BRYSTON BDP-1/2 DIGITAL PLAYER FEEDBACK/REVIEWS

srb · « **Reply #140 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 04:35 pm »

James,

I can't really read the legends of those screenprints. It looks like the CD has greater volume amplitude than the downloaded 24/96, but what exactly is the vertical axis?

Steve

saveloy · « **Reply #141 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 04:44 pm »

Oh bugger! I should have stopped following this thread, because I am now severely edgy. I want to be No. 2 in the UK. I can't wait.

I'll get my order in in the new year. And hope that I won't be waiting too long.
James, I'm very glad I asked you about the solid state drive, all those pages ago. I now have a great deal more information and can get prepared properly, before the BDP-1 arrives.

Napalm · « **Reply #142 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 04:52 pm »

Quote from: James Tanner on 7 Dec 2010, 06:21 pm

Funny you're mentioning this one. I got my copy and I'm quite puzzled as it came with this cover:

All my friends have the one with the green dress.

I must be special.

Nap.

Anonamemouse · « **Reply #143 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 05:01 pm »

Quote from: srb on 8 Dec 2010, 04:35 pm

James,

I can't really read the legends of those screenprints. It looks like the CD has greater volume amplitude than the downloaded 24/96, but what exactly is the vertical axis?

Steve

This website explains everything.

James Tanner · « **Reply #144 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 05:18 pm »

Quote from: srb on 8 Dec 2010, 04:35 pm

James,

I can't really read the legends of those screenprints. It looks like the CD has greater volume amplitude than the downloaded 24/96, but what exactly is the vertical axis?

Steve

Hi Steve,

As I understand it the CD sounds 'LOUDER' but.... at the expense of 'DYNAMIC RANGE'

james

BrysTony · « **Reply #145 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 05:21 pm »

Quote from: Anonamemouse on 8 Dec 2010, 05:01 pm

This website explains everything.

That is an excellent explanation of the effect of compression on recordings. Thanks!

saveloy · « **Reply #146 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 05:29 pm »

Quote from: James Tanner on 8 Dec 2010, 05:18 pm

Hi Steve,

As I understand it the CD sounds 'LOUDER' but.... at the expense on DYNAMIC RANGE :duhjames

:

That is a huge issue at the moment. Plenty of CDs are compressed to the point of pointlessness. It ruins the sound.
The sound level is so high now that dynamics aren't particularly so. The music is just LOUD!
Metallica's Death Mgnetic is a very good example. The first time that played through my system my ears almost imploded.
And the dynamics are rife with distortion.

Napalm · « **Reply #147 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 06:30 pm »

Quote from: James Tanner on 8 Dec 2010, 05:18 pm

Hi Steve,

As I understand it the CD sounds 'LOUDER' but.... at the expense of 'DYNAMIC RANGE'

james

James, I don't see how the 24 bit material is well engineered either. Ideally the most extreme peaks should just touch the limits. Thus allowing for the small details to be higher in amplitude and thus resolved on more bits (reducing "quantization noise").

Also please enlarge a little bit the 24 bit graph. I want to see if it's just not the same 16 bit version, with 4 bits of nothing added to each side. Thus the "clipping" would still be there.

Nap.

James Tanner · « **Reply #148 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 06:39 pm »

Quote from: Napalm on 8 Dec 2010, 06:30 pm

James, I don't see how the 24 bit material is well engineered either. Ideally the most extreme peaks should just touch the limits. Thus allowing for the small details to be higher in amplitude and thus resolved on more bits (reducing "quantization noise").

Also please enlarge a little bit the 24 bit graph. I want to see if it's just not the same 16 bit version, with 4 bits of nothing added to each side. Thus the "clipping" would still be there.

Nap.

The graphs were set to me so I will ask.

james

James Tanner · « **Reply #149 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 06:45 pm »

Quote from: Anonamemouse on 8 Dec 2010, 05:01 pm

This website explains everything.

EXCELLENT - it sure explains a lot

james

drummermitchell · « **Reply #150 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 06:55 pm »

Q for James,James are the 19" rackmount face plates available for the BDP-1 yet,thanks.

James Tanner · « **Reply #151 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 07:06 pm »

Quote from: drummermitchell on 8 Dec 2010, 06:55 pm

Q for James,James are the 19" rackmount face plates available for the BDP-1 yet,thanks.

Not yet.

james

Vipers · « **Reply #152 on:** 8 Dec 2010, 08:41 pm »

Quote from: James Tanner on 8 Dec 2010, 12:49 pm

Hi Russell,

Thanks for the feedback - at this point I believe you have the ONLY BDP-1 in the UK

james

Russell's certainly a lucky man, I've had my BDP on order for a while now and have been told by PMC it will be available on the 17th Dec, can't wait, a very nice xmas pressie + my wife has just blagged 25 1GB memory sticks from work, time to start ripping, just need to find a decent way to store them, I'm thinking along the lines of the wooden box Dexter uses to store the blood samples of his victims, I'm talking abouth the hit TV programme here, just incase someone thinks Dexter is a forum member

Napalm · « **Reply #153 on:** 9 Dec 2010, 12:37 am »

OK, so here's some stuff I prepared for you. This is a track from Elina Garanca's "Habanera" that I mentioned in the "What are you listening to" thread.

The upper graph shows the original track as recorded by Deutsche Gramophon. Very dynamic, no clipping, great mastering.

The lower graph is the same track after run through a compressor filter (as seen in the smaller window). If you're gentle, you can increase loudness without clipping.

For clipping you have to also go medieval on the output gain control. Which is kinda stupid thing to do but hey that's all the rage these days in poor recording studios.

Nap.

Napalm · « **Reply #154 on:** 9 Dec 2010, 12:49 am »

And here is a detail to see what happened to the peaks. No clipping. So now we have more "loudness" (at the expense of dynamics) but we didn't distort the peaks. I wonder why the "professional" studios don't do it this way. Bozos.

Nap.

saveloy · « **Reply #155 on:** 9 Dec 2010, 12:50 am »

My point exactly. Well said.
Isn't it sad, though?
Given the quality of hi-fi equipment, we are still ultimately at the mercy of recording engineers. Ouch!

Napalm · « **Reply #156 on:** 9 Dec 2010, 01:24 am »

And here is Diana's "Jingle Bells" that James posted, at similar scale as in James' pic:

and a detail from the most offending portion:

CLIPPING!!!

But I still don't understand why my cover art shows her in a red dress instead of green as everyone else's

Nap.

James Tanner · « **Reply #157 on:** 9 Dec 2010, 01:30 am »

Quote from: Napalm on 9 Dec 2010, 01:24 am

And here is Diana's "Jingle Bells" that James posted, at similar scale as in James' pic:

and a detail from the most offending portion:

CLIPPING!!!

But I still don't understand why my cover art shows her in a red dress instead of green as everyone else's

Nap.

Hi Nap,

The Red dress is the 128KBS and the Green dress 192/24

james

saveloy · « **Reply #158 on:** 9 Dec 2010, 01:36 am »

Quote from: James Tanner on 9 Dec 2010, 01:30 am

Hi Nap,

The Red dress is the 128KBS and the Green dress 192/24

james

By this can we conclude that Green is superior to red?!

BrysTony · « **Reply #159 on:** 9 Dec 2010, 01:47 am »

Quote from: saveloy on 9 Dec 2010, 01:36 am

By this can we conclude that Green is superior to red?!

These differ very slightly in temperature with the green being hotter.

And BTW the red dress is on the back of the green dress cover -- you get them both

Tony