[drummermitchell]

Hi,looking to see if there are any BDA-1 owners out there that have had a chance to
give their impressions of the BDA-1.

[mcullinan]

REad through the Bryston Circle a few peeps have posted. Best and possibly last DAC I will own. Lots of inputs, plus remote control. Sound is awesome!
Mike

[alexone]

 hi, mcullinan

 how much did you pay for the remote?


 thanx,

 alex.

[mcullinan]

 hi, mcullinan

 how much did you pay for the remote?


 thanx,

 alex.

Since James Tanner is so generous, I actually asked him for the HEx codes, which is like the remote programming language. I gave them to logitech and they added them into their database. So I use a Harmony One Universal Remote, which btw is fantastic! I was up to 7 remotes I think... and they couldnt all fit on the arm of my chair, plus it was rediculous. Now I have 1 remote. The codes should be up soon. They had me test them out and they work fine!
Mike 

btw I dont think the Bryston remote is available yet. Id check with James.

[alexone]

 ok. now i understand. i first thought you were the first lucky one who owns the bda-1's remote.
 so we just have to wait a bit...

[KeithA]

I guess now that the Summer is over, I'll have to look at maybe getting a BDA-1 (I don't listen to the system much in the Summer).

Just have to weigh it with other options, I guess

Keith

[James Tanner]

Memo: To all Bryston Customers
Subject: Customer Feedback on Bryston BDA-1


Please see below comments posted by a customer on ‘Computer Audiophile Magazine’ regarding the new Bryston BDA-1 External DAC

 
“HOLY-MOTHER-OF-(whatever)-GOD -(you believe in)-!

Well, got the BDA-1 in today.. and up and running...First things first, the up-sampling should be on at all times... it absolutely brings more depth and slam to the music.

Like all things Bryston, the sound is typically Bryston.  Polite, to the point and oh by the way, we do LOUD PROFESSIONAL SOUND RECORDING STUDIO'S!

This DAC has brought back a sense of composed excitement to the music. It has wonderful layers that one can isolate but they never sound separate, like a well made cake, you cannot taste the egg, but you know it's there. The bass is just... BIG!... without any one note boom... just detailed and BIG! Worth ever penny!

Have not tested the USB input and doubt I will any time soon. Both the COAX and Optical input's sound great... up-sampled.

BIG SOUND!

Drew.”

[konut]

Does the BDA-1 have the 20 year warranty?

[denjo]

Hi Konut

Bryston's 20 year warranty only applies to analog circuits (like their amplifiers) but digital circuits are warranted for 5 years. This was taken from their website (Home page, Warranty Info):

"Bryston Digital circuits and cables are warranted for five years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labour."

Hope this helps!

Best Regards
Dennis

[James Tanner]

Does the BDA-1 have the 20 year warranty?

Hi,

Yes Dennis is correct: 20 years on analog products, 5 years on digital products and 3 years on products with moving parts (CD Player).

We will probably extend the warranty on the digital products as we move forward given what appears to be excellent reliability so far.

james

[konut]

Thanks for the quick reply. The BDA-1 is the only DAC that has piqued my interest. It is not surprising that it is the first DAC that seems to have gotten EVERYTHING right given Brystons' reputation and support for its' products. I notice the BCD-1 has volume control on the remote. Will the BDA-1 have the same feature? And if so, does it work in the digital or analogue domain?

[James Tanner]

Thanks for the quick reply. The BDA-1 is the only DAC that has piqued my interest. It is not surprising that it is the first DAC that seems to have gotten EVERYTHING right given Brystons' reputation and support for its' products. I notice the BCD-1 has volume control on the remote. Will the BDA-1 have the same feature? And if so, does it work in the digital or analogue domain?

Hi konut,

The CD Player does NOT have a volume control out.  The CD remote can be used with our preamps and integrated amps so the volume control buttons on the remote are for them. 

We are looking at Digital volume control - which can easily be implemented on the BDA-1 remote or BCD-1 - but we are concerned with loss of resolution. Implementing an analog control is more of a re-engineering issue.

james

[Crimson]

Hi James,

Two questions: 1) What is the current lead time on a BDA-1, and 2) Does the USB input convert to SPDIF?

Thanks

[James Tanner]

Hi James,

Two questions: 1) What is the current lead time on a BDA-1, and 2) Does the USB input convert to SPDIF?

Thanks

Hi Crimson,

About 10 days from order.  No the USB input is not converted to SPDIF it is I2S in.

james

[b5pt9]

Hi,looking to see if there are any BDA-1 owners out there that have had a chance to
give their impressions of the BDA-1.

I'll give my impressions .  Previously I was using the SP1.7 internal DAC for stereo.  Now I have the BDA-1 with the SP1.7 in bypass mode.

1. The overall soundstage, placement and localization of instruments is more accurate than before.  Space between instruments is improved.

2. Detail and resolution is improved.  For example on certain musical passages I can now hear individual instruments in a harmony, instead of just the overall blended sound.

3. And last but not least - bass is improved. .  Hard to describe but bass is just better - fuller and more extension to the very bottom notes. 

Overall I'm totally happy.

[konut]

We are looking at Digital volume control - which can easily be implemented on the BDA-1 remote or BCD-1 - but we are concerned with loss of resolution. 
james

This would be great! If you upsample to 24 bits(or more?) then that gives enough leeway for attenuation without losing resolution until levels low enough where it should be relatively benign audibly. This would allow those of us with minimalistic tendencies to consider the BDA-1 as a control center/preamp, thus increasing its value.

[dubkarma]

Does anyone know if the BDA-1 available in a 19-inch rackmount version? The Bryston website shows a 19-inch version, but it's not rackmountable. In fact, I prefer the pre-C-series 1RU cosmetics à la BP-25.

(My BCD-1 is doing exemplary duty on an ordinary audio stand, but I'd want to be able to rackmount the BDA-1.)

TIA,

Joel.

[James Tanner]

Does anyone know if the BDA-1 available in a 19-inch rackmount version? The Bryston website shows a 19-inch version, but it's not rackmountable. In fact, I prefer the pre-C-series 1RU cosmetics à la BP-25.

(My BCD-1 is doing exemplary duty on an ordinary audio stand, but I'd want to be able to rackmount the BDA-1.)

TIA,

Joel.

Hi Joel,

There is no 19 inch rackmount faceplate version available yet. If you have to rackmount you can use the 17 inch facplate and a set of Rackmount ears (which we can supply)

james

[NewBuyer]

We are looking at Digital volume control - which can easily be implemented on the BDA-1 remote or BCD-1 - but we are concerned with loss of resolution. 
james

This would be great! If you upsample to 24 bits(or more?) then that gives enough leeway for attenuation without losing resolution until levels low enough where it should be relatively benign audibly. This would allow those of us with minimalistic tendencies to consider the BDA-1 as a control center/preamp, thus increasing its value.

James, may I please second this idea.  Having a volume control (digital or analog) on this DAC would be fantastic!

[konut]

Mr. Tanner, how quickly might we find out if the software volume control is a go or no-go decision?