Montreal audio show

CANUCK AUDIO - Comments from Montreal Audio Show.

Okanaudio
Location: Penticton, BC, CA

Here are some random thoughts on my day at SSI

The Bryston model T not only lived up to the hype, it justafied it and made it look like an understatement



Oined:
Location: Sherbrooke, QC, CA

The Bryston T speakers sounded great, they sounded big (which they are)

Sure to elicit snide comments of "sounds too much like hi-fi" from the small speaker lover brigade as well as nasty musings from the members of the "judge by the price cult" that are sure to find them way too much speaker for the money: a cardinal sin.
 
lakesailor
Senior Member

Montreal Audio Show - 2014

Bryston Demo

After following the Model T thread on here closely I was looking forward to finally hearing them in person at SSI in Montreal. I toured the show from top to bottom meaning I encountered the Model T’s after listening to speakers such as Tannoy Canterbury`s, Focal Stella Utpoia`s, Harbeth 40.1`s, MBL 101 E MK II, Kef Blades and many others.

I am normally somewhat of a skeptic and don’t often use words like “blown away” lightly – however when I first heard the Bryston Model “T” I quickly began to understand why a 15 page thread has emerged here on AA about them. I was so impressed I came back Sunday morning early to hear them again. Was fortunate to meet James Tanner in person (great guy) and we listened to Chris Rea’s Daytona together.

One thing I noted about many of the speakers I heard at SSI is that they excelled at many things but would sometimes struggle in other areas. The Model “T” is a speaker that does it all. Very articulate and detailed in the highs, great texture and body in the mid-range, and very authoritative in the lower end without being sloppy. It is a speaker that is very engaging and makes you want to turn it up and hear your music. It seems odd to call a $7500 speaker one of the best bargains of the show, but compared too many speakers costing 2x – 3X (or more) it truly is. This speaker is to the point where I would caution someone looking for a speaker of this size/price range to not take the time to audition the Model T – it is that good. I don’t believe I met a single person at SSI who did not share similar views after hearing the Model “T”.

Probably my only complaint is that I didn’t get a chance to hear some of the other Bryston speakers in the smaller size ranges – however the Model “T” is a must hear. It is that enjoyable.

Thanks to James Tanner for taking the time to demonstrate a great product.
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Congrats James. I look forward to hearing the ones with the external crossover. Perhaps you can describe the sonic differences.


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Mike said:
Congrats James. I look forward to hearing the ones with the external crossover. Perhaps you can describe the sonic differences.


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Hi Mike

There are a few benefits with the external crossover:

1. Anyone wanting to go with an ACTIVE Model T system in the future should get the Signature version as you cannot bypass the internal crossover in the T and replace it with an electronic one.
2. The coils in the signature are Air Core inductors instead of Laminated Core chocks in the standard Model T. Air core inductors will generally take more power before saturation over laminated cores.
3. The capacitors in the Signature are Bryston labelled and made specifically to our spec whereas the capacitors in the standard Model T are standard issue.
4. The T Signature series has 3 sets of terminals on the rear to allow for tri-wiring instead of bi-wiring if you wish.
5. Also if you are playing very loud for long lengths of time internal crossovers can heat up and there values can change slightly whereas the external crossover does not have that issue due to better cooling.

Sound wise in blind listening tests under normal operating conditions it is really hard to tell the difference in my opinion.

james

PS

One of my goals with the Bryston speaker series was I wanted our customers to make choices based on APPLICATION not QUALITY. So as you move up or down in the line you simply get a smaller or larger speaker which translates to the application it is intended for - room size, levels required, etc. All the Midrange drivers and the tweeters are identical in all models - just the woofer size changes and number of drivers as you move up or down the line-up.
 
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Feedback – Montreal Audio Show 2014:

And my vote for third place goes to the all-Bryston room, with their magnificent Model T Signatures, with external crossovers.

The Mini T's had got under my skin, but the Model T Signatures were simply stunning. Natural, never aggressive, and throwing a life-size sound stage that remained stable and tonally balanced as you walked around the room.

An incredible amount of top-notch speaker technology for relatively little money. $7500 CDN with internal crossover, $8500 with external crossover and future upgradability to triamping.

My future speaker

Jan-Erik Nordoen
Member
 
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Canadian manufacturer Bryston Ltd. showed its muscle at this year’s Salon Son & Image (or Montreal Audio Show) in one of the biggest rooms. Just take a look at their amazing setup above.

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George de Sa is working on a full coverage of this room but I had a chance to sit down and have a listen, and snap some pictures, as well while at the show, which I wanted to share with our readers. The large Model T Passive looked friendly and less imposing than you might think in the glossy white finish, and were powered with a couple of 28BSST² mono block amps. The sound here was dynamic and powerful and certainly left a great impression and a big smile on my face. I also discovered a very cool new (to me) Nine Inch Nails track called “Copy of a” thanks to James Tanner’s diversified taste in music.
 
Montreal Audio Show – April 2014

Spencer Holbert
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As I’ve mentioned before, Byston was ubiquitous throughout the show, but also had their own showcase with their Model T Signature floorstanders and two 28BSST power amps.

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The Model T sports a passive external crossover and had a huge soundstage (they are also huge, over five feet tall). I wasn’t able to play my reference material because everything was streamed from their music server, but I was able to play some familiar Stevie Ray Vaughan tracks, which are a great way to test the highs of a speaker. SRV can be extremely annoying on many speakers that over-emphasize the highs, but the Model Ts shined, had really solid and tight bass, and great imaging.

Maybe not as good as the pricier speakers from Wilson and Magico, but these Bryston speakers I would love to have at home!

Spencer Holbert
Absolute Sound Magazine
 
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