Hello Folks
Funny you should ask Vipes
Having been lucky enough to have a BDA1 and a BDA2 both in house i was able to get a good feeling of where the new BDA has made some nice improvements imo. They both are great dacs. In so much that they both give you a great sense of Prat. There are no surprises with the new bda2. That signature bda pace and timing is what makes the bda dacs so great. I love good solid image with focus and if i can get that with a solid beat then its gonzo. Not just with primary instruments but with fillers that appear layered,and back up instruments that all have nice toe tapping rhythms. All these instuments need to come across in focus and with a healthy sense of air for appeal. You get that with both dacs.
Here is a pic of both
Not the greatest pic sorry.
Where the bda2 starts to make ground is its ability to bring more resolution to the sound with less noise. I am guessing these new 32 akm dual dacs are more powerful then the older 24 bit dac in the bda1. It shows up with a better sense of instrument detail. There is a stronger more pulpable sense of guitars in lead and rhythm and including filler instruments.
Another benefit to the new akm dacs is the BDA2 ability resolve complicated passages with a better sense of ease and less clutter. Instrument detail isnt getting lost in the dacs ability to resolve complicated passages found in the fusion tracks i used to listen, including this one by Herbie Hancock in 24 bit.
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD886443610507The music just sounded more at ease in the more difficult places where in the bda1 it seemed to get tripped up a bit. The dac isnt getting in the way iow. Its stuff like this that makes it a better dac.
The bda2 is more colored but it doesnt come at a cost of instrument detail or a sense of air. Its far more forgiving than the bda1 in this regard. This was important since i use a TPV pre and cabling the bda1 was more of a hobby task. The bda2 you can up the resolution with cabling without it pushing the boundaries in treble. Silver cabling would work here in an all solid state system with the bda2 i am
assuming.....ymmv
The bda2 is just a better dac imo and i still havent gotten around to the usb.....
. I left the drivers at the dealer by accident.
These new akm dacs up the playback considerably imo. Housed in a single chassis using Bryston's circuity and this 32 bit dac gives you the resolution of the dac chip and the prat circuitry of Bryston's house sound.. Its a win win win win situation.
More to come
