Bryston BDP-1 Own one? What DAC are you using?

I have had the BDP-1 for about three months. In that time I have heard it with the matching Byston DAC, PS Audio perfectwave, ARC DAC-8, and DCS Scarlatti stack.

IMHO, this machine is well worth spending on whatever DAC you can afford to connect it with..... It's that good.

Of the four DACs I listed, the DCS is on another level from the other three. It sounded incredible running through the upsampler and then to the clock and DAC.

Of the second group, I definitely preferred the ARC. To my ears it was clearly superior to the other three and represents the "second best" digital I have heard..... That is, just behind the Bryston with the DCS.

CMO,

Thanks for you comments. Can't wait to get my BDP 1 - already have the DAC 8.

Mike

Just ordered a BDA-1 to go with the BDP-1. Really anxious for them to arrive. (Back ordered currently). I have not heard either of them prior to purchase. I never do that, but according to everything I can find, they are great products. Also ordered both the BNC and AES cables so I can compare them. Anyone have any experience with one or both? Reviewers seem to be split over connection preference...

Both units arrived on Wednesday. I am using both AES and BNC cables from Bryston so I am able to toggle between both connections and so far I have a fairly strong preference for the AES connection. It sounds very natural and tonally richer than the BNC does. For lack of a better description, the BNC sounds a bit more digital and less complete. I am currently running all balanced connections with ARC LS17, Maggie 1.7's and Bryston 4B SST2 so I assume that helps bolster my AES connection preference. I ordered both with the blue LED's and display. I highly recommend both of these components. None of my local dealers are stocking them and were not offering demo's. I ordered both without hearing them first, which is a first for me. I am very happy I did and I can only assume that the more word gets out there, the dealers are going to have to see the value and thinking behind the BDP-1 and keep a set on the floor. It is admittedly a spendy way of listening to audio files, but I have yet to hear a laptop and usb DAC sound nearly this good. I was also highly impressed by the folks at Bryston. I had many questions (probably annoyingly so) and they always cheerfully answered my questions promptly. I was also surprised that I really prefer the non-upsampled sound of the BDA-1. I am used to listening to my Cambridge 840c at 384 upsampled resolution. While I still enjoy the Cambridge, it sounds slightly more difuse and less palpable when compared to the Bryston combo playing files at their native resolution. I have also found I prefer files recorded at 24/96. Thus far I only have a handful of 24/192 stuff and while it sounds good, the 24/96 files feel more in the room with me. Just my two cents - if anyone is considering them shoot me an e-mail if you have any questions.

A little more info: I purchased and used DBpoweramp software ($38 online) to rip all of my CD's accurately. A rather large and time consuming proposition yes, but once it is done, it is well worth the effort. I also made two other back up's of all my music. I am using two 64 gig flash sticks for the BDP-1 instead of a portable hard drive as the one I originally bought would only stop spinning (and making noise) after three minutes has passed since the drive was last called upon - very irritating - this was the minimum time the drives software would allow.