14-May-2015, 21:16
Hawkman/Robin - before I give you my opinion on the 200/Bryston Middle T match up let me offer the following:
1. Prior to the 200 I had a full Bryston stack and went the route of the 200 initially to simplify my life by reducing the number of components and cables which resulted in cash back in hand as well as more WAF.
2. Due to time constraints I doubt I have more than 70 hours on my 200 since it arrived last December and probably less than double that on the Middle Ts so if you are one to believe in "break-in" both pieces are probably not.
The 200 is all that I had hoped it would be - simple to use and does an admirable job with the Middle Ts. I wish I could "SAM" the speakers but cannot so as much as I like the Middle Ts I try and imagine what a SAM's speaker could bring to the table. Maybe with Devialet's advances we'll get to a position where one can SAM something that doesn't have to make its way through their facility as its rather a long shot that Bryston speakers will.
The 200 appears to have all the power I need at the levels I tend to listen at, however infrequently I get the chance to. I have no loss of clarity and believe the preamp/dac on the 200 surpasses the BP17/BDA-2 I had before.
Now do I think the 200 could handle driving the Ts hard - probably but I don't believe they could go as loud with control that as the 7B-SST2 amps i had before but as I didn't have both at the same time ( I had to sell to generate capital for the 200) this is just an unproven thought.
As you are looking at them with a 120 the obvious thing to do is try before you buy. As good as the Middle Ts are, for your application a speaker that already hass access to SAM might be a better choice. If you do drag your 120 down for a trial please let us know how it worked out.
As a side note there is a current review of the Middle Ts at Soundstage by a reviewer most knowledgeable with Devialet gear - too bad he never paired his 400s with the Middle Ts during his review period. Not that we should base all our purchases on reviews but it would have been nice to hear some feedback on the pairing...
1. Prior to the 200 I had a full Bryston stack and went the route of the 200 initially to simplify my life by reducing the number of components and cables which resulted in cash back in hand as well as more WAF.
2. Due to time constraints I doubt I have more than 70 hours on my 200 since it arrived last December and probably less than double that on the Middle Ts so if you are one to believe in "break-in" both pieces are probably not.
The 200 is all that I had hoped it would be - simple to use and does an admirable job with the Middle Ts. I wish I could "SAM" the speakers but cannot so as much as I like the Middle Ts I try and imagine what a SAM's speaker could bring to the table. Maybe with Devialet's advances we'll get to a position where one can SAM something that doesn't have to make its way through their facility as its rather a long shot that Bryston speakers will.
The 200 appears to have all the power I need at the levels I tend to listen at, however infrequently I get the chance to. I have no loss of clarity and believe the preamp/dac on the 200 surpasses the BP17/BDA-2 I had before.
Now do I think the 200 could handle driving the Ts hard - probably but I don't believe they could go as loud with control that as the 7B-SST2 amps i had before but as I didn't have both at the same time ( I had to sell to generate capital for the 200) this is just an unproven thought.
As you are looking at them with a 120 the obvious thing to do is try before you buy. As good as the Middle Ts are, for your application a speaker that already hass access to SAM might be a better choice. If you do drag your 120 down for a trial please let us know how it worked out.
As a side note there is a current review of the Middle Ts at Soundstage by a reviewer most knowledgeable with Devialet gear - too bad he never paired his 400s with the Middle Ts during his review period. Not that we should base all our purchases on reviews but it would have been nice to hear some feedback on the pairing...
