[werd]

Hi

Yes the BDA-3 actually measured better in a number of areas.

Which brings me to what I have been saying for years - "you can spend more money but you will not get better performance than Bryston"

james

This is likely true....  . I have heard tons of dacs. Not to belittle other gear but Bryston dacs (i owned BDA1 and 2 at the same time) lay down beats better. They are the king dacs for PRAT. Which is basically all i listen for in digital front. You really can't screw the resolution up but you sure as hell can screw up PRAT. The XLR out on those dacs are the best. It just has better swing than rca imo.

[The Rang]

Brought a BDA-3 home tonight for a quick demo, it needs to be back to the store Monday morning.

It's been on display for a year, so I assume it's broken in.

Using my Denon 3930 as a transport and can compare the Denon analog outs with the Bryston at the push of a button.
At first the difference seems very subtle between the Denon's internal DACS (BB's) and the BDA-3 on most songs until you realize the Bryston does everything a little bit better.
Less brash, quieter, more laid back, smoother, deeper, effortless, no fatigue.
All those little improvements add up to a lot.
It sounds "right"
Makes me want to keep listening, and that's HUGE because I haven't felt that way about my system for a very long time.
And this is all with redbook, don't yet have a player that will output my SACDs via HDMI

Not really surprised, kind of expected this.
Definitely confirms that I'll be buying one of these

[witchdoctor]

Brought a BDA-3 home tonight for a quick demo, it needs to be back to the store Monday morning.

It's been on display for a year, so I assume it's broken in.

Using my Denon 3930 as a transport and can compare the Denon analog outs with the Bryston at the push of a button.
At first the difference seems very subtle between the Denon's internal DACS (BB's) and the BDA-3 on most songs until you realize the Bryston does everything a little bit better.
Less brash, quieter, more laid back, smoother, deeper, effortless, no fatigue.
All those little improvements add up to a lot.
It sounds "right"
Makes me want to keep listening, and that's HUGE because I haven't felt that way about my system for a very long time.
And this is all with redbook, don't yet have a player that will output my SACDs via HDMI

Not really surprised, kind of expected this.
Definitely confirms that I'll be buying one of these

Hmmmmm, the difference between a SOA DAC and a 10 year old DVD player was subtle? My hats off to Denon.

[James Tanner]

Hmmmmm, the difference between a SOA DAC and a 10 year old DVD player was subtle? My hats off to Denon.

It's exactly these small differences that differentiate the good from the great 

james

[witchdoctor]

Good point. Try creating a new playlist in Tidal using two versions of the same album, an MQA version and a HIFI version. Put it in shuffle mode, hit play and close your eyes. I know you are not posting about MQA but check out those great "subtle differences". I know it is too soon to put out new MQA product but maybe in 2018.

[The Rang]

It's exactly these small differences that differentiate the good from the great 

james

I agree and as I listen more those subtle (and I think "subtle" might be too subtle a word to describe it LOL) differences become more pronounced.
My initial comments were made after a fairly short session.
Th DAC had been in my cold car for 1.5 hours. maybe it needed to warm up?

Interestingly, the magnitude of difference seems to vary quite a bit from recording to recording.
Biggest was Bruce Cockburn's Stealing Fire. The soundstage widened by about 2 ft on each side with the Bryston.

[The Rang]

Can't get any of my DVD-As to play.
Works on Dolby (despite the manual saying Dolby isn't supported...the 48K light comes on) but nothing for PPCM or LPCM.
Classic DADs and HDADs work fine?  (They're LPCM)
Checked all the outputs on my player, no reason this shouldn't work, especially considering the DADs play

Edit: apparently my Denon won't output LPCM or PPCM if the disc is copy protected, so I'm assuming the old Warners DVDAs fit into that category.
they work fine when I tried HDMI

[Jim Pearce]

Can't get any of my DVD-As to play.

The mysteries of HDCP. I'm still nervous about using HDMI from my Oppo bdp-95 to a bda-3 with my analog video settings. My brother has an Oppo bdp-103 and a bda-3. I may just have to get him to set up for analog video at 720p and try some discs via HDMI.

[XMAN]

I have the BDP2 and the BDA3 combo and tried to play a 352.8 khz flac file and it required the USB input.  I thought the USB requirement was for DSD only anyone know why this is?  Could the player be putting out a wrong "sync" signal or is just the way it is?

[srb]

I have the BDP2 and the BDA3 combo and tried to play a 352.8 khz flac file and it required the USB input.  I thought the USB requirement was for DSD only anyone know why this is?  Could the player be putting out a wrong "sync" signal or is just the way it is?

The S/PDIF coaxial and XLR inputs can only do up to 24-bit/192kHz, which is the bandwidth limitation of the protocol.

 

[XMAN]

The S/PDIF coaxial/BNC/XLR inputs can only do up to 24-bit/192KHz, which is the bandwidth limitation of the protocol.

 

Cheers X

[James Tanner]

Hi Folks,

It’s always a feather in your cap when a reviewer purchases the review sample after their assessment.

BUT when TWO reviewers purchase a unit its exceptionally rare !!!

james


MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston BDA-3 DAC Review – UHF

February 2017

Hi Folks – nice feedback from a review to appear shortly from UHF Magazine on our new BDA-3 DAC.





“Hi Folks,

In the midst of listening sessions with the new Bryston BDA3 DAC.

We began the sessions with the unit you see here, the Bryston BDA-3. We had reviewed the BDA-2 in an earlier issue of UHF, and we can say that the third incarnation of this converter is a mighty leap forward. As usual, we don't give “stars” or other numerical ratings to products we review, because that would take away the nuances we strive to add to our reviews.

Suffice it to say that this is a very good product.

Well, we should possibly add one more nuance: we liked the BDA-3 enough to have purchased one for our reference system. And, to add one more nuance, one of our panelists, Albert Simon, bought one as well.

We're continuing our sessions.”

Gerard Resjkind

[The Rang]

That's good to hear.
I've been reading UHF for years (my Father-in-law is a subscriber) and though they can be cranky at times I respect their opinions.
Reviewers buying samples is the sincerest form of flattery IMO, speaks volumes.

[Hoiman]

I have a BDA-3 to stay over here for a few days, it sounds in combination with a BDP-2 wonderfull.
But one problem is getting sound through HDMI.
What do I do wrong? The HDMI is coming from an Oppo-103eu and a Arcam DV139 and both don't give me any sound throu HDMI.

[James Tanner]

I have a BDA-3 to stay over here for a few days, it sounds in combination with a BDP-2 wonderfull.
But one problem is getting sound through HDMI.
What do I do wrong? The HDMI is coming from an Oppo-103eu and a Arcam DV139 and both don't give me any sound throu HDMI.

I think it has to be the menu in the Oppo not set correctly.

james

[Hoiman]

I think it has to be the menu in the Oppo not set correctly.

Does someone on this forum know what settings, I have tried al lot. SACD set to stereo and HDMI set to auto, pcm and tried PCM. Nothing worked.
But also throu HDMI with the Arcam I had no sound.

[zoom25]

Does someone on this forum know what settings, I have tried al lot. SACD set to stereo and HDMI set to auto, pcm and tried PCM. Nothing worked.
But also throu HDMI with the Arcam I had no sound.

I have none of your components, but if nothing works, try a different HDMI cable perhaps. I've had a few HDMI cables over the years that did not work with certain gear properly. Just on the off chance...

[Hoiman]

try a different HDMI cable perhaps

Ok, I'm going to try this tonight, but do I have to use a special type of HDMI then?
My HDMI cables are around 3 a 4 years old.

[zoom25]

Ok, I'm going to try this tonight, but do I have to use a special type of HDMI then?
My HDMI cables are around 3 a 4 years old.

No of course not. They don't have to expensive or anything like that. You can easily find HDMI cables locally or on Amazon that are $10-$30 and they'll work perfectly. However, DO pay attention in finding out the particular "VERSION" of that particular HDMI cable and make sure that it is a legitimate claim. I own over 20 HDMI cables and have in the past bought HDMI cables that said one thing, but were really something else, which resulted in lack of transmission with some devices, as you have experienced.

The "VERSION" thing I'm talking about can be learned here when you scroll down to the VERSION subsection: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
(1.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.2 etc.)

For all your gear, find out what Version is required to function. All your manufacturers should be able to provide that. After you find that, make sure you are actually buying a proper spec cable from a trusted brand. Nothing more, nothing less. Hope that helps.

EDIT: Also, from some basic searching of the Arcam: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/home-cinema/arcam-dv139-crashing-hdmi-glitches-no-audio-th42px80

Try the proper cable and see if that fixes things. Try a direct connection and HDMI cable from another source into the BDA-3 and see if that changes things as well.

[Hoiman]

Just tried every HDMI cable I have in the house, no one works. Maybe it's a setting in the DAC?