds I’d not heard on those recordings previously. The Active system seemed to clarify well-known parts of the music, but simultaneously lift more subtle aspects of the music from sonic darkness to light.
I’m a convert! I love my own passive system – but not like I like James’ Active System. Time to become more Active I think.”
David
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