BCD-1 CD Player Reviews?

James Tanner · « **Reply #80 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 11:56 am »

Hi All,

Just got a PDF of the review on the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player in the December issue of Hi-Fi Choice in England.

It is a full 4 page review and to say it is a great review is a real understatement.

Here is the last paragraph:

"If it's not already apparent by now, this is a great CD Player. We judged it by standards that are 50 percent more expensive and found little wanting in terms of musical engagement. In fact if timing is your bag then you might prefer the nailed down approach of the Bryston to competitors at twice the price.

Jason Kennedy
Hi-Fi Choice"

Email me if you want a PDF of the complete review - jamestanner@bryston.ca.

nobel · « **Reply #81 on:** 26 Oct 2007, 07:38 pm »

Hi James

I have read the review which you mentioned. I am slighlty baffled in that the reviewer states that the Bryston CD player is on the dry side like the Bryston amps and that in a nutshell although has good timing etc..it is lean. He then goes to say that with a good CD the performance excels( becoming rich) thus contradicting himself.

I may be wrong but surely the system depend on the other ancillary components. Thus I am sure for example that the Bryston CD player the BP26 , 4BSST and say PMC OB1 would yield superior results and any dryness ( whatever that means ) would be overcome with the correct interconnect.

Although as you mention the review is good , I would be grateful if you could clarify this anomaly.

James Tanner · « **Reply #82 on:** 26 Oct 2007, 08:00 pm »

Quote from: nobel on 26 Oct 2007, 07:38 pm

Hi James

I have read the review which you mentioned. I am slighlty baffled in that the reviewer states that the Bryston CD player is on the dry side like the Bryston amps and that in a nutshell although has good timing etc..it is lean. He then goes to say that with a good CD the performance excels( becoming rich) thus contradicting himself.

I may be wrong but surely the system depend on the other ancillary components. Thus I am sure for example that the Bryston CD player the BP26 , 4BSST and say PMC OB1 would yield superior results and any dryness ( whatever that means ) would be overcome with the correct interconnect.

Although as you mention the review is good , I would be grateful if you could clarify this anomaly.

Hi Nobel,

Not sure I can comment on Jason's comments as I am not positive I am completely sure I know what 'Dry' means in British language context. By 'Dry" I think he means 'Accurate" as opposed to "Romantic"
I will email him your comments and see what he has to say.

james

James Tanner · « **Reply #83 on:** 30 Oct 2007, 08:52 am »

HI All,

Link to the BCD-1 CD Player review in December HI-Fi Choice.

http://www.bryston.ca/pdfs/07/HIFICHOICE_AI.pdf

james

onthefly · « **Reply #84 on:** 30 Oct 2007, 04:31 pm »

For anyone interested Hi-Fi News (UK) are reviewing the BCD1 in their next issue.

James Tanner · « **Reply #85 on:** 15 Nov 2007, 05:53 pm »

Can anyone translate the conclusion in this review for me?

http://www.richcoln.com/pdf/11Oct07/bcd1.pdf

james

lo_tse · « **Reply #86 on:** 16 Nov 2007, 04:11 am »

James,

Looks like this is a review appeared in a popular Hi-Fi mag published in Hong Kong. I can translate the conclusion for you. It is short but "sweet".

"Although the Bryston BCD-1 came late, it did not disappoint. The outstanding performance together with its reasonable price renders it another CD player of choice in the high end market."

The above is essentially a literal translation of the conclusion.

I am interested in the BCD-1 and I have some questions to ask. Is the player operating in dual differential configuration? Lastly, any plan to upgrade the software of the player anytime soon? Thanks!

Lo-Tse

James Tanner · « **Reply #87 on:** 16 Nov 2007, 02:20 pm »

Quote from: lo_tse on 16 Nov 2007, 04:11 am

James,

Looks like this is a review appeared in a popular Hi-Fi mag published in Hong Kong. I can translate the conclusion for you. It is short but "sweet".

"Although the Bryston BCD-1 came late, it did not disappoint. The outstanding performance together with its reasonable price renders it another CD player of choice in the high end market."

The above is essentially a literal translation of the conclusion.

I am interested in the BCD-1 and I have some questions to ask. Is the player operating in dual differential configuration? Lastly, any plan to upgrade the software of the player anytime soon? Thanks!

Lo-Tse

Hi Lo_Tse,

Thank you very much for the translation - much appreciated.

There have been no software changes since Aug 8 2008 and no changes planned - everything has been working perfectly.

If your asking by 'dual differential' if the CD Player handles the positive and negative sides of the waveform independent from one another then the answer is yes.

james

mr-terence · « **Reply #88 on:** 16 Nov 2007, 06:34 pm »

six weeks and counting now with my BCD-1 here in the UK. all i can say is it's easily the best CD player i've owned (and i've owned many!). it's totally re-ignited my interest in the several thousand RBCDs in my collection, showing detail in them i never thought existed.

the sound to me is tonally just RIGHT, very natural, with no particular emphasis that i can detect. but i think the player's really big advantage is the superb sense of TIMING it has - you feel you are listening to an actual performance a great deal of the time, not an artificial recording.

i listen to (and review) mainly classical music, and for me the telling thing is how the player reproduces piano recordings - this is in my experience an incredibly difficult thing for a player to do correctly. this player gets the attack and decay more convincingly (by far) than any other i've heard, including my SACD player. it also reveals how very good many classical recordings from the analogue era were in terms of balance and sharpness of focus - i have to say they sound better now than many more recent digital recordings.

so i am VERY happy with this fantastic machine. i'm not technical enough to appreciate how bryston did it, but it's a heck of a player.

one tiny problem that's emerged of late is that there are discs that for some reason it doesn't like reading that go OK in other players. i wonder have i touched something on the remote to make some discs unplayable? or is there anything i can to to put this right? maybe it's a fault that needs seeing to? anybody else had similar problems? advice much appreciated.

James Tanner · « **Reply #89 on:** 16 Nov 2007, 06:50 pm »

Hi Terrance,

Can you give me the name of a couple of the discs so we can test them out here.

james

Phil A · « **Reply #90 on:** 16 Nov 2007, 07:26 pm »

James, FYI, I've had a disc or two that the player wouldn't initially read and then re-booted it. Except for the last one I've not kept track of them. I went to one of my favorite small clubs and bought a CD (It's actual a CD and DVD set of a live performance) from the warm-up act. It's not on a mainstream label. It took the 3rd try of sticking the disc in for it to read (I had played it fine on my Sony 2000ES CD/SACD changer in the bedroom a couple of times prior to that). It is by The Silos and the album title is "This Highway is a Circle" It is a live performance done in Germany in 2006 and it is on Blue Rose Records - www.bluerose-records.com. I can't remember the other disc or two I had a problem with - the BCD-1 played it the second time I stuck each in it.

mr-terence · « **Reply #91 on:** 16 Nov 2007, 07:29 pm »

excuse my ignorance Phil A, but what exactly is "re-booting"? sounds like i need to do it.

Phil A · « **Reply #92 on:** 16 Nov 2007, 09:19 pm »

Quote from: mr-terence on 16 Nov 2007, 07:29 pm

excuse my ignorance Phil A, but what exactly is "re-booting"? sounds like i need to do it.

I shut the machine off with the disc in it and then back turn it back on. Sometimes I just re-insert it and it works w/o doing the reboot. It tend to be more common on SACD players where some machines will have trouble reading the SACD layer. I'm not sure about Bryston but many machines go thru a re-initialization process when you do that in whatever order their firmware/programming specifies.

amnullpunkt · « **Reply #93 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 10:31 am »

Can anyone - especially James Tanner, to be sure - inform me whether the BCD-1 has recently been upgraded? I hear faint whisperings of a "MKII", that is supposed to involve modifications to the disc drive, to the software, and even the DAC.

Moreover, I am virtually set to invest in a unit, thus parting from my Marantz SA11. Am I doing myself a service or a disservice?
Curious to know what the afficionados out there think

thanks

amnullpunkt

James Tanner · « **Reply #94 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 12:25 pm »

Quote from: amnullpunkt on 19 Nov 2007, 10:31 am

Can anyone - especially James Tanner, to be sure - inform me whether the BCD-1 has recently been upgraded? I hear faint whisperings of a "MKII", that is supposed to involve modifications to the disc drive, to the software, and even the DAC.

Moreover, I am virtually set to invest in a unit, thus parting from my Marantz SA11. Am I doing myself a service or a disservice?
Curious to know what the afficionados out there think

thanks

amnullpunkt

Hi there,

There have not been any mechanical changes in the CD Player since the start of production and there is nothing in the works to mechanically modify the CD Player in any way. There has been one software change and the latest software is Aug 8th 2007.

What might be starting rumors is that we are working on an outboard external DAC unit (BDA-1) which we hope to introduce in January. The BDA-1 will be using the same Crystal DAC as in the CD Player.

james

nobel · « **Reply #95 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 08:29 pm »

Hi James,

I must admit I awaited with abated breath for the December hi-fi news to read the review on the BCD1. When I read it I was totally aghast by the journalism on the product. I am not showing any bias towards your products but I cannot understand how these people who supposedly profess an expertise in deciphering products produce an article which basically imparts that the CD player for the price is below par. '.. it nonetheless failed to engage this listener, holding back the real workings of music expected from a player at this pricepoint'. My main concern is that there is no mention as to the system used with the CD player. This I feel is important as most products work well with given electronics and can sound awful in others. Also the review compares this player with a Quad 99 which appears discredited in this review.

I am also concerned that THE CDS USED (PENTAGLE) would have difficulty in shining in any system.
Thus my conclusion on this matter is twofold. One is that two reviews in different magazines come up with different results and thus would largely influence the reader before auditioning. If you were to take the journalists together put them in a room and demonstrate the CD1 with the right ancillaries such as bryston pre-power and PMC speakers would their view change?
Secondly I would be grateful if anyone owning the CD1 to give their view on this website as to whether they are happy with the CD1 and made the right choice. I understand that a great deal of preference is subjective but I cannot understand a product that can be highly praised on the one hand and virtually written off in another.

James Tanner · « **Reply #96 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 08:44 pm »

Quote from: nobel on 19 Nov 2007, 08:29 pm

Hi James,

I must admit I awaited with abated breath for the December hi-fi news to read the review on the BCD1. When I read it I was totally aghast by the journalism on the product. I am not showing any bias towards your products but I cannot understand how these people who supposedly profess an expertise in deciphering products produce an article which basically imparts that the CD player for the price is below par. '.. it nonetheless failed to engage this listener, holding back the real workings of music expected from a player at this pricepoint'. My main concern is that there is no mention as to the system used with the CD player. This I feel is important as most products work well with given electronics and can sound awful in others. Also the review compares this player with a Quad 99 which appears discredited in this review.

I am also concerned that THE CDS USED (PENTAGLE) would have difficulty in shining in any system.
Thus my conclusion on this matter is twofold. One is that two reviews in different magazines come up with different results and thus would largely influence the reader before auditioning. If you were to take the journalists together put them in a room and demonstrate the CD1 with the right ancillaries such as bryston pre-power and PMC speakers would their view change?
Secondly I would be grateful if anyone owning the CD1 to give their view on this website as to whether they are happy with the CD1 and made the right choice. I understand that a great deal of preference is subjective but I cannot understand a product that can be highly praised on the one hand and virtually written off in another.

Hi nobel,

Yes I heard the review was negative and you're correct it is difficult to understand how two seemingly competent reviewers can have completely different opinions other than as you suggest individual biases and systems are at work.

I will say that there are now about 5 superb reviews out on the Bryston CD Player already with 3 more on the way which are also excellent. I wish I had the answer for you other than listening for yourself and then decide which reviewers have credibility.

james

James Tanner · « **Reply #97 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 12:26 pm »

Hi again Nobel,

I just read the review in HiFi News on our CD Player - wow it never fails to amaze me how when you take the technical and engineering designs to their theoretical limits it works against you. Have a look at the Lab report on the third page of the review - it is beyond reproach and truly pushes the Redbook CD performance envelope.

If I am not mistaken this is the same magazine that tested our 2B LP amplifier a number of years ago and were amazed at how well it measured. In fact it was the best measuring amplifier ever in their tests- guess what they preferred --- a tube amplifier under test with 100 times the distortion because it was 'more engaging'.

I really feel vindicated here. This review is questionable at best. The whole point of design and engineering is to provide as accurate and linear a product as possible.

james

amnullpunkt · « **Reply #98 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 12:38 pm »

Hi James
In the same magazine, the May edition of this year, the well-respected Keith Howard reviewed the BP26 DA along with the 4B SST.
He came to rather positive conclusions as you will see in the link (the review is not listed on the Bryston site, hence it may have escaped your attention).
What is curious is that, if I understand correctly, the BP26 DA and the BCD-1 share many essential properities, sonically at least. Reviewers ears differ, of course, but aren't editors supposed to impose a semblance of coherence to their magazines?

EMS

<http://www.testreports.co.uk/music/hifi/customer/reports.asp?OrderNo=07001424W&CustomerCode=SWI0004W>

James Tanner · « **Reply #99 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 12:49 pm »

Quote from: amnullpunkt on 20 Nov 2007, 12:38 pm

Hi James
In the same magazine, the May edition of this year, the well-respected Keith Howard reviewed the BP26 DA along with the 4B SST.
He came to rather positive conclusions as you will see in the link (the review is not listed on the Bryston site, hence it may have escaped your attention).
What is curious is that, if I understand correctly, the BP26 DA and the BCD-1 share many essential properities, sonically at least. Reviewers ears differ, of course, but aren't editors supposed to impose a semblance of coherence to their magazines?

EMS

<http://www.testreports.co.uk/music/hifi/customer/reports.asp?OrderNo=07001424W&CustomerCode=SWI0004W>

Hi EMS,

Yes I saw that review and again I was told the magazine was amazed at how well the BP26 preamp measured. I guess it really comes down to the old subjective vs objective opinion. I realize that some aspects of audio are not necessarily a quantifiable issue and we do not obviously know everything there is to know and measure but getting the basics correct technically is a must.

I have to say that in my many years of being involved in audio in every case where we were able to push the measurable performance envelope further the equipment always provided a more accurate window on the performance.

james