Bryston 3B³ Stereo Power Amplifier - Black - 19 Inch Faceplate With Handles

Two Hundred Watts, Built to Outlast the System

The 3B³ is the entry point to Bryston's Cubed series, and entry point means price, not compromise. It makes 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 300 into 4, from two channels that each have their own power supply and their own transformer.

That dual-mono build is the part that matters when the music gets loud. One channel drawing hard on a bass note cannot rob the other, because there is nothing shared between them but the power cord. Stereo images stay put instead of collapsing toward the middle when the level goes up.

Bryston builds it in Dwight, Ontario, and covers it for ten years. That is the longest warranty in this price class by a wide margin, and it tells you what the company expects the amplifier to survive.

The Salomie Circuit, and Why It Is Quiet

Every Cubed amplifier uses a patented input circuit developed with Dr. Alexandru Salomie. It handles the first stage of gain and is built to reject the noise modern homes are full of: Wi-Fi, cell radios, switching power supplies.

You hear that as a background that stays black. Noise measures −106dB through RCA and −111dB through the balanced XLR input, so quiet passages stay quiet rather than sitting on a bed of hiss.

On the bench, THD+N stays under 0.005% from 20Hz to 20kHz at rated power, and response runs from below 1Hz to 100kHz at −3dB. Switchable gain of 23dB or 29dB matches the amp to your preamp. Cooling is convection only, so there is no fan to hear, and the amplifier weighs 35 pounds.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Christiaan Punter of HiFi-Advice reviewed the 3B, 4B and 14B Cubed together on 26 December 2017. Bryston's latest Cubed series, he concluded, "really has taken the sound to a whole new level."

The treble drew his particular notice: it is "supremely subtle and decidedly non-edgy, even with the most critical speakers." The Cubed sound overall he called "generous, smooth, rich and relaxed, yet very powerful", driving every speaker he tried with ease.

Who Is This Amplifier Best For?

• Your speakers are harder to drive than they look — 200 watts into 8 ohms and 300 into 4 means the amp gains strength as the load gets tougher, so a dip in your speaker's impedance curve stops being the thing that flattens the music.
• You listen loud, or you listen late — fully independent supplies per channel keep one channel's demands off the other, and a noise floor at −111dB balanced means low-level detail survives at low volume too.
• You do not want to hear the equipment — convection cooling means no fan, ever, so the only thing in the room making noise is the speakers.
• You buy for the long run — ten years of warranty from a company that builds in Dwight, Ontario, and burns in every unit before it ships. This is not an amplifier you plan to replace.
• You want the volume control somewhere other than the amplifier — that is the preamp's job, and BP-19 is the one to pair

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Run your preamplifier into the balanced XLR or single-ended RCA inputs, choosing the one your preamp offers. Input impedance is 7.5k ohms unbalanced. Speakers connect to the binding posts, which take spades, bananas or bare wire.

Set the gain switch to 23dB or 29dB so your volume control lands in a usable range. A DC trigger will bring the amplifier up automatically with the rest of the system, and a controlled startup sequence keeps it from tripping a breaker.

Pairs Well With

Building around the 3B³? Here are some great companions:

• Preamplifier: Required, and the natural next decision — see our Preamplifiers.
• Speaker Cables: Two hundred watts deserves cable that can carry it — see our Speaker Cables.
• Interconnects: Balanced XLR is the better run from preamp to amp — see our Interconnect Cables.
• Audio Rack: Convection cooling wants air around it — see our Audio Racks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much power does it make?

200 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and 300 watts per channel into 4 ohms.

What do the two gain settings do?

They set how much the amplifier amplifies: 23dB or 29dB. Pick the one that puts your preamp's volume control in a comfortable range rather than at the extremes.

Can I rack-mount it?

The 17-inch and 19-inch faceplates on this listing are not rack-mountable, though the 19-inch version does include front handles. Bryston builds a separate PRO version with a rack-mount dress panel — call us on 800-942-0220 and we will sort out which you need.

Does it need a fan?

No fan is fitted and none is needed. The 3B³ is fully convection cooled, so it runs silent.

Where is it built, and what warranty does it carry?

Bryston builds it in Dwight, Ontario, Canada, and covers it with a 10-year warranty.

What finishes are available?

Silver or black, in a 17-inch or 19-inch faceplate. The 19-inch includes front-mounted handles.

See It in Action

The Absolute Sound reviews the 3B Cubed:

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