Getting the best out of the BDP
 

Hi,

I have my BDP-2 since one week and I am slowly learning how to use every feature it has to offer. Good thing I have a strong background in computers from my gaming days and PC tuning otherwise I understand it could be daunting for some people.

As per the title of this thread, I am looking to extract the best in term of sound quality out of the BDP. Right now, while functionnal, I have the BDP-2 connected to the BDA-3 with a no-name-XLR-cable-from-a-past-bundle-trade and it sounds quite good already. However, as I was about to purchase a Kimber Select KS-2120 XLR to match the rest of my interconnects and speaker cables, I have read in the manual of the BDA-3 that only USB allows for DSD decoding. Okay, I have the latest tech so in that spirit I went and purchased a Kimber Select KS-2416 USB. Is the difference using USB versus XLR a significant jump in term of sound quality? I expect some positive difference since I am going from a no-name cable to relatively high-end cable.

Since I am in my early days with the BDP-2, I am streaming AIFF files with a USB stick from the front panel but I also read somewhere that the sound quality would be best with an internal SATA drive as there would be no conversion from SPDIF (correct me if I am wrong). That would be a big plus but I am more looking for convenience with the added SATA drive.

Another thing I am thinking, the power cable. Right now, I am using a no-name home-made but what seems of decent quality power cable to power the BDP-2. I am looking into this to find something of better quality. But if I can compare my experience with my BDA-3, where the difference between the stock cord versus a Shunyata Black Mamba HC/CX what nothing short of a shock, can I expect a significant increase in sound quality going with a good quality power cable, like a Shunyata Alpha or Synergistic UEF Blue?

And one last thing (for now), the fuses. I was thinking down the road to upgrade the fuses with the Synergistic Quantum Blue. Anyone installed audiophile grade fuses on the BDP?

Thanks!

Hi Serge

Looks like a very nice set-up - what speakers are they?

The USB is best if you want DSD as well as PCM decoding.

The internal drive will eliminate the USB conversion as you say. The only issue with the internal is if you want to transfer music to the internal drive it has to be over the Network - so the speed of your network will determine the speed of the transfer.

Also you mentioned you felt you needed to be a bit of a geek to operate the BDP-2 - where did you feel it required the geek-ness?

Thanks
james

Thanks James,

These are my thrusty Totem Mani-2 Signature (isobaric configuration). I really love their sound, but not their 4 ohms impedance load. I once fried the Lavardin IS Reference amplifier of my best buddy because of them... If only I could find a speaker that would have that sound signature, rich and plenty, with a 8 ohms load I would be a happy camper.

Since I have been in and out of renovations of my basement since the last 2 years, I had planned right from the start to wire the whole house with CAT 5e 1Gb ethernet (I should have ran CAT6 cable instead). This is because I knew that I would make the switch to the digital media with a digital player and finally ditch the CD player once I rebuild something decent for hi-fi setup. I wanted to make sure to have a stable connection. But the new wi-fi dongle would eliminate another cable so it's not a bad thing.

To answer your question, it was very easy to start with a USB stick with the front panel controls. Not that one needs to be a geek to operate it, but since it is my first foray in digital audio I guess I was more intimidated than anything in the beginning (first DAC also). But after a few hours I felt right at home and reading the manual made things quite simpler in understanding the beast. For all digital medias, it cannot be as simple as to insert a CD in the CD player and press play. Now that I am almost setup, I am quite happy about the move. I just need to buy a 2 TB SSD and an iPad and I will be all set. I will subscribe to Roon once there (did the 14 days trial and really liked it).

Thanks,

Serge

I installed a 1 TB SSD last week and I am trying to transfer my music library onto it. I am running some issues but Chris is assisting me.

I do have questions about the necessity of an added hard drive when using roon. If I understand correctly, when roon is enabled on the BDP-2, it will just stream the music currently stored on my PC and send it thru the BDP. Am I correct? Or, can the music library stored in the internal hard drive of the BDP be used as roon core?

If the BDP cannot be used as a roon core, then I presume the internal hard drive with the stored music will only work with MPD. Is this correct?

I wish I can use roon AND read the music directly from the internal drive of the BDP to get the best sound quality. I have read reviews where it was reported that the sound quality was better from a USB thumb drive than streamed from a NAS. Right now, if I use roon, I stream from my PC. Is there a performance hit by using roon over network with the BDP?

I hope someone who knows what they're talking about will answer this, but I don't see why Roon won't play the files stored on your internal SSD.

The whole thing makes me a little bit crazy, though.

Hi Serge,
Beautiful set up. May I ask what racks you have? They look great. Thanks.
Thanh

Hi Thanh,

Thanks for the nice comment. These are VTI BL404. You can easily find them on Amazon. See vtimanufacturing.com

Hi Serge,
They do look very nice. Thanks for the link! Much appreciated.
Btw I notice you are from Quebec. I grew up in Montreal area, but live now in NJ. I do come back to Montreal quite often as my kids study there. I attend the Montreal Audio festival every year.
Thanh

Revisiting this thread instead of creating a new one, since it's still on topic.
I now have a BDP-3 since last January and it's working like a champ.
But probably because of a Windows update, I no longer see the BDP-3 over my network. Ever since I had Bryston show me the procedure to configure the internal hard drive under Windows, it has worked for 2.5 years until now, even when I moved from the BDP-2 to the BDP-3.

Long story short, since I no longer see the BDP-3 over the network, I cannot transfer my newly ripped CDs nor manage my music.

Can someone indicate the procedure to configure the internal HD under Windows 10?

Thanks!

Hello Serge,

Your problem may have something to do with SMB. Microsoft doesn’t like the SMB protocol, so under normal circumstances, SMB has been disabled. I was having the same problem and it was solved after I enabled SMB.

Here you can read how to turn it on.

https://zappiti.uservoice.com/knowle...-on-windows-10

HTH

WillyP