BDA2 and BDP2 Reviews

[James Tanner - Bryston]

NO MORE JITTER BUG

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston BDA-2 DAC /BDP-2 Player Review

Hi Folks,

Please see below a link to a superb review on the Bryston BDA-2 DAC and BDP-2 Digital Player combination. Special “HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AWARD”.

Please note the Jitter numbers measured by Paul Miller in the technical section of the review - would you believe 10 psec ! ***


Capture2.JPG

Capture.JPG


ftp://ftp.bryston.com/pub/reviews/HF...DP-2_BDA-2.pdf


*** What’s a Picosecond?

A Picosecond [ps] is a measure of time interval in accordance with SI standard. An interval of one second is equal to:

1.000 millisecond [ms]
1.000.000 microsecond [ms]
1.000.000.000 nanosecond [ns]
1.000.000.000.000 picosecond [ps]

[James Tanner - Bryston]

MEMO: TO ALL BRYSTON CUSTOMERS
SUBJECT: BEST HIGH END DAC – Bryston BDA-2 DAC

December 2013

Hi Folks,

Happy to report the Bryston BDA-2 DAC has received a BEST HIGH END DAC 2013 award from The Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity Magazine.

[Mike]

MEMO: TO ALL BRYSTON CUSTOMERS
SUBJECT: BEST HIGH END DAC – Bryston BDA-2 DAC

December 2013

Hi Folks,

Happy to report the Bryston BDA-2 DAC has received a BEST HIGH END DAC 2013 award from The Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity Magazine.

From?

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi Mike

The Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity Magazine.

[Mike]

Congrats James!

[Ritmo]

Big congrats James!

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi Folks,

Here is a link to the new BDP-2 'Getting Started" User Guide.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uy41k54w7x...ed%20Guide.pdf

james

[CPP]

Hi Folks,

Here is a link to the new BDP-2 'Getting Started" User Guide.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uy41k54w7x...ed%20Guide.pdf

james

James speaking of getting started, hows the internal talks on adding DSD capability to the BDP2 and the BDA2, if it does occur will it be a firmware upgrade or a changeout of some internals

[James Tanner - Bryston]

James speaking of getting started, hows the internal talks on adding DSD capability to the BDP2 and the BDA2, if it does occur will it be a firmware upgrade or a changeout of some internals

Hi

The BDP-2 can play DSD with the new Manic Moose software and we are looking at DSD on the DAC but it looks like a hardware change would be required because of the issues I have mentioned earlier regarding DSD decoding circuits and the variety of DSD types of files available.

james

[CPP]

Hi

The BDP-2 can play DSD with the new Manic Moose software and we are looking at DSD on the DAC but it looks like a hardware change would be required because of the issues I have mentioned earlier regarding DSD decoding circuits and the variety of DSD types of files available.

james

Thanks James for the information

[BlueFox]

Hi

The BDP-2 can play DSD with the new Manic Moose software

What about the BDP-1?

[James Tanner - Bryston]

What about the BDP-1?

Hi Bud

Yes there will be a version for the BDP-1 as well.

james

[BlueFox]

Great. Looking forward to the upgrade

[James Tanner - Bryston]

From: "john.springer
Subject: *** The Bryston BDA-2 DAC ***
Date: June 6, 2014 at 8:48:08 PM EDT
To: jamestanner@bryston.com

Hi James:

I recently came across Karl Schuster's level-headed and articulate Review of the BDA-2 DAC, so I ordered it from William Hordyk, Owner of Atlas Audio Video Unlimited, as a replacement for my beloved BDA-1.

The BDA-2 is a revelation! I'm not as articulate as Karl Schuster, but his mention of dramatically reduced Harshness & Grain is spot on! Other things he mentioned, such as the Sound Stage extending further back, are also amazing to my ears, and even non-audiophile Friends commented, before it was burned in, that the Audio seemed "Smoother" and "Richer" to them.

Speaking of "Long-Term Burn-In", the BDA-2 has only about 90 Hours on it, and my System keeps sounding better and better! Where will this end?

If you're trying to place me, I am still using a pair of Quad ESL 2905 Speakers, with all-Bryston Amplification, including a pair of 28BSST (Squared) Monoblocks.

Congratulations to everyone at Bryston, and Keep Up The Good Work!

Best Wishes,
John Springer

p.s. The Accepted Wisdom is that one should drive Quad Electrostatics with Tube Amps of no more than 200 Watts, but last Wednesday an Audience of 65 at Oak Bay Lodge were enjoying Canizares playing The Rodrigo Guitar Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic in the Teatro Real in Madrid, and I had the Volume at 3pm (600 Watts?) during his Solo.

Admittedly, I had the 28Bs set to the lower Gain, but I honestly think the BDA-2 made the difference between UNCOMFORTABLY LOUD, and True Front Row Sound Pressure Level with Negligible Distortion. Of course, the Bryston BIT-20 also contributed by feeding Pure Power to everything except the Amps, which each have their own Toroidal Isolation Transformer.

[Mark Jones]

Here is another review on the BDP-2


Notes from The Old Audio GuyThoughts on the Bryston BDP-2
My initiation into the digitized music world has not been an easy one. Growing up with vinyl LPs and cassettes ifyou can believe it – digital for me was really just the skill set required to put a record on the turntable or push theplay button on the Akai 760D.
After a disastrous and costly fling with a batch of pricey British streamers that just never sounded “right” to me, Idecided to “think globally but shop locally” and was introduced to the Canadian engineered and manufacturedBryston BDP-2.
I will save you the trouble of looking at the end of this review by telling you now that the Bryston does sound rightto me. In fact it sounds “more right” than any of my vinyl (we will leave cassettes for another time) and better thanmy CD oriented front end of $15k components.
The BDP-2 hits all the notes. It is eminently affordable (by audiophile standards it is a bargain) but nowhere canone see any evidence of cost cutting. The casework and controls are beautifully made and everything works at thelevel of an Omega watch. The BDP-2 does not flaunt itself and is not really “audio Jewellery” but is quietly elegantand totally reliable in operation. Bryston’s record of reliability is unmatched in the audio world.
Music played through the Bryston sounds natural and encompassing. It sounds like music and not like Hi-Fi eventhough all of the Hi-Fi triggers are there. It images better than anything I have had in my system. Tonality isaccurate and unforced – the control over the bottom end of things is especially tight and tuneful. There isabsolutely no indication that this piece is “digital” in any way. The sound is organic and is easily as good andholistic as anything I have heard from a class A turntable.
The BDP-2 reminds me of another smartly engineered, self –effacing item that is likely better than it needs to beand seems built to work forever – the Swiss Army Knife.
The Bryston has outputs (SPDIF, AES/EBU, Optical) that will accommodate themselves to pretty well any DAC onechooses to use it with- though the matching Bryston BDA-2 is a natural choice. The front mounted USB inputsmake playing music from a USB stick easy. In the rear more USB inputs allow connection of USB sticks or portablehard drive devices. It has 2 Ethernet inputs rather than one (I still have not figured out if using both of themimproves anything – I will have to ask Mr. Tanner from Bryston) – and in keeping with its timely updating from theBDP-1 the Ethernet is now Gigabit rather than 10 Base 100. This is a huge improvement as the BDP-2 not only playsmusic from an attached hard drive but will stream from a NAS across your network. With Gigabit bandwidth thestreaming is as good as the playback from attached drive – there are no latency issues - and uploading operationsare much faster than anything I have tried before.
Accessing it on your Apple device – either iPad or Pod is convenient and elegant using an inexpensive app calledMPad. If you are PC centric Bryston has their own PC based access to the BDP2 which while not as mature andswooshy as the Apple based software is functional and reliable. It also works with the stand alone Bryston remoteor from the front panel controls on the BDP-2 itself.
I love this piece and I have purchased my demo sample, replacing the pricey British streamers and the tuneful butinput restricted Moon 180 Mind in my system. It has changed the way I interface with my music and makes theplayback process transparent and easy leaving one’s mind open to appreciate the music. Which is the whole pointof Hi-Fi in the first place.
FIVE STARS!

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi All,

Here's a link to a folder containing user's manuals which I hope to keep reasonably up to date as Chris continues to make changes to the firmware. Let me know if there is information you think is missing or if particular explanations are unclear. Thanks all!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/54y93ha7j...MAC9kgHf8CKAia

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Ned F. Kuehn

By the way, Manic Moose is awesome. I can tell a lot of hard work went into its implementation and development. Great job and congratulations to the Manic Moose team!

[BlueFox]

Who will be the brave first person to try installing it?

[Mark Jones]

Who will be the brave first person to try installing it?

Very easy, no probs and works well, however I do still use MPad more often.

[BlueFox]

Good news. I see from reading the firmware doc that the BDP-1 now supports NAS drives. I might have to look into that.

Does anyone know if a NAS drive can simultaneously support multiple BDP-1 players? I have two and having a single source would be nice.

[BlueFox]

Hi All,

Here's a link to a folder containing user's manuals which I hope to keep reasonably up to date as Chris continues to make changes to the firmware. Let me know if there is information you think is missing or if particular explanations are unclear. Thanks all!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/54y93ha7j...MAC9kgHf8CKAia

At the end where it explains the front panel, it does not show how to turn the display off. Many people, like myself, despise lights on stereo, and HT, gear. I hope this upgrade does not break that function.

[Mike]

I have to admit, every time I hear the BDP/BDA setups at friends homes, I really enjoy it. If I didn't own a Lumin already, I would get the BDA-2/BDP-2 combo. Very musical and no computer required.

[Mark Jones]

I have to admit, every time I hear the BDP/BDA setups at friends homes, I really enjoy it. If I didn't own a Lumin already, I would get the BDA-2/BDP-2 combo. Very musical and no computer required.

Yes, two fantastic products from a fantastic company, bravo Bryston.

[JDLaudio]

Yes, two fantastic products from a fantastic company, bravo Bryston.

+1 I started with the BDP-1, and graduated to the BDP-2. Very happy with both units. I change/chase the SOTA dacs to stay on top of the latest improvements. An easy system to deal with. I am having some issues with the newer large 3.0 flash drives though (Winten 3.0 drive.....128gb I believe). Maybe Mr. Tanner can chime in with some help in this matter. Otherwise, its been smooth sailing for several years.

[BlueFox]

I upgraded my BDA-2 to an Auralic Vega DAC in anticipation of the new BDP firmware letting us play DSD files. Other than not being able to handle DSD, the BDA-2 is a great DAC, and is in my spare stereo/HT setup.

[James Tanner - Bryston]

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: BDA-2 and BDP-2 Review

July 2014

Hi Folks,

Review on the Bryston BDP-2 Digital Player and BDA-2 DAC combo.


av2day.com » Blog Archive » Bryston BDP-2 Digital Media Player & BDA-2 DAC combo: ?Should I upgrade??

[BlueFox]

James, when are you going to tell us how to get the Manic Moose upgrade? I try to read this and AA, and I do not remember seeing this published. Probably, a new thread specifically for this would be best. Thanks.

[James Tanner - Bryston]

<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf2uiwywmqe4yis/BDP%20Manic%20Moose%20Update.pdf">Firmware Install Instructions</a><br><br>

If the above method doesn't work, try repeating it, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/6demrr8wcn43gom/firmware20140430alt.bin">but with this file instead</a><br><br>
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/cyffqtuz9uw9qxl/Manic%20Moose%20Manual-S2.04_2014_06_19.pdf">User's Manual for Firmware Build from June 19</a><br><br>

If the above instructions just don't work for installing Manic Moose,<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/705xrtxd1xulcw5/BDP%20Manual%20Manic%20Moose%20Install.pdf"> you can force it with these instructions.</a>Or call

Bryston support for further assistance.

gdayton@bryston.com

[BlueFox]

<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf2uiwywmqe4yis/BDP%20Manic%20Moose%20Update.pdf">Firmware Install Instructions</a><br><br>

If the above method doesn't work, try repeating it, <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/6demrr8wcn43gom/firmware20140430alt.bin">but with this file instead</a><br><br>
<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/cyffqtuz9uw9qxl/Manic%20Moose%20Manual-S2.04_2014_06_19.pdf">User's Manual for Firmware Build from June 19</a><br><br>

If the above instructions just don't work for installing Manic Moose,<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/705xrtxd1xulcw5/BDP%20Manual%20Manic%20Moose%20Install.pdf"> you can force it with these instructions.</a>Or call

Bryston support for further assistance.

gdayton@bryston.com

Thanks. I managed to decipher those links.

[James Tanner - Bryston]

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston BDP-2 Digital Player

July 2014

The Bryston won every A/B test with the expensive Audio Aero Player using the same (also expensive) DAC!

Capture2.JPG

Hidden away in Ste Sauveur, I am here with Jim from Tenor Audio listening off centre stage — and not missing three-dimensional imagery.

A newly installed (connected) Bryston BDP-2 Digital player on the shelf; Audio Aero player preamp and WLM crossovers also visible.

Nice stuff here . . . .

Ernie Fisher
Inner Ear Magazine

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hello All:

This is my first post here after lurking around for a while.

I reviewed the BDA-1 DAC, and subsequently purchased the review sample.

http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-ac...ston-bda-1-dac review.html

Well, many, many more DACs have come through the system for review, and let me say, the BDA series STILL never ceases to amaze me. It's, forgive me, analog like, insightful, and beautiful presentation has been the one to beat. Regardless of source, and associated equipment, its magic comes through. Considering the price, and what the competition is offering, you can bet I am holding on this unit.

I know DSD functionality has been discussed here, and my attitude is that Bryston will get to it and when they do, it will be an engineering triumph with none of the shortcuts I am seeing from other vendors.

Cheers , Andre Marc

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi James

I would like to thank Mike and Chris for there great support in getting my BDP-1 up and running again. It seems that when I did a software update to Manic Moose for the BDP-1 the compact flash card did not partition correct. So a quick call to Chris and I was sent out a new card with the new software on it. I was able to install it my self and get the BDP-1 up and running again, It even works great from my Samsung 2 - 10” tablet just had to install Google Chrome Browser.

The music that I hear from the Bryston equipment is over whelming clear, detailed, and with the feeling of being there. I am able to sit back, close my eyes and enjoy!

Thanks again for the great support and I very proud I bough your equipment.

I own these Bryston produce: 14BSST², BP26 Preamplifier, MPS-2 Power Supply, BCD-1 CD Player, BDA-1 External DAC, BDP-1 Digital Player, along with a Torus 20 Power Conditioner, Transparent Super Audio Cables and B&W 703 Speakers. I hope to add a set of Bryston speakers in the near future.

Larry Stevenson

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi James,

I just received my bdp2 and got it installed. This thing never ceases to amaze me! I had previously altered my system and my Mac Mini running Audirvana was sounding really awesome again. But the BDP is just clearly superior...and that's after only 10 minutes of use! Who buys a CD player anymore?!

Anyway thanks again for your help. Oh and the speaker plugs was also a very nice gesture! They're not making a huge difference in my room (a difference none the less) but I plan on trying them in the store in as many configurations as possible.

Thanks!
James

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi Folks,


This is my first Bryston product (BDP-2) and wow! The speed and quality of the service was the best I've seen in the industry. Thank you James and Chris.

With the help from Chris I managed to flash my CF card with a bit of Mac Os Terminal magic and I can play music now. Which is great.

I am sorry to say that as a transport it beats my Wadia S7i marginally. Insane.

Thank you James. The sound is amazing.


Cheers everybody

SkotiPati

[rszk]

BDA-2 and BDP-2 user thoughts.
I am new to owning Bryston gear, but not unfamiliar to the brand. First off, I am a techie, being a computer consultant by trade.
Prior to receiving my equipment, I began the 20+ year CD collection of ripping thru DBpoweramp software into my NAS. I also upgraded my home network to Gigabit switches to accommodate the Bryston gear.
...I'm still ripping as I write this, so far over 300 discs in non-compressed FLAC format.

The Bryston gear was easy to hookup. I used the AES/EBU connection with a Madrigal cable.
I have tried various interfaces now. Mpod(on a iPod), MPDroid(on a Samsung Note 2), Bryston Max/Mini(on PC, laptop, various smartphones and Windows 8 tablet), sevenMPC(for my Windows phone 8.1), and Gnome Music Player Client(GMPC) for PC.

Mpod I rate as a 8 out of 10
MPDroid as a 7 out of 10
Bryston as a 5 out of 10
sevenMPC as a 3 out of 10
GMPC as a 8 out of 10

After looking at the MPad video on Youtube, it looks like possibly the winner as far as MPD interfaces go. I am NOT an Apple lover, but they definitely have the best App for the job. I will probably eventually get an iPad Mini for this sole purpose. Each App has their benefits, and it has been fun just using them all.

The Bryston gear itself has exceptional sound quality out of the box(thank goodness no DAC shout), but I noticed as the hours tick by, there is a definite improvement. I first tried it without upsampling my music, but I have a preference to the upsampled sound. If DSD comes to the forefront I will just add another DAC to the BDP-2. Hopefully Bryston will have their own unit. Not sure if I will go for a BOT unit, as by the time it gets out to retail, I will probably have all my discs ripped.

Thanks Bryston for some great digital gear! I can't wait to see how the software matures.

Rod

[Mark Jones]

Agreed I love the BDP and also love using it with MPad my fav interface.

Hey Rod, have you updated the BDP to Manic Moose yet. It's much nicer to use than the old Looney Loon. But still much prefer MPad.

[rszk]

Hi Mark,
yes I specified that the BDP-2 have the latest Manic Moose build which was 7-25 I believe. I just downloaded the latest firmware last night which was 8-18. My Bryston gear is really fresh, only 3 days old haha.

Cheers.
Rod

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi James!

I am still in a bit of a shock over here. I mean, I spent money on assembling a PC with noiseless power supply, processor cooling and everything else only to find out the driver business is an unpenetrable obstacle. At that point I started questioning computers can be a reliable source for music playback and that put a shade on the external DAC for me and I wondered why on earth I didn't get a CD player instead.

The BDP-1 changes my mind again. Now, I am sure there is a computer somewhere inside there but it certainly doesn't show and to me, this is a real achievement. Together with the BDA-2, it makes for a compelling highly integrated separates system that makes a lot of sense. It can be as simple or as powerful as you want it to be. I had no idea... I did not think a digital transport could enhance the performance in such an extent. I have used a PC, a dedicated CD transport with fine mechanics and DVD players that measured the best on the scope but all of that is now in the past. I get shivers when I hear the Firebird Suite. It completely bowls me over. And all this time, I had no idea...

I took a bit of time to relisten to some of the old samples of vintage analogue synthesizers and let me tell you, the Spectral sounds as good as I have heard it. Searing and melodic. Staggering.

You know, when I was a kid, I heard a pair of Kef Cresta 2 soeakers connected to a Kenwood amplifier and the matching CD player. I still remember the experience and to this day I haven't been able to repeat it even though I have heard much better systems. Until now. Something clicked into it's place and I lost ground. I have no idea what you did to this player or how, but you are to be congratulated. It was the missing link that combines it all together and makes the system greater than the sum of it's parts will allow. Every part of me, as a musician and as a music listener, tells me this is right and it sounds as good as studio sessions or live venues did. Look at me! I am excited over something that knows only 0s and 1s! Insanely great!

I must also thank you for including the cute little Bryston USB thumbdrive with a lovely music selection.

I am left with no words.

Antun

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi Antun

You are spot on with "it just sounds right". I think there is a very fine line between a Great audio system and a Superb audio system - the difference is the ability to express the emotion in the music. If the system has the ability to induce 'shivers', 'make the hair stand up' and 'take you there' in my opinion that is the icing on the cake.

james

[James Tanner - Bryston]

SkotiPati

BRYSTON BDP-1/2 DIGITAL PLAYER FEEDBACK/REVIEWS

I just bought a second hand BDP-1 unit.

My plan was to free myself from plastic disks laying around my house without any loss in sound quality. I have a Wadia S7i CD Player so going beyond it's transport capabilities was a hard target. I always had doubts that any digital server on the market can even equal the CD Transport of the Wadia on playing ripped CDs. I tried to use Apple Mini and Macbook Pro as a transport with different programs such as Audirvana and Amara. They were great for simplicity but CD Playback of the Wadia was a bit better every time. I am a critical listener so I couldn't really get into this digital media server based system because of my fail attempts. I value the sound always more than how user friendly the system works.

That's why I bought BDP-1 second hand. I didn't want to loose money on it for just a blank shot. I thought I would end up with the same result as my Apple trials.

It was nothing like that. I was hoping to equal in sound quality but no BDP-1 definetely excelled over Wadia's transport. There was so much air between instruments, so much silence and certainty with the music. I was always a Wadia fan so I was depressed and excited at the same time. I still think Wadia's DAC is part of the equation in the great sound I am getting now but there is no comparison between BDP-1 and Wadia's transport. BDP-1 wins in every domain there is at evaluating hifi performance.

I can not get back from using BDP-1. It is impossible. Now my question is; can BDA win over my Wadia DAC. I still don't think it can but now I respect Bryston so much that I will try to find out the answer even if they are not on the same league in terms of price.

Components like BDP come one in ten years. I bought and sold maybe more that 50 components over my hifi adventure and BDP makes into top 3 in terms of most impact on my senses. And I'm talking only about sound quality not about how user friendly is to work with it instead of messing with CDs.

[James Tanner - Bryston]

James:

Just to let you know I FINALLY ripped all of my CDs onto a WD My Passport Ultra 2TB drive. Whew, that was a lot of work!)

I am amazed that it sound SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER than the original CDs played through an Oppo 95 to the BDA-2 directly! Smoother with details I did not hear before – also more “coherent”. astounded

Any personal or Bryston observations around this?

Best – hope all is well

John

[James Tanner - Bryston]

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Review on BDP-2/BDA-2 Combo

September 2014

Hi Folks,

Capture.JPG

Review on the Bryston BDP-2 Digital Player and the BDA-2 DAC combination from AudioStream Magazine.

Please see link below:

Bryston BDA-2 and BDP-2 | AudioStream


My favourite comment:
For the final switch, I connected the BDA-2 DAC directly to my MacBook Pro (running Audirvana Plus) via USB and the differences without the BDP-2 in the picture were notable. First off bass response became much more diffuse and overall there was a lessing of the sense of fine grained resolution I got with the Bryston combo. Images were less distinct, tone colors were less distinct as well, and dynamics appeared to take a few steps in the wrong direction, becoming less snappy.

There's no question that the BDP-2 network player offers improved performance over the MacBook Pro in most important areas.

[FlexibleAudio]

James,

Does the BDP-2 stream internet radio?

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Yes but limited station selection at this point. We have installed our own server at bryston so will be hosting more going forward.

Untitled.jpg

Above is the selection windows for Bryston radio.

james

[FlexibleAudio]

Thanks James, very helpful. I realize this is a loaded question but how would you compare the BDP2 sonically to the Aurender gear?

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Thanks James, very helpful. I realize this is a loaded question but how would you compare the BDP2 sonically to the Aurender gear?

Hi

I am sorry but I am not listened to any of their products.

James

[James Tanner - Bryston]

speltz

Re: BDA-2 DAC

I'm delighted to say that I now own a BDA-2, paired with the BDP-1 I purchased nearly two years ago. And I'm loving the results!

The most obvious (and I do mean obvious) change is the 3-dimensional soundstage the BDA-2 delivers. In the past, the soundstage from my system was always 2-D -- left to right. This is the first time my setup has ever produced a soundstage with depth, in particular extending back behind my speakers (MartinLogans).

My experience is consistent with the reviews I've read saying the sound is moved back (recessed) with the BDA-2. But it's not a negative when it's delivering that 3-dimensional sense of musical space. The music still has plenty of toe-tapping energy and drive, with both pop/rock and jazz music.

Initially, there was some harshness to the upper frequencies. I was sure the fault lay with my system, which has a tendency to tip into over-bright territory. Yesterday I swapped out the XLR cable connecting the BDP-1 to the BDA-2, and that seems to have solved the problem. I listened continuously for about 90 minutes earlier today with no fatigue.

My old DAC was neither old nor cheap, but the BDA-2 is superior to it, and the differences are not subtle. A subtle improvement is all I expected -- hence my delight with the actual results.

[James Tanner - Bryston]

av2day.com » Blog Archive » Bryston BDP-2 Digital Media Player & BDA-2 DAC combo: ?Should I upgrade??

[rszk]

I thought I'd let BDP users with Windows Phones know that there is another MPD player for Windows Phone. It is called Chimney.
After testing the free program, it looks like a decently made MPD player.

Cheers!

[zuluwarrior0760]

I have owned the BDP2 for a little over a year. It was my first Bryston product.
The sound quality has always been flawless. I use the DACs in my Esoteric K-03
SACD Player and the presence of the BDP-2 has left the transport of my SACD
player very lonely. I added the first day the largest solid state drive I could find
and I now have it loaded up with AIFF files and continue to add more regularly..

I have played around with the Aurender offerings and although the sound quality
is very good, I think the Bryston is a little bit better, but it is in terms of fit and
finish and the whole pride of ownership thing that the Bryston really wins versus
Aurender.....Price points are pretty similar depending on configuration.....

My experience with the BDP-2 led me to consider Bryston's amplifiers. After
discussing amp choices with Magnepan for my 3.7s, I decided to go with a pair
of 7BSST2s and from the very first note, I heard more detail than I had with my
prior Pass Labs X350.5 and I've never looked back. I had an issue with one
of the amps a few days after purchase of it tripping a fuse and arcing upon
power up and Bryston traded emails with me on a Sunday night and I had
an RMA number Monday morning. They even fedexed a new amp to me rather
than making me wait.......they didn't have to do this let alone do it overnight
but they did......I think Bryston as a company is very high on my list......
Both of the components I've purchased from them will likely remain in my system
for a very very long time.....