Aescalpius

I agree wholeheartedly with rom661 about the errant review on the ARC DAC8 by Alan Taffel. I own both the DAC8 and the Bryston BDA-1 and have listened to both quite a lot. In fact after reading that review I pulled the BDA-1 out of storage and set it up to do some comparative listening. As a bit of background, several years ago I went shopping for an upgrade to the Benchmark DAC/Pre that I was using. I listened to both the DAC7 and the BDA-1 and, in the end, chose the BDA-1. I liked the slightly better focus and precision of the BDA-1 while admitting that, overall, the DAC7 was probably a little more "musical". I did not regret my purchase and also bought the excellent BP-26 pre-amp to complement my new DAC. Fast forward several years later, I am now running the Bryston BDP-1 into the BDA-1 with an ARC Ref 5 pre-amp, Bryston 28B mono blocks and KEF Reference 207/2 speakers. I brought home the DAC8 to compare with the BDA-1 and it was immediately obvious to me that although the BDA-1 was a very fine DAC, the ARC DAC8 was better and the BDA-1 went into storage then later got loaned out to a friend who ended up liking it so much he bought one for himself. Now back to the present where the Ref 5 has been replaced by the Ref 40 and all cabling has been upgraded to Cardas Clear with full Shunyata King Cobra and Anaconda power. After listening to both DACs again I am amazed at how off the mark Alan's comments are. The DAC8 is very dynamic and engaging, with an deep and wide soundstage yet excellent focus of the instruments and voices. While the BDA-1 may be a little smoother on the top end, it achieves this with a smaller soundstage, less focus and reduced dynamics, in my opinion. Overall, the DAC8 is the more engaging presentation and the one I prefer. Interestingly, my friend who owns the BDA-1 does prefer it's more reserved presentation. Nonetheless, the review of the DAC8 by AT was not correct, in my experience.

Hi Encore; So, I did a comparative listen of the Bryston BDP-1 yesterday with it's stock power cord and with the Shunyata Taipan VX. The Bryston sounded great with the stock power cord, and better with the Shunyata. Both were plugged in to a Shunyata Hydra V-Ray which was plugged into a dedicated 10 ga x 20 amp line with a Shunyata King Cobra feeding the Hydra. The differences were: greater air, more inner detail, better focus and a greater sense of body to the instruments and vocals. It was subtle in some songs and more evident in others, but clearly noticeable throughout, even to my non-audiophile spouse who was blind to the changes. Having said this, I would NOT say that an aftermarket power cord is a "must". The Bryston sounded great with the stock power cord and, in this configuration, still significantly better than my optimized MacBook Pro running Audirvana or Decibel. With the Shunyata feeding the Bryston, the differences between it and the MBP were even greater. Hope that helps.

Hi Encore and thanks for your question. I'm afraid I can't answer that because I have only used it with one power cord; a Shunyata Taipan VX. I will try to make that comparison for you this weekend and let you know. In my experience, however, a good power cord has always made a sonic improvement in any component with which I have used it. The first time I heard what a good power cord could do it turned my world upside down, I just couldn't believe that a simple power cord that was upstream of the music could have the effect that it did. It took me a long time and a lot of comparison listening before I purchased one. This was followed by the purchase of many more, including two Shunyata Hydra power filters. I just don't bother using the factory-supplied cable anymore. Nonetheless, I will give it a try and report my experience. As for your excellent point about the BDP-1 being just an optimized computer, that's exactly right. And it does the job of serving up digital files to an outboard DAC extremely well. If you think about it, this is exactly what many of us have attempted to accomplish with a computer music server. Bryston takes this to the next level in the BDP-1 by stripping out all the extraneous, and sonically detrimental, functions. Have a comparison listen to one if you can, I would be interested to know what you think.

This is starting to look like a thread hijack - I thought we were trying to help DJ_Amtrax decide on a new music server. But, to answer your question, yes I am. And, to be perfectly honest I don't know and (gasp) I don't care what particular aspect of the electronic component is affecting the sound after break in. Yes, I have some theories but I'm not going to postulate them here because I know that I cannot explain it, I'm not an electronics engineer. But, whether I can explain it to your satisfaction or not does not change the fact that it is an observable phenomenon that is widely accepted to occur in the audio industry. I have known for over 25 years that this happens and have observed it many times. When I worked in a high-end audio shop those many years ago it was standard practice to run new demo equipment for hours and hours in order to bring them up to their best sound and I know that this practice persists today. I hear it every time I turn on my system after it has been off for a while. Simply put, audio components sound better after they warm up and over time as they break in. But hey, don't take my word for it, go and listen yourself. Lastly, I'm sorry but I really don't want to get into a long debate over this topic.

Well, DJ, I'm glad because that was my intent; to offer you another alternative. I wanted to share my experiences and dissatisfaction with a computer-based music server and my happiness with this product. There are a multitude of options, to be sure, this is the one I have found most pleasing after much trial and error. The many people who have commented on the expense of this product for what it "only" does are missing the point. What it "only" does is deliver amazing sound in a simple and elegant way. It's not as complex or as convenient as a computer based system running a player overlaid on iTunes like PM or Amarra and it is potentially more expensive than some solutions (although I would argue a MacBook Pro running Amarra is every bit as expensive). Nonetheless, the point is the music and the quality of sound. Have a listen, judge for yourself and vote with your dollars. When I worked in the audio business many years ago our attitude was "if you can hear the difference great, if it's worth it to you and you can afford it, even better". We sent people home with all kinds of equipment to audition in their homes. You should be able to find an audio dealer that will allow you an in-home demonstration. Most dealers who handle Bryston I would expect would be willing to do so. The big problem with auditioning gear at a dealership is that it's not in your home environment and you don't know how it's going to sound in the context of your system. Yes, there are some absolutes but there are also synergies. Part of building a system is finding what will sound right together. The room acoustics play a huge role (I have invested a large chunk of time on measuring my room's acoustics and then $$$$$ on ASC Tube Traps to tune my room) as do your ears. So, my advice is to find a dealer, borrow the Bryston and see what it can do for you in the context of your system. BTW, I have read the reviews and did consider the PS Audio gear but was unable to hear it. I'm intrigued by their technical approach but my dealer (who looked at it last summer) was not so impressed when they auditioned it. Nonetheless, I would have like to have had an audition of this combination as it seems to offer a very nice solution. Of course, at $3000 plus the cost of the bridge that's not an inexpensive music server solution either. Add another $3000 for their DAC as it seems that if you want to get the optimal performance from their Transport you should use their DAC via the I2S interface. I'd like to offer another piece of advice before I close: if you can, invest in a dedicated electrical line to your audio system, the difference is huge. No, I mean HUGE! Get a good electrician and ask for at least a 10 gauge line coming straight off the box with it's own 15 or 20 amp breaker. If you can, run several lines (I have two). Use high quality receptacles (like Shunyata). This is one of the most cost-effective improvements you will ever make. Also, if you can, get a good power filter. I cannot overstate the importance of clean power and an abundant supply of electrons. In closing, I know that I am going to take a lot of flak for proposing a non-computer based music server on a website devoted to, well, computer based music servers. My apologies to any who might take offence and please spare us all the flames.

Yes, that is precisely what I am saying. All electronics break in over time, none of them sound at their best when new. This includes all cables, except optical ones. It also includes speakers. This is well known in the audio business. In fact, in the packaging with my ARC Pre-amps and the ARC DAC 8 they provide a sheet stating quite boldly that it will take at least 600 hours of operation for the component to break-in. In their words "your patience will be rewarded". I leave my BDP-1, my DAC and my power amps on all the time as it takes at least an hour for them to warm up and return to optimal function after being cold (I can hear the difference). I only turn off the pre-amp because it is tube based and the tube life is a concern.

To soundsolutions11 ("everyone has their own experience"); I agree, everyone does have their own experience. Moreover, too many audiophiles get caught up in the equipment and forget that the purpose of this hobby is to enjoy the music. If your solution pleases you, then rejoice and enjoy. There are many paths to audio enlightenment. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I have had experience working in a high-end audio store, have listened to a lot of live, acoustic music and have also played the French Horn in the past and now the guitar so I have a sense of what real music sounds like and how a good high-end system should sound. I have built my current system over the past eight years with a number of side paths before settling on the current set up which now finally pleases me because it sounds "right". Every piece of equipment I have added has been auditioned extensively before purchase, except for the ARC 40th Anniversay Pre-amp and the Bryston BDP-1 (more on this later). Every piece has been judged on it's own sonic merit, even the power cables. I have learned a lot about what makes a great sounding system and not to prejudge something before listening. I agree that the BDP-1 seems expensive for what it is, physically. But that is the wrong metric, judge it for what it does for your music. And, don't prejudge it before you hear it. Because I now live over 500 miles from the nearest decent audio shop, I can no longer just waltz down to my local dealer and listen or borrow gear to take home. I have had pieces shipped to me from my longtime audio dealer for audition but that is a difficult process. With the Bryston, I knew about it and followed its progress for months but I was also skeptical, as you. I was also determined to get the sound I wanted out of my computer based system, for all the reasons that one can find on this website. Besides, I don't mind tinkering and learning and I read multiple forums as I tried to optimize my MacMini and then the MBP (which sounded better). This took a lot of time and money but still I couldn't get the sound I wanted. My spouse observed this all with amusement and said that I should just buy the Bryston and stop fussing with the computers. I finally got to hear the BDP-1 briefly in a audio shop while travelling. I pulled out my MacBook and did an A/B comparison under less than ideal conditions in a crowded shop with a poor set-up. I immediately heard what the BDP-1 could do, despite the environmental limitations. So, I ordered one and, when it arrived, plugged it in and listened. The sonic improvement was immediately obvious, straight out of the box, cold. With a couple of months of continuous break in, it is amazing. I have a couple of friends with very good ears (one is a professional opera singer) and they were also very, very impressed. As an aside, I purchased the ARC 40th Anniversary Pre-amp (Ref 40) also without audition and strictly on its reputation. I already had the ARC Ref 5 and it was amazing (as is the service that ARC provides, I should add). I read the reviews on the Ref 40 and decided to take the plunge after negotiating a trade-in deal with my audio crack dealer. OMG, is all I have to say. It clobbered my Ref 5 straight out of the box, cold, but that's another story. Back to the Bryston BDP-1, the reason I think it works so well is because it has been optimized for one sole function; to read digital files and deliver as pure a data stream as possible to an outboard DAC. It is therefore free of all the unavoidable extraneous noise that exists in a computer that must also handle WiFi, video and many other musically non-essential functions (yes, I had all those things shut down on both the MacMini and the MBP and yes, that did make a difference). I can tell you that you don't know the noise is there until it's gone, it really is striking. The BDP-1 clobbers the MacMini and the MBP in their most optimized form. In summary, don't judge the BDP-1 until you've heard it.

After much trial and error, my advice is to go with a Bryston BDP-1 Digital Player into a good DAC. I have been through the mill of first using an optimized MacMini then an optimized MacBook Pro as a music server feeding my ARC DAC 8. In both cases, I replaced the internal HD with a solid-state drive onto which I loaded Snow Leopard then shut down all non-essential services (per the Amarra guide) and used a variety of music players, including Pure Music, Amarra, Audirvana and Decibel. I should also mention that I was using the proprietary drivers from Audio Research which allowed up to 192 x 24 via USB and the Cardas USB cable. I also used an external HD onto which was loaded the music files with a Firewire 800 connection to the computer. Despite all this, I just couldn't get a sound that satisfied me. So, having been very satisfied with my Bryston equipment (I also had a BP-26 pre-amp and a BDA-1 DAC before the ARC gear) I was intrigued by their new digital music player. I auditioned then purchased one and the difference it made was striking, even to my non-audiophile friends and my spouse. Without waxing too audiophilic, the best way to describe the sound from the BDP-1 is much more inner detail, incredible imaging with rich timbres but most of all a relaxed, open and natural presentation. Overall, it was the most realistic and natural (analogue-like, if you will) sound I have ever heard from any digital system. The MacMini and MBP have been retired. Ditto for my Pioneer Elite Blu-ray acting as a CD transport. All of these are so inferior I just don't bother listening to them anymore. If you're wondering about the interface, it is good but not yet up to iTunes standards. I use either Firefox running Minion or MPad on my iPad as my control interface. Both are very useable. Hopefully, the interface will come up to iTunes standards over time. I rip my CDs and convert my Hi-Def FLAC files into AIFF using XLD with embedded artwork and send them into iTunes on my iMac. I then back up the iTunes music folder periodically onto an external HD using Chrono Sync. I then attach the HD to the Bryston. This is not as convenient as I would like but it's not too much bother. I also offload new files to a thumb drive if I want to hear them right away on the Bryston. All in all, this system works very well. I've read that you can transfer files to the Bryston wirelessly but that hasn't worked so well for me on my home network. I prefer the hard wired data transfer over streaming anyway because of the potential for data loss over a wireless network (I used to periodically hear dropouts when streaming via iTunes or Airfoil to my Apple TV - which I didn't discuss here because it is also sonically inferior to the Bryston; this includes both the 1st and 2nd generation Apple TVs). So, my advice is to save yourself a lot of bother and just go with the Bryston BDP-1, you won't regret it. BTW, I have no commercial affiliation whatsoever with Bryston. I can, however, speak highly of them as I had a personal tour of the factory before buying my 28B monoblocks and was very impressed. I have also in the past had to ask questions of James Tanner (VP) by email and he has always responded promptly and honestly.