Bryston SP3 Preamp-Processor

[Rod#S]

Well for DTS:X you are out of luck as it's not supported with the SP3, nor is Dolby ATMOS and Auro3D. For 4K from some of the discussions I've been reading you may be in luck, it's looking like a new HDMI board may be made available for the SP3 once MDS makes the new HDMI 2.1 (or will they be 2.2???) boards available to manufacturers. These boards are reportedly going to be 7 in/2 out rather than the current 8 in/out boards.

[nicoff]

Originally Posted by audiohippo

I am looking at a new 4K Projector with a matching player, how would the SP3 deal with the new Ultra HD Bluray discs and DTS:X audio?

The short answer is it can't.

Rod#s mentioned several upgrades that MAY be offered in the future. And MAY is the key word. If it were me, I would not purchase the SP3 thinking that what I need/want today MAY be offered sometime in the (undefined) future. I continue to enjoy my SP3, but do realize that it has not kept up with the latest technology.

[audiohippo]

OK. It was my understanding that the DTS:X was backward compatible and contained either a DTS-MA or similar stream allowing it to still be decoded on non DTS:X processors/AVRs, but you don't get the full features of DTS:X.

Does this work on the SP3?

[gbaby]

Originally Posted by audiohippo

OK. It was my understanding that the DTS:X was backward compatible and contained either a DTS-MA or similar stream allowing it to still be decoded on non DTS:X processors/AVRs, but you don't get the full features of DTS:X.

Does this work on the SP3?

Does what work, DTS-X or DTS-MA? If you need DTS-X then no. This like ATMOS is a new codec for speakers in the ceiling. People interested in the SP3 are music lovers who are not interested in hearing music in the ceiling. I have personally heard ATMOS and I was not impressed with music in the ceiling as it sounded gimmicky and unnatural. I think these new codecs are more hype than having any real value. I don't hear sound above my head like an airplane. I will hear the noise from an airplane and even if it goes over my head, the sound which is basically low frequency is omni directional and not above me.

[Rod#S]

Originally Posted by audiohippo

OK. It was my understanding that the DTS:X was backward compatible and contained either a DTS-MA or similar stream allowing it to still be decoded on non DTS:X processors/AVRs, but you don't get the full features of DTS:X.

Does this work on the SP3?

Ah, I didn't realize that's what you were curious about with respect to DTS:X. SP3 owners will chime in but I believe yeah you should have no issues with backward compatibility. I'm not sure if you would get DTS-MA as an embedded backward compatibility track thus would be your default or if it shows up separately as an option for you in the disc setup menu.

[nicoff]

Originally Posted by gbaby

People interested in the SP3 are music lovers who are not interested in hearing music in the ceiling.:

I have to disagree somewhat with this statement.

I am a music lover and I don't care about hearing music from the ceiling. However, even in the music department the SP3 is falling behind the curve. No native DSD, and sub-par USB input. (Right now USB can only do 16/44 or 16/48 so there is no way of playing higher resolution files via that input.)

The SP3 is priced and positioned to do BOTH music and movies very well and that is why it commands such a MSRP.

I think that it is not right to try and justify its video shortcomings just because it has done audio well in the past. The SP3 is falling behind in both the video and audio department. That is somewhat understandable considering that the unit is already more than 5 years old in a rapid changing digital world where 3 years is ancient. So I am hopeful that a newer version,say, SP3a or SP4 is already in the works.

[gbaby]

Originally Posted by nicoff

I have to disagree somewhat with this statement.

I am a music lover and I don't care about hearing music from the ceiling. However, even in the music department the SP3 is falling behind the curve. No native DSD, and sub-par USB input. (Right now USB can only do 16/44 or 16/48 so there is no way of playing higher resolution files via that input.)

The SP3 is priced and positioned to do BOTH music and movies very well and that is why it commands such a MSRP.

I think that it is not right to try and justify its video shortcomings just because it has done audio well in the past. The SP3 is falling behind in both the video and audio department. That is somewhat understandable considering that the unit is already more than 5 years old in a rapid changing digital world where 3 years is ancient. So I am hopeful that a newer version,say, SP3a or SP4 is already in the works.

Now that I own the BDA3, DSD is over-rated in my opinion. As far as 4k and the video, you need to go the the McIntosh forum and read all the problems folks are having with 4k and HDR on the MX-160. And USB, since its 2 channel, I never us it on my BDA3. So, the only thing I'm interested in is the SP3's clean signal so I can play my thousands of PCM CDs of popular music. The only DSD I own are in SACDs but I prefer to hear them in 5.1 PCM with a 176/24 sampling rate. With DSD, you can only listen in 2 channel unless you get an exasound D/A converter. Finally, ATMOS and DTS-X is simply irrelevant to me in that I have no interest in ceiling sound or object placement. I've heard it and my impression was, so what?

[Chad.Wagner]

I use my Oppo 105D for DSD's. I believe Bryston is working on a USB update for the SP3.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by gbaby

And USB, since its 2 channel, I never us it on my BDA3.

USB is not 2channel. Bryston's implementation of it is, at the moment, limited to 2 channel and some of us are hoping this will be updated.

[Rod#S]

Originally Posted by gbaby

Now that I own the BDA3, DSD is over-rated in my opinion. As far as 4k and the video, you need to go the the McIntosh forum and read all the problems folks are having with 4k and HDR on the MX-160. And USB, since its 2 channel, I never us it on my BDA3. So, the only thing I'm interested in is the SP3's clean signal so I can play my thousands of PCM CDs of popular music. The only DSD I own are in SACDs but I prefer to hear them in 5.1 PCM with a 176/24 sampling rate. With DSD, you can only listen in 2 channel unless you get an exasound D/A converter. Finally, ATMOS and DTS-X is simply irrelevant to me in that I have no interest in ceiling sound or object placement. I've heard it and my impression was, so what?

Irrelevant to you is one thing of course but it's obviously just your opinion because there are many that really enjoy it and when setup properly integration is seamless and it doesn't draw attention to the ceiling speakers. So many Bryston users I imagine would really like that this new audio format is incorporated in a future product.

McIntosh is far from a benchmark SSP manufacturer in my opinion, it's just not their area of expertise so any issues their product has with 4K is potentially irrelevant because many other manufactures appear to be getting things right.

Since there is a big DSD/SACD niche market especially in classical, both 2 channel and surround it would be good for Bryston owners with investments in the media to be able to feed that directly into a SSP so I can certainly see a desire by owners to want that. I can see why it was limited to 2 channel in the BDA-3 because it's essentially a stereo product but with the SSP's primary goal being surround it seems to only make sense that multi-channel over USB be something Bryston considers in the future.