I’m sure this has been discussed in the past.
Can someone steer me to the thread or give a summary on the differences? Super hard for me to justify spending almost double for the Bryston.
Has anyone done a side by side comparison?
Thx!

I've never seen a comparison.

The Model T is the more refined speaker. More refined sound power and listening window. Better bass...period. All this from available charts.

The Bryston has superior bracing compared to the M100. 8" woofers instead of 6.5".

If you hate subs, the Model T offers better musical performance.

Of course then there's the active LFR1100. Superior to the M100 and I know that from in-home experience. The active LFR1100 curves tell me it's superior to the Model T in every way except pounding bass performance. My dual 500s and 800 fix that! Moooooowaaahahahaha!!!!

Mojo ... I think you're looking for a better "new" when you already have top notch.
How much of that is looking for happiness by buying new toys v.s. improvement?
Don't get me wrong ... buying new toys is great fun as long as you can afford it ... just don't blow your future and/or retirement on it.

For myself, I'm going enjoy what I have once this update done (hopefully by winter end). Something earth shattering audio/video wise will need to happen after that to get me into full update mode again. Only replacement plans will be things I'm buying as placeholders while waiting for something better (the prepro and projector to be specific).

I can only go by what I hear.

The active LFR1100 is the absolute best speaker I've ever heard anywhere. I've also had a $40K pair in here that was frankly shameful and God knows I tried everything with it. Let's just say if I was the head of that company I'd ask just what the f$%k my R&D department was doing and I'd make a few changes including firing myself...LOL!

Having said all that, when I had them in my 1900 cu ft living room, the bass was so good I wept and wet myself many times. Unfortunately, they also got in their own way because soundstage width was narrow. Imaging was pristine though.

Downstairs in my 4200 cu ft space, they are 3D sonic holography in 4K. Soundstage is huge. And they are acoustically invisible. Unfortunately that bass sent from heaven is no longer. Don't get me wrong. It's still the best bass I've ever heard in this room and the only with no EQ. But I need support from twin 500s and the 800 and even then, it's no match for what I heard upstairs.

Now I bet if they had 8" woofers, I wouldn't be envious of Slimpikins and his Model T.

I'm happy but I could be happier and Axiom better be working on my next upgrade!

Speaking on Bryston's...Do they build Axiom's amps? I know they have an excellent reputation.

Hey, look at you. You're a handsome and happy young lad.

The amps are Axiom's design and they assemble them in-house. As for the DSPs, I dont know who designed them but those are also assembled in-house. I've been wondering if PS Audio is somehow involved.

What are you looking for improvement wise? What's missing?

The bass I had in my living room. I also want more soundstage width at lower volume. I'm solutioning but more off-axis drivers and 8" woofers.

McBlueMeters, you get a 20 year warranty with the Brystons. 5 year with Axiom. I don't think this matters practically though.

What does matter is the Axiom loyalty program. You can rack up discounts of up to 12%. And if you can wait 21 days, that's another 10%. And Ian is so damned generous, he sometimes gives double your loyalty discount so that's up to 24% + 10%. On top of that, you can upgrade by trading in. And he's quite generous with the trade-in value.

He'll give Mr.Tanner 8" woofers and a cabinet built as strong as a naval vessel but never LFRs or a loyalty club. Those are reserved for Axiomoes.

So you can buy the active LFR1100s today and enjoy 4K 3D imaging with no speakers to be heard anywhere up to 116dBC from 14 feet away, and when he introduces the active LFR1500s, you can upgrade to those for an 8K sonic bonanza!

I wonder what happened.

Everything will be OK.

I Don't Know, but 8" drivers sound like fun! Personally I'm thinking the middle T is the sweet spot. Anyone know where you can go in the states to audition them? Canada won't let us yanks in!!!

What makes you say that? The only connection I’ve seen is a shout out from ps Audio to Axiom with 40 year anniversary.

I’ll admit I like the aesthetic of the Bryston model T. Looks stout and heavy. I like the bigger woofer look.

Hence the importance of double blind listening tests!!!!
I’d love to do that test for sure.

Hey Axiom, you could sell tickets to come and do a listening tests. And then walk me out thru the gift shop.

“ sure I’ll take a post card a trucker hat and some lfr1100aplz. “.

Dunno. Why would PS Audio do a shout out to Axiom? Maybe there's some dealings going on.

I do as well. But that look costs way more. And it will never have a sound power curve riding on top of the listening window curve in a declining manner the way the active LFR1100 does.

Tickets! Get your tickets! Tickets to a double blind listening test!!

I’m telling you ,they would kill it!

Yeah. The Brystons are expensive. So are their electronics. But they do make quality stuff. They great reviews.

Since I have a pair of Bryston Model T's, had a pair of Middle T's, converted my Model T's to the fully active inputs, however I use the Model T Signature series PX-1 external crossovers (after the input mods to the speakers for fully active inputs) and I have a custom built M80 installed as a center speaker, I do have some observations for you.

First off, if you get a pair of Model T's (and I'd fully recommend them over the Middle T's; pretty much the same speaker performance, only on a double dose of steroids), I'd definitely get the Signature version with the PX-1 external crossovers. It is truly transformational in how much better they sound. The noise floor is just simply far better, they handle much more power and the speakers are more efficient (louder).

My M80 center is much like a smaller version of the Middle T only it has 6.5 inch woofers vs. the Bryston 8 inch drivers. It makes a considerable difference in low end output. I am running three subs, one Axiom EP800 V4, EP500 V4 and a Bryston Model T sub. The bass in the room just melts into one beautiful cocoon of feel with a magic full range of low end musical sound. I have the Model T sub EQ at around 150 hz which allows the triple 8 inch drivers to catch very low mid range and upper range bass. That is where the really tight smooth bass is. The Model T's with their upper reaching triple 8 inch woofers take it up into the mids. The EP800 and EP500 do the heavy lifting at the lower end stuff. My M80 with the dual 6.5 inch woofers and the same dual Mid range/tweeter set up using the same drivers as the Model T's just blends perfectly, but it doesn't have the umph of the Model T's.

I have a very large space, so the horsepower here does a wonderful job. If your space is on the smaller size then perhaps the middle T's would work out nicely. But you cannot ever have too much horsepower

The Model T cabinets are massive with a ton of internal bracing and dual front wall construction. The front panels are 1.5 inches thick! and the Santose Rosewood veneer is just gorgeous. Although I really like the Black Ash wood veneer on the Model T sub, it too is beautiful.

Bought the Model T’s. Should have them 1st week in Feb. :-)

Bought the Bryston Model T’s... :-)

Congrats!! More vicarious living coming our way!!

Seriously though , awesome. Look forward to hearing about them and seeing some pics of them too!

What are you using for components and amplification?

Happy New Year.

Thank you.
McIntosh MA12000 or MC1502/C8 combo. Unsure which system I’m going to drop into..

Mr. McBlue, in the Axiom B stock store there's a heavily discounted active LFR1100 system complete with more peak power capability than five MA12000s. You're gonna be our idol and buy it for comparison with your Ts, right?

Did you get the actives?

Nope...got the passive. Not a big fan of “actives.”

Bryston really screwed their active Ts up.

Explanation? Or sarcasm?.......

Those are both very nice choices. Impressive. Similar in cost. Love those blue meters, been a Mc fan since the 60s. At Axpona 2019 demoed MC-601s with B&W 802D3. Very nice indeed. Too bad Bryston didn’t have a larger presence at the show. Not many places in my part of the US to hear equipment. Really miss that now compared to what it once was.
Enjoy your Ts! You won’t go wrong with either of the McIntosh choices you mentioned.
Cheers,
Jeff

Here are the listening window and sound power curves for the T active. Compare with the active LFR1100 directly below. There's nothing like the sound power and listening window pounding it out together every Hz!

Forgive the dumb question , but I’m trying to figure out what
“ sound / listening window “ is versus sound power curves.

One is the “ family of curves “ and is the target goal I’m assuming. And the second line is the actual performance. ? Am I close?

What’s Floyd Tooles book called? Worth a read? Or super technical?

They put the speaker on a pedestal with a mic 2 meters away inside the chamber. They measure the amplitude response. They spin the speaker 7.5 degrees and again measure the response. They keep doing this until they've spun the speaker 360 degrees. Then they lay it down flat and repeat all over again. They end up with two sets of measurements. These sets are called The Family of Curves.

The set of curves +/- 30 degrees with the speaker standing up is called the Listening Window. It's called that because listeners are typically seated within that 30 degree arc. The averaged response of all measurements is called the Sound Power. This represents the acoustic intensity (flux) that intersects the surface of an imaginary sphere around the speaker. Both curves are plotted as SPL vs. Frequency.

When the Listening Window and Sound Power curves ride on top of each other, and decline at roughly 3dB per decade of frequency, magic happens. Speakers and room disappear and all you're left with is the performance. That's active LFR magic.

For sure Axiom has target curves of their own recipe. I know this because I've heard most of the v4 in my own home...and their tone, imaging and soundstage sound similar no matter what their price. This is quite an amazing thing! You don't get poor acoustic quality with smaller, cheaper models.

Hey McBlue, what tipped the balance toward getting the Brystons over the Axioms? Zero judgemnt here at all, as i haven't heard either the Model T Passive or the M100 speakers. Were you able to demo either of them somehow before commiting? That can be areal challenge most times to demo them.

I really like the appearance of the Model T. Super stout and classy looking.

I just read a great review on the Bryston Middle T Active. It was from awhile ago....2018.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/inde...yston-middle-t-active-loudspeaker-system

I got to thinking it would my awesome to see an Axiom LFR 660 and 880 Active system with HP for smaller spaces and slightly lower buy in price. That would be cool.....

For that matter, I wonder if an M5HP could be DSP'd and seperated amplification and sound even more amazing?! Or all the M series offered up with external DSP and 3 channel apmplification?

Random ideas from me in daydream mode.......im sure im not the first to have these ideas!

Hey Kodiak
His book is titled “Sound Reproduction” The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms. Third Edition. It is, in my opinion technical. But readable. But, rather than spend $50+ for a copy maybe watching Floyd Tooles video on this could be a reasonable alternative?
Floyd Toole Sound Reproduction -Art-Science/Opinions and Facts. Just a forewarning, it is long.
Cheers,
Jeff

Axiom is planning an active M5HP which means the M5 will be made more linear than its passive sister. The M2 however is so linear it doesn't practically benefit from a DSP except perhaps to be made more sensitive (louder).

Nope. Every piece of electronics in the current line was designed and built in house. By me...at least the design part.

Andrew, that's quite impressive. Did you lay out the PCBs for all the electronics?

Yessir!

My man! Good for you!!

Hi Andrew!

I sure enjoy your LFR1100s with the ADA1500 amps. Curious about the D amp module. Is it based on an ICE, Hypex, Ncore ... ?

I haven’t looked but I seem to remember a blog post by Alan on the ADA using IR’s FET tech for the power stage ... might be their direct FET but on that I’m guessing ... I assume they also use IR’s switching logic but again I’m guessing. I should add that the info above is pretty old ... probably posted around the time the ADA amps came out.

It's all right here.

http://www.irf.com/product-info/audio/classdtutorial.pdf

A couple of years ago IR came out with a quad rail solution which in ADA1500 case (super high rails for all that head room) would save a ton of power. The downside is it would add a significant cost with little marketing value as most people would not care.

Thanks! No, our amplifiers are not based on any other designs or modules. All of my amp designs are from the ground up. The ADA1000/1250/1500 all share a similar topology, only the type or number of output devices changes depending on the power supply voltage and output power requirements. The ADA1000 is a bit simpler in terms of the input stage and protection circuitry, but otherwise shares the same performance with the bigger models.

Thanks,

Andrew

I wonder how Mr. McBlue is enjoying his passive Ts.