[sailor]

HI, I have negotiated a used BDP-1 at a good price and need to choose between a Bryston BDA-1, or a Wadia 15,

The units are both second hand with the Wadia priced at half that of the Bryston. From that point the Wadia is more attractive but how is the sound. I see it uses 4XPCM63 like some of the Theta DACs.

 I have heard the BDP-1/BDA-1 combo and was very impressed. Also heard Theta Basic III and liked that too, was a while ago but remember the effect it had on me (in a good way) Have never heard Wadia. I am not concerned about retrieving max detail but I want to be entertained for long periods. A good friend has an Oppo 105 which drives me nuts, especially female vocal and big band stuff. Sounds congested and screechy.

Please help me choose. If the Bryston happens to be the one then I will try and find the money. This will be my digital front end that will have to stay for a long time where I do not feel the urge to upgrade.

[scirica]

One vote here for going all Bryston.  While I have not heard BDP-1/BDA-1, I was blown away by the BDP-2/BDA-2 combination.  Not sure what your budget is, but I know that people moving up to the BDA-3 will be "dumping" BDA-2's in the near future (and that includes me!).

Good luck!

[ttsto]

Very happy with my BDP-1 / BDA-1.
Didn't heard Wadia products, I just looked for specs: I see input limited to 48KHz, also that it was produced 1993-1997, while BDA-1 accepts up to 192KHz and it is much more recent production.

[R. Daneel]

HI, I have negotiated a used BDP-1 at a good price and need to choose between a Bryston BDA-1, or a Wadia 15,

The units are both second hand with the Wadia priced at half that of the Bryston. From that point the Wadia is more attractive but how is the sound. I see it uses 4XPCM63 like some of the Theta DACs.

 I have heard the BDP-1/BDA-1 combo and was very impressed. Also heard Theta Basic III and liked that too, was a while ago but remember the effect it had on me (in a good way) Have never heard Wadia. I am not concerned about retrieving max detail but I want to be entertained for long periods. A good friend has an Oppo 105 which drives me nuts, especially female vocal and big band stuff. Sounds congested and screechy.

Please help me choose. If the Bryston happens to be the one then I will try and find the money. This will be my digital front end that will have to stay for a long time where I do not feel the urge to upgrade.

Hi!

Looking at the Wadia 15 and it's configuration, I'd say it should be sweet and more similar to what you'd find in early 1990s CD players from Denon in the DCD-25xx and -35xx range. The sound was always engaging and highly enjoyable. That said, the BDA-1 would certainly be a serious improvement both in dynamics and transparency. One thing that Bryston manages to do well is not to sound analytic but still deliver the musical nuance. Not many DACs do that.

To put things in perspective, Wadia 15 would be a nice DAC to have from a perspective of someone who already has a BDA-2, but I wouldn't be happy if the Wadia 15 was to be my main DAC. With that in mind, the BDA-1 is worth twice as much.

Hope this helps!
Cheers!
Antun

[sailor]

It appears that the BDA-1 is the favoured unit (which does not surprise me on a Bryston forum ) 

Antun your response appreciated and will now probably go for the BDA-1 if I can negotiate his price down.

I am on a pension and this choice will be final with no upgrade possible later so all experience and opinions highly valued.

[R. Daneel]

It appears that the BDA-1 is the favoured unit (which does not surprise me on a Bryston forum ) 

Antun your response appreciated and will now probably go for the BDA-1 if I can negotiate his price down.

I am on a pension and this choice will be final with no upgrade possible later so all experience and opinions highly valued.

Hi, no worries!

There is one thing you must check with the BDA-1 however.

My BDA-2 has had a problematic on/off switch. I did a lot of reading about it then and on numerous occassions found comments about the same problem with the BDA-1.

So, please do the following to make sure it is okay:
Plug the machine in the wall and press the on/off button. It should come on immediately. Then turn it on and off a couple ot times. Sometimes, after a few cycles, it stops responding and you can no longer turn it on. Then you have to unplug it from the wall and plug it back in. It is an inconvenience and I believe a software problem.

Unfortunately, I am very picky so always find faults in anything that I buy. But please do contact me because I'd feel really bad if you were to buy the BDA-1 and it wasn't in excellent condition.

If it is not a secret, how much does the seller want for the BDA-1?

Best wishes,
Antun

[James Tanner]

Hi Folks

The BDA uses software for on and off function so repeatedly turning it on and off quickly could cause a glitch which means a reboot by plugging and unplugging from power source.

james

[sailor]

Thanks all,

I have since spoken to the seller and have offered him R16000 for his BDP-1/BDA-1 combo which did not please him and was left with him saying he would 'think' about it. The components are in very good condition with him using a remote and seldom touching anything. 

This is about $1350    The Wadia 15  I can get for about $500  The Wadia owner bought it used after comparing it to a Theta, though I am unsure which one. I realise that if I go with the Wadia I will need to buy a usb to SPDIF converter as well, narrowing the gap a little.

My heart says Bryston, my head and wallet say Wadia

[Grit]

I'd expect that combo to go for about $2k used. If you get it at $1350, it'll be one hell of a steal!

[Spyman]

Sailor, go with your heart and get the Bryston. There have been many times in my life that I tried to be practical and wished I had gotten a better product. I usually ended up getting it later anyway. The BDP1-BDA1 combo is terrific. I've had mine for several years and I still love it. I don't think you will regret it.

[alexone]

Very happy with my BDP-1 / BDA-1.
Didn't heard Wadia products, I just looked for specs: I see input limited to 48KHz, also that it was produced 1993-1997, while BDA-1 accepts up to 192KHz and it is much more recent production.

hi, Sailor!

you should keep in mind that the BDA-1 only supports up to 48khz/16bits via usb. BDA-2 does 192/24 with usb...

i have the BDA1/BDP1 combo and i am very happy

al.

[Grit]

Sailor, go with your heart and get the Bryston. There have been many times in my life that I tried to be practical and wished I had gotten a better product. I usually ended up getting it later anyway. The BDP1-BDA1 combo is terrific. I've had mine for several years and I still love it. I don't think you will regret it.

I've even had that experience within Bryston equipment. I went from a 9B-SST2 to a 4B-SST2 and 6B-SST2. Initially, after like 6 months of research and rationalization, I picked the 9B-SST2 because it best fit my budget. Less than 6 months later, I got the 4B-SST2 and 6B-SST2, which was my number one pick.

If it were me, I'd rather wait a bit longer to get what I really wanted and then be done with it, rather than have upgrade-itis.

- Garrett

[R. Daneel]

Thanks all,

I have since spoken to the seller and have offered him R16000 for his BDP-1/BDA-1 combo which did not please him and was left with him saying he would 'think' about it. The components are in very good condition with him using a remote and seldom touching anything. 

This is about $1350    The Wadia 15  I can get for about $500  The Wadia owner bought it used after comparing it to a Theta, though I am unsure which one. I realise that if I go with the Wadia I will need to buy a usb to SPDIF converter as well, narrowing the gap a little.

My heart says Bryston, my head and wallet say Wadia

Hi!

16000 rand would be an excellent deal if you could manage it. But let me tell you, you could find a better DAC than the Wadia for the same money. A used Exposure 2010s2 DAC would bring you closer to Bryston than the Wadia and the entry fee might not be so high. A few years ago I did a rather exhausting comparative test of the DACs I like. It took me more than a year to decide which one to purchase. The list included:
- Musical Fidelity M6DAC
- NAD M51
- Bryston BDA-2
- M2Tech Young
- Exposure 2010s2 DAC
- PS Audio Nuwave DAC
- Cambridge Audio 851C CD player / DAC

My finaly decision was between the Musical Fidelity and Bryston. The Bryston dealer was nicer and the guarantee period was longer so that is why I got it. But the Cambridge Audio adn Exposure were close in performance and excellent in build and cost much less. Perhaps you could find a used Cambdrige 851D or an Exposure 2010s2. These would be excellent.

Cheers!
Antun

[vonnie123]

I have the BDP-1 and actually have two DACs setup.

Wyred4Sound DAC-2 with femto clock upgrade
Cambridge Audio DAC Magic Plus (doubles as my headphone amp)

Both sound great.  Also use as sources JRiver Id, Oppo BDP-95, and W4S Modified Sonos Connect ZP90 with I2s over HDMI connection.

You should be able to find a BDA-1 (or BDA-2) at a very reasonable price especially with the new BDA-3 release coming out in the near future.

[Rod_S]

It's interesting Wadia owner chose it over a Theta but I suppose Theta has had numerous DACs over the years so it would be hard to know which one was used in the comparison. The current Gen VIII S3 is like $14k or $15k so I doubt it was that but I guess you never know, price doesn't always dictate better in this subjective landscape we live in.

One experiment I would love to do is to compare the Moon Evolution 750D DAC to the BDA-2. Seeing as the Moon is 5x or 6x more expensive than the Bryston I would like to know the real world performance differences.

[sailor]

Hi Rod-S I have since spoken to the Wadia 15 owner who compared it to a Theta dac which uses the same chip as the Wadia, the PCM63, in which case it would be Theta Pro Generation III or V.

I think his ultimate choice was possibly based on price, which I understand, I may have to do the same.

I have a valve pre-amp I built that may interest the Bryston owner so perhaps with a bit of horse trading may still get to own.

[R. Daneel]

Theta was best known for their modifications of Pioneer stable platter transports. I'd pick a Wadia over a Theta as well back then. If you're still thinking about it, then you should probably get a Wadia over the Bryston. But don't think you'd be anywhere near the fidelity of the Bryston. In the end, that is what it amounts to, how much you're willing to shell out.