[vlach]

Good to know you get the green light confirmation, thank you.

In the end, BCRich1 was correct; my research found that it is indeed the macOS that is not capable of sending raw DSD streams. The DSD over PCM (DoP) standard has been developed to send raw DSD in a fake PCM stream. This is why many users get an amber light as opposed to green.

Edit: Additional research reveals that if you use macOS to a UPNP device capable of DSD (which the BDA-3 is), the device will natively play at DSD.

So now i'm not 100% certain if using Audirvana on an Imac can deliver native DSD to the BDA-3 through USB. Surely someone can confirm this?

[MN2CHFAN]

When I had my BDA-3, only GREEN lights with DSD over USB on my MacBook Pro via JRiver. 

I tried a windows laptop with jRiver and BDA-3 ASIO driver and the AMBER light illuminated for DSD 64, 128, and 256 files. 

[MN2CHFAN]

And I was never able to get YELLOW DSD lights wi5 Audirvana via my Mac book pro.   

I always thought that the Mac was only DoP not matter what software??

[bokko]

The BDA-3 supports Native and PCM. Not DOP seems like MAC is problem not supporting Native. As I never had a problem with an Intel NUC using Native (light green light) running Windowz via USB.

Even when PCM the bit rate supports the relative bit rate of SACD.
48, 88, 176k, etc.

I used to think it mattered too, it doesn’t as for DSD over HDMI don’t remember if it supported Native or not. That wouldn’t be a Bryston limitation but one of HDMI standard. So might vary from player to player. Mine has two options Bitstream (not supported) or PCM.

I have ripped my SACD disks to files. DSD does work with an old Allo DigiOne sig I have via SPDIF native. Have since moved on using a BR-20 which is essentially a BDA-3 with streamer and Preamp built in. The BR-20 streamer using one of the USB inputs.

I have tried several different dac streamer combo’s and come back to the Bryston BR-20 every time.
Love the sound don’t believe a word the ASR guy says. Unless you think he knows better then Stereophile and many other competent reviewers with actual backgrounds in electronics.

PS many of these answers are right in this thread start at first post and read forward.

[MN2CHFAN]

native DSD = yellow lights

DoP DSD = green

I was never able to get yellow (native) with HDMI playing SACD

[vlach]

Apologies if i created any confusion with my recent posts; this whole time i was under the impression that DoP=amber and DSD=green.

All i was trying to confirm is if mac/Audirvana can output native DSD and when MN2CHFAN confirmed he had green lights on MacBook Pro via JRiver (and never able to get YELLOW DSD lights wi5 Audirvana on Mac book pro), i thought i was good to go with mac/Audirvana/native DSD/BDA-3. So now everything is in reverse!

Anyhow, thanks everyone for your help, i now have my answers

[Pivotal74]

Hi folks. Just pulled the trigger on the BDA 3 and wondering when the last major update was? Is it reasonable for me to be a teeny but concerned as to how it will fair against DACs that have been released in the last 2-3 years?

Thanks. M

[Blueshound]

I'm using a BDP3 / BDA3 combo in an Active T10 based system. My own opinion is that you shouldn't feel that you have to look sideways at other DAC choices, having just decided on a BDA3. I'll explain myself; opinions are more useful when given context.

For the past year or so, I've been on a mission to identify cable options that stand out, in terms of being reasonably priced (or downright cheap when compared to the typical mega-buck audiophile market options) and punch well above their cost in sound quality. I've been fairly successful at this, I think. My current system has shown itself to be both neutral in tone and very resolving of fine details, so as to allow differences between even digital cables to be easily heard.

This project, along with actually listening to a wide range of music, has me feeling that I've yet to reach the ceiling of the sound quality that the BDA3 is capable of. There may be more resolving DACs out there, but that tends to come with a leaner, dryer tonal character. There may be warmer sounding DACs out there, but that seems to come with a loss of fine details. The BDA3 seems to give both a nice tonality and good dynamics and detail for a mid-market cost. The icing on the cake is the wide variety of input types that it accepts, which is difficult to find elsewhere.

I'm not all that curious, as I'm not interested in spending multiples of Bryston's price.

One person's opinion.

Brian

[R. Daneel]

Hi folks. Just pulled the trigger on the BDA 3 and wondering when the last major update was? Is it reasonable for me to be a teeny but concerned as to how it will fair against DACs that have been released in the last 2-3 years?

Thanks. M

Here we go again. This has been discussed many times before but the short answer is - no, you do not need to upgrade anything. You won't accomplish anything and you might do a great deal of damage. The last customer, just very recently, had to send his DAC in because he messed up the firmware upgrade process and destroyed the ROM chip that holds the program.

It is beyond me why people are obsessed with this. The control interface of the BDA-3, just like its predecessors, is a rudimentary 8-bit code that could run on a 286 machine from the eighties. No options are available for Bryston convertors - you have what you get from the factory. The reason why Bryston has several revisions of firmware is likely because of the minor hardware changes done to the design over the years. This is typically done when a certain semiconducor is no longer available and has to be replaced with a current one.

'Other' DACs, with selectable digital filters and a whole host of features might benefit from a firmware update but this update will not be performed by a rudimentary system like the one Bryston uses. It will be more reliable, utilising MUCH faster computer-level hardware, not something that can barely power a pocket calculator.

Bryston DACs are very much the essence of simplicity and functionality. They also sound superb and it is clear as day that whoever did the electronic design knew exactly what they wanted and used proven techniques to achieve it. Quite frankly, if I were them, I would remove all firmware revisions from the website.

[Pivotal74]

Here we go again. This has been discussed many times before but the short answer is - no, you do not need to upgrade anything.

Well that's pretty definitive. As the poster before you said, I'm interested in squeezing as much of everything out of my CD's as I possibly can.

Proof in the pudding they say. Looking forward to letting it rip when I hook it all up.

[Yodalogger74662]

When trying to toggle between my BDP-2 and Mac mini on the USB inputs, the manual says I may have to reinitialize some streamers like the Bryston BDP. Does turning off the BDP and turning back on do the trick? Do I have to turn everything off, unplug usb cables, and turn it back on in a specified order? I feel my success rate in getting the BDA to recognize the BDP is poor, I'm starting to feel like Hansel and Zoolander looking for a file in the computer.

I primarily use the BDP2 as a roon endpoint, the BDP2 does display the song info from roon but the BDA is not getting a signal from the BDP as none of the PCM lights are illuminated.

Any suggestions welcome.