CRYPT MAGAZINE: sex. horror. rocknroll.

Venetian Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, NV

by David Necro

Photos courtesy of WIRC Media

After the "same 'ol same 'ol" at the AVN, I decided to check out the other convention here in frightfully fabulous Las Vegas; the 2008 CES (Consumer Electronics Show)

As an audiophile I wanted to see and hear the latest high-end systems from the world's greatest manufacturers. So I did just that. This was an exciting prospect. Because I was able to compare and contrast these systems with that here in the Crypt Magazine listening room.

I first went to the room shared by the legendary Peterborough, Ontario, Canada manufacturer Bryston Ltd, and Kentucky USA's Thiel Audio. Bryston has been around for 4 decades, and are featured widely in the recording industry, so they know their stuff. As does the 30 year old Thiel Audio. It was only natural that Bryston amps and preamps are used exclusively here in the Crypt Magazine listening room (along with JBL Studio L890 speakers, Onkyo DX-7555 cd player, and Technics 1210 turntable) and I was chomping at the bit to see and hear their assault on the state of the art in audio.

On display was the full array of Bryston products (amps, preamps, and cd player) including their latest product, the BDA-1. According to Bryston's literature, the BDA-1 is "a state-of-the art external stereo d/a converter using fully discrete analog class-a proprietary Bryston analog circuits, 2 independent analog and digital linear power supplies and dual crystal cs-4398 dac's" It also looks impressive with the silver faceplate (which matches other Bryston components) and the engraved Bryston logo.

So after drooling over the fabulous display, I made my way into the Bryston/Thiel listening room. I was confronted with incredible sound that drew me in mentally and especially emotionally. I could have listened to this system for hours. It was a very dynamic and transparent sound that covered the entire frequency range.

The system comprised of the 28BSST mono amps, BP26 preamp, bcd-1 cd player, and Thiel 3.7 speakers. A dream system for sure. However, this system costs considerably less than most state-of-the-art systems. You don't necessarly have to be a multi-millionaire to buy this. State of the art for us regular people.

I then had a chat with Bryston VP James Tanner about system setup, and getting the c-series faceplate for my 4BSST amp. I was impressed at the time that James gave to me especially after coming off a meeting and a consultation with one of his dealers. Thanks James!

Here's a brief bio on James:

Bryston’s VP James Tanner entered the industry in the mid 1970’s with a passion for audio. “I was trying to get sales of the Bryston amplifiers off the ground on a part time basis while working full time as a firefighter in Toronto,” Tanner recalls of the challenging early days. In the late 1970’s, a US publication called the Bryston 4B “the best amp in the world” and that really got everything started. Today, Tanner is in charge of worldwide sales for Bryston, which has evolved to become Canada’s largest independent high-end electronics manufacturer. Bryston components are sold through over 150 dealers in North America and in 60 countries around the world. Tanner overseas sales initiatives at such trade show events as CEDIA, International CES, and AES (Audio Engineering Society Convention).

Tanner dedicates much time to doing listening evaluations by spending time in recording studios with Bryston’s professional products as well as any one of three sound rooms he has had constructed in his home. Tanner is leading a group of extremely talented engineers and skilled assembly technicians dedicated to handcrafting the finest audio components available.

So, after that great time in the Bryston room, I made my way over to the Kubala Sosna (makers of speaker cable and other wire) room where I attended a lecture by mastering engineer extraordinaire Steve Hoffman. Steve gave a lecture that was educational, informative and entertaining. He played rare cuts that were all recorded live to 2 track tape. It was great!

After the lecture, I went with Steve and his colleague Elton to the McIntosh Labs room. McIntosh, like Bryston has been around for decades, and they have quite the reputation. So, I was excited to see and hear what they had to offer. I was disappointed that they didn't have their full display that they did at the 2007 CES. However, what they did have (McIntosh speakers, MC275 amps, MC2300 preamp, a McIntosh cd/sacd player, and their new turntable along with Richard Gray power conditioning) was nothing short of impressive. A killer moment was when Chuck of McIntosh Labs put on Steve Hoffman's remastered LP of ZZ Top's 'Tres Hombres' Just then, the room filled up with people. According to Steve the record label bosses from Warner Bros. and Blue Note came in and he became very busy. I then said my goodbyes and dragged my weary corpse back to the Crypt.

Overall, a very ghoul time. I look forward to haunting the hallways of CES 2009!

Special thanks go out to Steve Hoffman, Elton, James Tanner of Bryston Ltd, Micah Sheveloff of WIRC Media, and Sally Goff of McIntosh Labs.