upgrading a sp.1 to sp1.7

thxultra · « **on:** 2 Sep 2003, 09:10 pm »

This is a question for james probably
When upgrading from a 1 to a 1.7,what exactly is upgraded in the unit.
Looking at the manuals their seems to be a very diffrent DSP Engine and dacs.
Also when its upgraded is it identical to the sp.1.7 internally.
regards
mark

Rakesh · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Sep 2003, 04:58 am »

I have SP1 too and would like to understand the difference with SP1.7. I continue to use 5.1 setup.

jethro · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Sep 2003, 11:24 pm »

I can't address whether the internals are identical for an upgraded SP-1 and an SP-1.7, however I had my SP-1 upgraded approx a year ago and I have had no compatibility issues.

I have upgraded my firmware three times now with no problems (2 upgrades were to support my SPV-1).

I noticed a huge improvement in the quality of the DACS after the upgrade and I use the NEO6 cinema regularly to watch movies on digital cable. For me, the cost was well worth it. I went with the new remote (not sure if it is mandatory) and changed from silver to black. With the shipping and taxes, it was a fairly hefty upgrade, but one I have never regretted. My local Bryston dealer handled the whole process for me.

[I editted this since my first post - jethro]

I meant to add that I no longer use my Rotel-971 CD with my SP-1.7. I found 2-channel music was better with the Rotel and the SP-1 and my old speakers in bypass mode, as opposed to a digital connection to my cheap Sony DVD. With the SP-1.7, I immediately found that a digital connection to my Sony DVD (in stereo mode) was much better than my Rotel CD in bypass. I tried a comparison last week between my Sony DVD and Rotel CD with my new PMC speakers. The difference is so huge now that I can't bear to listen to the Rotel any more in bypass mode. I'm going to go out and buy a digital cable for my Rotel and not use it in bypass mode anymore.

This isn't to say that the SP-1.7 bypass is not useful. When the Bryston standalone DAC is available, it will allow people to pair it with the SP-1.7.

nicolasb · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Sep 2003, 07:59 am »

Just a note to say that (IMO) Jethro's experience should be interpreted as evidence of the quality of the DACs in the SP1.7 but emphatically not as evidence of a lack of quality in the analogue bypass. The bypass on the SP1.7 is absolutely superb - I've never heard an analogue bypass that good on a home cinema processor, not even in the Lexicon MC12B. If you ever do want to use a high-end stand-alone CD player (with the SP1.7 acting simply as a pre-amp) then the bypass really comes into its own.

(It should also be invaluable if you decide to get into DVD-Audio, as most DVD-A players still require you to use the DACs in the player and output 5-channel analogue).

jethro · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Sep 2003, 01:08 am »

Just to clarify, I completely agree with nicolas regarding the analog bypass. In fact I also own a BP-25 which led to my decision to purchase the SP-1.

nicolasb · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Sep 2003, 10:37 am »

Out of curiosity, jethro, how would you rate the SP1.7's pre-amp abilities as compared with the BP25? Directly comparable?

jethro · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Sep 2003, 10:30 pm »

Quote from: nicolasb

Out of curiosity, jethro, how would you rate the SP1.7's pre-amp abilities as compared with the BP25? Directly comparable?

Nicolas,

I'll get out my BP-25 and do an A/B type comparison with my SP-1.7 and post the results. Don't expect too much though, I'm no expert.