[Mesanjah05]

Folks,

I've just purchased a used BDA-1 and will be putting it in my system once Canada Post does their part.  I've read the reviews of the BDA-1 and believe it is the best choice as I've been totally happy with my Bryston set-up.  I've heard DAC's in friends kits and loved the improved soundstage, some with CDP's and others through their pcs.  I will be in the former category for a while yet and will learn about pc based streaming and set up down the road, but I must say I'm not all that motivated to move in that direction just yet.

This is my kit; 4BSST, BP25, Rega Apollo and Gallo's 3.1. 

I'm not sure how to set up the DAC in my system; how to run the ic's and/or use the digital or optical out from the Apollo.  Assistance would be welcome and since the Rega has a digital and opitical out, I'm not even certain which of the out's may be the best to consider!   

I've also read that the Apollo may be problematic with the BDA-1 and certain Beatles remasters.  As you can see all this has me a bit perplexed and the learning curve is beginning.  I thank you for any assitance you may provide.

[Phil A]

Congrats, great choice. I'd use coax.  The BDA is decoding what the Apollo sents to it.  The BDA-1 is very easy to use - digital out from source (transport, network player, cable box) into an input on the BDA and then analog out from the BDA to the preamp

[1oldguy]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on the new Bryston Gear.

[donny619]

Congrats on the purchase. I absolutely love mine. I too recommend COAX.

I would guess you'll be spending your time playing around with whether to "upsample" or not, how it sounds with the BDA-1, how it sounds without...etc At this point I'm just so used to the great sound that it's just become part of the necessity of any musical system (although I prefer 'upsample' off)

One thing I do use it for is an audio-switcher, since it has a digital pass-thru. I have my HTPC and XBOX "passing through" (TOSLINK cable) so I actually have the BDA-1 ON every time the SP 1.7 is on. While there isn't any benefits using it this way for games and movies, I didn't want to leave out any 2-channel music I'd be listening to, especially from the HTPC (youtube, and or other internet music sources).

Enjoy!

[Stu Pitt]

The Apollo's got a great synergy with Bryston.  I owned one (now own the Rega DAC) and used it with my B60.  It's also a very good transport.

The BDA-1 is quite a bit better than the Apollo.   It'll give you a more refined cleaner and polished sound, while expanding the soundstage in every direction.

With my old DAC (Theta Cobalt), I found the coax output better than optical.   Could have been the DAC and/or the cable, but it was appreciably better.

Don't get carried away with cables yet IMO.  They definitely make a difference to my ears, but the best way to get to know what differences cables make is to be intimately familiar with the gear first.  I'm talking about comparing same types of cables, not coax vs optical and RCA vs XLR.

I'd start out with whatever you've got, get to know the components, then tweak from there.  Components always come first to me.  Cables have proven to be a fine tuning thing rather than a component in their own right, at least to my ears.

[headshrinker2]

Love my BDA-1!  Lots of inputs.  Very easy to use.  We have similar systems:  I am running BP25, BDA-1 and 4BSST.

[Mesanjah05]

Folks,

Thank you for the warm welcome and the helpful responses.  I got the unit and set it up in my system this evening. 

I used the toslink connection from the Apollo to the DAC, as that was all I had available this evening.  After a few hours of listening I found the soundstage opened up and I could certainly hear improvements.  Although I must admit I was a bit concerned at the start that the difference was not as pronounced as I had hoped.  In the beginning my turning upsampling on and off did not reveal the differences that I could readily discern.  My partner certainly thought there were improvements, but I may have been hoping for that total wow factor given the press the unit has received. 

I will live with this for a few days and then start with the coax connection and explore the other options as suggested.

Once again thank you all for helping me out.  I'm certain there are issues that I clearly need to learn about for full benefit of the unit.

[alexone]

hi, Mesanjah

and welcome to the forum! leave the BDA on for a few days...burning in can indeed have positive effects on the sound.

al.

[donny619]

Hey, don't be discouraged. Because we all have high quality equipment to begin with, any subtle improvements in sound quality is always a plus. I mean, I've spent the same amount of money on cabling as I did on the DAC to achieve a slightly warmer sound. It wasn't night and day, but it was worth the improvement. Some music sound a lot better than others using a DAC, so mix and match.

Burn it in, and listen to it for a week. While it may not be the "night and day" difference you were expecting, remove it after a week, and you'll find that you can't listen without the DAC (music will sound flat).

Folks,

Thank you for the warm welcome and the helpful responses.  I got the unit and set it up in my system this evening. 

I used the toslink connection from the Apollo to the DAC, as that was all I had available this evening.  After a few hours of listening I found the soundstage opened up and I could certainly hear improvements.  Although I must admit I was a bit concerned at the start that the difference was not as pronounced as I had hoped.  In the beginning my turning upsampling on and off did not reveal the differences that I could readily discern.  My partner certainly thought there were improvements, but I may have been hoping for that total wow factor given the press the unit has received. 

I will live with this for a few days and then start with the coax connection and explore the other options as suggested.

Once again thank you all for helping me out.  I'm certain there are issues that I clearly need to learn about for full benefit of the unit.

[john1970]

Welcome to the Bryston circle.  I purchased a BDA1 about three years ago, and it has been an excellent performer.  You will get many years of service from the unit.

Best,

John