Bryston SP3 Preamp-Processor

[gbaby]

Originally Posted by Rod#S

It's not like PLIIz, that's matrix processing, these codecs are object based, well Atmos anyways thus much more precise than channel based codecs like dts-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD, legacy dts and Dolby Digital.

I definitely agree most people will never be able to accommodate the extra hardware and frankly the 2 or 4 additional channels offered by the run of the mill receivers or SSPs apparently don't do the format justice. You really need to be in the realm of the Datasat and Trinnov where more channels can be added to get an appreciation of what the format really brings. Of course those processors are incredibly expensive and out of the reach of most.

I must be getting old because I could care less about ATMOS, Auro 3D or any other new codec. I want clean sound and a good story in the movie whether DTS-HD or True DolbyHD. The excitement of another codec is unexciting to me.

[Grit]

The current "HD" formats got us lossless audio, which was awesome.

After that, there isn't any quality to add to the sound, just the new option for using more speakers. I'm also in the living room HT category. I don't want to add speakers to the 5.1 I have.

As I understand it, Atmos (and an upcoming DTS format) provide an "on the fly" mixing system. That's great for the distributors... just encode the audio once and let Atmos (or whatever) work out the number and location of speakers. My guess is that doesn't provide much/any additional benefit if you aren't adding speakers.

Sounds awesome to have tons directional-based speakers in a theater, just not so much (for me) at home.

[Rod#S]

Agreed, for a living room setup it just gets absurd really fast going beyond 7.1 and in a lot of cases even just going beyond 5.1 for practicality reasons.

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Gents -

I purchased a second hand SP3 that arrived yesterday. Serial Number 420. I spent the better part of the day installing it and messing around.

I listened to some music and watched some of this season of The Walking Dead streamed from my oppo last night and I couldn't believe the clarity. Dialog was so crisp and clear. I actually jumped a couple of times when the zombies attacked! I listened to War's Cisco Kid album from HD Tracks via the oppo's balanced output and had a huge smile on my face. I still have some playing around to do which I plan to work on tonight. So far i'm amazed. This unit blows away my old McIntosh MX136 which created more of a wall of sound. This unit has such an open and wide soundstage with amazing clarity.

I work from home and the set up is about 20 feet from my desk. I keep wanting to quit working and go listen to more music. Please keep me informed or on your mailing list for any firmware or hardware upgrades. I plan on keeping this one for a long time!

My set up is:
Bryston SP3
Anthem A5
Oppo BDP-105
Aperion Grand Versus (fronts/center)
Aperion Versus (surround)
JL Audio F112
All better cables XLR connects and speaker wires.


Kyle D. Jemtrud
President
Seaside Capital Group
West Palm Beach, FL

[gbaby]

Originally Posted by James Tanner - Bryston

Gents -

I purchased a second hand SP3 that arrived yesterday. Serial Number 420. I spent the better part of the day installing it and messing around.

I listened to some music and watched some of this season of The Walking Dead streamed from my oppo last night and I couldn't believe the clarity. Dialog was so crisp and clear. I actually jumped a couple of times when the zombies attacked! I listened to War's Cisco Kid album from HD Tracks via the oppo's balanced output and had a huge smile on my face. I still have some playing around to do which I plan to work on tonight. So far i'm amazed. This unit blows away my old McIntosh MX136 which created more of a wall of sound. This unit has such an open and wide soundstage with amazing clarity.

I work from home and the set up is about 20 feet from my desk. I keep wanting to quit working and go listen to more music. Please keep me informed or on your mailing list for any firmware or hardware upgrades. I plan on keeping this one for a long time!

My set up is:
Bryston SP3
Anthem A5
Oppo BDP-105
Aperion Grand Versus (fronts/center)
Aperion Versus (surround)
JL Audio F112
All better cables XLR connects and speaker wires.


Kyle D. Jemtrud
President
Seaside Capital Group
West Palm Beach, FL

Kyle, while you are playing around with your new (used) SP3, you need to listen to that War download again, but not through the Oppo balanced, but rather through the Oppo's HDMI (or coaxial or optical) input, and while you'r at it, try DPLII or DPLIIx music.

[chessman]

I just bought a new SP3 that was built less than a month ago. Can I assume its firmware is up to date without me doing anything more?

[bart]

Randy, congrats on your purchase.
The SP3 is one of the 2 remaining contenders for my purchase of a processor later this year.

[chessman]

Originally Posted by bart

Randy, congrats on your purchase. The SP3 is one of the 2 remaining contenders for my purchase of a processor later this year.

Thanks, Bart! I am more than a little excited!

[-E-]

Originally Posted by chessman

I just bought a new SP3 that was built less than a month ago. Can I assume its firmware is up to date without me doing anything more?

Quite possibly no.

But the FW update is relatively easy to do (might take 2-3 attempts).

[Grit]

Turn on your SP3. After it's booted up, press the left arrow key. You'll get a display that looks similar to my attached image (at the bottom of this message... click the "attached thumbnails" image). The SP3 will display the serial number, firmware version, and IP address.

If you just want a quick answer, the current firmware (as of 5/19/15) is SP3 Firmware version 2015.04b, released 20-April-2015.

If you have the SP3 connected to the internet, you can open a web browser, type in the IP address shown, and bring up the SP3's web interface. From that window, you can click the "File" tab (for files related to the SP3). At the bottom of that page are three gray squares. The middle is labeled "Show Release Notes (new window). That will open a new tab with the current firmware release notes. At the top of that page will be the current firmware version (so you can check for future updates).

Tip - I'd recommend creating a bookmark/favorite for the web address of the SP3 in your browser. The SP3 web interface can be accessed even if the SP3 is in power standby mode (though that option CAN be disabled if you choose in the SP3 settings, but it's on by default).