Sutherland Club House

dansomeone said:
I run mine with 52dB gain on my 20/20, and it sounds terrific. But I think my low watt decware amp likes the extra volts.
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50 dB might be running a bit hot with the high-output 4 mV version. Is yours a high or low output? Either way, you can start low with 45 dB and notch it up until you don't have to crank your volume knob too high.
 
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Angsty said:
50 dB might be running a bit hot with the high-output 4 mV version. Is yours a high or low output? Either way, you can start low with 45 dB and notch it up until you don't have to crank your volume knob too high.
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Low. I rarely venture past midnight
 
dansomeone said:
I run mine with 52dB gain on my 20/20, and it sounds terrific. But I think my low watt decware amp likes the extra volts.
Click to expand...
Angsty said:
50 dB might be running a bit hot with the high-output 4 mV version. Is yours a high or low output? Either way, you can start low with 45 dB and notch it up until you don't have to crank your volume knob too high.
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IIRC Decware amps have an unusually high recommended input voltage (like 2V to hit rated power), so this checks out.
 
kvetcha said:
IIRC Decware amps have an unusually high recommended input voltage (like 2V to hit rated power), so this checks out.
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Mine is 1.5 volts for "full output" which makes me wonder about trying the next gain setting on my 20/20, 58 dB. With my cart's 1.0 mV output, that's still only a little over halfway there
 
dansomeone said:
Mine is 1.5 volts for "full output" which makes me wonder about trying the next gain setting on my 20/20, 58 dB. With my cart's 1.0 mV output, that's still only a little over halfway there
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Ahh, the Torii Jr I had was 2V, which made it a bit difficult to get the rated output with an MC cart!
 
Angsty said:
The Bryston is back! After giving it overnight to fully warm up and charge capacitors, I gave it a spin today. After just a couple of records, my initial impressions were validated and the hum issue is now gone. The BP-1.5 is better than the Insight in my setup.

Bryston said that they replaced the switches and “tightened up the ground points”. So it looks like the Bryston will be taking residence in the audio cabinet for a while until a Little Loco can find its way in. I may just move the Insight to the office system for a future LOMC addition over there.
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Well, after a couple of months, it looks like my gambit to upgrade from an Insight to a Little Loco was blocked and checkmated by the Bryston BP-1.5!

As I sit here tonight listing to Blue Note Classics with the Hana/Bryston combo, I’m completely content. I don’t see a need now or in the foreseeable future to drop thousands on another phono/cartridge/table combo. Who knows how long that will last, but I’m off the upgrade track for now and it feels pretty darn good!

Still keeping the Insight though! 😁
 
Angsty said:
Well, after a couple of months, it looks like my gambit to upgrade from an Insight to a Little Loco was blocked and checkmated by the Bryston BP-1.5!

As I sit here tonight listing to Blue Note Classics with the Hana/Bryston combo, I’m completely content. I don’t see a need now or in the foreseeable future to drop thousands on another phono/cartridge/table combo. Who knows how long that will last, but I’m off the upgrade track for now and it feels pretty darn good!

Still keeping the Insight though! 😁
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How would you describe Bryston's sound? I read some review about one of their amps saying it was cold sounding. Since then I can't help thinking that about the brand overall, but I've never actually heard any component before. Build quality seems to be incredible. They started that vintage repair program, the warranty is 20 years, etc etc.
 
Splunders said:
How would you describe Bryston's sound? I read some review about one of their amps saying it was cold sounding. Since then I can't help thinking that about the brand overall, but I've never actually heard any component before. Build quality seems to be incredible. They started that vintage repair program, the warranty is 20 years, etc etc.
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My grandfather ran a Bryston amplifier with his La Scalas and I recall it sounding great, though certainly not warm. Accurate.
 
Splunders said:
How would you describe Bryston's sound? I read some review about one of their amps saying it was cold sounding. Since then I can't help thinking that about the brand overall, but I've never actually heard any component before. Build quality seems to be incredible. They started that vintage repair program, the warranty is 20 years, etc etc.
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I’ve switched amps, preamps and phonostages over the years and I keep coming back to Brystons for their tonal accuracy, low noise, low distortion, and build quality. It’s a very neutral platform, especially for the preamp and power amp.

The phonostage was more of a surprise. I was not expecting the delicacy and detail retrieval that I got with it. I frankly expected it to be on par with the Insight, but it was a few degrees better. It probably competes more fairly with the 20/20, which I have not heard in my system.

I think the superior sound comes from the use of internal SUTs for MC cartridges and the unique means Bryston employs for RIAA to keep the frequency response very flat. I have not tried a MM cartridge on the BP1.5, but I have on the B100 phono input which is what got me so curious about the BP1.5 that I would buy one. The sound quality is definitely of the solid state variety; it is very quiet, very dynamic and not at all warm, but certainly not cold or sterile either. Just neutral, transparent and convincingly accurate.

Mind you, all of the components I just referenced, with the exception of the B100, are over 20 years old and still performing fabulously with “tune ups” every 10 years or so. I purchased my first Bryston unit in 2006 as used.
 
MikeH said:
Debating getting the Insight…if anybody sees a good deal! Saw it at TMR used and might consider that if its still there in a few weeks…
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Not to pressure, but I doubt that specific unit will be there in a few weeks. Generally these turn over within two weeks, but they do frequently pop up on the market around that same price. The last one on TMR sold for $999 on Sept 24. Check out HiFishark to be alerted on new offerings across multiple sites.
 
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Angsty said:
Not to pressure, but I doubt that specific unit will be there in a few weeks. Generally these turn over within two weeks, but they do frequently pop up on the market around that same price. The last one on TMR sold for $999 on Sept 24. Check out HiFishark to be alerted on new offerings across multiple sites.
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Submitted an offer which was accepted for $750. Went to check out and someone else had beaten me to it. Doh!
 
MikeH said:
Submitted an offer which was accepted for $750. Went to check out and someone else had beaten me to it. Doh!
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I've lost out on several auctions by small margins in the past. Now when bidding, I add in a premium for my time, too. As in, 'how much time will it take me to search for another unit and how much is that worth to me in dollars?". That way when I lose on a bid, I have already calculated that I'd rather spend the differential time on finding a less expensive unit versus paying an inflated price. This approach works for me in other areas, too, but is most frequently helpful in audio purchases.
 
Angsty said:
I've lost out on several auctions by small margins in the past. Now when bidding, I add in a premium for my time, too. As in, 'how much time will it take me to search for another unit and how much is that worth to me in dollars?". That way when I lose on a bid, I have already calculated that I'd rather spend the differential time on finding a less expensive unit versus paying an inflated price. This approach works for me in other areas, too, but is most frequently helpful in audio purchases.
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this one wasn't an auction. the music room added a "make an offer" button to their site which sends them an email. seems they may do that if a unit is sitting there for a little bit. they did get back to me pretty quickly but said that the link is still live for others to pay full price until i check out, which is more than fair IMO. someone must have just hit buy before I was able to check out.
 
MikeH said:
this one wasn't an auction. the music room added a "make an offer" button to their site which sends them an email. seems they may do that if a unit is sitting there for a little bit. they did get back to me pretty quickly but said that the link is still live for others to pay full price until i check out, which is more than fair IMO. someone must have just hit buy before I was able to check out.
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Understood.
 
Hi, quick question for the clubhouse residents...

I have an Insight coming from Upscale. I'm gonna use an OC9XEN on it. My previous stage didn't have dip switches on it, so I am trying to figure out what to set them at. Is 100 Ohms loading and 60db gain correct?

I'm like a kid at Christmastime waiting for this to show up!

Thanks
 
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