Thread: Bryston BDA-3 Announced!

Hi

Its the 17 inch version shown - the others are the 19

james

For those interested, here's a link to a Stereophile report from TAVES which mentions the BDA-3 and includes a nice shot of the interior. http://www.stereophile.com/content/t...mbLmTqkluAl.97

The BDA-3 webpage is now on the Bryston site, along with a new product brochure.

The first of the BDA-3 DAC’s getting ready to leave the building !!!

James

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Got a BDA-3 in sounds great!!!

Thanks

Gary
Summit Sound

Hi Folks,

Feedback with permission:

Sent to: James Tanner on: Today at 03:18 pm

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James,

My initial impression is that the BDA-3 has followed the normal progression of the 1,2 then 3. This is a new beast. This has the same traits as the other processors but takes the music to another level. The detail is so remarkable. Every sutltiy is heard along with Bryston's usual bass. I feel like I'm in a concert hall. This sounds so real. You cannot tell your listening to digital. The cymbals just shimmer.

Last night I was laughing to myself that the hype said it's sounds like the BDA-2. No this is another significant improvement. The BDA-3 is in another league. Just like the new sound card in the BDP-2.

I wrote you so not to step on anyone's toes. Audio is to opinionated. I read some of the post and people cannot tell the difference between the soundcards in the BDP-2 and that's their propagative. It's the same when they drink the Kool Aid and claim there is no sonic difference between the BDA-2 and BDA-3.

You have another winner. Haven't tried the DSD. Serial # 000005...... James if you want to use any of the quotes be my guest. I figured I'd post more of a review in the future

The comment above describing the realistic sound of cymbals and their shimmer is most promising to me, since I find that often to be the biggest shortcoming of digital source reproduction when compared to analog playback.

Hi James

I demoed the BDA-3 with the BDP-2, connected to Kurt’s SP-3, and 4B,

I didn’t think any of us would hear the difference between the SP-3 connection internal D/AC and the optional exteranl BDA-3, but wholly shit, it was immediately apparent, even with the delay in rewiring.

Kurt is the one who blurted out that he heard the difference in the bass, deeper & more powerful, plus on the highs , plus a wider sound stage!

His response this morning after the demo yesterday.

Wayne.
Audtek Sales


Wayne.. That was a really great demo. Fantastic (Bryston) products for sure.

Can you give me prices for both a BDP-2 Digital Player and BDA3 DAC Silver 19" rack or shelf mount, for our demo rack?

Need to be able to do A/B for clients to review. That's the only way to sell them.

Thanks!
Kurt Schlossberg
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Originally Posted by audio.bill

The comment above describing the realistic sound of cymbals and their shimmer is most promising to me, since I find that often to be the biggest shortcoming of digital source reproduction when compared to analog playback.

No digital setup beats a good analoge setup.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn GT-I9505 met Tapatalk

mazzialk - Welcome to AudioShark! My experience mirrors yours, but I continue to audition new digital hardware in hopes of finding the holy grail some day!

Originally Posted by audio.bill

mazzialk - Welcome to AudioShark! My experience mirrors yours, but I continue to audition new digital hardware in hopes of finding the holy grail some day!

Thank u.

I dont even know from wich country audio shark forum is .lol I ended up here via Tapatalk. Lol

Like u I also did my home work with da converters.
Going from cheap DACs to mid priced and end in up with the KONDO KSL DAC. I dont think that it wil get better than that my friend. but stil it didn't goose bump me like my analoge stuff did..
Now im Playing with the Resonessence Labs invicta and thats pretty good.

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Originally Posted by CPP

The USA

That explains Why there is lots of activiteis at this forum at 4 am cet. .. lol

Hi James

For those of us in the audio biz, it’s always a balance between marketing and reality.

When your guy came to my office to demo the BDP player and new BDA-3 DAC, I asked him to A/B the signal with my current reference system.

Quite an apparent difference, even with a minute or so between swapping the cables. Now my set up is way more extreme than most people, even in that rarified air. As I have a Balance Audio Tech amp, and a pair of Avante Gardes.

But what a pleasant surprise. A bit of an eye opener as I have been listening pretty consistently through my current system and that has been very reference grade to my ears.

Didn’t know there was anywhere to go that was further!

Hope you are well, and happy holidays

Kurt

Hi James.

I had the older version bda 1 and I really liked how it sounded.

I have not seen anny bda 3s here in the shops (Netherlands ). Verry interested to hear the New bda 3.

Cheers maz

Thanks for considering us - much appreciated.

The Distributor has some on order so hopefully you will be able to hear one soon.

The BDA3 has had a huge launch and is probably our most successful product out of the gate to date

James

Here was my bda1 @ 3000 euro dac beside my KONDO KSL @ 36900 euro.- lol

I sold the kondo and kept the Bda1 . Lol I just didn't find the the sound different worth the "extra" buks.
In the setting that I had at that times (1 year ago) the bda1 did greate job of keeping me satisfied even against an 12x more expensive kondo..

I also put the bda 1 against a wyerd for sound dac and the New moon dac that a friend of mine brought with him when he wanted to buy my old kharma 3.2 s.

Hè ended up selling the wyerd for sound and beging me to sell the bda1 to him and I did it at the end.

So cant wait to hear the New bda3 ones and see how they do against the Resonessence Labs invicta that I am using currentley.

Good job there @ bryston , ive had few gears of yours and at anny price it never dissapointed me...

Also the guarantie u offer is unparalleled ..

Cheers.
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HI James

Been slammed with business; so this was the first chance I had to listen to my new BDA-3.

A marked improvement over the BDA-2, I mean really noticeable. I put it temporarily in my all Esoteric rig, feeding it from an Olive 04 since it was near by.

The sound itself is much more analog, and flows effortlessly. I also note a broader soundstage. Combined with all the inputs, and super high reliability.

Bryston has hit it out of the park... again!
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Ivan

Hi James,

I just received the Bryston BDA3 DAC. It is doing well for USB from my few hours of listing, I think my waiting for almost a year has paid-off.
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I can listen to SACD from my blu ray transport and BDA3.

The sound is superb!

Well done Bryston Team!

Warmest regards,
Warut
Austria

Jan 1, 2016

OnTheFly

I owned a BDA-1 a long time ago but then bought a SP3 so moved it on. I had another DAC recommended to me but it was 'how much!'.

I'm currently listening to The War of The Worlds. Not sure Richard Burton has ever sounded this good.

It also sounds great with regular CD's, though I had forgot what a bind it is to keep getting up to swap discs.

patrickm

Re: BDA-3 DAC

Picked up a BDA-3 yesterday, having fun listening to it today.

My prior DAC was a BDA-1 + audiophilleo2 combo... functionally almost everything I wanted and fantastic sound. The BDA-3 has everything I want. Spent some time last night farting around with JRiver 21, mostly setting and experimenting with DSD options.

Very happy with the purchase and I'll keep the BDA-1 combo for use with my upstairs system. I'd rate the sound of the BDA-1 as ∞ and the BDA-3 as [∞+1]. I was going to pick up a BDA-2 a while ago but wanted native DSD support, glad I waited.

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston BDA-3 DAC

January 2016

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:

Bryston BDA-3 DAC Serial # 000010 - Early Impressions

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After spending many enjoyable hours listening to downloaded music (PCM and DSD) and ripped CD's I'm pleased to say the BDA-3 paired with my BDP-2 is, to my ears, a very significant advance in sound quality over my previously owned Bryston BDA-1 DAC also paired with my BDP-2.

The year long wait after ordering the BDA-3 was well worthwhile as I hear significant improvements in all areas and no criticisms other than a clutter of HDMI inputs that I probably will never use. I noticed a lower output level over the BDA-1 which simply meant having to use higher volume settings than in the past. Hopefully, Bryston will come out with a more complete specification to include the BDA-3 output level as they did with the BDA-1.

The most important improvement for me is a more relaxed sound quality but certainly not at the expense of detail. In fact, to use the much used cliché, I have been hearing detail on downloads and ripped CD's that I had not previously noticed. Despite all the extra detail I was surprised to find less sibilance on recordings such as Cowboy Junkies "The Trinity Session". Bass was deep and forceful and the soundstage in my room was somewhat wider than the BDA-1 but the depth was much deeper which made symphony recordings very realistic.

There was plenty to evaluate on the BDA-3 like listening to DSD downloads for the first time and comparing the USB and AES/EBU inputs. For me I could live with either the USB or the AES/EBU input but I did have a slight preference for the AES/EBU but I would not want to try and describe why! It was great to have the opportunity to listen to DSD downloads but overall I did not feel there were repeatable improvements in sound quality over PCM 192/24 to justify the extra download time and storage space not to mention the extra cost. Sometimes I actually thought I preferred PCM 96/24 over DSD on some Beethoven piano concertos and Mozart violin concertos where I could compare. DSD sometimes seemed to have a slight edginess that was occasionally noticeable for PCM downloads on my BDA-1 but the new BDA-3 on PCM downloads never gave rise to any edginess whatsoever.

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I've had some late nights listening to all the improvements the BDA-3 is making to playback of my music collection. I'm grateful for the opportunity to listen to DSD and PCM downloads but for me I believe I will spend my money on PCM downloads only and replay using the AES/EBU input on the BDA-3.

For anyone owning Bryston's BDA-1, or any other quality DAC, I think a listen to this latest BDA-3 DAC is a must.

It is amazing how much improvement has evolved since the BDA-1 was introduced by Bryston about 6 years ago.


Thanks
Roger

Sorry duplicate post

Originally Posted by Mike

James - I can't think of another "blue chip" audio company that has done a better job with digital than Bryston. Your BDA-1/BDP-1 combo turned the Mac & DAC thinking upside down to what it is today. Your BDP-2/BDA-3 has done it again. It was great to see you again at CES 2016 and get an overview of these exciting new products. On the analog side, I would like to hear a little more about the BP2/TF2/PS3 combo.

HI Mike

Thanks - yes the BDP was a very unique product when I first introduced it. I remember sending out the announcement and most of our customers emailed me back - "James What the hell is this and why do I care?"

james

Will the BDA-2 be updated with the new black PCBs from the BDA-3 sans the HDMI board?

HI Anatta

No the BDA2 will remain as it is.

james

Hi Folks

I am happy to report that this week we received our 300th order for the BDA-3 DAC.

Thanks to all our customers for making this product a huge success for us - much appreciated !

James

Hi Folks,

My Mini T's on my new MR Target stands with custom Mini T tops and Outriggers and nickel Spikes.

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james

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston A3 Speaker – Distributor Comments

March 2016

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Hi James,

Three (3) wonderful products arrived at PMC from Bryston recently.

We’ve just run up the Bryston A3 speakers and we’re really excited. They sound great and they offer a lot of performance for the money.

The Cubed amps are amazing. So much smoother, greater depth and height information. It all sounds so much more “real” A big thank you to whoever came up with this improvement. We are measuring substantially lower THD at high frequencies (always a good sign) and the common mode rejection of the balanced inputs is almost 20dB better……incredible results!

The BDA-3 blows the BDA-2 out of the game. So much more detail, smoother and well-judged overall balance.

Thank you,
Peter Thomas
Managing Director

Originally Posted by Mr. Big

I have a technical question. I just ordered a BDA-3 and I'll be integrating it into my home automation system via RS232. The instruction manual says the RS232 input is a 3.5mm mini-jack. For the cable, is it a standard 3.5mm mono plug that I'll need to connect it to my controller?

Hi

Please email Mike. Mpickett@bryston.com

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Hi James.

I had some time to put the Bryston BDA-3 through its paces and was very pleased. The midrange was detailed and dynamic with a natural bass presence anyone would enjoy.

The connectivity makes it easy to use many devices with ease and simplicity. I especially like the twin USB inputs that is rarely scene on on high performance DAC's.

USB 1 reserved for BDP-2
USB 2 reserved for all my other digital gear.

Great value for exceptional performance. Bravo Bryston.

Best Regards.
Ron
Altronics Stereo

I've just upgraded from a BDA-1 to a BDA-3.

In my system I've noticed a dramatic sound quality improvement.

I'm genuinely really surprised how much better it sounds. I had sibilance with the BDP-1, and this is almost completely gone. It's not just the high frequencies that you can hear a difference, the mid range and lower frequencies are also much better. Bear in mind that the BDA-1 is not a bad sounding piece of kit, but the BDA-3 makes it look inadequate.

I'm very impressed.

Ron C

Hi Folks,

First German review on our BDA-3 DAC !


We have recently online first review on BDA-3:

http://www.hifistatement.net/tests/i...-bryston-bda-3

Best regards

Edvard

Originally Posted by James Tanner - Bryston

Hi Folks,

First German review on our BDA-3 DAC !


We have recently online first review on BDA-3:

http://www.hifistatement.net/tests/i...-bryston-bda-3

Best regards

Edvard

Hi James

A lengthy and very informative review in German which begins and ends with respect and approval of the company and its products — excellent !

Ernie Fisher
Inner Ear Report

Originally Posted by James Tanner - Bryston

Hi Folks,

First German review on our BDA-3 DAC !


We have recently online first review on BDA-3:

http://www.hifistatement.net/tests/i...-bryston-bda-3

Best regards

Edvard

Hi James

A lengthy and very informative review in German which begins and ends with respect and approval of the company and its products — excellent !

Ernie Fisher
Inner Ear Report

Hi James!

We have current review on BDA-3 in German Magazin Einsnull (biggest magazine for Digital Audio. This is the magazine we received an award for the BUC-1 in Munich last year.

HiFi Magazine Germany - BDA3 Review.jpg

Attached copy of the review and cover. Here is short quote:

Consequent - Great new review of Bryston DAC BDA-3 in German Magazine "Einsnull"

Quote: "Bryston BDA-3 is absolutely consequent piece of Audio. Excellent finish, technically on the highest level, great equipped and last but not least: Knockout Sound! An ideal Partner for all your gear!"

Philipp Schneckenburger

Best regards

Edvard

AViTech, Dkfm. Edvard Potisk e. U.
Czerningasse 16
1020 Vienna, Austria
Email: edvard.potisk@avitech.at
Web: www.avitech.at

PS

I have the full German PDF review if anyone wants a full copy. - jamestanner@bryston.com

HI James

Thanks for sending the complete review.

I will definitely translate it for you, but for now let me just say one of the comments from the review:

“There is no better DAC on the market today.”

Congratulations for such a good review and best wishes,

Peter Ullman

A new five star review of the BDA-3 from Jason Kennedy of The Ear.

Hi Folks,

I have a PDF of a very extensive review of our new BDA3 DAC from Germany - the reviewer uses all the different types of inputs and assess them individually.

My sincere thanks to Peter Ullman for his english translation.

If you want a copy please email me jamestanner@bryston.com

james

Hi Folks,

I have another 2nd review on the new Bryston BDA3 DAC from HI-FI Magazine in Germany.

Email me if you want the full PDF English translated review. jamesrtanner@bryston.com

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Favourite Quote:

“Bryston’s BDA-3 is an absolutely significant representative of current audio technology.
It is superbly made, technically of the highest performance, outstandingly feature equipped, and at the same time sound wise stunning."

Great - please let me know when the review is up and what you think.

james