[Jabroni]

Hi Jabroni,

Boy I'm glad we came through in the end!
Can I ask what the rest of your system is - I know you have the B60 Dac of course.

james

Sure thing (as you've probably noticed, it's pretty much impossible for me to make short posts and this one's no exception!):

Sources
Dell Dimension DM051 w M-Audio Delta/Dio 24/96 sound card (coax out)
Bell ExpressVu Satellites 5100 & 5900 (analogue rca & optical out)
Sony DVD RDR-HX900 HD/DVD recorder (optical out):
The tape out of the Bryston goes to the rca ins of the DVD recorder.
To prevent ground loops, I only connect the rcas when I need to record.
I use a very long cable to the front rca inputs so it's not a big deal
 
Digital Switcher
I'm using my Sony MDS JA20ES as a digital & analogue switcher
analogue inputs: 1 rca
digital inputs: 2 optical & 1 coax
digital outputs: 1 optical & 1 coax

Optical & digital cables are from Axiom Audio
RCAs & speaker cables are Bryston

Speakers are PSB Stratus Silver is

Unfortunately, the SonyES pre / pro that I was using as an additional switcher up and died on me so I'm forced to use analogue to connect the 5100 PVR so I can control recording level to the HD/DVD recorder when necessary.

Two of the great things about the MDS is that it has independent recording level controls for both analogue and digital inputs as well as 2 digital outs so one (the optical) goes to my soundcard and the coax goes to the Bryston DAC. The recording level control is especially important for the HD/DVD recorder which I use mainly to record music videos.

Someone in this thread mentioned that they thought the Galaxay music channels sound good. BPM (Beats Per Minute) and especially Vibe sound even better. Even if you don't like that type of music, if you get those two channels you should check them out at least once just to see how awesome regular 2 channel TV can sound.

Has anyone else noticed how much better Canadian channels sound than American ones? I always ask people that when they come over and they always look at me funny like "what are you talking about?" but when you have a Bryston you can easily tell the difference between American & Canadian channels even with your eyes closed!

So, all in all, it's a great little system that almost anyone could afford with lots of flexibility to play and record audio & or video to and from the DVD recorder or computer.

The only major future upgrade I would consider would be to ditch the PSBs and the amp portion of the B60 and replace them with 2 second hand Bryston 9B SSTs driving each channel of the Linkwitz Orion + full range, omni directional active speakers http://www.linkwitzlab.com/

The only problem with my present system is that the Sony is going to do what Sony's usually do sooner rather than later which is why as far as digital switcher goes, it would be cool if Bryston would turn some of the soon to be traded in  SP1.7/2s into digital switchers with at least 2 digital outputs to feed a sound card and a Bryston pre amp or integrated with built in DACs.

James, is that type of conversion a feasible possibility with the SP1.7/2s?

IMO, a system gains so much more flexibility when you separate the main digital inputs from the integrated amp or preamp and then have the digital switcher output a coax feed to the B60 or BP25/26 which is why it would never make sense for me to sell my B60 for a B100. In any event, I still think most users would find at least one digital output on B100s and SP_ s very useful.

[Tolstoi]

Im not sure either as I havent played that many CDs recently  I would say though the potential to step even higher in audio quality is on the side of the Hard Drive. I know you can download master versions of recorded albums which are the same quality as what they were recorded in.
Though through the Squeezebox your are limited to 24/48hz... I think the Transporter plays 24/96.
Mike

You just pin point the problem.  There is currently no good solution to bring Hi-Rez files such as master Audio FLACs from our PC to a good DAC such as the Bryston DAC.  The Slim Devices Transport is the only 24/96 streamer that also provide the ability to connect to an external DAC.  Considering that the transporter DAC is far from being adequate... this is really expensive just to get a Hi-Rez Transport.

[Tolstoi]

if Bryston would develop something compareable like the transporter i would have to think it over

Yeah James, we want to see something like this in the products pull down on the Bryston site by perhaps next month at the latest.

We'll call it the Bryston-SAD for bryston streaming audio device. We expect only the finest of specifications......

brucek

I would buy that anytime.  In fact I would buy be ready to pay 500-1000$ of the current DAC price for an option that support streaming of High-Rez FLACs compatible with Itunes.  You could spawn a nice brother to your current DAC.

[Tolstoi]

Hi Jabroni,

Thanks for the input. 

One question - I have always been told that Optical conversion -- Toslink is the worst of the interfaces because the electrical to optical and optical to electrical conversion adds to the jitter. Toslink creates additional stages that the clock must pass through, picking up jitter due to power/ground noise and the uncertainty of when the edge (logic change) transitions get detected?

I guess what your saying is if there is a difference it is not a substantial enough difference to affect the audio quality?


james

Hard drives are a temporary solution the future is solid State Drive.  More reliable, no heat, no noise.  But please nothing internal, the user should be able to change his drive anytime.  For a company like Bryston that do no want to release new model every year, an internal drive would make the player obsolete quite quickly. This lead to a USB connection.

What about having an Ethernet port directly to the DAC that could have is own interface to the network.  I would be ready to pay 500-1000$ over the current DAC price if I was able to not have to buy a squeeze box or a transporter just to stream music over Ethernet.

Hi have an easy solution, take the BCD-1 as is, remove the CD mecanism replave that with the equivalent a Squeeze box but with support for High-Rez audio.  Replace the current BCD-1 remote control and replace this with a SqueezeBox Duet type of remote.

[Mag]

Unless something has changed that I don't know about. Streaming from the internet has gone from med. compression to low grade compression. Hardly Hi-rez..
If you truly want Hi-rez you should consider abandoning internet streaming. And opt. for uncompressed formats.
A dac can improve resolution of internet streaming to some degree. Perhaps bring it back to cd quality. This isn't hi-rez IMO. Hi-rez is dts, sacd standard which I don't think you're ever going to get from internet streaming.

[mcullinan]

Im not sure who brought up internet streams as high rez, but they are not. Though with an upsampling DAC they dont sound too bad either. On shoutcast I see some 320K streams... hey thats not too shabby. I wonder what the highest internet radio stream is.
Mike

[Tolstoi]

You are both confusing Ethernet and Internet.  We all agree that Internet streaming is a really bad and we don’t want. Period!

I would like to have an Ethernet port to be able to have access to Hi rez audio file contain in a home pc. This could be done with the Logitech Transporter for around 2000$.  If Bryston manage to get a CD1 on market for 2300$ than I believe they could get something equivalent in terms of functionality to the transporter but with a huge step over in terms of DAC performance for around 2500$.  I could see the marketing on this; “why pay 2000$ for a Logitech toy when you get something serious at 2500$”.

I am just dreaming here.

[Mag]

For me the BDA-1 would be more suitable. I had the oportuinity to get a BCD-1. Being the impulse buyer I am I snapped it up.
When I got into home audio seriously I pursued the computer approach assuming eventually everything would go computerized.
However getting numerous viruses on my computer and having my friend hog my computer convinced me of the advantages of a standalone source. I can easily switch back to computer source but would purchase a large mega storage hard drive.

After using the BCD-1 IMO an external dac should be able to re-clock the incoming signal. So that the jitter is low like in the BCD-1. And have an adjustable oversampler to better match the resolution of an incoming signal.

[mr_bill]

Im not sure either as I havent played that many CDs recently  I would say though the potential to step even higher in audio quality is on the side of the Hard Drive. I know you can download master versions of recorded albums which are the same quality as what they were recorded in.
Though through the Squeezebox your are limited to 24/48hz... I think the Transporter plays 24/96.
Mike

You just pin point the problem.  There is currently no good solution to bring Hi-Rez files such as master Audio FLACs from our PC to a good DAC such as the Bryston DAC.  The Slim Devices Transport is the only 24/96 streamer that also provide the ability to connect to an external DAC.  Considering that the transporter DAC is far from being adequate... this is really expensive just to get a Hi-Rez Transport.

The Transporter dac is far from adequate??
You're dreaming, and couldn't be farther from the truth.

[mcullinan]

I think he means that it wifis 24/96 and not higher sample rates, not that its a bad product.
Mike

[mr_bill]

Ok, Thanks Mike.

[niels]

Actually, all what you are discussing a Mac Mini will do. You can even remote control it, and we all know what else the Mini can do.....and about the Toslink, its generally preferred when avoiding grounding problems.

[phunge]

Hello All.

This Standalone DAC sounds amazing.  One thing I would love to see is a USB input, that would allow the DAC to act as a soundcard.  A lot of the newer DACs support this feature.  I currently have a large music collection stored onto my PC, and use my headphone amplifier/DAC:  http://www.gracedesign.com/products/902/m902.htm  as a soundcard.  USB is nice because it does not require any special drivers -- it is supported natively by windows XP and Vista.  It is simple, and provides bit-perfect output. 

I connect it to my M902 via TOSLink.  The M902, like many other DACs, has a circuit that allows it to re-clock the recovered clock thereby reducing jitter, and the TOSLink cable allows the PC to be isolated electrically from the DAC.

Is the DAC able to utilize the MPS power supply?

I think I read somewhere else that Bryston was considering building a standalone transport to go with the DAC?

[KeithA]

Hello All.

This Standalone DAC sounds amazing.  One thing I would love to see is a USB input, that would allow the DAC to act as a soundcard.  A lot of the newer DACs support this feature.  I currently have a large music collection stored onto my PC, and use my headphone amplifier/DAC:  http://www.gracedesign.com/products/902/m902.htm  as a soundcard.  USB is nice because it does not require any special drivers -- it is supported natively by windows XP and Vista.  It is simple, and provides bit-perfect output. 

I connect it to my M902 via TOSLink.  The M902, like many other DACs, has a circuit that allows it to re-clock the recovered clock thereby reducing jitter, and the TOSLink cable allows the PC to be isolated electrically from the DAC.

Is the DAC able to utilize the MPS power supply?

I think I read somewhere else that Bryston was considering building a standalone transport to go with the DAC?

The DAC will not use the MPS power supply. If you do a search of earlier threads on the DAC you will see discussions regarding the robustness of the power supply Bryston was able to develop inside the stand-alone DAC.

Yes, there will be a transport developed at some point in the future that will accompany the DAC as Bryston's 'two-box' offering in the CD market. I suspect the transport will not be on the scene anytime in the near future, though.

Keith

[James Tanner]

Hello All.

This Standalone DAC sounds amazing.  One thing I would love to see is a USB input, that would allow the DAC to act as a soundcard.  A lot of the newer DACs support this feature.  I currently have a large music collection stored onto my PC, and use my headphone amplifier/DAC:  http://www.gracedesign.com/products/902/m902.htm  as a soundcard.  USB is nice because it does not require any special drivers -- it is supported natively by windows XP and Vista.  It is simple, and provides bit-perfect output. 

I connect it to my M902 via TOSLink.  The M902, like many other DACs, has a circuit that allows it to re-clock the recovered clock thereby reducing jitter, and the TOSLink cable allows the PC to be isolated electrically from the DAC.

Is the DAC able to utilize the MPS power supply?

I think I read somewhere else that Bryston was considering building a standalone transport to go with the DAC?

The DAC will not use the MPS power supply. If you do a search of earlier threads on the DAC you will see discussions regarding the robustness of the power supply Bryston was able to develop inside the stand-alone DAC.

Yes, there will be a transport developed at some point in the future that will accompany the DAC as Bryston's 'two-box' offering in the CD market. I suspect the transport will not be on the scene anytime in the near future, though.

Keith

Hi,

Yes this is a very important point:  Originally we were looking at using the MPS-2 Power Supply with the CD Player and the External DAC but we found that by totally separating the Digital and Analog power supplies we were able to achieve much better performance.   

So the CD Player and the new External DAC have completely different power supplies for the Analog and Digital sections.  We even have totally independent Ground plains for Analog and Digital as well as independent power supply Regulation on each Digital circuit.

james

[Tolstoi]

Im not sure either as I havent played that many CDs recently  I would say though the potential to step even higher in audio quality is on the side of the Hard Drive. I know you can download master versions of recorded albums which are the same quality as what they were recorded in.
Though through the Squeezebox your are limited to 24/48hz... I think the Transporter plays 24/96.
Mike

You just pin point the problem.  There is currently no good solution to bring Hi-Rez files such as master Audio FLACs from our PC to a good DAC such as the Bryston DAC.  The Slim Devices Transport is the only 24/96 streamer that also provide the ability to connect to an external DAC.  Considering that the transporter DAC is far from being adequate... this is really expensive just to get a Hi-Rez Transport.

The Transporter dac is far from adequate??
You're dreaming, and couldn't be farther from the truth.

Have you personnally compared the transporter with other DAC?

I personnally did and it is not to the same level of other external DAC in the same price range.

I am anxious to try the Bryston BDA-1.

[mcullinan]

I believe they are being built or being sent now. Build and send? Build then send?
Soon. Mike

[James Tanner]

I believe they are being built or being sent now. Build and send? Build then send?
Soon. Mike

Yes we are shipping the first BDA-1 External DAC units at the end of this week. They sound INCREDIBLE. I have been listening at home to a 48K music station feed from Rogers cable and the soundstage is unbelievable on the Quads!

james

[rob80b]

It’s interesting for me going through this thread, just over three years ago I decided to distance my self from computers as much as possible, although every electronic device today is almost based on this technology. Don’t get me wrong I’m quite comfortable with the technology having started with punch cards in the sixties and doing programming though the seventies and eighties, I was fascinated with the technology and up until I turned my back on the advancements three years ago I was listed at one time in the top five in Apple knowledge in North America.
Ok I’m still using a laptop for communications and for business but I’ve grown weary of the “for your convenience” stance that the computer has taken, from ipods to cell phones etc.
In the early seventies I was storing music to a portable cassette and walked around with head phones ( I’m sure some Sony rep saw me and the rest was history).
What it comes down to is that technology is always changing, a proliferation in communications and mass storage. For me we are losing an intimacy with music and in some ways with youtube and facebook, ourselves.
People with cell phones seem to be always, well, on their phones.
We seem to want everything at our fingertips.
Which of course brings me back to mass storage of music, (musak for the masses?)
I’m sure there are many here who take their music seriously and do amass large quantities of recordings and want to, again conveniently, access their library, but in doing so I cannot but feel that we once again distancing ourselves a bit more (excuse the pun) from that tangible experience of going through a physical/mental understanding of what is involved in actually creating the music that we listen to.
In retrospect we could also consider the CD, LP and cassette as a mass storage device.
It’s the same for images (photos), we store thousands of pictures on our hard drives but we do not experience the same connection as when holding a single snapshot or photo album.
What I’m getting to is that as an audiophile and music lover there is something that I enjoy in physically choosing that cd or album I’m about to listen to; and playing it with the best dedicated device I can afford.
Maybe it’s just that I’m just old school (although I used to pride myself in being the first to have that latest technical toy), two of my other professions where as of a photographer and a composer/producer of electro-acoustic music for 25 years or more, but once again, as the computer was introduced I again experienced that sense of loss in the tactile.
Hopefully I’m not alone in my thoughts, the positive reception given to Bryton in producing the BCD-1 after what many consider a dead medium seems to show me that I’m not.
Technology can be a lot of fun, but a means to an end or an end to a means?
Just some thoughts.

Robert

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Robert - Nothing has brought me closer to all of my music than my music server with 5 TB of storage and having the liner notes one click away. I now listen to much more music than I ever did. I no longer reach for the greatest hits collections because they are a convenient way to hear many "good" songs without getting up to change the disc. I listen to the discs with one "good" song and each time I will try a few of the songs I may never have listened to. When the "bad" songs are a click away I am more willing to give them a second and third try. It is so cool to find the songs that never make it to radio and never make anyone's playlist, but are often the best songs on the album.