Bryston BHA-1 Amplifier Impressions and stuff

FWIW, I moved on to the Lyr+ at half the price and half the size for my tiny desk. The Lyr+ is not as resolving in the micro details, but it is more fun and I like rolling the tube...ahhh single tube. The Lyr+ is more dynamic and a touch more clear as well. I am also using the it as a pre into active Genelec monitors. It does an admirable job, but would like not stand up to close scrutiny against dedicated preamps.

 

XLR in and out are required for my setup unfortunately. And honestly i tried several Schiit amps and preamps and they're alright but nothing special ime. Love their Yggdrasil but idk, just didn't work out for me when it comes to the rest. Maybe Mjolnir 3 will be different and i'm willing to keep an open mind.

 

It’s the most versatile solid state amp I’ve owned or tried, can play friendly with just about every headphone, and it’s built like a tank. There’s a reason it’s been around for over ten years with little silent tweaks, it does its job well. In terms of pricing, seems like most think grabbing one under a grand is the market value. While I agree that the current new price is a bit nuts compared to what it used to sell when first released, if the unit you are considering is a more recent build then somewhere between $1.2k-$1.5k is not unreasonable given the 20 year warranty.

 

Thanks, the unit i’m considering is at least on the 2nd owner already and has been in for use for 3 years there. Not sure how reasonable the price is without additional information.

 

Yeah for whatever it’s worth I paid 1.4k for mine around 2019, so I think I’d largely agree with this. My comment about looking for 1k or below is less a value judgement on its price-to-performance in 2023 than a general observation that used units seem to have drifted even further south of ~1200 lately. You definitely should pay at least some attention to the age of the unit, although I’ve never come across a report of one failing or having a major issue.

 

One thing to note about the Bryston 20 year warranty is that they require a bill of sale from an authorized Bryston dealer. It is transferrable as long as you have the bill of sale: https://bryston.com/service-and-warranty/

 

I know that Bryston states this policy on their website, but I was able to obtain warranty service without a bill of sale. I simply provided the serial number for verification. YMMV, but I think that there’s some flexibility here if you ask nicely and clearly aren’t abusing the system.

 

A few years ago I purchased a B60 integrated from a seller in the US (while I am in Canada). The unit was <20 years old, but he did not have the bill of sale, though he did have the original box. I asked Bryston if I could have the unit sent in for an output upgrade and they said yes. The seller sent it to their US location, Bryston transferred it over to their Canadian location, did the upgrades, and also performed a full checkup while they were at it. This included replacing a switch and changing out some of the connectors, not because they were faulty, but because there was a bit of tarnish rust and they said better safe than sorry. They also replaced the binding posts because the plastic had yellowed a bit with age/sunlight, and retuned the output and provided new papers showing performance parameters (I don't remember anything other than showing the offset). They did all that under warranty without me asking. Total price was just the output upgrade, which would have been the same as me buying the parts myself. It was a no brainer to send it in to them, and as a bonus because it went directly through them to get across the border, I didn't have to deal with all the stupid import fees.

So I'm just one more data point, but I can vouch for the excellent service from Bryston.

 

Glad to hear your positive experience with Bryston. They are a classy company that has earned their reputation by standing behind their products. When I purchased the PowerPac 300 monoblocks, the seller had neither the bill of sale nor the original box. I had to send them one of the amps when a switch stopped working. When they returned it, they included a new factory box free of charge.

I really like the peace of mind that a 20-year warranty provides. It’s also reassuring to know that Bryston will fix components that are out of warranty. There are stories online of Bryston refreshing components that are over 30 years old.

 

That's really great to hear. They are an excellent company. This came up for me as I listed my BHA-1 a while back stating that it was covered under the 20yr warranty. A potential buyer corrected me by pointing to the site. As I did not have the bill of sale, I was unable to claim that it was covered any longer.

When I bought the amp, the seller had it checked over by Bryston and it was sent to me from them with full factory box and a QC sheet. Super classy.

 

Great to hear about their Canadian and US service, but i wonder how it is over here in Europe...

 

Can anyone compare the BHA-1 to a Violectric V281 or similar? I have a V220 (stripped down V281) and they sound kind of similar, according to this thread.
I would love to hear a comparison from users.

 

Oof, this is gonna be a fuzzy by memory comparison only as I used to have the BHA-1 and a friend of mine used to have the V281... I would say compared to each other the V281 is dryer yet warmer in tone, while the BHA-1 will hit harder.

 

Interesting. My V220 is definitely warm and I think has good bass. I just got it back from a repair in Germany, which took forever (just the shipping back was 43 days). I like the idea of a Canadian amp with warranty. But I do Love the sound of this amp.

 

The BHA-1 is also huge by comparison and eats up a lot of deskspace, which is worth taking unto consideration.

 

I am thinking about selling my Little Dot MK9 and Schiit Valhalla 2 and using that space for a new Schiit Mjolnir 3 or a used Bryston BHA-1.

 

They’re was a couple of them for sale on CAM last time I checked a few days ago. Reasonable asking price too.

 

Just gotta raise the cash and more importantly clear some space first. I put three headphones and one amp on CAM this weekend

 

BHA-1's come up for sale pretty often in Canada and usually sell fast. I was looking for a newer unit, black, and 17", but none were coming up. So I settled on a 2017 silver one to use with a Wiim pro plus into HD600's. Sounds really good, I prefer it to the RME adi-2 dac fs and LCD-3F combo I did have.

 

Good luck with your sales Shane. . If you manage to land a BHA-1, you most likely won’t regret it. I’ve had mine for a while now and I doubt I’d ever find anything better even at a higher price.