[yyz]

Not much to say yet other than these 2 are going to go head-to-head as my replacement to my Logitech Squeezebox. The Sony comes out in the end of December. The only other Sony product I have is a modded SCD-1 SACD/CD player and it is still the best digital source I have on my system.

http://store.sony.com/hi-res-music-player-with-1tb-hdd-zid27-HAPZ1ES/cat-27-catid-All-Res-Audio?_t=pfm%3Dcategory

[R. Daneel]

I was just looking at that Sony machine the other day and it seemed like an interesting concept to me. Mind you, the "ES team", like they called it, was dismissed in the mid nineties and since then the ES badge has been carried by products that were not really the embodyment of the genuine ES units. So, while I have no doubt the HAP-Z1ES will be a fine machine, I am also quite sure something like a BDA-2 would have the ultimate edge in resolution and imaging.

Still, I don't think it's really a fair fight since the Sony has a built-in hard disk and plethora features, possibly streaming too, and the Bryston is but a D/A converter sou are really not comparing two products that belong in the same category.

The "1" series was something of a comeback for Sony since it has been almost 20 years since the last ultimate series. then called the "R" series but yes, the SCD-1 was a spectacular SACD player and worth having.

Cheers!
Antun

[yyz]

I am most interested in comparing the sound of the BDP-2 with up-sampling DSD design of the Sony. The other bells and whistles are likely not that important for me.

[R. Daneel]

Generally speaking, I don't think a digital engine can improve things significantly. There are other companies that employ similar technologies (Meitner, Wadia and even Simaudio) but if these digital engines were that important, I think you'd be struck with the feeling all digital-to-analogue converters sound more similar than different. That, of course, is not the case. Clean power supply, nicely laid out analogue stages and high quality components usually make a far greater difference. I am not claiming my personal opinion is shared by others but it seems to me that digital engine is but a "fast track" to good audio for most companies today. It is also the cheapest part of an D/A converter and it is usually the selling point if the machine features all kinds of nice symbols like DSD or 24/192. It is just a personal opinion.

Still, I have no doubt the Sony will be a fine sounding machine and a nice looking one at that.

Cheers!
Antun

[R. Daneel]

Hi!

Did you ever get that Sony HAP-Z1ES?