SP 3.0?

drummermitchell · « **Reply #540 on:** 27 Oct 2009, 02:58 am »

It's monday night.................................. ..............

James Tanner · « **Reply #541 on:** 27 Oct 2009, 04:04 am »

Hi Guys,

Well so far I'm pretty happy. Things are sounding very good indeed. The sounstage is excellent and the tonal balance is very flat. The 5.1 passthrough on the Panasonic is not all I would have hoped for so I am waiting to try the Pioneer Elite BluRay player before I offer final comment on that front.

On the 2-channel analog passthrough using the BDA-1 and BCD-1 I thought the BP26 had a slight edge especially in the very low frequencies but we have some ideas to remedy that.

So all in all I think it's time to move forward and look at the digital performance side.

james

igorelli · « **Reply #542 on:** 28 Oct 2009, 12:49 am »

Any word on availability yet?

gaderson · « **Reply #543 on:** 28 Oct 2009, 05:50 pm »

Quote from: James Tanner on 21 Sep 2009, 07:18 pm

Quote from: toddgoldblum on 21 Sep 2009, 07:04 pm
James
Sounds like a lot of work to upgrade the unit to HDMI inputs, audio processing for new formats, and then video processing too? Hard to believe you can fit that all in sp1.7/2 - will it sound equivalent to sp3?
todd

Hi Todd,

Yes it is a lot of work and I assume we will only offer two HDMI inputs on the upgrade option. Video will not be an option as it is not part of the SP1.7 or SP2. The upgrade for the SP1 and SP2 will just allow for HDMI HD Audio playback.

As for sound I am not sure as I have not been able to listen to an SP3 yet.

james

I've got an SP1 sitting in it's box while I play with the Denon Pro HDMI-Pre/Pro with Blu-Ray 'HD' audio, but, with the limits* of HDMI I really only need two HDMI (audio) inputs so the 'add-on' sounds like a good deal for me, as long as it would pass-through video.

* So, what I would like to do is be able to watch a TV show on my TiVo (or other STB) hooked up through HDMI but, be able to listen to streaming audio (also from HDMI with my AppleTV) with only one HDMI cable from the Pre/Pro to my Plasma (and one HDMI from my various video components). But, so far digging through the various Pre/Pro (w/ HDMI audio) manuals I have not found a way to separate video from audio. I could do this with my 'old' analog 6.1 Yamaha receiver, but, with stupid DRM (aka HDCP) I can only do one thing at a time. With the mention of more 'matrix' like audio/video separation with the SP3 I was wondering if it was capable of doing this? i.e. watching an HDMI video source, but playing a different audio source. Currently the only way, with my current setup, is using the '7.1' analog inputs, which is OK for SACD but (and have most other HDMI direct to my Plasma). A real test would be able to do 'The Dark Side of Oz' (aka watch "The Wizard of Oz" with Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" as a soundtrack). I now see why the installers are starting to go back to component video as it's still much more flexible.

gdbalp · « **Reply #544 on:** 30 Oct 2009, 02:48 am »

Quote from: James Tanner on 27 Oct 2009, 04:04 am

Hi Guys,

Well so far I'm pretty happy. Things are sounding very good indeed. The sounstage is excellent and the tonal balance is very flat. The 5.1 passthrough on the Panasonic is not all I would have hoped for so I am waiting to try the Pioneer Elite BluRay player before I offer final comment on that front.

Hi James,

I would recommend you try a Denon BluRay player with SACD/DVD-Audio for another comparison of SP3's audio performance...

Also, is there any talk about Bryston making an universal BluRay player in the future???

Regards,
Luigi

mkaiser · « **Reply #545 on:** 30 Oct 2009, 04:52 pm »

" Also, is there any talk about Bryston making an universal BluRay player in the future???"

This is a fantastic question. aa

Ayre Acoustics is about to release their first-ever Universal Blu-ray player called the DX-5. It is basically their C5xeMP universal player combined with blu-ray.

Phil A · « **Reply #546 on:** 31 Oct 2009, 01:39 pm »

Quote from: mkaiser on 30 Oct 2009, 04:52 pm

" Also, is there any talk about Bryston making an universal BluRay player in the future???"

This is a fantastic question. aa

Ayre Acoustics is about to release their first-ever Universal Blu-ray player called the DX-5. It is basically their C5xeMP universal player combined with blu-ray.

No - it is actually a gutted Oppo BDP-83 that keeps the core of the processors with tons of modifications - See C. Hansen's description:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1181755

mkaiser · « **Reply #547 on:** 31 Oct 2009, 04:45 pm »

ok, i didn't see that post on it. should be interesting when it comes out. Thanks Phil.

Phil A · « **Reply #548 on:** 31 Oct 2009, 05:23 pm »

Quote from: mkaiser on 31 Oct 2009, 04:45 pm

ok, i didn't see that post on it. should be interesting when it comes out. Thanks Phil.

? - it is post number 11 and long and starts out - "Well, first of all you have to remember that we don't have to pay $500 for the unit. We buy in quantity, so Oppo gives us the spectacular discounted price of (make sure you are sitting down, please!) $400.

Then to make it an Ayre, we dismantle it completely and recycle everything except the main PCB (with the video decoder, ABT scaler chip, and HDMI transmitter), the transport mechanism, the VFD display, and the remote control handset."

Gary Listen · « **Reply #549 on:** 6 Nov 2009, 03:34 am »

In their December 2009 issue, The Absolute Sound had this to say about the SP3 in their CEDIA EXPO 2009 article:

For A/V enthusiasts with TAS-like tastes, the "holy grail" would be an A/V controller with serious audiophile-grade credentials, and the Canadian firm Bryston aims to give them exactly that in the form of its new SP3 A/V controller. The SP3 starts life as a very serious multichannel audio preamplifier based on discrete Class A op-amps, whose overall sound quality is said to be equivalent to Bryston's BP26 stereo preamplifier. Customers can order the SP3 in an audio-only form ($9500) or with an optional video board that adds HDMI inputs (raising the price to $11,950). Build-quality in the prototype I saw was exceptional as was overall attention to detail. For example, the aforementioned video board is, in the interest of preserving sound quality, both physically and electronically isolated from the audio sections of the controller. The SP3 will become available in Q1, 2010.

They also showed a few pictures.

alexone · « **Reply #550 on:** 18 Nov 2009, 03:03 am »

hi, James!

talking about upgrades: let's say that SP2 owners will keep their chassis with certain upgrades (hdmi in/out etc.).
will the SP2 be renamed for example into SP2.5 or something like that?

al.

Phil A · « **Reply #551 on:** 18 Nov 2009, 03:57 am »

Quote from: alexone on 18 Nov 2009, 03:03 am

hi, James!

talking about upgrades: let's say that SP2 owners will keep their chassis with certain upgrades (hdmi in/out etc.).
will the SP2 be renamed for example into SP2.5 or something like that?

al.

I think this was addressed already. The last that James posted he indicated either a trade-in towards an SP3 or an outboard box to use with an SP2. Probably is several pages back.

alexone · « **Reply #552 on:** 18 Nov 2009, 07:40 am »

ok, Phil. thanks.
...and i still hope that it will be a SP3

al.

Phil A · « **Reply #553 on:** 20 Nov 2009, 06:04 pm »

Quote from: alexone on 18 Nov 2009, 07:40 am

ok, Phil. thanks.
...and i still hope that it will be a SP3

al.

I have also run into this site which has a $219 device -
http://www.atlona.com/Atlona-HDMI-1.3-Audio-De-Embedder-p-17801.html

I have no idea as to its performance but it is something that I could consider in my basement system. I have a PS3 down there and an old Marantz 7300 OSE (orig. spec. ed.) rec'r with no HDMI. I have an HDMI rec'r in the bedroom system (Marantz SR6300) and at that price point it could be a worthwhile acquisition for a system with no HDMI and no analog outs from a Blu-Ray player.

I am anxiously awaiting the SP3 so I can evaluate it vs. the SP1.7 (or SP2 which should be the same in the analog section) as an analog preamp and determine what the trade-in allowance might be and whether it is something I want to do. With probably 14 years left (give or take a bit) of warranty on my SP1.7, and it is likely I may prefer Blu-Ray from the analog outs of my Modwright Oppo BDP-83 (I have 4 Rel subs in the main system anyway), it may well boil down to performance as an analog premap. It will be nice to have the convenience of HDMI (I have a switch now which probably will never be used for more than a Blu-Ray player and an HD TV tuner in the main system) which would give me the ability to connect the main system to the bedroom system on the other side of the wall in a more convenient fashion. It is also something that is not a necessity for just that convenience.

Krobar · « **Reply #554 on:** 8 Dec 2009, 10:43 pm »

Hi James,

Wow things have moved along since I last visited this thread. The Ayre Bluray player above supports the open standard HDMI CEC ARC feature that I mentioned much earlier on in this thread. Is HDMI "Audio Rate Control" support planned for the SP3?

James Tanner · « **Reply #555 on:** 8 Dec 2009, 11:34 pm »

Quote from: Krobar on 8 Dec 2009, 10:43 pm

Hi James,

Wow things have moved along since I last visited this thread. The Ayre Bluray player above supports the open standard HDMI CEC ARC feature that I mentioned much earlier on in this thread. Is HDMI "Audio Rate Control" support planned for the SP3?

Hi - Not sure on that one - will check.

james

Krobar · « **Reply #556 on:** 9 Dec 2009, 08:26 am »

Forgot to ask..... Is DSD over HDMI support present?

BTW: Like the chassis but add one more vote for smaller logos.

James Tanner · « **Reply #557 on:** 9 Dec 2009, 11:19 am »

Quote from: Krobar on 9 Dec 2009, 08:26 am

Forgot to ask..... Is DSD over HDMI support present?

BTW: Like the chassis but add one more vote for smaller logos.

No DSD but we are moving the logos to the top of the chassis cover.

james

Phil A · « **Reply #558 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 12:16 am »

Quote from: James Tanner on 9 Dec 2009, 11:19 am

Quote from: Krobar on 9 Dec 2009, 08:26 am
Forgot to ask..... Is DSD over HDMI support present?

BTW: Like the chassis but add one more vote for smaller logos.

No DSD but we are moving the logos to the top of the chassis cover.

james

I like that. There are so many certifications these days some audio/video equipment looks like it came from a tatoo parlor after it went in drunk

alexone · « **Reply #559 on:** 11 Dec 2009, 07:51 am »

Quote from: Phil A on 11 Dec 2009, 12:16 am

Quote from: James Tanner on 9 Dec 2009, 11:19 am
Quote from: Krobar on 9 Dec 2009, 08:26 am
Forgot to ask..... Is DSD over HDMI support present?

BTW: Like the chassis but add one more vote for smaller logos.

No DSD but we are moving the logos to the top of the chassis cover.

james

I like that. There are so many certifications these days some audio/video equipment looks like it came from a tatoo parlor after it went in drunk

well said .

al.