Primare SP33 vs Bryston SP3

[jcrxman]

Hello all. I am now deciding on a pre-amp to run my B&W 802s with Electrocompaniet power amps.

My vendor is recommending the Primare SP33 which, they say, will deliver a warmer sound (but my vendor doesn't sell the Bryston and I wonder how objective they are actually being). They claim the Bryston will "not have good synergy" with the B&W 802s.

According to reviews the Bryston is more "analytical" and is by all accounts a superb pre-amp. When I spoke with the Bryston vendor it was suggested that the Electrocompaniet amps would provide "warmth" anyway.

I have scheduled a side-by-side comparison of the two but, in the meantime, I wonder if any of you have any comments to make or advice to give....please

[blackraven]

While I have not heard either of those preamps, I prefer a warmer sound. B&W's seem to pair well with warmer sounding gear. What type music do you listen to? If you listen to rock or older recorded music then a warmer preamp may be preferable as older recordings, especially Cd's are bright sounding and very fatiguing. But ultimately it is a personal preference. Do you feel that your EC amps are warm sounding? If not, then the SP33 may be the way to go. My one encounter with a Bryston amp was not impressive. I heard the Bryston with a luxman preamp driving a pair of $14,000 Thiels. Too bright for my tastes.

[Mr Peabody]

Things may have changed but my Primare 31.7 was not warm, I've heard some of their other gear as well and it didn't strike me as warm. I believe either would be a good choice, if I were you I'd check the feature set of both to begin with. Things like the auto set up and room equalization is important. As I stated on the other thread Primare used to lag behind in bringing the latest technology to their products, especially the processor, that's why I had to switch brands. Of course, if I had known BDP's would have stuck with multichannel outputs I may not have switched so quickly.

I had an older Bryston 3Bst and really like it. It did lean analytical but it was a fine amp. I had to sell it to spend on other things but it was one of those amps I would have liked to keep around. I see a lot of Bryston bashing on different forums and I don't understand it and wonder if the people have even heard Bryston. You'll find a lot of die hard tube lovers seem to bash anything solid state (this is in general on forums, not talking about any one particular). For home theater you don't want syrupy sweet, sound tracks should have impact. On the other hand you don't want the system to become sibilent. I personally would have faith that Bryston would be a fine preamp, and from my experience tend to lean their way. But the side by side will be telling. Please come back and give us your findings..

[jcrxman]

Thank you both! Really appreciate the responses. I will be "auditioning" the Primare, the Bryston, and also the Anthem D2V on Saturday. I am sure that whichever piece I end up with my system will sound amazing. I am hopeful that the differences between them will be so distinct (even to my novice ear) that I will be able to choose decisively. I am pretty excited to finally complete my system. I will let you know my decision once it's made. Cheers to you both.

[Mr Peabody]

The D2, another good choice.

[scf3]

Thank you both! Really appreciate the responses. I will be "auditioning" the Primare, the Bryston, and also the Anthem D2V on Saturday. I am sure that whichever piece I end up with my system will sound amazing. I am hopeful that the differences between them will be so distinct (even to my novice ear) that I will be able to choose decisively. I am pretty excited to finally complete my system. I will let you know my decision once it's made. Cheers to you both.

Hello,
I have a sales person trying to convince me to buy Primare SP33 or SPA23. They are the only multichannel products he sells. My other choice at the moment is the Cary Cinema 12 which sounds really good and it seems most of the issues have been worked out.

The Cary has features that would be really useful in my system, so I'm leaning that way.
I can't find any American reviews that discuss the Primare SP33 and don't want to write it off without a good review and listen. But I can't find a retail environment within a 2hr drive of Northwestern Connecticut.

Long explanation of why I'd really like to know what you've decided and why!
Thanks,
scf3

[blackraven]

Why don't you consider a separate preamp/processor like this NAD and then buy a separate multi channel amp of your choice. The NAD's are nice because they have a modular system where you can replace the module and upgrade the preamp so it does not become obsolete.


M15 HD2 AV Surround Sound Preamplifier - NAD Electronics


It is strange that you can't find any reviews on the Primares, there even are no reviews on the SP-32.

[scf3]

Thanks for replying blackraven. I have heard the NAD M15. It is very good, but I didn't feel it was the sonic equivalent to the Cary Pre-Amp. But then I haven't had it in the same room/system as the Cary. As to the Cary cinema 12's sound quality I have to agree with all of it's excellent reviews. There are so many great choices for pre-amps and amps! As good as the Marantz 8801 is concerned, it is much more affordable but I liked what I heard from the Cary better.

Up grading is a multi year process for me as I wasn't born rich only handsome! I'll never be the most current kid on the block, and that's ok. I do intend to eventually move to a DSD source and return to using a turntable. Wish I could also go back to a Teac tape deck, man do I miss the sound of master tapes.

scf3

[blackraven]

Other options to consider are to buy a 2ch preamp with a home theater bypass and then use a multichannel processor for home theater. I have a Pass Labs X1 preamp (which I will be selling) that has a HT bypass and I use and Adcom AVR for HT.

[scf3]

Hmmm... I'll have to take that into consideration. Thanks for the thought.

Why is it the latest Primare two channel gets written up but their multi channels don't? Maybe they aren't taking the reviews out for dinner often enough?

[Mr Peabody]

I haven't kept up with Primare since I had the SP31.7. My impression was Primare struggled to keep up with the latest technology in their processors but that was typical for the higher end manufactures for the most part. Buying today I'd take a hard look at the Marantz 8801. For home theater I lean toward those able to keep up as well as offer good sound.

[scf3]

Thanks Mr Peabody,
I have listened to the 8801 and think it is very good, I really liked the sound But I still thought the older Cary sounded significantly better. I know that I wont use all of the doodads and gizmos on the 8801. I won't use more then 5.1 or perhaps 7.1. So in my mind the 8801 is over kill in stuff and under kill in sound. Still, I may end up with the 8801 because it does represent such a great value.

I really enjoy 2 channel sound, but need multichannel for movies and such. I will be using an Oppo 105 for play back as it has a separate 2 channel out that can go into balanced or rca analog connections. It offers great value, and that is a concern always.

In the mean time it is fun intentionally listening to so many play back solutions.

[Mr Peabody]

If your one system is both for 2-channel and HT if in your budget it's best to get something like the Cary that is superior in 2-channel, especially if 2-channel is your main focus. If the preamp is able to be updated with new firmware as new technology becomes available for HT that would also be a good thing prolonging your investment. I haven't heard the Cary but I would think it's internal DAC should best the Oppo analog out for music. What is your budget? It seems any more there's not a progression in price. You have the Marantz and NAD Master series then things seem to take a big jump. You are right though the hunt is a lot of fun.