Bryston BDP-2 Digital Music Player, BDA-2 DAC, and BP17 Preamp Preview

Bryston had a huge array of products on display at CES this year, including the BHA-1 headphone amp, the BDP-2 digital music player, the BDA-2 DAC, BP17 Preamplifier, B135 integrated amp, and Model T loudspeakers. Of particular interest to us were the new BDP-2, BDA-2, and BP17 because CES was the first time they were on display. Bryston claims that each of these products is designed for the most demanding consumer, and after seeing them we would have to say they should satisfy.

BDP-2 Digital Music Player

We noticed a huge push this year towards high-end digital music servers, but the BDP-2 probably had the most connectivity of any units we saw.The BDP-2 allows consumers to enjoy their digital music library without sacrificing quality. It does not have any built-in storage but has an open bay for an internal SATA drive and one eSATA input for an external drive. It also features six USB 2.0 inputs and upgradability to USB 3.0. When compared to the Bryston's current BDP-1, it has eight times the internal memory and three times the processing speed. This allows the BDP-2 to index large music libraries more quickly and have an overall snappier operation. However, the actual user interface and sonic qualities are identical between the two units. The BDP-2 features two RS232 ports for control and two Gigabit Ethernet ports for connection. Outputs are limited to digital, because the BDP-2 lacks a DAC, but includes SPDIF (BNC) and AES/EBU (XLR) outputs. The BDP-2 has an MSRP of $2995 and the BPD-1 will remain in the lineup at $2195.

BDA-2 Outboard DAC

The BDA-2 was designed as the perfect companion for the BDP-2. The BDA-2 features the latest 32-Bit DAC technology and uses fully discrete Class-A proprietary Bryston analog circuits, two independent (analog and digital) linear power supplies and dual 32-bit AKM DAC chips. It also utilizes a new asynchronous USB input capable of 192/24bit resolution. There is a host of inputs, including USB, coax, optical, AES-EBU and BNC. It also has both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs. The BDA-2 is currently available for purchase and retails for $2395.

Bryston BDP-2 Digital Music Player and BDA-2 DAC

BP17 Analog/Digital Stereo Preamplifier

The BP17 is essentially the preamp portion of Bryston’s B-135 integrated amplifier taken out and placed in a separate chassis. This allows Bryston to cut down on R&D costs for the BP17 and consequently offer it at a more "affordable" price than would otherwise be possible. The BP17 features a brand new software controlled motorized analog volume control and integrated balance control, providing perfect channel balance and extremely low distortion levels. The BP17 has 6 stereo inputs (no balanced inputs), RCA and XLR outputs, 1 stereo tape loop and a headphone output.  It can be ordered in four configurations, in its standard form, with a moving magnet phono stage, with an internal DAC, or with both a DAC and phono stage. The remote is also not included and as such is considered an add-on.We do not know how much each add-on costs, but the base price is $3550. The one feature we could find that almost none of the competition has is the 20 year warranty of the BP17. The BP17 is currently available for purchase and immediate shipping.

Conclusion

The BDP-2, BDA-2, and BP17 are designed for the hardcore two-channel enthusiast demanding the ultimate in performance. There are certainly less expensive products on the market that are as, or more feature rich, but there are also some much more expensive product as well. If you are on the search for no-compromise, audiophile components, but aren’t quite able to reach into the stratosphere of pricing (but these are still reaching pretty high), then these offerings from Bryston might be worth a look.

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Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.