Digital future

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Tezza009

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Digital future
« on: 5 Aug 2025, 01:32 pm »
Hi James

First of all let me acknowledge the contribution that you personally have made to this site. It sets a high standard for those involved in the industry and is appreciated.

However, I have a few questions ….

As you might know I have a significant investment in Bryston electronics and to date I have been very happy with both the performance of these components and the service provided by Bryston.

However, as my Bdp-1 and Bda-1 age (and I must say that continue to perform perfectly) I wonder what the future is for these or similar products. Bryston has produced exemplary hardware but the software has languished compared to competitors.

I have noted that you have avoided questions recently about the replacement for Manic Moose and it also appears that the Bdp-3 has been discontinued.

I know that you cannot be specific about product plans but I would like to get some comfort that Bryston is committed to digital products and the necessary supporting software.

So to the extent that you are able can you please provide me and I suspect many others some comfort that we can look forward to state of the art digital / streaming / hardware and software from Bryston.

Regards
Terry

zeeman

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #1 on: 5 Aug 2025, 02:47 pm »
No doubt Bryston has new digital in the works, as their previous and current digital products sold very well.  The BDP-1 and BDA-1 models are completely outdated in both concept and execution.  The current BDA-3 and 3.14 offer much improved functionality and sound quality, and the BDA-3.14 offers integrated high resolution streaming. When combined with Roon software it provides a superior user experience.  You can also use USB drives on both, as you're doing with your BDA units.

James Tanner

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #2 on: 5 Aug 2025, 03:09 pm »
Hi Folks

Yes we are still committed to a digital player in the future - we just ran out of a source for the custom industrial main board in the BDP-3.
There seems to be a lot of improvements is smaller high quality computers these days so we are researching if we can get state of the art performance of one of these to types.

best
james

jobiwon

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #3 on: 5 Aug 2025, 04:37 pm »
MY little old BDP pi functions great as a ROON endpoint.  Is there any market for a product like that again?  Similar to something like the PS Audio Airlens.   Seems like the industry is going the way of "Connect" products where the streaming service provide the software or (ROON,Audirvana etc) and hardware companies support the various interface layers?

Tezza009

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #4 on: 6 Aug 2025, 11:56 am »
Ok, I now have more confidence about the hardware side. However, the software side is just as important with Digital. Clearly the replacement for MM has either been cancelled or is in serious trouble - we don’t know.

Why am I asking these questions? My BDP-1 is old. It has been great and to be fair it still works as originally intended. However, it does not reliably stream Tidal etc. I will need to replace at some stage and would prefer to stay with Bryston. Other small manufacturers seem to be able to provide good software solutions.

It would be good to get some direction from Bryston on the software side things. Without this the hardware doesn’t really matter.

jobiwon

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #5 on: 6 Aug 2025, 05:19 pm »
Spin up a trial or Roon or Audirvana and use the BDP as an endpoint.  Spider webs be growing out of your rig waiting on a single manufacture to catch up.

GSDaudio

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #6 on: 6 Aug 2025, 08:53 pm »
Newbie question.   Does Audirvana work like Rigilian?  ie an MPD controller?  Or do I need to buy a computer as a dedicated server to stream music to the BDP-3 which I control with iPads/phones/Mac?  Sorry but the internet search results are horrible!!

Thanks!

jobiwon

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #7 on: 7 Aug 2025, 03:48 pm »
I think Rigalian is a little bit different than Audivarna but they both may use MPD in the end. Rigalian is more a controller and Audivarna is more a server technology. When I did a quick test of Audivarna I think i enable the DNLA capability of the BDP and switch from ROON enabled to MPD playback.  Logged in to my Qobuz account via Audivarna and away I went.  SQ was comparable  to ROON but I didn't scrutinize it.   Audivarna also has DSP capability.

I think to have Rigalian use Qubuz you have to employ BubbleUPnP which is the server component.

Maybe someone who uses audivarna more extensively can chime in.

GSDaudio

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Re: Digital future
« Reply #8 on: 7 Aug 2025, 06:08 pm »
Thanks!   I tried an AI search and it might actually tell me and others what you need....time to dive into the free month trial!!!
Of course it may be wrong.... Cheers!


AI OUTPUT: (not responsible for its accuracy, use at own risk)

To use Audirvana as an endpoint for your Bryston device, you'll need to enable UPnP/DLNA on your Bryston and then configure Audirvana to use it as a streaming target.
Here's a step-by-step guide:
1. Enable UPnP/DLNA on Bryston:
Refer to your Bryston device's manual for specific instructions on how to enable UPnP/DLNA. This is usually done through the device's settings menu.
Ensure your Bryston is on the same network as your computer running Audirvana.
2. Configure Audirvana:
Open Audirvana: Launch the Audirvana application on your computer.
Access Settings: Navigate to Audirvana's settings or preferences.
Locate Streaming: Look for the "Streaming" or "UPnP/DLNA" section within the settings.
Add a Streaming Target: You should see an option to add a new UPnP/DLNA target.
Select your Bryston: Audirvana should detect your Bryston device on the network. Select it from the list of available devices.
Confirm and Save: Save the changes to apply the new streaming target.
3. Play Music:
Select the music you want to play in Audirvana.
Choose your Bryston device as the output target.
Audirvana should now stream the music to your Bryston, which will play it through its connected speakers.
Additional Notes:
Audirvana is known for its high-quality audio playback capabilities, according to Audirvana.
You can manage your Audirvana subscription through their website, according to Audirvana.
To stop streaming and liberate the audio output, you can deactivate Audirvana's exclusive access mode, according to Audirvana.
AI responses may include mistakes. L

jobiwon

  • Jr. Member
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Re: Digital future
« Reply #9 on: 8 Aug 2025, 01:27 pm »
Another way to keep BDP hardware in service is with https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/ .  Their Sonic Transport server i5 (~$1.1K) comes with ROON, BubbleUpnp and Audivarna preinstalled (license required). So potentially you could  say fire up BubbleUpnP (DLNA Compliant), Control it with Rigalian on iPAD and integrate a Qobuz subscription with your locally stored files and leverage your investment and  SQ of a Bryston player.

ROON is like $150 a year and works really well off the SGC i5 and has been largely trouble free integration with my BDP.  Did take some network tuning and upgrades to achieve the SQ of the stand alone BDP.