I had been listening for about 20 mins. The sound ceased and the lights went out. It won't power up.
I'll keep you posted as I contact Bryston for repair.
Clearly, I'm not impressed. I was liking it so much, and now I'll have to live without it for a month or more, just as I was reinvigorating my passion for audio.
Considering it has a 20 year warranty, you shouldn't have any problems getting it fixed. I'd ask for a brand-new one considering it's only 2 weeks old.
So I sent it off. The dealer tells me that Bryston is very fast to turn things around (like a week, normally). I'll plan on two weeks, given that it's summer holiday season.
While I was there, I listened to Totems for the first time. I'll put a post in the speaker section looking for feedback.
Diagnosis: none. Bryston couldn't find a flaw with the unit. They ran it on the test bench for a few days. No problem.
The only explanation from them or the dealer was that the power cord was loose in the back of the unit.
It sounds plausible but it died during a listening session while I was sitting on the couch. I hadn't been near the back of the system for a few days. I can't recall whether I thought to check that end of the power cable. I suppose not.
Anyone ever heard of anything similar. Anyone else want to brainstorm a cause?
I'm dissappointed that I lost three weeks of listening for nothing. I really hope this isn't an intermitant problem. I spent a year diagnosing an intermitant problem with the starter of my car (much more inconveniencing when the car randomly fails to start in a Canadian February, than a power amp i suppose...)
dunno what to say.. hope the unit works well from hereonin. BTW the Bryston is a very nice amp.
If the stock power cord is loose, you may want to investigate an aftermarket 'upgrade' power cord. This could have 2 benefits, a snugger fit in the IEC socket, and upgarded sonics.
Ask your dealer if he is willing to loan you a suitable item to try out at home?
Upgrade power cord? I've never heard of such a thing. I'm not sure what to think. On the one hand, there's been some lively debates here on the merits of upgrade speaker wire. If it's debatable that it makes any difference, surely the power cord would make even less impact.
On the other hand, I'm becoming convinced about the value of power conditioning, so then it follows that power cords play into the mix.
hmmm
Maybe Wodek will stop by...
And also, even if there is a marked improvement, there's surely better ways to spend that same money. The power cable that came with the Bryston is the most solid I've ever seen.
Geoff, you should be glad you didn't get JV's speech about his dog pooping in his yard. He thinks that people who exeprience problems with their hardware should have then serviced without ever mentionning it on the forum for possible advice about known problems, causes and even solutions.
I was not trying to sell you on the sonic benefits of these aftermarket upgrade power cords, I was thinking mainly in mechanical terms. Many of these cords, if well chosen have a high quality IEC connector, which provides a good mechanical fit.
Now in terms of sonic benefits, I know what I think, but we all hear differently.
Whenever thinking about cables, I always try to retain a sense of perspective, and the fact that dealer profit %age margins in cables are greater in cables that the main components of a system (TT, CDP, amp, speakers, etc).
In concordance with all the laws of HiFi, aftermarket power cords can be just as detrimental as they can eb beneficial to your system. My experience is that most are detrimental, so proceed with caution.