Bryston BDP-1 Digital Player - Review

DarqueKnight

voltz wrote: »

Yes I got mine about 5-6 months ago and have several of the 45rpm now and all sound great without any problems...@gce is another who has pick it up recently and said he really like it.

I ordered the 2LP 200gm 45RPM version of "Time Out". When I was shopping around I also found out about the 4LP 180gm 45RPM version, which is out of print but still available new for hundreds of dollars. I bought a used, "mint minus" copy for $112.50 and free shipping. The 4LP version only has tracks on one side of each disc.

voltz

^^^^^
Wow! I didn't know about the 4LP version, but I know Take 5 need its own side! The Time Out LP has made me want to hear some more instrumental Jazz. been buying some Coltrane, Monk, Miles & Evans. but Time Out is still my favorite so far. Spotify has find some gems...

I may have to finish my Ripping program and spend more time listening with my DAC but I needed a break from ripping for awhile. Plus cleaning and listening to Vinyl is so therapeutic

DarqueKnight

voltz wrote: »

^^^^^
Wow! I didn't know about the 4LP version, but I know Take 5 need its own side!

I wish all audiophile albums were made at 45 rpm on multi-disc high quality heavy weight vinyl with tracks only on one side.

"voltz wrote: »

Plus cleaning and listening to Vinyl is so therapeutic

For me, listening to vinyl is therapeutic.

All the stuff associated with vinyl (cartridge/turntable setup, record cleaning, etc.) is a major pain.

gce

DarqueKnight wrote: »

For me, listening to vinyl is therapeutic.

All the stuff associated with vinyl (cartridge/turntable setup, record cleaning, etc.) is a major pain.

Me too, I really would rather listen to Vinyl but sometimes its just so much easier to fire up the NAS and never have to get off the couch.

tophatjohnny

Not sure about anyone else, that system is so slamming. Just had to say it!!

tonyb

DarqueKnight wrote: »

For me, listening to vinyl is therapeutic.

All the stuff associated with vinyl (cartridge/turntable setup, record cleaning, etc.) is a major pain.

So what your saying is "No pain, no gain ?" lol

I noticed you listed your listening preferences on the previous page. You have redbook cd rips listed almost even with 24/96 files. I would imagine of course that's recording dependent.

Which goes back to my own assertion that good 16/44 can sound very very good. Playing through the Bryston on to the dac in the Cary I'm assuming is the path and a good one at that. To me anyway, The Cary house sound is made for digital playback.

DarqueKnight

tonyb wrote: »

So what your saying is "No pain, no gain ?" lol

When it comes to vinyl, especially, rare, expensive vinyl, the pain is due to both inconvenience and cost.

tonyb wrote: »

I noticed you listed your listening preferences on the previous page. You have redbook cd rips listed almost even with 24/96 files. I would imagine of course that's recording dependent.

Of course. There only appear to be a handful of people who know how to, or care to, make excellent sounding recordings.

tonyb wrote: »

Which goes back to my own assertion that good 16/44 can sound very very good. Playing through the Bryston on to the dac in the Cary I'm assuming is the path and a good one at that. To me anyway, The Cary house sound is made for digital playback.

I hate to say it, but the key to enjoying good digital playback is to never listen to good analog playback, which brings me to this:


Top to bottom: Audiophile pressings of Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" - Sony/BMG 180g 33.33RPM (2008), Analog Productions 200g 45RPM 2 LP set (2012), Classic Records 180g 45RPM 4 LP set (1995).

The Classic Records 4 LP 45RPM version is spectacular in every stereophonic aspect: image weight, depth, image size, clarity, detail, tonal balance, bass articulation, bass weight, everything. The Analog Productions 200g 45RPM 2 LP set is great and my trusty old single-disc 33.33RPM 180g version can only look at the 45RPM versions and see what it wants to be when it grows up.

The www.discogs.com website indicates that there are over 130 versions of "Time Out" spanning LP, CD, SACD, and digital download media. There are five 12" 45RPM versions:

1. Classic Records original reissue 45RPM 4LP 180g (1995).
2. Classic Records second reissue 45RPM 4LP 200g (2000) on proprietary Quiex SV-P vinyl.
3. Classic Records third reissue 45RPM 4LP 200g (2008) on proprietary Clarity SV-P II clear vinyl.
4. Analog Productions first reissue 45RPM 2LP 200g (2012).
5. Analog Productions second reissue 45RPM 2LP 200g (2014 - High quality gatefold jacket).

All of the above 45RPM versions were produced from the re-master tapes produced by acclaimed recording engineer Bernie Grundman and his signature is engraved in the leadout space.

Analog Productions acquired Classic Records in 2010. I assume that they did not do a 4 LP reissue of "Time Out" due to cost. Classic Records charged $50 for the set in 1995 (equivalent to $80 in 2015 money). They probably would have had to charge around $100 for a 4 LP set. They are charging $50 for the 2 LP set.

The jackets of my 20 year old used 45RPM set looked like new. One of the inner sleeves (which I always throw away anyway) was ripped. Acoustic Sounds (which is also owned by Analog Productions) says that used records are cleaned before shipment. The 4 LP set had some specks of dust, but the vinyl was glossy-black and there wasn't any surface noise. Discs 1-3 each had one very light scratch probably caused by a stylus skipping across the record surface. Steam cleaning, wet cleaning, and vacuum cleaning the discs did not produce any audible difference or improvement. The new 2 LP set was spotless and had no surface noise. Further steam/wet/vacuum cleaning did not produce a difference or improvement in sound quality.

There are a few more thoughts I want to expound on regarding this record, but I'll save that for a separate review later this month.

I wish I had been paying more attention to what was going on with new vinyl reissues. I missed out on some exceptional audiophile-quality releases. Everything I missed is still available, but those records are out of print and exist only on the collector's market for high prices. I was lucky to find a used "mint-minus" copy of the "Time Out" 45RPM 4 LP reissue for "only" $112.50.

voltz

What ...Later this month? " Time Out" has become one of my favorite recordings so I guess I can wait

Glad you seem to like the New Analog production 45rpm version or I would have felt really bad about you getting a bad copy. I can't believe there have been so many version of this Classic LP but then again I see why they kept trying to up it a notch.

I doubt there I will ever meet someone who has more version of it then you, but I did buy the DSD HiREz version....

So what do you think about the Hybrid multichannel SACD? ..forgive if you covered this earlier. I like to hear it on my HT setup if its worth it.
thanks

just read a really bad review of multichannel version below:

Reviewer: Tim Casey
...but I'm giving you guys 2 stars for at least saying in bold at the bottom of the description that you used the old Sony multichannel mix. However, I hadn't noticed that caveat before I bought it.

I wanted it because it was multichannel. I should have read closer. All of the instruments are coming out of the center channel, except for the drums, which are spread out in the front left and right speakers. I didn't notice anything out of the rear speakers at all. And there are absolutely no low frequencies in this mix - a problem that the old Sony SACDs had with this title and "Kind of Blue" as well. The upright bass sounds like a kid's plastic toy. The stereo sounds rich, but this multi mix - why on earth did you give this anemic mix new life?

I was hoping for better from you guys (your other stuff is great). I wish I could return it, but it's already opened.

not sure now

DarqueKnight

voltz wrote: »

So what do you think about the Hybrid multichannel SACD? ..forgive if you covered this earlier. I like to hear it on my HT setup if its worth it.

I don't have a multichannel SACD player.

tonyb

Any news on when you get the 2 in the door ?

DarqueKnight

tonyb wrote: »

Any news on when you get the 2 in the door ?

I expect to have it by Jan. 16th.

My order was placed just before they shut down for the holidays. It won't begin processing until after they return in January.

asindc

DarqueKnight wrote: »

Yes, I have the latest firmware that plays DSD files. The Cary only accepts PCM input. I have sent an inquiry to Cary asking if the CD 306 PV can be easily modified to accept DSD.

DK,

Have you heard back from Cary on this question? I'm also interested as I also have the same Cary player. It would be awesome if it could be modified to play DSD files.

DarqueKnight

asindc wrote: »

DK,

Have you heard back from Cary on this question? I'm also interested as I also have the same Cary player. It would be awesome if it could be modified to play DSD files.

They responded on 11/28/14, I just forgot to post their reply here. Thanks for the reminder.

The answer was no.

asindc

DarqueKnight wrote: »

asindc wrote: »

DK,

Have you heard back from Cary on this question? I'm also interested as I also have the same Cary player. It would be awesome if it could be modified to play DSD files.

They responded on 11/28/14, I just forgot to post their reply here. Thanks for the reminder.

The answer was no.

Thanks. It was a longshot. I read your review of the PS Audio DSD DAC. The main reason I haven't moved to a DSD DAC is that in my experience I would have to spend well into 5 figures to make upgrading from the 306 worthwhile.

DarqueKnight

DarqueKnight wrote: »

I'm thinking that if there is any difference in sound between the BDP-1 and BDP-2, it is mostly attributable to the BDP-2's improved power supply. My BDP-1 was very sensitive to power quality/power cord changes.

In my system, there is a big difference between the BDP-2 and BDP-1!

Now that my BDP-2 is here, and I have had a chance to compare it's hardware and sound to the BDP-1, I still stand by my earlier thought that the BDP-2's improved power supply is responsible for most of the improvement. Both players run the same software.

BlueFox wrote: »

Other than more memory, and able to handle larger drives, according to Bryston there is no difference between the BDP-1 and BDP-2.

I'm not sure why they would want to sandbag like that. Maybe they think most people actually won't hear a difference and they don't want to be accused of false advertising.

When I asked them about sonic differences between the BDP-1 and BDP-2, I was told that I *might* hear a difference considering my system's resolution and my listening methodology.


The sonic difference's between the BDP-2 and BDP-1 were immediately apparent.


The BDP-2 impressed from the very first note.

The BDP-2 paints a sonic landscape with more depth, more holographic imaging, more clarity, more detail, more tactile sensation, and more image weight. One of the most striking things was the way ambient information was rendered. There was a more clearly defined sense of echoes and decays travelling in a specific direction and being reflected in a specific direction. The acoustic envelope of drum sounds that originated at the rear of the sound stage maintained sharp definition as they traveled toward me and naturally died off.

Like the BDP-1, there is a difference in the sound quality among the BDP-2's AES and coax outputs, with coax sounding best, then AES. I could not compare the sound of the BDP-1's and BDP-2's USB outputs because I do not currently have a DAC with a USB input. The BDP-1's USB output was the third best. The BDP-2's AES output sounded better than the BDP-1's coax output. In other words, the BDP-2's second best output sounded better than the BDP-1's best output.

The digital cables used were Signal Cable digital coax and Signal Cable AES/EBU.

I love it when a new piece of gear sounds great right out of the box and gets better with burn in.


BDP-2 on left. No wonder it sounds better. It has more stuff inside.


The BDP-2 offers the option of mounting a hard drive inside the player

I did not hear a difference between mounting the hard drive inside the BDP-2 or attaching it to one of the USB ports with a cable. There was also no difference in access times between the internal and external hard drive configurations

The BDP-1 has been installed in my home theater system.

BlueFox wrote: »

While SACD ripping has been known for years, Sony has realized their mistake and are now offering DSD for download. Of course, if what you want is not yet available then ripping is the way to go for immediate gratification.

PlaysStation 3 SACD ripping workstation.


Such wonderful software. Many thanks to the SACD ripping community for their excellent tutorials and free software.

I have completed ripping my colossal collection of 23 SACDs. Until very recently, I only had 10 titles. My reinvigorated interest in DSD caused me to go to sa-cd.net, which lists all available SACD titles, and browse. The result was that my SACD collection more than doubled in size.

My ripping station consists of a hacked Sony PlayStation 3 (model CECHE01) a wireless Logitech keyboard and a wireless Logitech mouse. I currently use my home office television as a monitor, but I have ordered a 7" video monitor for the PS3. Using Sonore's ISO2DSD software and the PS3 connected to my home LAN and ripping to my computer, it takes about 8 to 12 minutes to rip an SACD. If I rip to a USB thumb drive, ripping takes about 35 to 45 minutes.

More later...

BlueFox

Interesting it sounds obviously better. James Tanner said it uses the same sound card. As you said, it might be a better power supply. What happens there is the noise from the power supply is sent back onto the AC circuit, and that corrupts the other gear. A better PS would send less noise pollution, thus making it appear the BDP-2 sounds better. This pollution is what the Alpha Digital, and Sigma Digital, filter before it gets back onto the AC. This is why I was floored at the improvement I heard when I added an Alpha Digital power cord to my BDP-1.

DarqueKnight

BlueFox wrote: »

Interesting it sounds obviously better. James Tanner said it uses the same sound card.

Maybe earlier BDP-2s used the same sound card, but as you can see in the side-by-side interior views, the sound cards in my BDP-1 and BDP-2 are very different.

BlueFox

I asked James Tanner about the sound card, and this is his answer.

"Hi Bud

The sound card is the same. The only difference is the Mother board in the BDP-2 has 10 times the speed and 3 times the memory.

james"

http://audioshark.org/bryston-audio-40/bdp-2-sound-card-6722.html#.VN4tbiuCOK0

DarqueKnight

BlueFox wrote: »

I asked James Tanner about the sound card, and this is his answer.

"Hi Bud

The sound card is the same. The only difference is the Mother board in the BDP-2 has 10 times the speed and 3 times the memory.

james"

http://audioshark.org/bryston-audio-40/bdp-2-sound-card-6722.html#.VN4tbiuCOK0

Well, that settles it. Thanks for confirming and clarifying with James.

DarqueKnight

I now have over 300 hours on the BDP-2 and it has been getting better with age...and with tweaks.


Fourteen pounds of brass weights provided a little more clarity and detail and a little more detailed and deeper bass.

The PS Audio PowerBase isolation platform doesn't do anything for the BDP-2 because the PowerBase is designed to work with components weighing 15 to 85 pounds. The BDP-2 weighs 12 pounds. Sandwiching the BDP-2 between the PowerBase and 14 pounds of brass dampers resulted in audible improvements. The 2 pound brass dampers are made by edenSound.

I don't particularly care for how the brass dampers look on top of the BDP-2, so they will be replaced with a 17" x 10" x 1-1/4" piece of black granite.

I added Dynamat Xtreme to the chassis cover and side. The only audible change was that the chassis cover doesn't ring anymore when I thump it.

BlueFox

LOL. I have both of my BDP-1s sitting on three Mapleshade Micropoint brass footers, with a brass weight on top of one, and a BDA-2 DAC on top of the other.