Усилители мощности стерео — Bryston 14B Cubed

The 14B Cubed, written by Bryston as 14B3, is a Cubed Series stereo power amplifier from the Canadian maker, which calls it a dual-mono design. Each of its two channels has a fully independent power supply, down to separate transformers, so in practice the chassis holds two complete mono amplifiers sharing one enclosure. It is built in Canada and also exists as a PRO version for professional racks.

Key specs that matter

Bryston rates every channel at 600 W into 8 ohm and 900 W into 4 ohm. THD plus noise is below 0.005% between 20 Hz and 20 kHz at rated power into 8 ohm, and frequency response extends from under 1 Hz to 100 kHz at -3 dB. Bryston quotes a noise floor of -122 dB via XLR and -118 dB via RCA. Balanced inputs present 5 kohm per leg, the unbalanced RCA inputs 7.5 kohm, and gain is switchable between 23 dB and 29 dB. The case measures 432 or 483 mm wide, 206 mm high and 427 mm deep, or 467 mm including the front handles, and the amplifier weighs 41 kg.

Engineering and use context

As in the rest of the Cubed line, the input circuit is Bryston's patented Salomie topology. No fans are fitted - heat leaves the chassis by convection alone - and the case is machined and anodised aluminium. Start-up is handled by a microprocessor-controlled SoftStart routine, a DC trigger lets other components turn it on and off, and standby consumption is under 500 mW. Owners pick silver or black for the faceplate, with the wider version carrying front handles, while the PRO model is a rack-mount unit with rear trim pots adjustable from -14 to 0 dB per channel. Bryston backs the amplifier with a 10-year warranty. Because each channel keeps its own transformer, demand on the left channel does not draw on the reserves of the other, which is the practical point of the dual-mono layout in a single case.

Pairing

The weight and depth call for a sturdy, well-ventilated shelf or floor position, since convection cooling needs free air around the heatsinks. Driving it from a balanced preamplifier such as the Bryston BR-20 uses the quieter XLR path, and the choice of two gain values allows a match with sources of higher or lower output voltage. Its power reserve into low impedances leaves ample headroom for large loudspeakers.

Alternatives

The Bryston 4B Cubed is a smaller stereo amplifier in the same series, rated at 300 W per channel and 500 W into 4 ohm.