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Listed in The Absolute Sound 2012 High-End Audio Buyer's Guide

"Recommended Component" Class A, 2010 - Stereophile

"Recommended Component" 2009 - Stereophile

"Editors' Choice Award Winner, 2010" - The Absolute Sound Magazine

"Editors' Choice Award Winner, 2008" - The Absolute Sound Magazine

Incredibly Detailed and Musical Drive

A significant part of the design criteria for the 28B SST² was to develop a very powerful amplifier that would drive any speaker on the planet but maintain an ideal power curve at 1 watt as well as at 1000 watts and every power level in between. Most amplifiers exhibit a power curve whereby the best noise floor, drive capability and distortion are maintained from about 1/3 power and up.

The Bryston 28B-SST² Mono amplifier maintains its power curve right from the first watt. This results in a hugely powerful amplifier that sounds incredibly detailed and musical at very low levels and maintains that same sophistication and drive capability with even the most difficult, inefficient speakers, large or small.

The Bryston 28BSST² was honored by being included in The Absolute Sound 2012 High-End Audio Buyer's Guide. According to the magazine, "Out of the box and with no warm-up at all, this pair of 1000W (!) monoblocks greatly impressed HP. The two top octaves were unusually sweet for solid state. Tubed gear can achieve such naturalness on top, but not usually this clearly and purely."

"One of the Most Outstanding Amplifiers at Any Price"

"In many ways - high power output, monoblock flexibility, basically wireless construction, reliability, stability, and 20-year warranty - the 28B-SST is one of the most outstanding amplifiers at any price," reports Larry Greenhill in the January 2008 issue of Stereophile.

In fact, Stereophile was so impressed with the 28B SST² that it honored the amp with a 'Class A' listing in its coveted "Recommended Component" listing for 2009 and 2010.

"Lower Noise Floor Than Any Other"

"The noise floor is lower than any other amplifier in my experience," notes Harry Pearson in his January 2009 review for The Absolute Sound magazine. "And the power output pretty much makes ridiculous the idea that this amp will clip at any less than a deadly listening level."

"At All Times in Total Control"

"The Brystons are powerful, proficient, inspiring amplifiers that are at all times in total control," raves John Brazier in Issue 44 of Positive Feedback Online "The Bryston 28B SSTs sounded, and otherwise proved, to be every bit as incredible as they were touted to sound."

"With the 28B SST2 in place, our Model 1 system displayed no hint or evidence that would disclose a solid state amp or even a tube amp, while seemingly providing the best of both," notes Alan Eichenbaum from Scaena Loudspeakers, one of the world's best high-end speaker manufacturers. "The Gershwin and Louie Armstrong cuts we played were among the most realistic things I have ever heard and may be the most realistic - it was that good!”

Bryston SST² C-Series Upgrades

Bryston's SST² C-series amplifiers are the direct results of the company’s ongoing quest to improve its already legendary SST C-Series product line.

For over 30 years, Bryston has committed itself to designing and manufacturing the most accurate and reliable audio electronics. The performance, value, and reliability of Bryston amplifiers, and the unrivaled warranty, have earned the company critical acclaim and awards worldwide.

Bryston maintains an extensive research and development program, constantly investigating techniques, technologies, and devices that promise improvements to all aspects of its amplifiers. The Bryston SST² C–Series is the direct result of this ongoing quest, and represents a significant step forward in the art and science of audio amplification.

The SST² C-series answers the need for today's increased dynamic range and clarity in recordings and movie soundtracks. The end result surpasses the parameters of the most demanding material available.

Designed for Performance and Realism

The Bryston 28B-SST² is a fully balanced output amplifier, which has reduced THD and IMD to unprecedented low values, (typically 0.001% or less), for a new degree of transparency, musicality and ease of listening. Superbly low noise floor, typically below – 115 dB, yields an inky black silence between notes for hauntingly realistic reproduction. Tremendous power reserves give the 28B-SST² virtually perfect freedom from overload on any type of speaker or music, bringing the performance and realism directly into your listening environment. The 28B's ability to resolve subtle musical details has to be heard to be believed.

The feature list includes selectable input (balanced XLR or single ended RCA), selectable gain, external power on-off control via 12-volt trigger, and a new micro controlled soft start. All AC is totally shielded from the audio circuits. As a result, the 28B-SST² maintains exceptionally low noise and distortion from very low to very high power demands.

Impressive Power Supply

The Bryston 28B-SST² is a single channel mono block power amplifier capable of delivering over 1000+ watts of power. To provide this power the 28B power supply utilizes a 2000 VA custom power transformer, with 120,000 uf of filter capacitance, supply rails of +/- 90v. The component layout has been optimized so power path lengths are very short, and all wire has been eliminated after the power transformer.

The Bryston 28B-SST² employs a total new computer modeled heat sink design maximizing heat dissipation for long-term "fan-free" operation into the most demanding speaker loads

Unique Burn-In Procedure

Each and every Bryston product undergoes a very extensive "burn-in" procedure. Following a complete operational checkout, every amplifier is placed on a test-bench and cycled on and off at one hour intervals for 4 days at full output. This extremely rigorous burn-in quickly "matures" components and weeds out any potential premature failures. The result is reliable trouble-free performance for many years, and is backed by Bryston's exclusive 20-year full warranty.

Hand-Assembled With Care

Bryston hand assembles and individually tests each and every product we manufacture. The Canadian company exclusively use only the finest components in its amplifier designs, such as 1% and 0.1% metal-film resistors, polystyrene capacitors and hand selected and matched transistors to reduce noise and distortion to the absolute minimum.

Bryston applies techniques and employs custom materials in everyday construction of electronic equipment that are more typically utilized in military and aerospace industries. Its traditional adherence to proprietary parts and sophisticated construction and testing techniques guarantees your amplifier will perform for many years without concern. It also prevents any unit-to-unit variability, which inevitably is the result of any mass produced product.

Owner’s Manual (2mb PDF)

Owner’s Manual (2mb PDF)

SST Squared Amplifier Philosophy(121k PDF)

• Monoblock power amplifier
• Selectable input: balanced (XLR) or single ended (RCA)
• Selectable gain - 1v = 29db or 2v = 23dB
• External power on off control - 12v trigger
• New micro controlled soft start
• New power switch
• All AC is totally shielded from Audio circuits
• Maintains exceptionally low noise and distortion from very low to very high power demands

• Power output: 1000 watts into 8 ohms
• Gain Select: 1V setting = 29 dB of gain = 100 watts @ 8 ohms, 3.2V =1000 Watts @ 8 oh; 2V setting = 23 dB of gain = 100 Watts @ 8 ohm, 6.4V=1000 Watts @ 8 ohm
• Input impedance: Single ended: 30K ohm; Balanced: 60K ohm 30K each leg
• THD: < 0.005% 20 Hz to 20 kHz at 1000 watts into 8 ohms
• Noise: Measured with input shorted - 20Hz to 20 kHz; >110dB below rated output 29dB gain (- 75dBu); >113dB below rated output 23dB gain (- 78dBu)
• Slew Rate: > 120 volts per microsecond
• Power bandwidth: < 1 Hz to over 100 kHz
• Damping Factor: Over 500 at 20 Hz, ref. 8 ohms
• Power consumption and heat load: Power consumption at Idle ≈ 215 Watts, Max. heat dissipation at idle ≈ 733 BTU/Hr.; Power consumption @ 1000W output into 8 ohms ≈ 1486 Watts, Max. Heat dissipation @ 1000 Watts output into 8 ohms ≈ 1658 BTU/Hr.; Maximum power output at onset of clipping into 8 ohms ≈ 1300 Watts; Power consumption at 1300 Watts output into 8 ohm ≈ 2640 Watts, Max. heat dissipation @ 1300 Watts output into 8 ohm ≈ 4572 BTU/Hr; Power output under normal operating conditions (1/8th max. pwr.) ≈ 161 Watts; Current consumption under normal operating conditions ≈ 9.3 Amps, Max. heat dissipation @ 1300 Watts output into 8Ω ≈ 955 BTU/Hr
• Dimensions: 17" or 19" wide, 8" high, 20.525" deep
• Weight: 92 lbs

Listed in The Absolute Sound 2012 High-End Audio Buyer's Guide

"Out of the box and with no warm-up at all, this pair of 1000W (!) monoblocks greatly impressed HP. The two top octaves were unusually sweet for solid state. Tubed gear can achieve such naturalness on top, but not usually this clearly and purely."

- The Absolute Sound 2012 High-End Audio Buyer's Guide

"Recommended Component" 2009 - Stereophile Magazine

"In many ways - high power output, monoblock flexibility, basically wireless construction, reliability, stability, and 20-year warranty - the 28B-SST is one of the most outstanding amplifiers at any price."

- Larry Greenhill Stereophile, January 2008

"The noise floor is lower than any other amplifier in my experience. And the power output pretty much makes ridiculous the idea that this amp will clip at any less than a deadly listening level. What this means is that you will (and do) get a sense of increased dynamic range."

"This means you will be able to hear gradations at the soft end of the dynamic spectrum, the discrete differences between the piano and the pianissimos. The same is true at the other end of the spectrum, because of its refusal to clip and this distort the gradations between the distinct stages of loudness..."

"As the amp came into its own, it revealed as many gradations in the recreation of a soundstage and hall as it did in the dynamic domain. The 28Bs can and do delineate different 'depths' on the stage and so with, what is for me, a unique precision."

- Harry Pearson, The Absolute Sound magazine, January 2009

"Editors' Choice Award Winner, 2010" - The Absolute Sound Magazine

"Since I first reviewed this 1000-watt monoblock (issue 189), Bryston has twice updated its innards, each an audible improvement over the original."

"Yet it is the latest version (SST2) that is, putting it simply, a solid-state breakthrough, so much better than the original that I am flabbergasted (and a bit perplexed). It is faster by a good bit, with absolutely no edge or enhanced 'definition'; indeed, it sounds much airier (particularly at the top) and more relaxed than did the original, while exhibiting more subtle dynamics, both at the micro- and macro ends of the spectrum. All of this is bathed in a pool of ambience that never sounds like too much second harmonic distortion (or, to these ears, euphonic in the colored sense at all)."

"Need I say this is the most musical solid-state design I've heard, and from what I once would have considered the unlikeliest source?"

- Harry Pearson, The Absolute Sound magazine, March 2010

"All in all, the Brystons are powerful, proficient, inspiring amplifiers that are at all times in total control... The mid-range produced through the Bryston 28B SSTs is as liquid, smooth, lacking in grainy digital artifacts, and as insightful into the soul of the music as I have ever heard. Prior to these amps, it was perhaps the Pathos Integrated I reviewed a few years ago that capitalized on these characteristics. More recently, the Clayton M300s solid states amps impressed me greatly with their vocal range enjoyability. However, by comparison, the Brystons win out in a big way."

"You get tons of performance wrapped in a handsome and now classic, yet updated, looking chassis. I have been in the hunt for a new amplifier reference for some time... And, like many of you, I too was led to investigate a product I had read about. In this case, the Bryston 28B SSTs sounded, and otherwise proved, to be every bit as incredible as they were touted to sound. So much so, I dug deep and purchased the review sample. Very highly recommended."

- John Brazier, Positive Feedback Online, Issue 44

"With the 28B SST2 in place, our Model 1 system displayed no hint or evidence that would disclose a solid state amp or even a tube amp, while seemingly providing the best of both… The Gershwin and Louis Armstrong cuts we played were among the most realistic things I have ever heard and may be the most realistic - it was that good!”

- Alan Eichenbaum, Scaena Loudspeakers

How are components selected and installed in a Bryston product?

Starting with a bare circuit board each component is hand selected and installed, every wire is cut and bent by hand, every connection is hand soldered. Although Bryston could do the job much faster by employing wave-soldering machines typically used in large assembly operations, that would mean exposing the entire board to a molten-metal bath. This is a source of extreme heat shock that could result in long-term reliability problems. Bryston's focus on excellence just doesn't allow for these kinds of short-cuts.

How many hours does it take to build a Bryston product?

The skilled technicians that build Bryston products are not pressured by schedules or quotas. On average, it takes 30-35 person hours to assemble a single Bryston amplifier or preamplifier. The company believes in quality, not quantity.

What kind of product testing does Bryston do?

Frequent inspection and extensive testing are a critically important part of the Bryston assembly process.

Individual components, completed circuit-boards, sub-assemblies and final assemblies are all put through rigorous inspection and testing procedures. Are the soldering joints all clean? Is every component aligned properly? Is the internal wiring laid-out symmetrically and neatly? During every stage of production, quality and performance are checked - and rechecked - against exacting tolerances and specifications.

At the point of final assembly, many manufactures immediately pack their amplifiers into boxes for shipment. However, at Bryston, each of the fully assembled products is connected to what the company calls a "burn-in table." For example, during 100 hours of continuous testing, Bryston amplifiers are monitored through a range of input cycles and thermal stress levels to duplicate a broad spectrum of operational loads. If any failures occur, the company catches them here, before you begin using our product.

Then, and only then, are Bryston products sent to the final quality inspection area for a comprehensive and carefully documented test of all their functions. The printed results of this computer-aided analysis are actually shipped with each unit. During this intensive procedure, Bryston rejects any product that falls outside of advertised specifications, or an even narrower band of specifications used for internal testing. As a result, you can expect each Bryston product to perform as least twice as well as the advertised specifications.

The Bryston manufacturer's warranty is unprecedented in the consumer electronics market.

Bryston analog audio circuits are warranted to be free from manufacturing defects for twenty (20) years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labor.

Bryston Digital circuits and cables are warranted for five years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labor.

Bryston products having motorized moving parts, excluding motorized volume controls, are warranted for three years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labor.

In the event of a defect or malfunction, contact Bryston's repair centers for return authorization.

Audio Advisor Review - Bryston 28B-SST2 Monoblock Amp

Audio Advisor Review - Bryston's Warranty