Anyone try the Bryston BDP-2 or the BDA-2 Dac


Anyone try the Bryston BDP-2 digital player or the BDA-2 Dac?
I am very interested in both of these units due to there capabilities.
The BDP-2 player is unique in its ability to play from large external hardrives and the BDA-2 Dac is supposed to mate well with the player.
But, I wonder how they compare in sound qualities to my present modified Touch with linear power supply.

Any supporting experience or opinions with these units would be appreciated.
Thanks,
ozzy
128x128ozzy
I have the BDP-1 and the BDA-1 and very much like the sound. I am not using exotic cables or fuses. My amplification is Parasound JC1/2.

I have been amazed at the detail and sonic information that the Bryston combo has restored from my CDs, particularly mid 80's pressings I had pretty much given up on with prior CD players (Cambridge Audio 840 and PS Audio PWT). In fact, I used the BDA-1 with both the CA 840 and the PWT, so much of the improvement is related to the BDP-1. It has restored detail that I thought was gone forever, particularly when recalling comparisons to vinyl of the same recording.

I bought the BDP-1 prior to selling my PWT, so I had a chance to directly compare them with identical CD sources. I used dBpoweramp for ripping to flac, and then set both the BDP-1 (playing the ripped flac file) and the PWT (playing the source CD) to coax digital inputs on the BDA-1. I thought I would get a very close to "can't tell" type comparison, but was very surprised to find the BDP-1 significantly better than the PWT in most sonic respects.

The product is not perfect, however, but the problems are usage/software related and not sonic in nature. I have had the BDP-1 lock up at times, where the playback menu freezes and does not update back to my laptop. Refreshing the browser screen usually restores function, but not always. I have had one case where one specific album (React by The Fix) where the menu gets corrupted and the current playback cannot be controlled once started. The user technical information is not up to date and the info in the user manual is not correct for current operation.

All this might be a real negative if it were not for Bryston's superb customer support. Cris has been fantastic at helping me resolve most of these issues, and there are very few companies where you can speak with the main product designer on a tech support phone line. He is helping me, for example, get a firmware update for the Fix album problem by file download to a memory card (since my system is not internet connected). I am also impressed by Bryston's willingness to listen to my "bug" discovery and react positively to get things resolved.

Much better than my experience with PS Audio when I was having operational issues with the PWT.
Tympani,

I have replaced the HIFI Supreme inside my BDP2/BDA2 units with the Super Audio magic fuses. To my surprise the Audio Magic fuses were just so-so.
So, I then replaced those fuses with Synergistic fuses with the Quantum fuse dots.
The secret to using the Synergistic fuses is to use a slightly higher value than specified because they pop so easily. Instead of a 500MA I used a 1A Synergistic. The sound is much better.

But, I just got some of the AMR fuses you liked so much. I replaced the HIFI Supreme inside my BSG QOL with one of the AMR gold fuses and oh my did it really change the sound of my system. Such better performance especially in the bass.

I am very happy with the sound coming from the Bryston units. But, I also purchased some of the smaller AMR fuses with the intention of trying them later on in the Bryston units.

Did you compare the Synergistic with the AMR in your Bryston?
I found both the Synergistic and the AMR fuses sounded very nice in the Brystons, each with its own strengths. The AMR fuses definitely were fuller in the mid-bass and a tad softer up high, in a very pleasing manner in my system. Sweet but not sugary, natural detail. The SR fuses were downright musical, and added that classic SR air. Unfortunately, they were a bit more hair-triggered at the OEM rating. I have settled on the AMRs, and enjoying them - at $20 vs. $60 a "pop"
I was seriously considering the BDP until I read the user's manual. It appears it has no WiFi capability and therefore only connect to you LAN via an ethernet cable. Hard to imagine in this day and age. Can any of you owners confirm this?

Thanks,

Duddley