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  #81  
Old 11-05-2017, 11:49 AM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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Hi James,

The BCD3 sounds stunning...I never knew how good redbood CD actually sounds !

With the BCD, I dont miss SACD or any of the other formats we had along the way...

Cheers
Tom
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  #82  
Old 11-09-2017, 06:33 AM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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Hi Folks

Received my Bryston BDA-3 DAC.

First impressions are better that I expected.

There is a noticeable difference in sound. More detail but less harshness (the harshness that I did not know was there) Instruments sounds more natural. The bass is more tuneful. Another good thing is it was very easy to setup. Plugged the HDMI 2 out on my OPPO 105D to the first HDMI input of Bryston. A few adjustments in OPPO settings and it worked flawlessly locking into whatever I feed into it, be it DSD or PCM. I think it will only get better with time.


GEAR:
Kuzma Stabi M, Kuzma 4 Point, Kuzma Car 40, Transrotor Phono 8.2mc sym, Bryston BDA-3, Oppo 105d, Amtrans resistor based custom passive pre, line magnetic 503pa s.e.t. monoblocks (modded), AVM 3.2 s.s. monoblocks, hypex class d sub amp, diy horn based 6 way speakers

Kodomo
Turkey
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  #83  
Old 01-17-2018, 02:21 PM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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http://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/revi...d-3-cd-player/
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  #84  
Old 04-12-2018, 05:02 AM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Review From Malaysia

April 2018

AudioFi.net

Bryston BCD-3 – keeping CD alive and relevant

BRYSTON BCD-3 CD player

It’s 2018, and yes, we’re still with the CD format. Just as there are probably trillions of LPs out there waiting/needing to be played (and hence ensuring vinyl’s continued existence despite predictions of its demise as far back as the early 1990s), music lovers and audiophiles have billions of CDs in circulation that will keep the silver disc alive for a while longer. In fact, there is a signification swathe of audiophiles who prefer the completely hassle-free nature of CD playback, shunning vinyl (for its finicky nature) and today’s trend in streamers (for the perceived complexity).

Apart from vinyl, I have music stored in computers, network-attached storage and a hard disk player, yet, a good portion of my listening is reliant on CD playback. It’s convenient and my collection has been built over three decades. While my Sony HAP-Z1ES is increasingly taking up a fair share of my time, I often use the CD player as a reference. And honestly, there’s just more physical involvement than streaming music.

Getting to the point, which is CD playback… the Bryston BCD-3 CD player. We haven’t reviewed a CD player on this website for more than three years. Vinyl and USB DACs have been getting all the attention, but I was curious about the level of progress made in CD playback in recent times. My stalwart Ayon CD-1S a few years old… and something inside was nudging me to browse and hear what today’s technology had to offer.

The BCD-3 caught my attention because, as Bryston states, “universal disc players can play back CDs but certainly won’t resolve the full dynamic range and nuance the medium is capable of; they inherently compromise CD playback to support additional formats.”

The BCD-3, Bryston emphasises, “was engineered explicitly for the purpose of making your Redbook CDs sound amazing.” As you may have guessed, it plays only Redbook CD, and has both XLR and RCA analogue outputs, along with a coaxial (S/PDIF) and AES/EBU XLR output each, should you want to link it to an outboard DAC. The Ethernet and USB-A outputs you see on the rear panel are merely for control purposes.

The Bryston remote handset, the BR2, is an expensive option, but you can use a third-party universal remote. Or hook the player up, via the Ethernet port, to your home network and you can use a smart phone app to control the CD player. The BCD-3, which is available in black or silver faceplates (and with 2U rack-mount option), measures 432 x 85 x 293mm ((w/h/d) with its standard fascia. There’s a longer faceplate available which adds about 50mm to the width.

I took a unit back, ready to be amazed…

SETTING UP
CD players are simply plug-and-play, and this is no different. The decision is whether you want to use the RCA or XLR outputs. I can’t say I found any discernible difference in performance between both, but if you’re using long lengths of interconnects, it is advisable to opt for the balanced outputs.

On powering up, the BCD-3 initialises for a brief second and is ready to accept a disc. The green display is a bit retro and I found it a refreshing visual change.

The sliding tray for the transport is reinforced with slim metal bars at either side, and feels more reassuring than those on cheaper players. The display is a bit bright but can be controlled… but since I operated the player sans remote, I had to make do with the display screen at its brightest always.

LISTENING
Since this was a demo unit, it had already seen some action and didn’t require me to waste too much electricity running it in over weeks. The reference, of course, was my tube-equipped Ayon CD-1s, which has been in my system for more than half-a-dozen years. While I was not expecting to be blown away (let’s not beat around the issue, the Bryston isn’t priced in the stratospheric range, if it were, my expectations would have been sky-high), what quickly drew me to the BCD-3’s performance was its poise and control. If you think CD’s sound is dated and high-res is the way to go, well, the BCD-3 pulls off a few new tricks in the Red Book range.

There’s well defined deep bass (as much as my speakers/room will give me) and there’s the same level of definition and clarity across the reproduced audible frequency spectrum – natural and smooth, and no “warm-ish” glow in the mids or highs, unlike the Ayon. The BCD-3 is clear in its brief of delivering exactly what is on the CD – no additions or omissions, you get the details, warts and roses, ie, whatever has been laid down on the recording.

It had a superior grasp of spatial information, as in the space around each instrument and voices, than the Ayon, and no colouring of timbre or tone. Lest you think it may be leaning towards a sterile or clinical approach, this is not the case – it shows up the nature of the recordings in all its glory (or not), so you can lay the blame on the recording/mastering process if some music reproduced is cooler in energy or vibrancy. If there’s a whole lot of pizzazz in the performance, the BCD-3 lets you hear it.

Among my regular reference CDs for assessing a system are Dire Straits’ eponymous debut album, Diana Krall’s Love Scenes and a test disc called Dynamic Experience containing some challenging bass, drums and blues tracks (Victor Wooten, Jim Keltner and Stevie Ray Vaughan respectively) and on these, I found the BCD-3 pulling ahead in some areas, revealing certain nuances better than the Ayon, while never fazed by hard-hitting kick drums or the biting knife’s edge tonal texture of a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar.

Some CD players can give you all these, but sound a tad too relaxed or laidback… not the BCD-3. It conveys the inherent excitement or aggression without going over the top and risk sounding in-your-face or brash. Listening to jazz recordings was sheer pleasure, the player conveying the ambience and mood with a cool and comfortable ease that made you forget you were sitting in your listening room.

While the Ayon has a more forward and bolder presentation, the BCD-3 is more balanced in the depth of its stage, drawing the listener in especially with the better recordings. It also had a wider stage, and this allowed a smoother fleshing out of detail, with the darker backdrop exposing nuances to a greater degree.

THE LAST WORD
There’s really no reason not to recommend this CD player… if you’re in the market for one at this price. Yes, I do feel Bryston has painted itself into a bit of a corner by delivering a purist player like the BCD-3… at the price, there would be expectations of a digital input – at least a USB one – to allow external media to be played, too. However, this would have meant needing DSD compatibility, at the least. My guess is that since Bryston already has other digital player/DAC options in its range, the company didn’t want to cannibalise that market by making the BCD-3 more versatile and “beyond” Red Book.

That said and done, this is a very fine CD playback machine that will ensure its owner years of fine musical enjoyment, and is an especially great investment of you have a vast collection of CDs and don’t see yourself parting with the format anytime in the near future. The only reason I didn’t put my money down on it was that my current player works just fine. If yours doesn’t and/or you’re looking to upgrade or put together an impressive high-end CD-based system, the Bryston BCD-3 is a great proposition.

PLUS: Sonically captivating, with a detailed and solid presentation; impressive build quality; gets to the heart of the recording in the right system; very honest.

MINUS: Nothing much other than my grouse that the Bryston remote is a costly option (important if you don’t like using apps or independent units).

Performance: 9/10
Value: 8/10


Gear
Sources: Ayon Audio CD-1s CD player, Sony HAP-Z1ES HDD audio player, VPI Classic Signature turntable-3D tonearm/Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC cartridge/VPI ADS power supply / Amplification: Vitus RI-100 integrated, Audio Flight Phono, Crayon Audio CIA-1 / Speakers: Spatial Audio M3 Turbo S / Wires: Paul Speltz Anti-Cables speaker cable, interconnects and power cords, Nordost Red Dawn interconnects and power cords, Purist Audio interconnect s / Supply: AVIA balanced power transformers, Frank Acoustics PB15000 power bank storage.

Last edited by James Tanner - Bryston; 04-12-2018 at 03:03 PM.
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  #85  
Old 09-11-2018, 12:26 PM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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Hi Folks,

There will be a review on the Bryston BCD-3 CD Player in the December issue of Absolute Sound Magazine. :thumb:

james
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  #86  
Old 11-12-2018, 08:59 AM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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Hi Folks,

Please see the attached PDF on a review of the Bryston BCD-3 CD Player - please make note of the Lab tests!


Favorite Quote:

"I am fairly certain that those are the best results Newport Test Labs has ever recorded for a CD player."


http://www.bryston.com/PDF/reviews/2..._AHF_BCD-3.pdf

Last edited by James Tanner - Bryston; 11-12-2018 at 12:41 PM.
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  #87  
Old 11-18-2018, 09:38 AM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston BCD-3 CD Player Review - Absolute Sound

November 2018

“I began this review process wondering if a player like the BCD-3 is even relevant in today’s digital world. I discovered, to my surprise, that it is.

My next discovery was just how good the BCD-3 sounds, and how much of an improvement it represents over even excellent last-generation CD players.

Then, the Bryston went toe-to-toe with one of the best CD players available—without embarrassing itself in the least. Lastly, I discovered that the BCD-3’s upgrade path, which consists of turning itself into a transport to work with future or more expensive DACs, really works.

Put this together and you really do have what could be your last CD player. The BCD-3’s single-minded design and functionality delivers CD performance that doesn’t come along every day. And, as we’ve seen with the BCD-1, there’s no guarantee such a player will be here tomorrow. If I were choosing a CD player that wouldn’t break the bank but was unflinching in its musical and sonic generosity, the BCD-3 would be at the top of my list.”

Alan Taffel,
the absolute sound.
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  #88  
Old 12-01-2018, 02:46 AM
navrsale navrsale is offline
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Default How does it compare to Rega Saturn?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Haurock View Post
"Bryston products are not cheap, but so worth it."

I don't think that $3500 for either the BDA3 of the BCD3 is necessarily expensive in comparison to what is available today. I would call it 'moderately' priced.

Having said that given the quality of the sound I'm hearing... I would say it is a BARGAIN!

Both these products can easily play with products twice their price.. and probably win.

How does it compare to Rega Saturn?
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  #89  
Old 12-10-2018, 09:05 PM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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https://www.fidelity-magazin.de/2018...bryston-bcd-3/
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  #90  
Old 12-23-2018, 03:33 PM
James Tanner - Bryston James Tanner - Bryston is offline
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Hi James,

I have had the Bryston BCD-3 CD Player for about a week and a half now. Been doing a lot of serious listening in that time.

Jaw dropping is the first thought that comes to mind!


This player replaces the BCD-1 which I thought "It can't get any better than this!" Well it did. How much information are on these cd's?

This has taken my all Bryston system to a much higher level.Kudos to you for pushing for this player against the wishes of others.

Again, thank-you for being, Bryston.

Cheers, Keith
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