[R. Daneel]

Hello!

Okay, I am really puzzled by the recent problems I've been having with the BDP-1. This is a copy of my last email to Mr. Chris RIce:

Hi Chris!

I ran tests yesterday. To my surprise, during the long 10-hour listening session and staring at the monitor there were no interruptions in playback. Not a single one. All the tracks were 192kHz sampling, either FLAC or WAV.

So I hoped you did something remotely and fixed the issue.

Unfortunately, the same problems started to happen today and this time they are worse -- a continuous distortion in playback that seems as though it is "struggling" to play the files when only yesterday these same files played perfectly. Yet, the CPU load is averaging at 30% at all times and it never exceeds 45%, not even during the distortion.

So now I am experiencing both distortion and interruptions. It makes the BDP-1 completely unusable because I bought it specifically for high-res playback, not really because I intended to rip my CD collection to FLAC.

I have posted this on Audiocircle only to see if other people had problems like these and what they had done to solve them. I am desperate at this point.

I don't know what's causing these problems.

From a computer standpoint, they might have to do with either software or hardware, or both. I have taken all the given advice - upgrade the firmware to the newest version, turned the Samba server off, compare the USB and AES outputs, try to pinpoint the CPU load at which the problems occur etc. Nothing helped.

From an audiophile standpoint, the blessing of being able to have a solid-state high-res player has turned into a curse and the machine is virtually unusable as long as it is experiencing these problems. I do a lot of recording to tape for different purposes - you can imagine this has made it impossible to do so.

If the hardware is really the problem, then it seems I made the wrong decision to buy the BDP-1 when in fact I should have bought the BDP-2. If the hardware is not the problem then surely other BDP-1 units would be faced with the same problem.

It is sad and frustration at the same time. While I love what the BDP-1 does to the sound, it means very little when it can't play a single track without destroying the experience with either distorting or interrupting the playback with rather unpleasant "pops" and "ticks" which aren't really healthy for the soeakers I can imagine.

Tell me what to do.

Cheers!
Antun

[James Tanner]

Hi Antun

Chris tells me he is remotely connected and will try some things.

james

[R. Daneel]

Hi Antun

Chris tells me he is remotely connected and will try some things.

james

Hi James!

I hope something can be done.

[Norton]

Where are the files you are trying to play: e.g. on NAS/PC via network, thumbdrive, locally attached HDD or SSD? Have you tried playing the same files from an alternative location to see if the problem persists? Rather than the BDP  it could be a network problem or fault  with a local disc drive for example.

[Mag]

My experience with pops and ticks goes back to cd. It was the conversion software that was the culprit. On some occasions is was poor cd quality so a quality brand was what I sought out and continued to use.

After changing conversion software the pops and digital artifacts where gone, this was with mp3. Being that drives are in the digital realm I don't see that being any different for conversion software.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Try a different USB cable it that is what you are using.  I had the same problem with my new DAC.  Playing hi rez files higher than 96K caused clicks and pops until I tried a shorter and better usb cable.  It completely solved the problem. I am using JRiver.

[Grit]

Yeah, it doesn't take much for digital signals to get corrupted. A bad cable, a loose connection, etc. I know it seems silly, but I'd disconnect and then reconnect every connection to and from the BDP. After that, try replacing every cable, but one at a time.

If that doesn't work and Chris can't address it from remote, send it in to Bryston. It's INCREDIBLY difficult to troubleshoot computers when you aren't right in front of them. And one little invisible problem can result in an error you can't even reliably duplicate.

Every so often (in the last 20 years), I'd get someone's PC with a problem where, eventually, the computer would crash, but it wasn't always the same combination that caused the problem. It usually came down to a fault in the RAM chip. Depending in thousands of things the PC was doing every second, it may or may not finally use that flawed portion of the memory. And then the error or problem wasn't always the same (a file corrupted by a faulty portion of RAM is different than corrupting a portion of executable code).

Incredibly impossible to diagnose over the phone. In person, I could usually isolate the problem in an hour or so (usually less). Power supply problems are just as difficult.

Anyway, my point is, it'll be a LOT easier for Chris to troubleshoot when he can get his hands on it.

- Garrett

[R. Daneel]

Try a different USB cable it that is what you are using.  I had the same problem with my new DAC.  Playing hi rez files higher than 96K caused clicks and pops until I tried a shorter and better usb cable.  It completely solved the problem. I am using JRiver.

I'm using an AES balanced digital cable, the Bryston one.

[R. Daneel]

Yeah, it doesn't take much for digital signals to get corrupted. A bad cable, a loose connection, etc. I know it seems silly, but I'd disconnect and then reconnect every connection to and from the BDP. After that, try replacing every cable, but one at a time.

If that doesn't work and Chris can't address it from remote, send it in to Bryston. It's INCREDIBLY difficult to troubleshoot computers when you aren't right in front of them. And one little invisible problem can result in an error you can't even reliably duplicate.

Every so often (in the last 20 years), I'd get someone's PC with a problem where, eventually, the computer would crash, but it wasn't always the same combination that caused the problem. It usually came down to a fault in the RAM chip. Depending in thousands of things the PC was doing every second, it may or may not finally use that flawed portion of the memory. And then the error or problem wasn't always the same (a file corrupted by a faulty portion of RAM is different than corrupting a portion of executable code).

Incredibly impossible to diagnose over the phone. In person, I could usually isolate the problem in an hour or so (usually less). Power supply problems are just as difficult.

Anyway, my point is, it'll be a LOT easier for Chris to troubleshoot when he can get his hands on it.

- Garrett

Hi Garret!

This is not the first time it happened but it is the worst yet. I have tried everything. It doesn't matter which or what kind of a drive, it doesn't matter which or what kind of a connection or if you're using SPDIF or USB output to the BDA-2, it is problematic.

I think looking at it remotely is as good as having it on hand as far as software goes. If it's the hardware, then no one will bother to trace the malfunctionand will just replace the part with another one.

[ttsto]

I experienced similar issues a while ago, in my case was correlated with high CPU and swap usage; not only to 192KHz files; I reported this to Chris on private email.
I assume some processes were not properly managed. My music is stored on NAS.
I agree with Daneel it is not related to cables or to the files; there are some processes running uncontrolled that take priority
However it is difficult to monitor this; TOP command should indicate what processes are taking priority, but still out of our expertise
After upgrade to S2.14 2015-06-08 this did not happened anymore, however I did not spent time for stress testing
Also I use a "routine" when it comes to upgrades and playback
- save playlists to my computer
- turn off/ on BDP, take time until square sign is displayed
- reset to default settings
- turn off/ on BDP, take time until square sign is displayed
- start update
- turn off/ on BDP, take time until square sign is displayed
- set preferences*, copy playlists back on BDP
- turn off/ on BDP, take time until square sign is displayed
- start playback

Note * I do not use any of the functionalities provided by Bryston related to album / artist databases, the only settings I have are: Enable MPD watch, last.fm user and password, playlist count set to 900 and add line "replaygain;album" in <root>/mnt/img/mpdconf.set

[Marius]

....

Note * I do not use any of the functionalities provided by Bryston related to album / artist databases, the only settings I have are: Enable MPD watch, last.fm user and password, playlist count set to 900 and add line "replaygain;album" in <root>/mnt/img/mpdconf.set

HI Ttsto,

What's your experience with replay gain, does it work as you'd expect it to? Do you have all music played evenly?
Ive been trying to enter the .mnt/img folders, supposedly in developer-mode, but am locked out, how did you manage to get in?




Thanks,
Marius

[tomsenko]

My solution was to revert to Looney Loon. Everything works perfectly.

[gustavog]

I had similar problems with my BDP-1 to what Antun reports but with the last three MM releases they stopped. At the time I even considered reverting to LL. I do not use a NAS, though, all my music is on a WD Passport 2TB HDD connected directly to the BDP-1 (with the same USB cable that came with the HDD).

[Marius]

HI Antun,

May seem silly, but i don't read you mentioning the speakers. Have you tested those?
I remember being shocked at one time by the distortion I thought to emanate my Bryston rig, while in the end it turned out I had blown the Quad Esl's, apparently by connecting things that shouldn't be....
The deterioration is exactly what i experienced, that's what triggered me to ask.

Ended up with 2 of these beauties after that, but that's besides your problems: http://www.quad-musik-shop.com/ESL63-QA/en

Hope things turn out just as well for you!
Keep in touch on AC


Marius

[R. Daneel]

My solution was to revert to Looney Loon. Everything works perfectly.

Hi!

Hmm... Well, I suppose I could do that but what is the point of an open-source system if it cannot work with the latest software? It might fix the problem but when I bought the BDP-1, there were other solutions that weren't upgradeable and it was one of the things that swayed me in the Bryston direction, apart from the obvious one - audio quality.

Cheers!
Antun

[R. Daneel]

HI Antun,

May seem silly, but i don't read you mentioning the speakers. Have you tested those?
I remember being shocked at one time by the distortion I thought to emanate my Bryston rig, while in the end it turned out I had blown the Quad Esl's, apparently by connecting things that shouldn't be....
The deterioration is exactly what i experienced, that's what triggered me to ask.

Ended up with 2 of these beauties after that, but that's besides your problems: http://www.quad-musik-shop.com/ESL63-QA/en

Hope things turn out just as well for you!
Keep in touch on AC


Marius

Hi Marius!

Your question is not silly at all. Let me tell you, I disconnected everything and tried each each individual component of the system with a different system just to be sure. The problem is with the BDP-1, nothing else.

I use headphones most of the time and that makes the problem that much more audible and disturbing.

I will report back when I have some news. Chris has run different tests, "poking around" as he put it, and finally told me he believes the problems lie elsewhere, not in the BDP-1. But I don't see how that could be, I've tried every kind of a drive, besides the NAS which is downstairs.

Perhaps the BDP-1 just doesn't have the firepower to counter the ever-increasing demands by it's software.

Cheers!
Antun

[ttsto]

HI Ttsto,

What's your experience with replay gain, does it work as you'd expect it to? Do you have all music played evenly?
Ive been trying to enter the .mnt/img folders, supposedly in developer-mode, but am locked out, how did you manage to get in?

Thanks,
Marius

Hi
I am on Windows and use WinSCP to connect to BDP, login as root
ReplayGain works as it is supposed to, of course if such info exists in the files; for adding ReplayGain to the .flac files I use Foobar
For me is critical for headphone listening, when I listen to several albumsor on playlist; a jump of 9db between an old mastering and new mastering is quite unpleasant

[unincognito]

Hi Marius!

Your question is not silly at all. Let me tell you, I disconnected everything and tried each each individual component of the system with a different system just to be sure. The problem is with the BDP-1, nothing else.

I use headphones most of the time and that makes the problem that much more audible and disturbing.

I will report back when I have some news. Chris has run different tests, "poking around" as he put it, and finally told me he believes the problems lie elsewhere, not in the BDP-1. But I don't see how that could be, I've tried every kind of a drive, besides the NAS which is downstairs.

Perhaps the BDP-1 just doesn't have the firepower to counter the ever-increasing demands by it's software.

Cheers!
Antun

The BDP-1 plays back 352Khz flac files using the most recent firmware, so it is by no means not fast enough.  If it wasn't fast enough its cpu and/or memory usage would be sitting at or over 100% usage. 

[unincognito]

Hi
I am on Windows and use WinSCP to connect to BDP, login as root
ReplayGain works as it is supposed to, of course if such info exists in the files; for adding ReplayGain to the .flac files I use Foobar
For me is critical for headphone listening, when I listen to several albumsor on playlist; a jump of 9db between an old mastering and new mastering is quite unpleasant

Manic Moose now creates a samba share called "user" that takes you to /mnt/img now

[Marius]

Manic Moose now creates a samba share called "user" that takes you to /mnt/img now

Great, played around with the /user already, just didn't realize  it was an exact copy. So much better indeed, no more poking around in the system files, but just an easily available folder.
Thanks Chris, wonderful solution!

Marius