Digital Player

Manufacturer:

Bryston Ltd.

677 Neal Drive

Peterborough, Ontario

Canada K9J 6X7

"While it is a computer-based audio product, it isn’t a music server or a computer being used to play music; the BDP is exactly what Bryston has called it - a music player. It doesn’t store, rip, or organize your music. It simply plays the music at the highest technical standard available today".

-- Review from Inner Ear Magazine

2017: Acquired a demo BDP-2 from Simcoe Sound in Ontario (BDP-2 is discontinued, but still sublime!). Thanks, Adrian! $aved a bundle.

Reference quality, 5-yr warranty

Nickname: "Bletchley Park", home of the famous WW2 code-breakers.

Manual for BDP-2:

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/634226/Bryston-Bdp-2.html

Manic Moose Manual for BDP:

support.bryston.com/downloads/BDP/Manic%20Moose%20Manual.pdf

My Opinion: BDP-2 is a very good upgrade from BDP-1. Much faster loading times for my growing music library. Using attached terabyte USB drives. The SQ of my BDP-1 is well-preserved in BDP-2. My opinion of BDP-1 (below) holds true as well for BDP-2.

Reviews for BDP-2:

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/bryston-bdp-2-digital-player/

Specs for BDP-2:

Dimensions 43 cm W x 7 H x 30.5 D

Weight 7 kg

Frequency Response 20 Hz - 20 kHz

THD+N (20 Hz-20 kHz): < 0.002%

Voltage Output: Balanced: 4V RCA: 2V

Noise: RCA: -134 dB. Balanced: -140 dB

"Bryston announced the availability of a new proprietary sound card for the BDP-2 in May 2015, the Integrated Audio Device (IAD). The new sound card offers the following benefits":

• No reliance on the quality level of third party products or having to modify said products

• Improve the performance by hand selecting and testing all the components in house

• Eliminates 3 connection points

• Integrates the output module and the sound processing section into one circuit instead of two.

• The Bryston audio device is directly powered by the high quality linear power supply rather than the motherboard.

• Outputs single rate DSD over the AES and SPDIF outputs using the DSD over PCM protocol.

"There were several important factors that led us to develop the IAD,” reported Bryston VP James Tanner. “We were confident that by eliminating three connection points, hand selecting and testing all of the components and shifting to our meticulous in-house manufacturing that we could improve transient capability while enhancing low resolution detail,” Tanner added. The Bryston IAD is also directly powered by the BDP-2’s premium quality linear power supply rather than by a power source shared with the motherboard. Another significant benefit of the Bryston IAD has been the capacity to free BDP-2 production from the constraints of third-party supplied devices. Premium quality sound cards are challenging to source, and the IAD alleviates these supply chain concerns completely."

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Older unit (2012):

Bryston BDP-1 Digital Player (discontinued).

My opinion of BDP-1: Others have raved about this; see reviews below. So I will spare you the wine metaphors. There are 3 pieces of gear that I absolutely worship. 1. My Vienna speakers. 2. My BDA-1 DAC. And then there's BDP. Auditory realism from a dedicated computer. WT* ?! All genres sound sublime on this beast. No harsh brightness, unless you use really hot tracks. Seems crazy, that a digital player can sound analog. But it's true. BDP plays digital files with insanity-inducing musicality (Wait - Where's my shrink? Heck -- she's busy listening to her BDP!). No moving parts; a superbly modded Juli@ sound card and processor spits out processed digital data for an external DAC to convert to music. Paired with BDA-1, I am reminded of Bogie and Bacall, Virtue and Moir, Watson and Crick, Hubel and Wiesel (I told you -- no wine metaphors here). Synergy supremo.

Weaknesses: 1. Setting up BDP-1 for wireless control is a challenge. Luckily, Chris Rice at Bryston helped a lot. 2. Loading large libraries is slow on BDP-1. Much faster on BDP-2. 3. The screen is tiny.

A review of the Juli@ soundcard inside BDP-1:

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-absolute-sound-card-survey-tas-213/

Measurements, BDP-1:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/bryston-bdp-1-digital-audio-player-measurements

http://www.avmentor.eu/reviews/bryston_bdp1_bda1.htm