It took me almost a year to decide on the BDA-2. I did my own set of comparisons with what were then considered high-end DACs i.e. Musical Fidelity M6DAC, NAD M51, M2Tech Young, Exposure 2010S2 but also some more affordable DACs. All of these sounded more similar than different to be quite honest.
However, I also took into account quality of the connectors, number of inputs, how fast and reliable the connection is (some DACs would take up to 2 seconds to lock onto the incoming signal) and guarantee period. None of these things are taken into account by professional reviewers. Let's face it, you cannot really give any positive points for DAC locking onto a signal quickly because you expect it to. You can only give negative points if it doesn't so it's better not to mention it at all. But I was quite surprised just how many litttle things there are about these devices that can go wrong and that can sway you into one direction or another.
Musical Fidelity sounded the most resolving and the dynamic contrasts were rather dramatic. NAD M51 was the most refined-sounding. M2Tech sounded all-around great but not quite up to the level of these two. But Musical Fidelity dealer offered only 12 months of guarantee period and additional 24 months for an Extra Premium. I also disliked the Musical Fidelity's display and selectable digital filter that made no audible difference to the audio. As for NAD, I didn't like it's tinny chassis or the quality of it's connectors. I certainly didn't like the M2Tech's outboard power supply. Bryston was a more balanced product on all fronts. It is well made, connectors are of high quality, it is straightforward in use and is not dependent on quality of the signal or the cables. It also sounds wonderful. It's almost as dynamic as the Musical Fidelity and almost as refined as the NAD. It offers better spatiality than either. Sadly, it was also the most expensive DAC but the guarantee period was the longest and the dealer was the friendliest.
There's one other thing. I did a lot of a reading about DAC technology, it's promises and it's pitfalls. While other DACs were technologically impressive, especially the NAD, Bryston had the most developed analog section. Not only is it's output section discrete but it's input section as well. That's something you just don't see. It means extra effort was put into designing the circuit layout. So it's a very "sanely" designed DAC, employing proven technique and principles. So while it doesn't claim any extraordinary feature, it delivers.
Stereophile is one of the more "reliable" magazines in my opinion but that doesn't mean you should trust them blindly. Stereophile, like any other magazine of this tpye, is by definition an extended "arm" of the companies' marketing department and this is something you should always keep in mind.
Cheers!
Antun
