Hello everybody!
I’m from Germany and this is my first post in this forum. I’m not an owner of Bryston stuff right now, but I had the chance to see/hear some of their amps (3B SST, 4B SST, 7B SST) in action and was always fascinated by the sound quality and the extreme-well-built design.
Now I’m very interested in the upcoming SP 3.0, which seem to fit exactly to my home theatre system as far as connections and features are concerned. I think it’s a very good idea to keep the video processing out of the unit for those who didn’t need or want it. Additionally I like the option of choosing from black/silver and 17” or 19” front plates. I’m thrilled by the idea of making this piece the new heart of my system.
I’m also impressed by the fact, that one of the manufacturer’s guarantors (James Tanner) is using a platform like this to communicate with the customers. He seems to be responsive to their feedbacks and wishes and I don’t know many other companies that care about the customers in such an exemplary way. This is the reason why I decided to start posting here, because there are some thoughts/wishes that I want to share with Mr. Tanner and I-m interested in the other user’s opinions:
First point: Built-In DACs
A lot of high(er) end manufacturers have the claim to reach “high end audio quality” (I think Mr. Tanner stated this claim for the SP 3.0 somewhere in this thread, too) with their components. When you take a closer look to todays AV-Processors market (there are a lot of companies launching or announcing Pre/Pros with HDMI 1.3 inputs, high resolution audio decoding, balanced outputs, and so on…), there are or will be some products, for which only the price itself should/could be an indicator for the claim of “high end audio quality”.
I think some of the most important parts, if not THE most important, as far as audio quality is concerned, are the built-in DACs. But when you look at the mentioned “high end components” there are very few, if any, that contains the best/latest available DACs (for example Burr Browns PCM1792A). Normally, they use very good alternative DACs, but I think, “very good” is not enough for high end. For me it seems to be obvious, that a reason for using “very good DACs” instead of “high end DACs” is reducing the cost factor, because in a 7.1-processor you’ll need up to 8 DACs. When we look at the BB 1792A, the additional costs in comparison to the “common” DACs is about 10 $ per piece. So the extra cost in a 7.1-setup would be about 80 $. I think this should not be a cost problem/argument in a 5k+ piece of equipment. The implementation of those chips (I know, it works with cheaper DAcs, too) would allow you to built a full differential circuit and a truly balanced signal-path, which should be great for excellent, noise-free (see the second point below) audio quality. If this should really be a significant cost factor, I’m willing to spend a few hundred extra-$ for this accoutrement (8 x BB 1792A, full balanced design), which would be a unique selling proposition in the surround-processor market.
Second Point: Signal-to-Noise-Ratio
I have a 7.2-Setup with horn-loaded main-speakers. Those have high efficient horn-tweeters with a sensitivity of over 100 dB (@1 Watt, 1 metre). These speakers are very sensible (and so am I) in matters of any noise. So I prefer components that have a “dead quiet” noise floor. And this seems to be a weak point of surround-processors in general. The datasheets show us, that the typical S/N-Ratio is somewhere between 95 and 105 dB (with digital inputs). Reviews with according measurements document these figures (for example: Review of the Bryston SP2 from German AUDIOVISION 09/2006).
I know that there are more important factors than figures when we talk about sound quality, but in my special case, this spec is very important. To be honest, I have never heard the SP2 and never tested it in my system, so I can’t say if this one would cause any noise in my setup. But I tried some other pre/pros that were measured by AUDIOVISION with comparable (nad even a little better) results and they all caused low, but clearly noticeable noise.
To make it clear: those specs are not bad and in most applications it will produce superior sound quality. But again, “very good” is not “high-end” and with the best DACs (the BB 1792A is specified with a SNR of 127 dB!!!) and a consistent, well-engineered circuit I think it should be possible to reach a S/N-Ratio in the range of 115 to 120 dB??
Why are the manufacturers offering balanced outputs for “noise-free” interconnections when the unit itself is working with middle-rate (in comparison to what should be possible today) S/N-R? I think the reason for adding balanced connectors is a marketing action instead of an instrument for consistent noise reduction. I think in this case I’d better take a 1000 $ - AVR with pre-outs and use it as a pre/pro. Those reach easily the S/N-Ratios that are offered by the high-end surround processors.
I’d be very happy, if Bryston would make an exemption with new SP 3.0 and offer a considerable advancement in this certain feature.
Maybe this is too much wishful thinking, but we’re talking of “high end stuff”, which is built to make dreams come true aa.
I’m curious about the opinions of the other users according to these points?
Best regards
Hubertus Stratmann
P.S.: I hope you’re able to understand what I wrote. It’s a lot of years ago that I had to write a text in English, so please forgive the faults.
