Bryston BDA-1 anyone have any experience with this DAC?

[MC352]

I was reading a copy of TAS last night and saw a review on this DAC.

Has anyone had any experience with this unit?

[Levi]

We heard the Bryston DAC in one of our audio gatherings. WE compared it to Orpheus One DAC, DIO and Modified Zhaolu. It's too bad I was not paying attention in the DAC shootout but I heard the Bryston. It is a good! I didn't hear the USB input.

[faberryman]

Here is a link to an interview with James Tanner of Bryston concerning the BDA-1 and other Bryston components:

Bryston Interview

[weird]

Hello folks

New here..... nice site with a good selection of boards. I notice this post is a little old but i will go ahead anyways. I own the BDA-1 and it's great slick unit. I normally use a 4b/sq but have my Blue circle bc22 running with it right now.

If auditioning the BDA or BCD try and use the BP26 with it too and make it a consideration also. I own both these sources and they are very neutral. They both can sound forward sounding or laid back depending on what your partner with it. But the BP26 is also very neutral and it really brings the benefits bcd or bda soundstage to life. I have always considered the Bryston pre and BCD or BDA as one piece.

[jdandy]

werd.......Welcome to Audio Aficionado.

[Still-One]

Welcome Werd.

Thanks for the insight on the Bryston gear.

[weird]

Originally Posted by Stillone

Welcome Werd.

Thanks for the insight on the Bryston gear.

Np... i enjoy talking about that dac.

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi All

Sneak preview – this review on the Bryston BDA-1 DAC will be posted shortly – will give link when available.

Bio
David McCallum is co-owner of Toronto’s Tattersall Sound and Picture. A sound designer & editor, David has won numerous awards during a 15 year career including 3 Genie Awards for best sound in Canadian film, 7 Gemini Awards for best sound in Canadian television, and Britian’s prestigious BAFTA award for best sound. David has also spent more than a decade writing Hi-Fi reviews and columns.

Bryston BDA 1 Digital to Analog Converter

Introduction
We all know of Bryston’s accomplishments as a manufacturer of high quality analog amplification products. They have been at it for decades, and their most recent SST2 series amplifiers have received strong praise within the hi-fi community. The new 7B SST2 mono-block amplifiers received a prestigious four note rating here on TIE’s website <http://www.innerearmag.com/reviews/amplifiers/Bryston_7B_SST.shtml>. However, over the last decade Bryston’s most impressive work may be in the design of dedicated two-channel digital electronics.

History
Bryston’s foray into digital audio began about ten years ago with the introduction of an internal 96/24 DAC designed for the BP25 pre-amplifier. Following the internal DAC were multiple generations of multi-channel surround sound processors for home theater (SP 1.0, SP 1.7 & SP 2.0). At that time much of the world was moving toward all-inclusive products that handled both video and audio in one unit, prioritizing convenience of use and connectivity. Bryston, however, made the decision to exclude video circuitry from their processor because of the impact it had on the audio performance. By successfully pairing digital audio decoding with high quality analog output circuits, Bryston’s processors quickly became known for their uncompromising sound quality.

Moving forward a few years, with the electronics world in the middle of a battle between high-definition media formats, and with many hi-fi enthusiasts exploring computer-based music, Bryston made another curious decision; they designed a CD player – investing substantial resources into a format that many consider to be dying. The result was the BCD 1 compact disc player.

Not coincidentally, in one unique aspect the BCD 1 mirrored Bryston’s earlier surround sound processors: simplicity. The unit only does one thing: it plays redbook-standard 44.1K-16bit compact discs. However, it plays them very well. With design emphasis placed on its dual-discrete, class A analog output stage, Bryston’s first disc player became an instant hit. Since it’s release in 2007 the BCD 1 has received worldwide praise and countless awards, and has become the most successful Bryston product to date.

After investing the resources in developing the BCD 1 CD player it was logical for Bryston to further advance their digital product line. The success of the disc player proved to Bryston that they had the ability to succeed in the world of stand-alone digital electronics. According to James Tanner (VP of Sales and Marketing), Bryston was looking for a product that was capable of tying multiple digital sources together. The result is the BDA 1 DAC.

Technical Overview
Bryston’s BDA 1 DAC is an external stereo digital-to-analog converter. It is capable of converting numerous digital input signals (from 32k-16bit to 192k-24bit) via eight selectable inputs options and six input types (USB, 2 COAX, 2 OPTICAL, AES-EBU, 2 BNC). The analog signal is output via unbalanced RCA or fully differential balanced XLR connectors.

Inside the box, the BDA 1 employs a fully discrete, dual mono design with completely separate digital and analog signal paths. It starts with impedance matching transformers that provide optimum termination of the incoming digital data stream. The signal also passes through both a re-sampling and re-clocking process in order to reduce jitter.

Jitter is a nasty attribute of digital audio transmission, the result of mistiming of the data as it moves between two points in the audio chain. By providing a re-sampled & re-clocked signal to the DAC chips, the BDA 1 is able to greatly reduce the effects of jitter in the audible signal.

Finally, two independent 192k/24bit Crystal CS-4398 DAC chips are used to perform the conversion from digital to analog. The analog signal now moves through two completely separate analog audio chains. Each chain uses its own independent linear power supply, has a separate ground plan, and a fully discrete, class-A proprietary analog output amplifier circuit.

There are a few more relevant features, such as user selectable up-sampling (176.4k & 192k), transformer coupled SPDIF & AES EBU digital inputs, and SPDIF COAX bypass loop output, but at this point I’m more interested in wrapping up the technical garble and getting onto what really matters, which is how the BDA 1 sounds.

The Sound
Let me tell you a story. The Bryston BDA 1 arrived on a Sunday afternoon in mid-December after I had spent an extensive weekend testing RCA interconnect cables. As the day moved on I pushed my cable testing to the limit and was due to leave the house. By then I had probably logged 20 hrs of listening over the weekend and was pretty spent on hi-fi, but felt a pull to at least hook up the BDA 1.

Using Alan Parsons & Stephen Court’s Test Disc Two reference CD for about the 30th time that weekend, I set the system to my regular listening level, ran a few tests and finally skipped down to the instrument cues. While listening first to a solo piano then a few guitar tracks I found myself a bit disoriented; the whole system sounded quite different. I was only a few seconds into Limelight by The Alan Parsons Project when my enthusiasm started to build. Something big was happening here.

Knowing that I was under some pressure to get out of the house, I couldn’t resist trying one more song. Into my player went Abbey Road. Selecting track seven and knowing the volume was perfect, I sat back with my eyes closed. I smiled as the opening guitar in Here Comes the Sun began to pour gently from the left channel of my ATC SCM 20 loudspeakers. By the time the song spread across the room and George Harrison’s voice rang out, I knew something very special had entered my system.

Following a weekend of cable testing in which I found myself straining to find even minute differences, this new component was quite simply a game changer. Differences were no longer subtle, improvements were no longer debatable and the overall sound quality had leaped forward a multitude of degrees. For the rest of that night and the next day my time was split between raving about what I had heard and anticipating when I would get to play with the BDA 1 again.

My next opportunity had to wait a full 24 hrs. Arriving home from work I slid past my lovely wife who had already started cooking dinner. She knew where I was headed and graciously let me pass down into my hi-fi den.

While waiting for the tubes on my Modwright LS 36.5 preamp to warm up I figured out the BDA 1’s next test: how would Bryston’s DAC compare to SACD? I’m an avid SACD enthusiast, one of a dying breed I know, but I have remained a hold out. So for the next go-round I planned to play three different stereo SACD tracks, level match the system and switch to the CD layer. The BCD 1 adds about 2-3 db of gain to the system, which is a massive difference if not accounted for with a volume trim.

The tracks I planned to use were Here We Go Again by Ray Charles & Norah Jones, Ring them Bells by Bob Dylan and The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini. I started with Here We Go Again on SACD. It sounded as I expected: lush, full and spacious. But after just one track I wanted to get right to the test and switch to the CD layer.

“WOW” I must have yelled, probably more than once. What sounded good before now leapt from the speakers, breathing life and space into the room where none had been before. Clarity, detail, bass response, high frequency extension, depth, dynamic range, imaging…you name the sonic attribute and the improvements were obvious. I ended up listening to about 6-8 tracks in each format, and as amazed as I was there really was no comparison between the SACD layer and the 44.1k-16b redbook layer. The BCD 1 remained a game changer.

Responding to my constant outbursts my wife climbed down the stairs and pronounced, “You’ve got 4 minutes to wow me.” While not an audiophile, Natalie is a real music enthusiast who willingly participated in much of my weekend cable testing. As a result, she was quite versed in the system’s sound, and, I think, skeptical of my ravings about the BDA 1.

Under pressure to make a quick impression, I eagerly put Abbey Road back into the CD player and again skipped down to track seven. As the guitar began I noticed a smile creep across her face, and after about 30 seconds, right around the time George crooned “little darlin’’’ for the first time, Natalie turned and said, “you weren’t kidding.”

Abandoning any comparisons to SACD or cables, we simply enjoyed each song as if it were a new discovery. The Beatles, Van Morrison, Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Lyle Lovett, Dire Straits, The Chieftains, Bob Dylan, U2, Neko Case and Oscar Peterson all got their fair share. Near the end of the session, as the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue reached its final notes Natalie leaned over and said, “I hope this never leaves.” The BDA 1 had announced its presence, and it was here to stay.

Conclusion
I know the previous part of this review read more like a story than a technical analysis. I’ve left out comparisons to other DACs, explanations of attributes like upsampling and evaluations of its performance on different types of music. However, I found myself having so much fun listening to music through the BDA 1 that my experience seemed best expressed as a narrative. But I will add a few bits of hi-fi related info for those who are curious.

The most exceptional quality of the BDA 1 is its overall musicality. The DAC sounds very sweet, with warmth not often attributed to digital audio. However that warmth does not come at the sacrifice of accuracy. There is an exceptional level of separation between channels, resulting in a very high level of detail across the entire sonic spectrum. Highs are crisp and clear without bite, the midrange has the full space it requires, and bass & depth are uncompromised. My instinct is that these attributes are directly related to the quality of the design in the analog output stage.

I have spent a lot of time listening to Bryston equipment. I own a 9B SST amplifier, and through my affiliation with TIE have listened to most products they have manufactured in the last decade. This relatively inexpensive DAC ranks with the best components Bryston has produced. As I’m sure you can tell, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the BDA 1. It is an exceptionally good product, and would probably earn the same level of praise if it cost three times as much. But it doesn’t. Whether you choose to evaluate it based on design, functionality, sound or price, the BDA 1 is a winner.

David Mccallum

[jdandy]

James.......Thanks for the reprint. Great review on the BDA-1. There are plenty of older redbook CD players with a digital output that could bring their performance level way up with this DAC, using the old player as a transport only.

Would a BCD-1 benefit from the use of a BDA-1?

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Originally Posted by jdandy

James.......Thanks for the reprint. Great review on the BDA-1. There are plenty of older redbook CD players with a digital output that could bring their performance level way up with this DAC, using the old player as a transport only.

Would a BCD-1 benefit from the use of a BDA-1?

Hi Dan,

Theoretically no because the advantage of an all in one CD player is you can CLOCK the DRIVE directly to the DAC through the MASTER CLOCK so the jitted numbers should be lower with the BCD-1 CD Player.

That being said I think the jitter numbers are so low anyway in both products that it comes down to other design issues. What we found is attention to areas such as independent power supplies for both analog and digital sections, separate ground planes for both analog and digital circuits, transformer coupled inputs, and fully discrete (no IC's) Class A amplification circuitry are really what makes the Bryston BDA-1 DAC and CD Player perform at the level they do.

The reports I get from the field is that some feel the BDA-1 enhances the BCD-1 CD Players performance and some say they can not hear a difference when switching between them.

james