[95Dyna]

I just read a review comparing the BP 1.5, Musical Surroundings Phenomena and a $7,500.00 Manley Steelhead.  To make a long story short the reviewer said he could hear more difference between a 33 1/3 and 45 RPM record than he could between the 3 phono stages.  In fact the differences were unintelligible to him.  This being said does anybody have any experience comparing the BP 1.5 to the internal MC phono stage of the BP26MC sonically.  I know the BP 1.5 and the internal stage circuitry are identical, the BP 1.5 has user changeable load and gain settings as well as it uses the outboard MPS 2 power supply.  I'm deciding between upgrading my BP26P to MC and the MS Nova Phenomena (a new and improved version of the reviewed Phenomena).  I'm figuring if the internal stage is equivalent sonically to the BP 1.5 then it is at least an equal to the Phenomena in that regard and makes my decision easier to upgrade the BP26P.


Thanks in advance for your input,

Bill 

[vegasdave]

All I can say is the Bryston phono stage is excellent. Very quiet and dynamic.

[alexone]

I just read a review comparing the BP 1.5, Musical Surroundings Phenomena and a $7,500.00 Manley Steelhead.  To make a long story short the reviewer said he could hear more difference between a 33 1/3 and 45 RPM record than he could between the 3 phono stages.  In fact the differences were unintelligible to him.  This being said does anybody have any experience comparing the BP 1.5 to the internal MC phono stage of the BP26MC sonically.  I know the BP 1.5 and the internal stage circuitry are identical, the BP 1.5 has user changeable load and gain settings as well as it uses the outboard MPS 2 power supply.  I'm deciding between upgrading my BP26P to MC and the MS Nova Phenomena (a new and improved version of the reviewed Phenomena).  I'm figuring if the internal stage is equivalent sonically to the BP 1.5 then it is at least an equal to the Phenomena in that regard and makes my decision easier to upgrade the BP26P.


Thanks in advance for your input,

Bill

Bill,

am i correct that once you ordered a 26 Line the upgrade to a 26 mm/mc would cost you almost the same amount as you would pay for the external 1.5?!? this might not answer your question...i just would like to know.
however, as an owner of the 1.5 i can say that the sound really satisfies me. the phonostages i tried before were the (built in) phono input of a Pioneer receiver (mm) and the external "Smart Phono" (mm/mc) made by Clearaudio. the Bryston clearly betters both!

al.

[95Dyna]

Bill,

am i correct that once you ordered a 26 Line the upgrade to a 26 mm/mc would cost you almost the same amount as you would pay for the external 1.5?!? this might not answer your question...i just would like to know.
however, as an owner of the 1.5 i can say that the sound really satisfies me. the phonostages i tried before were the (built in) phono input of a Pioneer receiver (mm) and the external "Smart Phono" (mm/mc) made by Clearaudio. the Bryston clearly betters both!

al.

Hi Al,

No I'm not saying the price to upgrade is the same as the BP 1.5.  The BP 1.5 is $2750.00 US and the upgrade from BP26P to MC is $800.00.  I'm just asking for opinions on any sonic differences between the BP 1.5 and the internal MC.  The reviewer detected no difference between the three stages in the review so if there are no differences in the BP 1.5 and the internal MC sonically then I'm thinking I should go the upgrade route vs the MS Nova Phenomena.  The price between these two alternatives is the same.

Bill

[Stu Pitt]

I haven't heard the BP1.5 or internal MC card, so no opinions there.

Take analog gear reviews with a bigger grain of salt than the rest IMO.  There's so many variables - turntables, cartridges, tonearms, isolation, and on and on.

To say there was no sonic difference between the stages is very surprising, but it could be a case of something amiss in the setup.  The best way to evaluate the stuff is to demo at home.

[95Dyna]

I haven't heard the BP1.5 or internal MC card, so no opinions there.

Take analog gear reviews with a bigger grain of salt than the rest IMO.  There's so many variables - turntables, cartridges, tonearms, isolation, and on and on.

To say there was no sonic difference between the stages is very surprising, but it could be a case of something amiss in the setup.  The best way to evaluate the stuff is to demo at home.

Hi Stu,

Thanks for the input.  This was a very thorough variable controlled observation by the reviewer.  The phono stage comparison was actually a subset of an 8 or 9 page study of the comparison between vinyl and CD.  See the link below to read the article.  Auditioning everything at home is the only real way to know but unfortunately is impossible for me to do thus my inquiry to see if anyone has first hand knowledge of the comparative sonic characteristics between the BP 1.5 and the internal MC.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/technical-articles/426-a-secrets-technical-article.html?start=4

Regards,

Bill

[vegasdave]

I think this is one for James...