[pavlosn]

Hi  

I just acquired a second hand Bryston SP1 and a Bryston SPV1 and have some questions on which I require help.

(a) Can an SP1 control an SPV1? The operating software on my SP1 is version 19.0. At the moment I switch both units manually & independently.

(b) Are there any software only upgrades available for the SP1 and if so what are the advantages of these? I know that SP1s can be upgraded to SP1-7 spec but this involves returning the unit to the factory and I would rather not do so just yet, having only just acquired it.

(c) If I do not upgrade my SP1 to SP1-7 will I still have an upgrade path to any successor to the SP1-7, as and when such a successor arrives on the scene.

Thank you

[James Tanner]

HI,

1. No I am sorry the SPV-1 will only operate with the SP1.7.
2. Version 19 is the current software version for the SP1.
3. Yes you would be able to continue to upgrade but it will cost much more than going from an SP1.7.

james

[pavlosn]

Thanks James for your reply.

I have already contacted my local dealer to get a quote on the upgrade from SP1 to SP1.7.

I appreciate that apgrading an SP1 directly to the successor of SP1.7 (for convenience allow me to refer to this as SPx.x) will cost more than upgrading an SP1.7 to SPx.x. However for me the crucial isuues are:

1. Will the cost of upgrading SP1 to SP1.7 and then SP1.7 to SPx.x not be considerably higher than waiting and upgrating direct from SP1 to SPx.x ; especially bearing in mind the shipping costs from Cyprus to Canada and back?

2. Is there any indication when SPx.x is likely to appear? Reading through other entries on the circle it appears that there has been talk for a while now of an upgrade to the SP1.7 but no info on the likely release date of the SPx.x. I appreciate that this may be commercially sensitive info however I am sure that even an indication of the likely release date would be greatly apreciated.

Let me finnish by saying that based on reputation alone I have recently acquired SP1, SPV1 and 3B ST on the second hand market and I wish to congratulate and thank you for the quality of your products. I am delighted with the sound I am getting especially when using the SP1 in 2ch bypass mode. In fact part of my relactunce to upgrade is that I just do not want to part with the SP1 right now!

One side effect is that I am begining to wonder, if my older models sound so good just how much better do the latest models (such as the SP1.7 and SST series amps) sound?

The quality of Bryston equipment and the 20 year transferable guarantee mean that there appears to be quite a healthy second hand market for Bryston products, with the products keeping there value reasonably well. This relatively low depreciation means that the effective cost of acquiring new Bryston products is lower than it first appears. So while I have tested the water with 2nd hand products I believe I will be upgrading to new models raesonably soon.

You have a convert here!

Regards

Pavlos

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[James Tanner]

HI Pavlos,

Thank you for your kind comments - I will pass them on to everyone at Bryston - much appreciated.

We have been looking at where to go with the next upgrade and when and have been hoping that the connector issues and hi-res digital issues would sort themselves out over the last year but so far no conclusions. I would say we are still a ways off but unless you need the specific features of the SP1.7 and the need to use the SPV1 immediately then I would say hold off till the next round.

The nice thing is that the sales on the SP1.7 have never been better so it is nice to see that many people still find the sound quality to be more importannt to them than every possible new feature known to man.

james

[BachToRock]

I would suggest upgrading to the SST series amplifiers... they offer a SIGNIFIGANT gain in sound quality