BRYSTON 9B3 Owner’s Manual

9B3 Amplifier

Owner’s Manual

Important Safety Instructions

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is

intended to alert the user to the presence of un-insulated “dangerous volt­age “ within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute
a risk of electric shock to persons

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user
to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions

in the literature accompanying the product.

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the

manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or

other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A

polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type
plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third
prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your
outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs,

convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

.

11. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

12. Caution: unit weighs in excess of 65 lbs / 29.5 kgs. Please always use two persons
to lift and carry the device.

13. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the
manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used use
caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury
from tip-over.

14. Any terminals marked with the preceding symbol are HAZARDOUS

LIVE and any wiring connected to these terminals must be installed
by an INSTRUCTED PERSON or with ready-made leads or cords.

15. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of

time.

16. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the

apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is
damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the
apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has
been dropped. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO DRIPPING OR
SPLASHING AND ENSURE THAT NO OBJECTS FILLED WITH LIQUIDS, SUCH AS VASES, ARE
PLACED ON THE EQUIPMENT. TO COMPLETELY DISCONNECT THIS EQUIPMENT FROM THE AC
MAINS, DISCONNECT THE POWER SUPPLY CORD PLUG FROM THE AC RECEPTACLE.
THE MAINS PLUG OF THE POWER SUPPLY CORD SHALL REMAIN READILY OPERABLE.

BRYSTON LIMITED WARRANTY

Bryston analog audio products are warranted to be free from manufacturing defects for twenty (20) years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labour.
Bryston digital products and cables are warranted for five years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labour.
Bryston products having motorized moving parts, excluding motorized volume controls, are warranted for three years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts
and labour.
Bryston will remedy the problem by repair or replacement, as we deem necessary, to restore the product to full performance. Bryston will pay return shipping only for the full length of
the specific product's warranty.
In the event of a defect or malfunction, contact Bryston’s repair centers for return authorization. Products must be returned using original packaging material only. Packing material may
be purchased from Bryston if necessary. This warranty is considered void if the defect, malfunction or failure of the product or any component part was caused by damage (not resulting
from a defect or malfunction) or abuse while in the possession of the customer. Tampering by persons other than factory authorized service personnel or failure to fully comply with Bryston
operating instructions voids the warranty. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which may vary from province to province and country to country.
As of 2006-02-22 Bryston will only warranty Bryston products purchased through authorized Bryston dealers. Bryston products with a date code of 0608 or higher (date code format is
“yyww”, where “yy” is the two least significant digits of the year and “ww” is the week of the year) must be accompanied by a copy of the bill-of-sale from a Bryston authorized dealer to
qualify for warranty service. The warranty is transferable from the original owner to a subsequent owner as long as a copy of the bill-of-sale from the original authorized Bryston dealer
accompanies the re-sale. The copy of the bill of sale to any subsequent owner need ONLY include the Name of the Bryston Authorized Dealer and the Model and Serial number of the
Bryston product The warranty will only be honored in the country of the original purchase unless otherwise pre-authorized by Bryston.

Table of Contents

Important Safety Instructions .................................... 2

General.........................................................................4

Installation and Usage ................................................4

Welcome ................................................................ 4

Description ............................................................4

Features ................................................................. 4

Shipping Box and Packing Material ...................... 4

Ventilation .............................................................4

Connecting to A/C Power ...................................... 4

Connecting to Loudspeakers ................................ 5

Balanced vs. Single Ended Input .......................... 5

Power Conditioners ..............................................5

External Control Voltage .......................................6

Front Panel ..................................................................7

Rear Panel .................................................................... 8

Network Connection ................................................. 10

Firmware Update.......................................................10

Remote Control .........................................................11

Serial Protocol ..................................................... 11

Command Format ............................................... 11

Remote Control .........................................................11

9B3 Specifications ......................................................15

Dimensions ................................................................ 15

BRYSTON SERVICE in CANADA: BRYSTON SERVICE in the USA:

Postal address: P.O. BOX 2170, Stn. Main
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO
CANADA K9J 7Y4

Courier address: 677 NEAL DRIVE
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO
CANADA K9J 6X7

PHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

79 COVENTRY ST., Suite 5
NEWPORT, VERMONT
U.S.A. 05855-2100

PHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

BRYSTON SERVICE outside Canada and the USA:

contact your local distributor or

CHECK OUR WEB SITE: www.bryston.com
E-MAIL BRYSTON DIRECTLY: [e-mail]
FAX BRYSTON DIRECTLY: 01-705-742-0882
PHONE BRYSTON DIRECTLY: 01-705-742-5325

9B3 Amplifier

General

Welcome

Thank you for your purchase of a Bryston 9B3
(Cubed) amplifier! Decades of ongoing research
and development have produced our highest
performing amplifiers yet. Our customers are
a tremendous resource to whom we look for a
measure of success. Please feel welcome to contact
us with feedback and suggestions.

Description

The 9B3 is modular multi-channel audio power
amplifier available in 3, 4, or 5 channel versions
with each channels capable of 200 watts. Robust yet
beautiful machined aluminum enclosures house
our proprietary industry-leading circuit designs
resulting in exemplary performance observed both
in the listening space and in the laboratory.

C-Series variants are available in your choice of 17
inch or 19 inch wide non-rack mountable aluminum
dress panels anodized in clear (silver toned) or
black. 19 wide C-Series amplifiers include front
handles. PRO amplifiers feature 19 inch wide rack
mountable dress panels with handles in a black
anodized front finish and also include individual
channel trims located on the rear panel. All versions
include rear panel handles.

Features

Bryston 9B3 includes the following features:

• Switchable gain: 23dB or 29dB

• Balanced XLR input. Pin 2 positive.

• Single ended (RCA) input.

• SoStart circuitry for managing inrush current
upon initial power up.

• Wired remote control AC/DC trigger input and
passthrough with supplied connector.

• Network connected control and information.

Shipping Box and Packing Material

Please keep the original shipping box and all
packing material. This will ensure the amplifier is
protected in future transport. In the unlikely event
you have a problem and must return it for service,

you must use the proper packing material. Ship
the amplifier only in the original packing material,
as the unit is not insurable by carriers otherwise.
Replacement packing materials consisting of a
shipping carton with plastic foam inserts is available
from Bryston for a small fee.

Installation and Usage

Ventilation

Bryston has deliberately chosen to omit fans from
our amplifiers in an eort to minimize the noise
level in your listening environment. Instead, we use
only passive heat sinks which are fully capable of
maintaining a safe operating temperature of the
amplifier even under loud playback conditions.
For them to work most eectively, air must be
permitted to pass freely through the heat sink fins
and around the amplifier. Maintain a minimum of

3.5 inches of space to each side, top and back of the
amplifier when in use. Do not stack the amplifiers
immediately on top of one another in an enclosed
cabinet. If you must stack the amps, you may need
to utilize fans or another active cooling mechanism
to ensure uninterrupted operation. If you repeatedly
experience channels shutting down due to heat,
rearrange the amplifiers to have more surrounding
free space, or employ an active cooling solution.

Never operate the amplifier in a vertical position.

Connecting to A/C Power

Please check the Data Plate on the rear of the
amplifier adjacent to power entry module to verify
power requirements agree with your location. See
“12. Data Plate:” on page 9. Before plugging
in the power cord, make sure the Master Circuit
Breaker (“7. Master Circuit Breaker:” on page 9)
is switched to the ‘ON’ position. Plug the IEC-320
C14 end of the power cord into the amplifier, then
plug the other end into an approved and grounded
A/C receptacle. The STATUS LED should flash green,
then switch to red indicating A/C power is present in
the unit. See “10. Power Status Indicator:” on page

9. The amplifier is now ready to be powered on.

Connecting to Loudspeakers

Connection to loudspeakers is accomplished by
attaching high quality speaker cable to the Output
Binding Posts (see “Rear Panel” on page 8) per
the following instructions.

The RED binding post is connected to the positive
channel output. Connect this post to the (+)
terminal on the loudspeaker.

The BLACK binding post is connected to the
negative output. Connect this post to the (-)
terminal on the loudspeaker.

Never connect either binding post to a ground!

The output binding posts provide three dierent
interconnect options. Combinations may be used
when bi-wiring. Cables should be kept as short
as practical and should never be terminated with
connectors that may become confused for AC
power connectors. Cables should be dressed away
from input and power cables.

Banana plugs oer a quick disconnect option.
Before inserting a banana plug into the binding
post, be sure to tighten the post nut to avoid rattling
and to provide full insertion of the banana plug.
Gold plated locking banana plugs are available from
Bryston.

Spade lugs provide high contact area and secure
fastening. Lugs should be gold plated. Post diameter
is 5/16” (8mm ), lug width 5/8” (16 mm). Gold plated
spade lugs are available from Bryston.

Stripped bare wire up to 3 gauge can be inserted
through the hole in the binding post and held
in place by tightening the post knob. Additional
tightening pressure can be achieved using a coin
in the slots of the knob. Do not over tighten or the
binding post may become damaged. Note that
copper wire is malleable and may require further
tightening aer the initial installation.

To prevent the risk of equipment damage or
personal harm, use only Class 2 rated loudspeaker

wire properly terminated and
connected securely to the
binding posts.

Connecting Audio Inputs

The Bryston Cubed amplifier can receive analog
audio from any preamp or surround processor with
volume controlled line-level outputs. Balanced
XLR as well as singled ended RCA inputs are both
available and can be selected using the Input Select
switch on the rear panel of the amplifier.

Balanced vs. Single Ended Input

The balanced input requires a balanced pre-amp
source. Balanced systems provide noise rejection
from external electrical interference, so cable
length can be very long—50 meters or longer. The
single ended or unbalanced input is provided for
pre-amps without balanced output. Single-ended
cables should be kept to 20 feet (6 meters) or less.
In general never use longer cables than necessary,
never coil excess cable length, and keep signal wires
away from AC power or speaker cables.

Power Conditioners

Bryston urges caution in choosing a power
conditioner for your audio/video system. Large
power amplifiers can draw very substantial current
from the wall plug, and many so-called power
conditioners can in fact hinder the supply of current
by inserting resistances in series with the line cord.
However, there are now power conditioners that
can reduce or eliminate RF and ‘hash’ from the AC
supply and may actually improve current delivery
to your system. This type of power conditioner
(exemplified by Bryston BIT products) uses the
energy storage in a large toroidal transformer to
provide high instantaneous power and reduce the
substantial AC output resistance of the wall socket
and house wiring. This resistance can be in the
range of 0.5 to 1 Ohm and is typically reduced to
only a few milliohms by the power conditioner.
That in turn considerably reduces voltage drop in
the power line on high current surges and quite
substantially increases the stability of the power line

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