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Highly Recommended Award - hifi-advice.com
"The Best of Both Worlds," Raves The Absolute Sound
Hugely Versatile, Remarkably Powerful
The Bryston 3B³ is a two-channel (stereo) amplifier designed for a wide range of audio/video systems which call for medium to high amounts of power, but wish to avoid sacrificing sonic accuracy and long-term reliability. It is rated to deliver 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 300 watts into 4 ohms, plus 400 watts into 4 ohms in bridged mono mode.
A robust yet beautiful machined aluminum enclosures houses Bryston's proprietary industry-leading circuit design, resulting in exemplary performance observed both in the listening space and in the laboratory.
The 3B-SST2's features list includes a soft start circuit on power up and multiple filter capacitance per channel for smooth and quiet operation. It also offers selectable inputs for balanced or single ended (RCA) connectors, remote 1-volt power trigger input with delayed output feature, and selectable gain settings.
"Very Much a Smooth Performer"
"The Bryston 3B Cubed Power Amplifier might just combine the best of both worlds: those that love tube amps and those that love solid-state," raves Tom Martin in an October 21, 2022 video review for theabsolutesound.com.
"Overall, just like the 4B Cubed the 3B Cubed is still very much a smooth performer, and it certainly has all the resolution and refinement of its larger brother," reports Christiaan Punter in hifi-advice.com, December 26, 2017, which honored the amp with a Highly Recommended Award.
"The interesting thing about the new sound is that it is smoother and warmer, yet still comes across as completely neutral, and with a refinement and low-level resolution that leaves nothing to be desired. The most amazing quality perhaps is in the treble, which is supremely subtle and decidedly non-edgy, even with the most critical speakers, he concludes."
"Belongs in the Absolute Reference Class"
"After our extensive tests, we can conclude that with the 3B³ you really get a heck of an amplifier. A powerhouse that is not only enormously robust, but also plays with delicate, almost surgical precision. We can only say that the 3B³ belongs in the absolute reference class," raves Harro Tillema, alpha-audio.net, September 27, 2024.
"Last but not least, a very exciting insight: Whether it's the high damping factor or the broadband - the Bryston power amp has perfectly harmonized with all my speakers and literally made the most of them," notes Jochen Reinecke, fairaudio.de, October 17, 2019.
Dual-Mono Design
Like other Bryston amplifiers, the 3B³ is a dual-mono design. Two fully independent amplifiers are housed in the chassis. The only shared component is the power cable. With totally separate power supplies and transformers, one channel under heavy load cannot restrict the performance of the other.
The Bryston 3B³ amplifier can receive analog audio from any preamp or surround processor with volume controlled line-level outputs. Balanced XLR and TRS as well as singled ended RCA inputs are both available and can be selected using the Input Select switch on the rear panel of the amplifier.
Integrate the 3B³ with other electronics in your system. The low-voltage trigger on the back of the amp can be connected to your Bryston preamp to automatically power on when you turn on your preamp.
Every single 3B³ comes with an individual specification sheet. You'll see exactly how well your particular amplifier performed on the test bench. And like every Bryston amplifier, each 3B³ is tested for 100 hours in the factory before it ships to ensure long term reliability.
"Vanishingly Low Distortion"
The 3B³’s predecessor, the 3B-SST2, won huge amounts of praise from the audiophile press.
"This compact £1725 amplifier is, for me, a greater achievement than the 14B-SST delivering performance that matches its bigger brother in a more compact package at under half the price," raves England's Hi-fi News magazine. "I have no doubt that unless you have a very large room or exceptionally inefficient speakers then you would be as well purchasing the 3B instead of the 14B and spending the rest on more music - this amplifier is that exceptional."
"If an amplifier is supposed to disappear and become an acoustically invisible conduit for the music, the new 3B-SST does it better than any other amplifier I've heard, or as the case must be, not heard," reportsAudio Ideas Guide. "This one's a keeper, too."
"There are lots of 150 watt per channel power amplifiers out there, but Bryston's claim to fame is its vanishingly low distortion," John E. Johnson, Jr. in his September 13, 2010 review for Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. "If you are searching for an amplifier that delivers what the source sends to it and pretty much nothing else, your search is over."
Bryston Cubed Series Amplifiers
Bryston amplifiers enjoy universal acclaim from both audio professionals and music enthusiasts unlike any other brand in the world. As a result of relentless passion for superb performance and unparalleled build quality, Bryston engineers have continued to innovate since the company's groundbreaking premier in 1976. The Cubed Series amplifiers continue this tradition of excellence, highlighted by lower distortion, increased bandwidth, and reduced noise, presenting listeners with a crystal clear window into their most favorite recordings.
Bryston Cubed Series Amplifiers, featuring patented circuitry developed in conjunction with Dr. Alexandru Salomie, move the listener ever so close to the music with such visceral realism, the experience is most comparable to live performance.
What Defines High Performance?
Reproducing exactly what is captured in a recording without exception and without added distortion fulfills Bryston's definition of high performance. Each Bryston Cubed amplifier is designed without compromise in pursuit of this lofty goal.
Bryston engineers, led by Christopher Russell, have been busy over the years since the advent of the SST2 Series finding new methods to reduce noise and distortion to reveal more nuance and subtlety than ever before. Cubed Series amplifiers employ significant improvements over the highly acclaimed SST2 Series, including dramatically less distortion at the input stage, improved common mode noise rejection, a major improvement in EMI/RFI noise rejection, and less than 500mW standby power consumption. Finally, Bryston updated the dress panel aesthetics with clean lines and a new finish.
Extreme Clarity and Detail
At Bryston, finding ways to eliminate distortion from its designs is a way of life. All Cubed Series amplifiers feature a new patented input circuit that is precisely optimized and linear beyond any that Bryston has used before. Featuring twelve active devices in a groundbreaking array, this new circuit both matches the amplifier to virtually any preamplifier and provides the first 6dB of gain. The new input stage is so transparent, its measurable distortion is less than 1/1000th of 1 percent!
Newly designed circuitry in the Cubed Series amplifiers is virtually impervious to noise such as RFI and others induced by external and environmental causes.
The Quad-Complementary topology improves linearity to a new standard of accuracy while virtually eliminating aggressive higher harmonic distortion byproducts. The overall harmonic distribution of Bryston’s Quad-Complementary output mimics the characteristics of a Class-A design, but with dramatically lower distortion. Each amplifier channel includes its own fully independent power supply with separate transformer.
Bryston strives for accuracy and transparency because that is what sounds best. When a playback system is faithful to the recording, the listener can enjoy the subtlest details, capturing the depth and soul of the performance as the artist intended.
Legendary Quality
Cubed Series amplifiers employ design innovation to achieve superior performance, yet so much has remained constant through years of evolution. Each amplifier is manufactured in Bryston's state-of-the-art facility located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, utilizing many locally sourced components. Many members of the Bryston team have been with the company for decades and all take great pride in their highly specialized craft.
All Bryston products are proven on the company's test bench for one hundred hours of burn-in before shipping. Amplifiers cycle between full power and idle in thirty-minute intervals to uncover any anomalies that could be illuminated by thermal stress. Bryston's reputation for reliability is without peer.
Not only do Bryston's amplifiers undergo pass/fail testing, but each must also achieve excellence in performance benchmarks as well. With each Cubed Series model, the customer will receive a comprehensive performance certificate detailing the exact specifications of the amplifier.
To demonstrate its commitment to excellence and performance, every Bryston amplifier is warranted to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a full twenty years.
Front Panels and Finishes
Cubed Series models are available in black or silver colored dress panels and are 17 or 19 inches wide. Nineteen-inch wide models include front mounted handles.
