[alexone]

Hi All,

Just received word of a very flattering review from a very prestigious German magazine called: ‘hifi&records magazine’.  I would like to thank 'ALEX' - one of the Audiocircle members for the english translation below of the conclusion of the review.

BRYSTON BCD-1

“When you want a no-nonsense player the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player should be on top of your list. This digital debut of the Canadians - due to their quest to not counterfeit the accuracy of the music- achieved a perfect score!

You shouldn't get this player to impress anyone else- you will get the BCD-1 to enjoy the CD medium faithfully throughout the years.”

james

...you are welcome, james!

[James Tanner]

MEMO: To all Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: ‘MAGNIFIQUE’ Review on BCD-1 CD Player From Italy


March 28th 2008

For those of you who speak Italian I have PDF of a review on the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player from Fedelta del Suono Magazine in Italy
 

Conclusion of the review:

“C’EST MAGNIFIQUE”




James Tanner,
V/P Bryston

I am having the Italian review translated next week but so far I have been told that it was a shoot-out with the Marantz CD-15 CD Player (do not know this product) vs the Bryston CD Player...  and we won!

james

[James Tanner]

I should also mention that we have 2 more CD Player reviews in the works - one with Stereophile and one with Absolute Sound.


james

[James Tanner]

Hi All,

Some english translations on the recent CD Review we just got in Italy.

MEMO: To all Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: ‘MAGNIFIQUE’ Review on BCD-1 CD Player From Italy

English Review Highlights:

“Bryston BCD-1
Fedeltà del Suono, March 2008

• Bryston, with its typically "Canadian" rock solid approach, has always produced the same quality for both professional and high-end markets: professional hardware must sound like the best high end hardware, and high end hardware must be reliable like the best professional hardware.

• Praise must be given for the build quality, for the finish, for the silent operations of this CD Player, and for the reassuring firmness of the platter. 

• The BCD raises the bar even further from what I thought was the limit of the sound accuracy and the musicality found in CD players. It's not the first time this has happened, and I'm happy my previous ideas about CD limitations are being denied this way, but this time the quality leap is really remarkable.

• To reach similar sound and performance quality I must refer to products which cost from three to five times its price, like Teac Esoteric or EMM Labs.

• BCD 1 produces the most immediately enjoyable sound I've heard for a long time.

• This is truly a ‘State of the Art’ CD Player.”

[James Tanner]

MEMO: To all Bryston Dealers
SUBJECT: Absolute Sound Award for Bryston CD Player
April 2008,

Hi All,

GREAT NEWS:

I was just informed that the very prestigious USA magazine The Absolute Sound has awarded the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player its GOLDEN EAR AWARD for 2008.

http://bryston.ca/bcd1_m.html

The award will be announced and a short overview of the players performance will be available in the upcoming June issue.

Usually the Golden Ear Award is not announced until after a complete review has appeared in a previous issue of the magazine but in this case the reviewer felt it was important to alert everyone to this great product rather than wait another year.

The full review on the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player is scheduled to appear in a special digital issue of the Absolute Sound Magazine this coming September.


james

[KeithA]

That's great. Now I' really looking forward to getting my BDA-1

Keith

[P.C.]

Congratulations James on the Golden Ear award. I'm extremely impressed with  both my BCD-1s performance and in your own very kind and prompt help with my enquires regarding its purchase. Bryston  now for me  is  the only all one company I would ever consider changing  my carefully selected multi brand system to . Thanks again.

[smerlas]

OK ............... I never thought I would buy audio equipment without demoing it first ................... but with these kind of reviews I am placing my order before the reviews result in a price increase (ha .... ha...) and the back log increases.

Outstanding news ........ and based on the rest of my system I find myself wondering if I bumped my head in the first place by not just ordering the BCD1 a few months ago.

I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Kudos James and All of the folks at Bryston who make this kind of equipment possible.

[James Tanner]

OK ............... I never thought I would buy audio equipment without demoing it first ................... but with these kind of reviews I am placing my order before the reviews result in a price increase (ha .... ha...) and the back log increases.

Outstanding news ........ and based on the rest of my system I find myself wondering if I bumped my head in the first place by not just ordering the BCD1 a few months ago.

I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Kudos James and All of the folks at Bryston who make this kind of equipment possible.

Hi,

Thanks for the kind comments - I will pass them along.

Let me know what dealer you order your CD Player from and I will try to fast-track it for you.  As of Friday afternoon we were still over 30 players backordered.

james

[niels]

Just heard of a review in Hifi News from december 07, it was not all that favourable....

[KeithA]

Funny... I find the 'British' reviews of any gear that I would consider 'neutral' to be defined as 'dry', or 'stark' or 'uninvolving'. Even the HiFi+ (or HiFi Choice?) review points out that the BCD-1 leans toward 'dry'. I could not find the HiFi News review...but I did find Chrils Russel's reply to the review...and his reply does not surprise me. Personally, I put very little credence in any HiFi News review, or most British audio mag reviews. If all I read were British reviews, I would never have bought a Bryston amp, most likely, due to the 'dry' and 'matter of fact' presentation. But for my money, that presenatation is more accurate and what I want.

Here is Chris Russel's reply to the review...done tastefully, of course. #1 rule of audio...not everyone will love your product or any product. Audio gear is way too tied to the personal preferences of the individual. However, if the bulk of the reviews are favourable...chances are you have built a decent product.

http://blog.listencarefully.co.uk/?p=2027

Keith

[Phil A]

As noted in the previous post, a review can be useful when one follows the reviewer and has familiarity with the equipment used in the review for comparison and conjunction with the product being reviewed.  Without that, there is no frame of reference.  I've read glowing reviews of products and have taken them home, and while I wouldn't quite say the products sucked, they certainly were not all that great sounding.  I have 3 systems in the house and in some instances if I thought it might be a lack of synergy with one system, I tried it in another and did not find it any better.

I had a friend who worked at a high end shop and I did virtually all his deliveries and set-ups with him over a 5 yr. period.  To make a long story short, one day we delivered equipment to a next door neighbor of a noted reviewer from one of the major magazines.  The delivery included a Rel sub and Maggie 1.6s (part of a surround system).  We set up the sub and the system.  My friend was furious when he had to go back there next week after the reviewer moved the sub behind the listening position in a terrible spot and hooked it up wrong.  So I'm not about to like or dislike anything based on one person's opinion.  I do have my own set of ears and I have set-up hundreds of systems involving various equipment.  That does not mean that one flavor is for everyone (e.g. the way James in a recent thread noted differences in the 28BSST vs. the 7BSST).

[KeithA]

I couldn't agree with Phil A more

I have found a few reviewers with whom I relate and I familiar with their 'preferences'. When these people like a product...good chance I will too since we have similar audio preferences.

However, even when I read a review that is not particualrly glowing (on the surface), I look at the details of the review and not the final 'opinion'. I can usually draw my own conclusion if the reviewer give detailed notes on their review basis. As well, I may love the concept of the piece of gear when the reviewer really has no time for it.

Thta's the beauty of audio. I should mention that I have spent a lot of time doing this since all my gear was bought blind, merely reading reviews in audio mags. If I had to wait to get a chance to audition audio gear before buying......I'd have nothing.

Keith

[mariusconst]

MEMO: To all Bryston Dealers
SUBJECT: Absolute Sound Award for Bryston CD Player
April 2008,

Hi All,

GREAT NEWS:

I was just informed that the very prestigious USA magazine The Absolute Sound has awarded the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player its GOLDEN EAR AWARD for 2008.

http://bryston.ca/bcd1_m.html

The award will be announced and a short overview of the players performance will be available in the upcoming June issue.

Usually the Golden Ear Award is not announced until after a complete review has appeared in a previous issue of the magazine but in this case the reviewer felt it was important to alert everyone to this great product rather than wait another year.

The full review on the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player is scheduled to appear in a special digital issue of the Absolute Sound Magazine this coming September.

james

Congratulations James to you and all the Bryston people that worked on this project!
This award is very well deserved and the fact that it has been won by the first model Bryston CD player shows that all the time spent upfront in consulting with the user group, testing various components and carefully designing is definitely paying back.
My wish to you is to have the same success with your new project: the new SP3 processor.
Marius

[gravy]

Here is Chris Russel's reply to the review...done tastefully, of course. #1 rule of audio...not everyone will love your product or any product. Audio gear is way too tied to the personal preferences of the individual. However, if the bulk of the reviews are favourable...chances are you have built a decent product.
http://blog.listencarefully.co.uk/?p=2027

Keith

These reviews are very interesting to read - thanks for posting James! 

And what a classy and informative reply by Chris as well (thanks for posting this, Keith.)  I'm looking so forward to experiencing this player.

[James Tanner]

MEMO - Bryston Customer Feedback
SUBJECT – Bryston BCD-1 CD Player

Sent to: James Tanner on: Today at 02:29:06 pm

James,

Just wanted to pass along my thanks and quick impressions of the BCD-1 CD Player that I had the pleasure of installing into my rack last night.  I'm not an audiophile, so I'm not quite sure of the correct words to describe what I'm hearing, but let me try:

Build Quality & Aesthetics - the heft, and elegant simplicity and of this unit shines through the moment I released it from its cardboard coffin!   I knew I was in for a treat and the BCD-1 looked fantastic in the rack.  Great design work.  Rock solid feel.  You know you've got something special when you lift it out of the protective shipping packaging.

Sound Quality - I can only describe it as fantastic.  I listened to everything from Diana Krall to Infected Mushroom to Snog to Oscar's Motet Choir.  My instant reaction was that the notes seemed to be incredibly distinct, and perfectly separated...there was a  "black space" between notes that was so well defined it shocked me.  I wish I could describe this better, but I can't!   I'm presuming this has something to do with an increase in dynamic range which you spoke of on the forum, and the low noise floor, but those are starting to sound like audiophile terms and I'm not cleared for that kind of vocabulary.  Things sounded so right - bass was fast, clean and visceral.  Sometimes it’s hard to believe how well stereo can envelope you with sound.

My second reaction was that I wanted to keep turning the volume up and up.. and up!  I was using the BCD-1 analog pre-outs to my SP1.7, speakers powered by a 4BSST.  No distortion at concert volume levels.  This put a huge smile on my face. Harry Connick Jr. was so immersive I ended up listening to the whole CD again.  I hate to throw out the old chestnut of "I re-listened to my entire music selection", but that is exactly what I plan to do this weekend.

Thanks again for taking care of the order confusion so quickly, and providing a product that stunned me even though I had high expectations going in. Cheers and kudos to the Bryston team.  This is a real winner.


Scott

[James Tanner]

Hi All,

I hear the June/July issue of the Absolute Sound is out with the Golden Ear Awards.  I have not seen a copy yet so let me know if you have a copy and what they say about our CD Player.

Also the full review on the Bryston BCD-1 CD Player will be out in the next issue of Absolute Sound and I have an advanced copy of it. All I can say is WOW!

james

[James Tanner]

MEMO: To all Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Absolute Sound Golden Ear Award for Bryston CD Player

May 6th, 2008


Hi All,

Bryston is very pleased to announce that the BRYSTON BCD-1 CD Player has received the 2008 GOLDEN EAR AWARD from Absolute Sound Magazine.

Please see below comments by the reviewer Alan Taffel:

 

Bryston BCD-1 CD Player


“In one important parameter, Bryston’s new CD-spinner reminds me of the original, legendary Linn Sondek LP12 turntable.  Unlike other ‘tables of its era, the Sondek was able to unravel and present the most complex of musical passages in a relaxed, natural manner, allowing the listener to effortlessly hear everything going on.  The BCD-1 pulls off this feat so well that the Linn analogy is inescapable.

However, this is where the similarities end.  The early LP-12 was a highly colored device, whereas the Bryston boasts the neutrality and transparency for which the company’s analog electronics are justly famous. Yet the sound is never analytical; tonal warmth, dynamic nuance, and timbrel veracity see to that.  The Sondek was also shockingly pricey in its day.  In contrast, the BCD-1 may well be the best value in the entire CD market.  To be able to buy this level of construction--Bryston’s typical solidarity plus impeccable fit and finish--and sonic perform for approximately $2500 borders on the miraculous.

Over time, I predict the Bryston BCD-1 will prove to resemble the Linn Sondek in one other way; it will be recognized as a landmark product of the CD era. (Review forthcoming)”

Alan Taffel

[KeithA]

To sum up about the BCD-1, a somewhat famous quote (from the inside of a Van Halen CD no less!)...

"What is understood....need not be discussed."

That's pretty high praise by Mr. Taffel

Keith

[KeithA]

James

Out of curiosity...I suspect we should soon see BDA-1 DACs hitting the streets, hey?

Keith