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I've had some time to listen to lot's of CD's and high-rez files over the last three days since the BDA-2 arrived. Bryston makes a very high-quality, top of the line DAC, of that there is no doubt. The only question in my mind is whether this one extra component in my personal system is worth the extra investment. I bought the BDA-2 right before upgrading from an Oppo BDP-93 to the 105D. In side-by-side A/B comparisons I may give a slim nod to the Bryston, but the Sabre DAC's in the new Oppo are very capable, and for my modest system more than adequate. 2-channel XLR out from the 105D to my MX121 and on to the MC205 sounds really good to me. I'm going to start saving my pennies for a speaker upgrade later this year or early next and possibly an MC452 to power the FL/FR speakers. That means that I will more than likely put this brand new Bryston BDA-2 in the marketplace. I got a great deal from Ivan and I'm sure I'll take a little hit when I sell it, but someone will get a like-new Bryston for a great price. My experiment will be your opportunity!
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Analog: VPI Classic Direct (12" Fatboy) with Ortofon A95 cartridge; Ortofon ST-80SE Transformer; McIntosh C2500. Digital: SilenZio Gen 3 High Performance Media Server; Esoteric K-03X. Supporting System: McIntosh MX122 A/V Center; MC205 Amplifier; Bryston 14bSST2 Amplifier; PS Audio P10 Power Reconditioner; Revel Salon 2 Mains; Revel Voice 2 CC; JL Audio f113v2 (2); JL Audio CR-1 Crossover; Focal IC1002 Surrounds Last edited by scirica; 05-30-2014 at 04:38 PM. |
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I have always been one to suggest that an individual should trust their ears, but are you sure that two days was enough time for the unit to settle in and for you to make the decision to move past such a fine piece of equipment?
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#13
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The quality and solid build of this product is quite apparent. :thumbs:
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Analog: VPI Classic Direct (12" Fatboy) with Ortofon A95 cartridge; Ortofon ST-80SE Transformer; McIntosh C2500. Digital: SilenZio Gen 3 High Performance Media Server; Esoteric K-03X. Supporting System: McIntosh MX122 A/V Center; MC205 Amplifier; Bryston 14bSST2 Amplifier; PS Audio P10 Power Reconditioner; Revel Salon 2 Mains; Revel Voice 2 CC; JL Audio f113v2 (2); JL Audio CR-1 Crossover; Focal IC1002 Surrounds |
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I like the versatility that the BDA-1 gives me. I can play cd's through it and HiRez files with the push of a button.
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Speakers........Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk II Amp...............Pass Labs X150.5 PreAmp..........McIntosh C2600 Sources..........Music Hall MMF 9.3 Walnut w/ Goldring Eroica LX MC Cartridge Phono Pre...…..Sutherland Insight CD Player Rotel RCD-1072 Record Cleaning Machine...….Okki Nokki DAC................Bryston BDA-3 Headphones.....Drop + Dan Clark Audio Ether CX / Sennheiser HD-660S Headphone Amp.....Bryston BHA-1 Cables....Amp to preamp - Morrow MA4 Preamp to DAC - Morrow MA4 Preamp to Headphone Amp - Morrow MA2 |
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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. |
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Thanks for sharing that James. High (and deserved) praise for one of your babies!
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Analog: VPI Classic Direct (12" Fatboy) with Ortofon A95 cartridge; Ortofon ST-80SE Transformer; McIntosh C2500. Digital: SilenZio Gen 3 High Performance Media Server; Esoteric K-03X. Supporting System: McIntosh MX122 A/V Center; MC205 Amplifier; Bryston 14bSST2 Amplifier; PS Audio P10 Power Reconditioner; Revel Salon 2 Mains; Revel Voice 2 CC; JL Audio f113v2 (2); JL Audio CR-1 Crossover; Focal IC1002 Surrounds |
#17
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Here is another review on the BDP-2
Notes from The Old Audio Guy Thoughts 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! Last edited by James Tanner - Bryston; 06-07-2014 at 06:44 AM. |
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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?’ Last edited by James Tanner - Bryston; 07-08-2014 at 10:57 AM. |
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