To be or not to be.
Head down to the show room and spent close to 2 hours plugging in and out BDA-1/2 into the system running balance in/out with BDP-1 and BCD-1 as source. Also the first time listening to the Bryston Speakers!
Here are some brief summary on BDA-1/2:
1) One area the BDA-2 consistently noted in my notes is its smoothness in the highs. Its almost as if you have a little tube stage preamplifier though the entire setup were driven with only Bryston solid state electronics.
2) The pace and transient swings are still as snappy as before yet presented in an effortless manner and some may relate this to refinement
3) The centre stage took a step back deeper and the soundstage is a tad wider too giving you slightly bigger picture
4) Interestingly I had to turn up the BDA-2 about 1 notch to get about the same volume when comparing with the BDA-1. There could be a possibility where the BDA-2 were pushed down by about 1db to 2db but wasn't verified at time of audition.
5) There are tracks I can appreciate better on BDA-1 particularly with jazz vocals and some orchestra pieces where I like a little bite on the highs particular with string instruments and ambiance cues.
6) The smoothness of BDA-2 is pretty good especially in complex music arrangements allowing a little more separation in instruments.
7) The BDA-1 has an edge in energy and drive through its entire bandwidth and is more neutral in its interpretation
In terms of price there is a marginal increase on BDA-2 however which will suit you better really depends on your preference. Both sounds very alike but I can see where BDA-1 and BDA-2 strengths or weaknesses can draw out the best from your system when match properly. Its smart that Bryston kept the BDA-1 in their line giving folks the choice.
Cheers!
