[Tezza009]

Hi James

First of all let me acknowledge the contribution that you personally have made to this site. It sets a high standard for those involved in the industry and is appreciated.

However, I have a few questions ….

As you might know I have a significant investment in Bryston electronics and to date I have been very happy with both the performance of these components and the service provided by Bryston.

However, as my Bdp-1 and Bda-1 age (and I must say that continue to perform perfectly) I wonder what the future is for these or similar products. Bryston has produced exemplary hardware but the software has languished compared to competitors.

I have noted that you have avoided questions recently about the replacement for Manic Moose and it also appears that the Bdp-3 has been discontinued.

I know that you cannot be specific about product plans but I would like to get some comfort that Bryston is committed to digital products and the necessary supporting software.

So to the extent that you are able can you please provide me and I suspect many others some comfort that we can look forward to state of the art digital / streaming / hardware and software from Bryston.

Regards
Terry

[zeeman]

No doubt Bryston has new digital in the works, as their previous and current digital products sold very well.  The BDP-1 and BDA-1 models are completely outdated in both concept and execution.  The current BDA-3 and 3.14 offer much improved functionality and sound quality, and the BDA-3.14 offers integrated high resolution streaming. When combined with Roon software it provides a superior user experience.  You can also use USB drives on both, as you're doing with your BDA units.

[James Tanner]

Hi Folks

Yes we are still committed to a digital player in the future - we just ran out of a source for the custom industrial main board in the BDP-3.
There seems to be a lot of improvements is smaller high quality computers these days so we are researching if we can get state of the art performance of one of these to types.

best
james

[jobiwon]

MY little old BDP pi functions great as a ROON endpoint.  Is there any market for a product like that again?  Similar to something like the PS Audio Airlens.   Seems like the industry is going the way of "Connect" products where the streaming service provide the software or (ROON,Audirvana etc) and hardware companies support the various interface layers?

[Tezza009]

Ok, I now have more confidence about the hardware side. However, the software side is just as important with Digital. Clearly the replacement for MM has either been cancelled or is in serious trouble - we don’t know.

Why am I asking these questions? My BDP-1 is old. It has been great and to be fair it still works as originally intended. However, it does not reliably stream Tidal etc. I will need to replace at some stage and would prefer to stay with Bryston. Other small manufacturers seem to be able to provide good software solutions.

It would be good to get some direction from Bryston on the software side things. Without this the hardware doesn’t really matter.

[jobiwon]

Spin up a trial or Roon or Audirvana and use the BDP as an endpoint.  Spider webs be growing out of your rig waiting on a single manufacture to catch up.

[GSDaudio]

Newbie question.   Does Audirvana work like Rigilian?  ie an MPD controller?  Or do I need to buy a computer as a dedicated server to stream music to the BDP-3 which I control with iPads/phones/Mac?  Sorry but the internet search results are horrible!!

Thanks!

[jobiwon]

I think Rigalian is a little bit different than Audivarna but they both may use MPD in the end. Rigalian is more a controller and Audivarna is more a server technology. When I did a quick test of Audivarna I think i enable the DNLA capability of the BDP and switch from ROON enabled to MPD playback.  Logged in to my Qobuz account via Audivarna and away I went.  SQ was comparable  to ROON but I didn't scrutinize it.   Audivarna also has DSP capability.

I think to have Rigalian use Qubuz you have to employ BubbleUPnP which is the server component.

Maybe someone who uses audivarna more extensively can chime in.

[GSDaudio]

Thanks!   I tried an AI search and it might actually tell me and others what you need....time to dive into the free month trial!!!
Of course it may be wrong.... Cheers!


AI OUTPUT: (not responsible for its accuracy, use at own risk)

To use Audirvana as an endpoint for your Bryston device, you'll need to enable UPnP/DLNA on your Bryston and then configure Audirvana to use it as a streaming target.
Here's a step-by-step guide:
1. Enable UPnP/DLNA on Bryston:
Refer to your Bryston device's manual for specific instructions on how to enable UPnP/DLNA. This is usually done through the device's settings menu.
Ensure your Bryston is on the same network as your computer running Audirvana.
2. Configure Audirvana:
Open Audirvana: Launch the Audirvana application on your computer.
Access Settings: Navigate to Audirvana's settings or preferences.
Locate Streaming: Look for the "Streaming" or "UPnP/DLNA" section within the settings.
Add a Streaming Target: You should see an option to add a new UPnP/DLNA target.
Select your Bryston: Audirvana should detect your Bryston device on the network. Select it from the list of available devices.
Confirm and Save: Save the changes to apply the new streaming target.
3. Play Music:
Select the music you want to play in Audirvana.
Choose your Bryston device as the output target.
Audirvana should now stream the music to your Bryston, which will play it through its connected speakers.
Additional Notes:
Audirvana is known for its high-quality audio playback capabilities, according to Audirvana.
You can manage your Audirvana subscription through their website, according to Audirvana.
To stop streaming and liberate the audio output, you can deactivate Audirvana's exclusive access mode, according to Audirvana.
AI responses may include mistakes. L

[jobiwon]

Another way to keep BDP hardware in service is with https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/ .  Their Sonic Transport server i5 (~$1.1K) comes with ROON, BubbleUpnp and Audivarna preinstalled (license required). So potentially you could  say fire up BubbleUpnP (DLNA Compliant), Control it with Rigalian on iPAD and integrate a Qobuz subscription with your locally stored files and leverage your investment and  SQ of a Bryston player.

ROON is like $150 a year and works really well off the SGC i5 and has been largely trouble free integration with my BDP.  Did take some network tuning and upgrades to achieve the SQ of the stand alone BDP.   

[GSDaudio]

I tried the Audirvana free trial to test the BDP-3 connection.    I'm sure the software is great but I never went so far as to stream my own files to the BDP-3.   For me it is to much IT work and investment for me to enjoy music.    Audirvana is not an MPD controller but a file based (and music provider streamer integrator) streamer.   The first thing the software asks for during setup is "where are your files".   You cannot use the BDP-3 with a hard drive connected as the music file source.  Therefore, your computer becomes the file source and that is a problem because I have so many songs I need a USB hard rive to hold my music.   I'm not using my MacBook with a tether.   I'm not buying a NAS or anything in between.   I'm lazy and not wanting to buy and maintain software and computer hardware for music.   So,  back to just the BDP-3.   I find that most of Manic Moose UI headaches can be avoided by purchasing a high end meta editor and managing the data to work well with the MPD on the Manic Moose.  i.e. the meta data editor on the "house" MPD in Manic Moose is awful.

Don't misunderstand.   Everyone's needs are different and I'm sure Audirvana etc are great solutions but it does not fit with me.

Thanks for all your suggestions.   That is what I like about this forum.   A wealth of information and experiences to work from.

Cheers!

[Jozsef]

However, as my Bdp-1 and Bda-1 age (and I must say that continue to perform perfectly) I wonder what the future is for these or similar products. Bryston has produced exemplary hardware but the software has languished compared to competitors.

It has been stated in answer to your post that your units are completely obsolete. I disagree strongly with that statement. The BDP-1 has a slower processor and requires a longer wait to update its files than the later BDPs. That's not a deal breaker. It has a smaller maximum number of files it can hold in its database which will affect people with extremely large music collections. It also lacks the Bryston designed sound card which has very slightly better performance than the one they were previously buying and modifying. The motivation behind doing their own was availability rather than unacceptable performance from the original one. The BDP-2 was not originally intended to replace your device but the market for it was gone because a new model is always assumed to be superior.

The BDA-1 had an earlier generation of DAC chips which do not perform quite as well as their replacements in the BDA-2. It's an incremental step up so it's worthwhile but by no means large and may not be audible in any but the finest systems. The USB implementation is definitely not comparable so stick to AES/EBU when connecting it to the BDP. The BDA-3 is a bit improved still.

Very small increments do add up so I have upgraded to a BDP-2 and a BDA-3. That does not mean you are using obsolete trash if you don't do the same. Remember that human perception is so dependent on what we "know to be true" that if you are convinced that your devices are old rubbish, you will actually hear terrible sound. Only a double blind test has the slightest meaning, otherwise, get advice from James or Adam Tanner. Above all, don't buy worse sound from other companies offering newer products. I suspect there is very little that's better than what you already have. 

[jobiwon]

The BDA-1 had an earlier generation of DAC chips...

 

[Ron D]

BDA-1= dual Crystal CS-4398
BDA-2 = dual AKM 4399

[jobiwon]

BDA-1= dual Crystal CS-4398
BDA-2 = dual AKM 4399

Ahh right.  I confused BDA with BDP. 

[Tezza009]

Thanks guys for your feedback. I guess my concerns are less about the SQ of the existing products and more about the future direction of Bryston. As I mentioned the bdp-1 and bda-1 continue to perform as new. However, they are getting old and in particular the bdp-1 will fail at some point.

Ideally, I would like to be able to plan on replacing the bdp (and perhaps the bda) with a new streaming device with up to date UI and with support for tidal connect and so on. I’m not sure that Bryston will provide this. The responses to this thread do not fill me wiith confidence. The lack of information about the replacement for MM tells me that this initiative has either failed or has been cancelled.

The lack of support for tidal connect and other streaming services (which other providers have readily implemented) tells me that the important software development side of Bryston is either broken or has been shutdown. Hopefully ,I am wrong on this.

I have a large investment in Bryston products and to date have been very satisfied with both the components and the service. I just have concerns about the digital side of things.

[zeeman]

The BDA 3.14 with Roon would solve your issues.  All high end manufacturers recommend Roon as it offers the best user interface, sound quality, metadata and has excellent customization options.  This is the reason many of them are not spending huge amounts of their own resources to develop their own software.

[Twiga]

I have to agree 100 per cent with Tezza009’s conclusions.

I too am heavily invested in Bryston products and am uncomfortable about the future direction (particularly on the software side). Although I have been extremely pleased with the value Bryston offers, the performance and the support, the lack of transparency on the progress and future of the MM replacement is deeply concerning. It begs the question of the depth of software resources at Bryston. Is Chris Rice still there?

As a result of these concerns, I would require some reassurance from Bryston that it has the software capabilities to compete with other manufacturers, before making further purchases of Bryston equipment in this software-driven age.

[cmccaul]

I agree as well.  Even if it's not good news, at least let us know.  The silence is disturbing.

[James Tanner]

Hi Folks - I will try an get an update for you.

james