Bryston BP LINE PREAMPLIFIER Each equipment report LARRY GREENHILL SPECIFICATIONS

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1 EQUIPMENT REPORT LRRY GREENHILL yston P-17 3 LINE PREMPLIFIER Each equipment epot in Steeophile focuses on a single auio component. When listening to a component fo eview, I leave unchange all othe components in my auio system. Othe Steeophile eviewes expeiment with iffeent inteconnects, speake cables, powe cos, o stans. s I foun while eviewing yston s P-17 3 (Cube) peamplifie, being flexible has its ewas. Desciption My fist lesson in flexibility was leaning what yston means by Cube. 1 Jim Tanne, yston s VP of sales an maketing, explaine that all thei Cube moels employ an aay of 12 active evices fo the fist 6 of gain. Develope by the late D. Ioan lexanu Salomie, this aay acts as a supe-linea input buffe to filte out auio- an aio-fequency noise, paticulaly anomalies that oiginate in the powe line, eucing the oveall noise an istotion to less than 0.001%. The P-17 3 s base pice of $3995 positions it between two othe line-level peamps fom yston: the enty-level P-6 ($3295) an the flagship P-26 with MPS-2 powe supply ($5390). The P-17 3 is 2.30" talle an 2" eepe than the two-chassis P-26, an impoves on the oiginal P-17 with an exta pai each of XLR an RC outputs. The P-17 3 is entiely soli-state. It has seven inputs five single-ene (RC), two balance (XLR) as well as balance an single-ene outputs. Thee ae pushbuttons on its font panel fo selecting inputs, Powe, Mute, ypass, Reco, an alance. lso on the font panel ae an IR eceive, a heaphone output jack, an a lage volume knob. 1 In yston s moel nomenclatue, the pouct s moel numbe (eg, 4) emains the same ove the pouct s lifespan (the oiginal 4 came out in 1978), but each new vesion gets a new moifie (eg, 4ST, 4 2, 4 3 ). yston s vice-pesient of maketing, James Tanne, explaine: Things began with NR, which we state using when we intouce a new seies of amplifies. The shippe wante to make sue he i not mix up the ole stock with the newe, so he wote NR on the new etail boxes an NP on the new po boxes. The next batch of amplifies was name fo esigne Stuat Taylo ( ST ). This late became SST (Supe Stuat Taylo). SST was shotene to squae, so the 4 amplifie was ename the 4 2. The naming of ou latest goup of poucts, with the Salomie input cicuit, use Cube as a natual pogession. What s next? Quatto! SPECIFICTIONS Desciption Soli-state steeo peamplifie with emote contol & heaphone amplifie. Inputs: 4 singleene (RC), 1 single-ene Reco (RC), 2 balance (XLR). Input impeance: 6.5k ohms (RC), 4.5k ohms (XLR, inveting an non-inveting). Outputs: 1 single-ene vaiable (RC), 1 single-ene fixe (RC), 2 pais balance (XLR), 1 heaphone ( 1 / 4 ", 6.35mm TRS). Contol connectos: female D9 fo full two-way RS-232 (RJ12) suite; two 3.5mm mono (TS) miniplug DC tigges (12V); one auxiliay IR input with extenal IR eceive teminate with 3.5mm plug. Output impeance: not specifie. Maximum output level: not specifie. Linestage gain: vaiable, RC/ XLR, 12/18; fixe, RC in/ out, 0; fixe, XLR in/out, 6. Fequency esponse: 20Hz 20kHz, ±0.05. THD+N (20Hz 20kHz, 1V RMS fo XLR): <0.0025%. IMD (60Hz, 7kHz in 4:1 atio: <0.0003%. Signal/ noise: >102 (RC), >108 (XLR). Powe consumption: 2W stanby, 32W ile, 32W full powe. Dimensions 17" (430mm) o 19" (483mm) W by 4.55" (116mm) H by 13 (330mm) D. Weight: 11 lbs (5kg). Finishes lack, Silve. Seial numbe of unit eviewe Pices $3995; R2 emote contol, $375; MM an DC moules, $750 each; TF-2 step-up tansfome, $1500. ppoximate numbe of eales: 295. Waanty: 20 yeas, analog cicuits & components; 5 yeas, igital components. Manufactue yston Limite, 677 Neal Dive, Peteboough, Ontaio K9J 6X7, Canaa. Tel: (705) Web:

2 RYSTON P-17 3 The ea panel is ivie into fou sections: Outputs, containing two balance XLRs optionally, one of these can be configue as fixe-output, fo use with yston s H-1 o any othe balance-input heaphone amplifie a fixelevel RC, an vaiable peamplifie; Inputs, compising two pais of balance XLRs, five pais of single-ene RCs that, with the optional moules, can be use as analog o igital inputs, Contol, which inclues two tigge outputs, an auxiliay IR input jack, an an RS-232 jack; an an IEC inlet fo the etachable powe co. Centee at the top of the ea panel is a knule gouning post fo a tuntable. The P-17 3 s motheboa takes up the entie with an half the epth of the inteio, though its font half is unoccupie save fo a beefy tooial powe tansfome an the powe-supply components, to isolate them fom the auio cicuits on the ea panel. long the insie of the ea panel, seveal vetical aughteboas ae plugge into the motheboa to hanle input an output functions. The components of these wave-solee pinte-cicuit boas ae suface-mounte an labele. The P-17 3 can be opeate using yston s R2 univesal emote-contol hanset, which costs an aitional $375. It has 34 pushbuttons in eight ows an woke beautifully, contolling all functions available fom the font panel an moe, incluing phase an unity bypass fo home-theate moe. Like the emote, many of the P-17 3 s esiable featues ae available only à la cate. The ba news is that this makes the base pice eceptively low; the goo news is that you can custom-esign a P-17 3 to have only the featues you actually want, without paying fo those you on t. Moules fo an intenal D/ convete o moving-magnet phono stage cost $750 each. The igital D/ moule as fou igital inputs; the phono moule woks only fo MM catiges. 2 Setup Installation was simple. I place the P-17 3 atop my Salamane Designs Synegy S-40 Open Rack system, use its XLR jacks to make balance connections fom my yston D-3 DC an to the Constellation Steeo 1.0 powe amplifie, an its RC jacks fo connections fom my Day-Sequea 25th nnivesay FM Refeence tune an Suthelan Engineeing Vibe phono peamplifie. I kept tack of the numbes of the input jacks on the ea panel, as these match the labels une the coesponing buttons on the font panel. I plugge one en of the P-17 3 s powe co into its ea-panel inlet, an the othe into my Tous Powe RM40 line conitione. I initially connecte the goun lea of my Linn LP12 tuntable to the goun post on the yston, but etache it when it pouce lots of hum. I use no ecoupling feet, isolation platfoms, o othe accessoies. My igital souces wee yston s DP-3 meia playe an CD-1 CD playe; all igital-to-analog convesions wee one by the above-mentione yston D-3. yston s etaile, well-witten manual oesn t state that the P-17 3 nees any wam-up o bun-in; sue enough, I hea no change in its soun quality uing the time it spent in my system. My Revel Ultima Salon2 louspeakes wee place to each sie of my equipment ack, 2.3' fom the font wall, 6' apat (measue fom the speakes tweetes), an 6' fom my listening chai. This pouce optimal imaging an sounstaging in shot, most of my listening to the P-17 3 was one in the neafiel. 2 Following this eview, I sent the eview sample of the P-17 3 back to yston to have the optional DC an phono moules installe. Watch fo a Follow-Up. MESUREMENTS I measue the yston P-173 s pefomance with my uio Pecision SYS2722 system (see the Januay 2008 s We See It, The maximum gain fo both the balance an unbalance inputs to the balance outputs, an fom the heaphone output, was The maximum gain fom unbalance input to unbalance output was 11.6; ie, an input of 1V esults in an output of 3.785V. The P-17 3 s input impeance fom 20Hz to 20kHz was 6800 ohms unbalance an 10k ohms balance, both impeances vey slightly highe than specifie. The peamplifie peseve absolute polaity (ie, was non-inveting) with both balance an unbalance inputs an fom all outputs. Its XLR jacks ae wie with pin 2 hot, the ES convention. The peamplifie s unbalance output impeance was a elatively low 690 ohms fom 20Hz to 20kHz; unusually, the balance impeance was lowe, at 340 ohms at 1kHz an 20kHz, an slightly highe at 20Hz, at 420 ohms. The heaphone output impeance was a little on the high sie fo use with lowe-impeance heaphones, at 72 ohms. My measuements confime the P-17 3 s fequency-esponse specification of 20Hz 20kHz, ±0.05. In both balance (fig.1, blue an e taces) an unbalance moes with its volume contol set to its maximum, the output Fig.1 yston P-17 3, balance fequency esponse with volume contol set to maximum at 1V, into: 100k ohms (left channel blue, ight e), 600 ohms (left cyan, ight magenta) (1/vetical iv.). Hz was own by just 0.05 at 20kHz, an was 3 at just ove 100kHz. The P-17 3 s supeb channel matching was peseve into lowe impeances (fig.1, cyan an magenta taces) an at lowe settings of the volume contol. This contol ha a athe aggessive action, its 12:00 position eucing the gain by 32 fom its maximum! The channel sepaation was supeb below 2kHz, at >108 in both iec- Fig.2 yston P-17 3, balance spectum of 1kHz sinewave, DC 1kHz, at: 2V (left channel blue, ight e), 0V into 100k ohms (left cyan, ight magenta) (linea fequency scale). Hz

3 RYSTON P-17 3 Listening s always, the fist thing I listene to was Stevie Nicks s smoky enition of Silve Spings, fom Fleetwoo Mac s The Dance (CD, Repise ). Immeiately, I knew something was wong. Nicks s voice soune etche an egy, with moe miange pesence than I know it shoul have. Cymbals an guita ovepowee John McVie s bass line an Mick Fleetwoo s kick um. Gone was the aictive tonal balance I hea though the paiing of Constellation Inspiation amp an yston P-26/MPS- 2 peamp. Instea, the uppe miange an lowe teble ominate the est of the auioban. So I switche fom the Constellation Steeo 1.0 to a Mak Levinson No.534 ($20,000), which ha just aive fo eview. To my elight, the new amp pouce a moe neutal tonal balance, along with tanspaency, clea highs, an bol ynamic contasts. The mibass an miange wee smooth an gainless an, most impotant, in t ovepowe the bass. The bass esponse of the P-17 3 No.534 paiing was unusually stong an extene. The full weight of peal chos captue on goo ecoings of pipe ogan pessuize my listening oom. John Rutte s Gaelic lessing, with Timothy Seelig conucting the Tutle Ceek Choale an the Dallas Women s Chous (CD, Refeence RR-57CD), elivee the leaen ensity of the ogan s lowest notes while sepaating the vaious anks of choistes. The eep synthesize notes in Silk Roa, fom I Ching s Of the Mash an the Moon (CD, Chesky WO144), ha impessive weight an soliity. Daniel Rossi s sustaine ogan-peal chos in the secon movement (Poco aagio) of Saint-Saëns s Symphony 3, Ogan, with ntonio Pappano conucting the Ochesta of the National caemy of St. Cecilia (CD, Wane Classics ), wee appopiately poweful. The yston peamp also favoe pecussion ecoings, such as Mak Walke s um solo in Nais, fom Paticia abe s Café lue (SCD/CD, Pemonition/lue Note/ Mobile Fielity Soun Lab UDSCD 2002): It tease Michael nopol s ouble-bass notes apat fom the um kit s cymbals, kick um, tom-tom heas, an ims. It also fully epouce the impact of the fenzie bass-um stokes that conclue Shostakovich s Symphony 5, in the ecoing by the Pittsbugh Symphony Ochesta le by Manfe Honeck (24-bit/96kHz WV, Refeence Fesh! FR-724). 3 3 I m not alone in loving this live ecoing, which in 2018 won Gammys fo est Ochestal Pefomance, Classical, an est Engineee lbum, Classical. measuements, continue tions, eceasing to a still vey goo 80 at 20kHz. The P-17 3 is a vey quiet peamplifie: the auioban signal/noise atio ef. 1V output, measue with the input shote to goun but the volume contol set to its maximum, was 89.7 (aveage of both channels). Switching an -weighting filte into cicuit slightly impove this atio, to 92. Spectal analysis of the yston s low-fequency noise floo inicate some spuiae at 60Hz an its o-oe hamonics in the left channel (fig.2, blue tace), though these ae all at o below 99 (0.001%) an won t be auible. Fig.3 plots the pecentage of THD+noise in the yston s balance output into 100k ohms. The THD+N ises below 15V output ue to the fixe level of noise becoming an inceasing pecentage of the signal level. The actual istotion oesn t ise above the noise floo until the output eaches 15V, when it is just %, but ises apily above that level. This is of no elevance in actual use, as 15V is way moe than neee to ive any powe amplifie completely into clipping. When I euce the loa impeance to the cuent-hungy 600 ohms (fig.4), the P-17 3 still elivee >15V at clipping (ie, when the THD+N eaches 1%). The istotion was a little highe fo unbalance input to unbalance output: the P-17 3 clippe at >15V into 100k ohms, an at a still-high 7V into 600 ohms. I measue how the P-17 3 s istotion change with fequency at a vey high level, to be sue that the eaing was not ominate by noise. It emaine consistently low thoughout the auioban into the high 100k ohm loa (fig.5, blue an e taces), an was even lowe into 600 ohms (cyan, magenta), though it ose slightly at the fequency extemes. t the same high % % % V V Hz Fig.3 yston P-17 3, balance istotion (%) vs 1kHz output voltage into 100k ohms. Fig.4 yston P-17 3, balance istotion (%) vs 1kHz output voltage into 600 ohms. Fig.5 yston P-17 3, balance THD+N (%) vs fequency at 10V into: 100k ohms (left channel blue, ight e), 600 ohms (left cyan, ight magenta).

4 RYSTON P-17 3 It also captue the ambience of the ecoing venue, Pittsbugh s Heinz Hall fo the Pefoming ts, incluing the souns of the pefomes catching thei beaths between notes in the fist movement, Moeato llego non toppo, making the music all the moe ealistic an compelling. The P-17 3 easily esolve the iffeences in timbe between clainet, bassoon, an contabassoon as they playe above the temolo of the violins. 4 Subtle istinctions of vocal timbes wee eveale when I playe Ēiks Eŝenvals s The Doos of Heaven, with the Potlan State Chambe Choi iecte by Ethan Spey (24/88 WV file fom CD, Naxos ), a ecoing engineee by John tkinson that s so goo I chose it as one of my Recos to Die Fo fo s I listene to The Fist Teas, the Potlan singes wee clealy positione on a wie sounstage, echoing each othe as they sang Eŝenvals s setting of an Inuit tale of Raven. The voice of each of the thee male vocalists ha a istinct vocal timbe, an emanate fom a position on the sounstage istinctly iffeent fom the othe two. Similaly, Hay Connick, J. s voice in Don t Get oun Much nymoe, fom the When Hay Met Sally... sountack (CD, Columbia CK 45319), was smooth an pue, without souning tubby o nasal. The P-17 3 s extene, tanspaent uppe egiste captue the shimmeing cymbal souns that begin The Mooche, fom Renezvous: Jeome Hais Quintet Plays Jazz (CD, Steeophile STPH013-2); mae it possible fo me to istinguish the elicate hap an celesta notes fom the masse stings an pecussion in the thi movement of the Shostakovich symphony mentione ealie; an ceate a compelling illusion of a watefall spilling into a pool in the 4 Honeck s supeb line note escibes how Shostakovich, feaful of being impisone in a Sibeian labo camp by Stalin, scoe a passage in the thi movement, Lago, with a clainet, bassoon, an contabassoon [to play] an emotional song of lament, as if someboy is completely lost in the most esete, col ice an left to moun his own fate. 5 See the Febuay 2018 issue: /content/ ecos-ie-2018-page-4. SSOCITED EQUIPMENT nalog Souces Linn Sonek LP12 tuntable with Lingo powe supply, Linn Ittok toneam, Spectal MC catige; Day-Sequea 25th nnivesay FM Refeence, McIntosh Laboatoy MR-78, Sony XDR-F2HD FM/M tunes. Digital Souces yston CD-1 CD playe & DP-3 meia playe (ID sounboa) & D-3 DC; Oppo igital PD- 103 univesal D playe; Lenovo P50 ThinkPa compute unning Winows 10 Po (64-bit), yston Winows US ive, JRive Meia Cente 23, Roon Coe V.1.4 (buil 300). Peamplification Suthelan Engineeing KC Vibe phono stage & Vibe hea amplifie; yston P-26, Mak Levinson ML-7 (with optional phono boas), Powe mplifies Constellation uio Inspiation Steeo 1.0, Mak Levinson No.334 & No.534. Louspeakes Qua ESL-989, Revel Ultima Salon2. Cables Digital: Wiewol Stalight coaxial. Inteconnect: yston (balance), Mak Levinson Silve, Pue Silve Cable (balance), Re Rose Silve One, Totem coustic Sinew (single-ene). Speake: Coincient Speake Technology CST 1, Pue Silve Cable R50 (biwie ouble ibbon), QED X-Tube 400, Ultalink Excelsio 6N OFJC. C: manufactues own. ccessoies JL uio CR-1 electonic cossove; pple iphone 6 with Stuio Six itestmic & uio nalyze pp, v ; pple ipa;tous Powe RM 20 powe conitione; Salamane Designs Synegy System Twin-with S40 Rack. Listening Room 13' L by 11.5' W by 8' H with flat ceiling, spasely funishe with IKE aea ug & ovestuffe chai; 6' by 2.5' by 7' alcove in ea wall fille with esk an books; winows in font wall covee with close blins; ea of oom opens to upstais hall though 7' by 4' ooway. Lay Geenhill measuements, continue output level into 600 ohms, the spectum of the istotion compise the thi an fifth hamonics (fig.6), but these ae vey low in level, at a espective 110 an 120. t the same level into 100k ohms, these hamonics wee at the esiual level in the geneato s output. Intemoulation istotion at a typical level at which the peamplifie will be use was unmeasuable (fig.7), though the powe-supply hamonics in the left channel can be seen. Even at a peak signal level of 10V into 600 ohms (fig.8), the secon-oe iffeence pouct at 1kHz lay at just 112 ( %)! The yston P-17 3 s measuements inicate that it is supebly well engineee. It is ifficult to see how a peamplifie coul pefom any bette on the test bench! John tkinson Hz Hz Hz Fig.6 yston P-17 3, balance spectum of 1kHz sinewave, DC 1kHz, at 10V into 600 ohms (left channel blue, ight e; linea fequency scale). Fig.7 yston P-17 3, balance HF intemoulation spectum, DC 30kHz, 19+20kHz at 1V into 100k ohms (left channel blue, ight e; linea fequency scale). Fig.8 yston P-17 3, balance HF intemoulation spectum, DC 30kHz, 19+20kHz at 10V into 600 ohms (left channel blue, ight e; linea fequency scale).

5 RYSTON P-17 3 opening of Running Wate, fom the I Ching album. Compaisons I matche the levels of the P-17 3, yston s own P-26 with MPS-2 powe supply ($5390), an the Mak Levinson ML-7 ($4400 when new, ca 1984), all iving the Mak Levinson No.534 powe amp. I also consulte the notes I took last yea while listening to the Mak Levinson No.526 peamplifie. 6 That ulta-expensive ($20,000) peamp has built-in DC an MM/MC phono sections. While all of these peamps have contols fo volume, balance, souce selection, an mute, only the ML-7 an P-26/ MPS-2 have toggle switches fo Mono/Steeo, High/Low Gain, an Polaity/Invet. The ML-7 has no balance inputs o outputs, an uses only CMC connectos, which equie aaptes fo RC plugs. Only the P-17 3 an No.526 can be fully opeate with a emote-contol hanset. To listen to LPs, I use my Suthelan Engineeing Vibe phono peamplifie ($895), though the ML-7 7 an P-26 have optional MC phono moules. P-17 3 ownes who use only MC catiges will nee to buy MM moule ($750) an TF-2 step-up tansfome ($1500) to listen to thei LPs. With some CDs, SCDs, an igital files, the P-17 3 s ynamics, punchy bass, slam, an sounstage epth matche those of the Mak Levinson ML-7 an the yston P-26 an what ha note about the Mak Levinson No.526. Howeve, neithe the yston peamps o the ML-7 consistently bettee the No.526 s claity, ai, tanspaency, tansient esponse, an feeom fom miange gain. Of couse, the No.526 costs almost fou times as much as a fully optione P Conclusions Until now, I neve change efeence components uing a eview. I ve been missing out. Fining the combination of yston s P-17 3 an the Mak Levinson No.534 powe amp was a stoke of seenipity that let me enjoy soun quality almost as goo as ML s No.526 with some ecoings at a faction of its cost. Inee, the P-17 3 costs less than any soli-state peamp liste in Class of the pil 2018 eition of Recommene Components. mong new, high-value, line-level peamplifies, the P-17 3 is a welcome fin. Diving the ML No.534, it pouce engaging, etaile, tonally captivating, uttely natual soun that appoache efeence quality. Its eep bass extension, ynamic ange, sounstaging, an spee wee so goo that I fogot about the eview sample s lack of a phono o igital inputs, the absence of Intenet connectivity fo fimwae upates, an the omission fom its stana kit of yston s R2 emote contol. Matche with a top-quality, compatible powe amplifie, the P-17 3 is the bagain peamplifie to beat but befoe buying, be sue to auition it with a vaiety of powe amps. Stongly ecommene. n 6 See my eview of the Mak Levinson No.526 in the May 2017 issue: /content/mak-levinson-no526-peamplifie. 7 In 1984, Mak Levinson supplie each ML-7 peamplifie with a pai of L-2 phono boas, fo MM an MC catiges with outputs of >0.3mV. The L-2 boas ha micoswitches fo changing the gain (38 o 44), an switchable input impeance (825 o 50k ohms). lso available wee use-installable MC phono boas: the L-3 boa, with 53 gain fo meium-output ( mV) MCs; an the L-3 boa, with 66 gain fo low-output ( mV) MCs. oth MC boas ha a fixe input impeance of 825 ohms. My ML-7 has L-2 an L-3 boas.