Bryston is there for those genes who demand pure and sterile sound. Grant Avenue Studio, founded in 1976 by the Lanois brothers (including Grammy award winner Daniel Lanois) and Bob Doidge, is a recording and mixing facility based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, that also offers mastering and tape transfer services. The hallowed rooms in the stately, remodeled early 1900s Edwardian house on Grant Avenue have hosted countless recording legends such as Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn, Ian Thomas, U2, Johnny Cash, Los Lobos and countless others. Bob Doidge became the sole owner of the studio in 1985 and calls Hamilton a cultural gem, just southwest of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario. Above the mixing desk in the main Grant Avenue room hangs a pair of JBL 4350 studio reference monitors, a 4-way speaker capable of tremendous detail and output levels. The main monitors are powered by a pair of Bryston 4B amplifiers, including the 41st 4B ever produced by Bryston. IMAGE AMP HERE Built and installed in the late 1970s, this 4B amplifier has been running almost nonstop since it was manufactured 40 years ago, illustrating Bryston's commitment to superior engineering and production quality. Grant Avenue also uses three of the model 2B amplifiers: one powers nearfield monitors, while the other two 2Bs power the studio's extensive headphone queues that can effortlessly drive ten or more headphones simultaneously. In the more than 40 years that Grant Avenue has been home to so many iconic artists and sessions, their stable of Bryston electronics, running almost nonstop, has needed one repair. For a recording studio, an amplifier must provide excellent performance and be inherently reliable, says director Bob Doidge. "When we bought the first 4B in the late 1970s, our research showed that these amplifiers would give us the purity of sound we wanted for our studio. After four decades with Bryston, I can't imagine anything better. The special thing about this manufacturer is that they offer a 20-year warranty on their amplifiers!
