These are hands down one of the best modern bookshelf speakers I've heard in long time. It's not easy to "wow" me, and these have.
Being Canadian, I have a very soft spots for all things Canadian, especially if they're made in Canada. There are a lot of economic benefits to buy Canadian made.
The short story for the creation of the Bryston's speaker line is quite simple. James Tanner approached Ian Colquhoun of Axiom Audio to build him a reference pair of speakers. With that experience, James Tanner decided to create his own line up.
Yes, currently Axiom and Bryston are in partnership with one another. Two great Canadian manufacturers. And yes, while there is a lot of shared information from the two companies. The Bryston speaker line up uses different drivers over the Axiom line up. From the Axiom forum, you can find various information regarding this. For example, Bryston uses 3 different kind of 8" mid/bass woofers depending on which model one chooses.
While the exterior of Bryston speakers may look similar, they are built to a higher standard. Thicker boxes, more internal braces, higher quality crossover, etc.
The goal of the Bryston line up was "reproduce the full dynamic capability of music while remaining tonally neutral, crystal clear, and capable of capturing the subtle nuances of any recording."
In my humble opinion, the Mini T are exactly what James Tanner promised. They have wonderful dynamics, excellent on-axis and off-axis response, neutral and sounds excellent at both high levels and low levels listening. The bass on the Mini T is impressive, reaching into the 30Hz with authority. For my space, no subwoofers are needed. I've even gotten port plugs to tame the bass due to external reflections (room is untreated).
They are everything that I loved about Canadian speakers and adds a whole new dimension. Some of my favourite Canadian speakers were/are Energy Pro 22, Axiom AX5, Angstrom Obbligato and PSB Goldi.
There are plethora of reviews on the Bryston line up and, while I was skeptical (as we all should), a lot of them were right on the money.
My favourite quality of the Mini T is their neutrality. People think neutral = boring. I disagree, to quote the late Audiokarma member - Toasted Almond: "Give me speakers that are neutral to the point of being boring. Almost boring. That's where the real magic is." It doesn't matter what kind of music I throw at them. The Mini T plays everything beautifully.
While the Mini T may look quite pedestrian, there is a lot of engineering that went into these speakers. Not to mentioned these are build in Canada - Ontario. Plus all the testing - use of a true anechoic chamber and double blind testing.
The walnut veneer is also very nice. With natural wood there will be some discolouration due to oxidization of the oils from the cabinet and veneer underneath the grills. Personally, out of all the regular finishes, the walnut is my favourite. Classic veneer for a classic pair of speakers.
Specifications:
Frequency Response: 33Hz to 20Khz (+/- 3dB)
Impedance: 4 Ohms (nominal)
Sensitivity: 86 dB SPL @ 1 meter with 1 watt (anechoic)
Maximum SPL: 112 dB SPL @ 1 meter
Recommended Power: 10 watts to 250 watts RMS
Tweeter: Single 1.0"
Mid-range: Single 5.25"
Mid-Woofer: Single 8.0"
Crossover: 160 Hz & 2.3kHz
22.5” H x 10.5” W x 10.0” D
571mm H x 267mm W x 250mm D
42 Ibs (19 kg)
Made in Canada
