Absolute Sound Magazine - Buyers Guide 2019

[James Tanner - Bryston]

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Absolute Sound Magazine – Buyers Guide 2019

Bryston BP26/MPS2 Preamplifier (Optional Internal DAC/Phono)

This two-chassis, fully featured preamp has lots of connectors (RCA and XLR) and traditional control knobs and switches rather than an interactive, menu-driven control screen. It even has a decent headphone section. Only tone controls were skipped. Build-quality and sonics are quite high as its price level.

The BP26 sounded tonally neutral with fairly high resolution of fine detail and notable upper- frequency openness, all leading to a pristine presentation without edginess. The BP26 seemed to bring forth the central thrust of whatever music was playing with fatigue-free musical verve. Bass extensions and dynamic control were also strong points as were soundstage width and height.

The BP26 offers versatility and musical enjoyment at a competitive price. Bryston's famous 20-year warranty gives buyers assurance of long-term reliability.

Bryston BCD-3 CD Player

In a world where CD players are fast becoming obsolete, the Bryston BCD-3 bows with musical and sonic generosity that doesn't come along every day.

The company's latest CD player represents a substantial upgrade over its lauded BCD-1 (there was no BCD-2). Enhancements include an entirely new transport and dual 32-bit AKM 4490 DAC chips. Compared to its predecessor, the BCD-3 offers far better channel separation, resulting not only in a wider soundstage but also more solid imagining.

The new model also boasts a lower noise floor, so music emerges with greater purity, tangibility, and dynamic contrast.

Thoughtfully, Bryston included a high-grade digital output. Thus, if outboard DACs evolve beyond the superb BDA-3- based model within the BCD-3, owners can utilize the Bryston as a pure transport. If you're considering buying one last CD player- one that's future-proof and won't break the bank- the BCD-3 should top your list.

Bryston BDA-3 DAC

The Bryston BDA-3 enhances the functionality of the 2013 Product of the Year Award Winning- BDA-2 by adding a second asynchronous USB input and four HDMI inputs, PCM sample rates up to 384kHz are now supported, as are DSD rates up to DSD256. Most significantly , not only can DSD signals be received by the BDA-3 USB inputs, but also from suitably equipped HDMI sources.

The evolutionary development of Bryston's DACs from the original BDA-1 to the BDA-3 has been an object lesson in digital progress. Bryston's BDA-3 DAC surpasses the high-value performance standard set by the BDA-2, enables inexpensive HDMI-equipped disc players to function as premium source components, and adds exceptionally engaging DSD playback to its potent mix of virtues.