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"Five Stars" from What Hi-Fi Magazine

"Best Preamplifier" 2010 - SVI Magazine, England

No-Compromise Preamp

Bryston's BP-26 preamplifier offers a significant step forward in capturing the subtleties, nuances, and emotions of recorded music. Designed inside and out to reflect the improvements in the entire Bryston line, the BP-26 is a perfect match to Bryston's new SST series of amplifiers. All aspects of the signal flow are greatly improved, with lower noise and distortion figures, and higher overload levels.

The April 2008 issue of the British magazine What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision lists their top choices and best buys in quality hi-fi components for 2008. The Bryston BP-26 not only made the list, but also earned the highest possible rating of Five Stars.

"Better Than Anything We've Heard at This Price"

A joint review of the BP-26 preamp and the 2B SST power amp in the September 2008 issue of What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision observes that the pair "blends transparency with insight and punch better than anything we've heard at this price."

The March 2005 issue of The Inner Ear Report calls the Bryston BP-26 "a component worthy of the term high-end." According to the review, "Bryston's production work is first rate and the components used in all their designs are of top quality."

The PB26 was honored by winning the "Best Preamplifier" Trade Award for 2010 from SVI magazine. SVI stands for 'Sound Vision Install,' and SVI is England's leading home electronics trade publication.

Dual Chassis Approach

Bryston's unique, no-compromise dual-chassis approach isolates the power supply of the BP-26 in a separate chassis for ultra-quiet operation. Please note that the BP-26 requires the MPS-2 power supply, which is sold separately.

Clean, Lifelike Musical Signal

The BP-26 has been engineered to deliver the cleanest, most lifelike musical signal. Intermodulation distortion has been reduced to less than .0015% from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The noise floor has been significantly improved, reducing background hash to far below audibility. Input to input crosstalk is essentially nonexistent to eliminate signal bleed-through from one source to another.

The BP-26 is housed in a steel cabinet for shielding to reduce electromagnetic interference effects. Buffered inputs provide for lower distortion and improved linearity from source components. A ground plane has been incorporated in this new design to further reduce crosstalk and noise throughout the internal circuitry. The power transformer is mounted externally to eliminate power-supply noise interference.

The Bryston gives you lots of connectivity. It offers five stereo RCA inputs, two stereo RCA outputs, two XLR inputs, one XLR output, a stereo tape loop, and a headphone output.

Hand Assembled Components

Premium components and meticulous construction techniques contribute to the extremely high performance level offered by the BP-26. Components plug directly into glass-epoxy circuit boards, eliminating variations in signal travel and wire interaction.

Signal switching and audio connections utilize heavy gold plating to provide long-term trouble-free connections. Gold plated balanced and unbalanced input and output connectors are standard. A 12-volt AC / DC screw terminal connector on the rear of the power supply provides for a convenient remote start feature available on all Bryston amplifiers.

Each and every BP-26 preamplifier is assembled by hand and burned in for 100 hours to ensure performance for many years to come. It is backed by a 20-year warranty from Bryston, which is unrivaled in the industry.

The optional Bryston BR2 remote control allows remote operation of the BP26.

Owner’s Manual (2.2 mb PDF)

• Low noise and low distortion
• 5 stereo RCA inputs
• 2 stereo RCA output
• 2 XLR inputs
• 1 XLR output
• 1 stereo tape loop
• Headphone output
• Gold plated switch, contacts and connectors
• Available with MM Phono, MC Phono, or DAC
• Optional DAC
• Digital Circuits 5-Year Warranty from Bryston
• Re-settable automatic overload protection on each output
• Available in Silver or Black with 17" or 19" faceplate

Note: The BP26 requires the MPS-2 power supply, which is sold separately

Note: The optional Bryston BR2 remote control allows remote operation of the BP26.

• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz +/- .05 dB
• Maximum output: 15 volts unbalanced, 30 volts balanced
• IM or THD: less 0.0015% at 3 volts out
• High-level intensity: 500 mV
• Rated noise: Ref. 500mV unbalanced input, 20 - 20 kHz - 100 dB; Ref. 1 volt balanced input 20 - 20 kHz - 103 dB
• XLR: Pin 1 ground, pin 2 positive, pin 3 negative
• Dimensions: 19" or 17" wide, 2.25" high, 11" deep

"Here are the elements which differ and show improvements from the earlier design(s): Bass is not only resolute (as it was in the older model), but now delineates harmonics above the fundamentals -- that's more musical and more pleasing. Midrange, the important frequency where most instruments and everything vocal takes place, was resolute in the older model. In the BP26, resolution is maintained, however, along with fundamental information.

"Harmonics add a musical glow, almost sweetness to the sound, and this musicality doesn't come at a price, because inner detail, space and focus are preserved. The BP26's high frequencies are outstanding. They are more graceful in nature, more organic in texture and performed without a hint of strain. The effortless reach into the highs completes musical information from start to finish and always with that special glow we call musicality."

- The Inner Ear Report, March 2005

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.

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