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Bryston BDP-1 for Theta Digital & Aerial Music and Home Theater System! - Page 4

post #91 of 137
12/20/11 at 4:06am
Looks like the BDP-1 is based upon this product http://www.auraliti.com/ I assume Bryston further improved it.
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post #92 of 137
12/20/11 at 6:31am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bulldogger View Post

Looks like the BDP-1 is based upon this product http://www.auraliti.com/ I assume Bryston further improved it.

From the Stereophile review of the BDP-1:

"James Tanner, VP of marketing at Bryston Ltd., was frustrated. He'd borrowed a Music Vault 4000 music server to play high-resolution digital music files at Bryston's exhibit at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show. Most of the time, the server delivered some of the best sound at that event. The rest of the time, there were dropouts and crashes. Tanner later experienced similar dropouts and crashes when he streamed hi-rez digital files over his home network to a Bryston BDA-1 digital-to-analog converter (see my review in the February 2010 issue).


I found a more relaxed Tanner at the 2010 CES. This time, he'd borrowed an Auraliti L-1000 digital file server ($3000 at www.auraliti.com), a box with no front-panel controls, no display, no hard drive, no fans, and no CD drive. Instead of a Windows operating system, the L-1000 ran a stripped-down version of the Linux open-source operating system. Its simplicity of design solved the reliability problems Tanner had encountered the year before. Then and there, Tanner decided to ask Auraliti to help Bryston create a simple digital music file player. The result is the BDP-1"


http://www.stereophile.com/content/b...l-audio-player
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post #93 of 137
12/21/11 at 8:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bulldogger View Post

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....gital-Media-Pl This one is up for sale. Maybe it's time to install this card in a Mac and do a shoot-out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzuoiwp--0U

Although you could put this card in a cheap and easy to find used G5 Power Mac, buying a Mac Pro just for HT use is a bit overkill.
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post #94 of 137
12/21/11 at 10:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky View Post

I found a more relaxed Tanner at the 2010 CES. This time, he'd borrowed an Auraliti L-1000 digital file server ($3000 at www.auraliti.com), a box with no front-panel controls, no display, no hard drive, no fans, and no CD drive. Instead of a Windows operating system, the L-1000 ran a stripped-down version of the Linux open-source operating system. Its simplicity of design solved the reliability problems Tanner had encountered the year before. Then and there, Tanner decided to ask Auraliti to help Bryston create a simple digital music file player. The result is the BDP-1"

This months issue of TAS finds dramatic difference in SQ of computer audio, based on pretty much every variable (e.g. ripping program, playback program, sample rate conversions), with the best playback being achieved with with a bare bones program called cPlay. The whole story makes a strong case for letting a manufacturer doing the optimization and integration for you and get something like a BDP-1. The article also triggered my interest in sample rate conversion, since this was also reported to be a big step up (the best results being achieved with izotope). I have since played a bit with a free sample rate converter (http://www.voxengo.com/product/r8brain/) and was quite pleased with the result. My next step will be to trial izotope and if the results are good do a batch conversion to 192/24 of my favorite albums. Has anyone else tried this? I'd be interested to hear what you think. 44/16 to 192/24 turns a CD into about 5GB, so pleanty cheap storage is of the essence.
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post #95 of 137
12/21/11 at 1:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by edorr View Post

This months issue of TAS finds dramatic difference in SQ of computer audio, based on pretty much every variable (e.g. ripping program, playback program, sample rate conversions), with the best playback being achieved with with a bare bones program called cPlay. The whole story makes a strong case for letting a manufacturer doing the optimization and integration for you and get something like a BDP-1. The article also triggered my interest in sample rate conversion, since this was also reported to be a big step up (the best results being achieved with izotope). I have since played a bit with a free sample rate converter (http://www.voxengo.com/product/r8brain/) and was quite pleased with the result. My next step will be to trial izotope and if the results are good do a batch conversion to 192/24 of my favorite albums. Has anyone else tried this? I'd be interested to hear what you think. 44/16 to 192/24 turns a CD into about 5GB, so pleanty cheap storage is of the essence.

I have not had a chance yet to read the article but we have had some discussions on it on WBF: http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showth...-music-reprodu

I would not jump on their recommendations that easily . See the note from John Atkinson for example.
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post #96 of 137
12/21/11 at 2:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by amirm View Post

I have not had a chance yet to read the article but we have had some discussions on it on WBF: http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showth...-music-reprodu

I would not jump on their recommendations that easily . See the note from John Atkinson for example.

Some of the findings were so blatently suspect and unbelievable that one would be inclined to dismiss the whole article. This guy had obviously decided upfront he wanted to report substantial SQ differences between pretty much everything to create some buzz. He even created some crazy scale to dramatize the perceived level of SQ difference, with a CD playing in a PWT/PWD combo set as the index of 100, and the best configuration he found clocking in at I believe 280 (2.8 times better???).

However, doing a sample rate conversion to 192/24 cost me nothing and my first impression was positive. It would be beneficial if I could get someone to change tracks for me though so I can repeat the expiriment blind....
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post #97 of 137
12/21/11 at 5:03pm
"It would be beneficial if I could get someone to change tracks for me though so I can repeat the expiriment blind....
**********
Or borrow a BDA-1...up conversion can be turned on/off during playback.

Steve
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post #98 of 137
12/21/11 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vandevantersh1 View Post

"It would be beneficial if I could get someone to change tracks for me though so I can repeat the expiriment blind....
**********
Or borrow a BDA-1...up conversion can be turned on/off during playback.

Steve

I can do that during playback with my perfect wave DAC as well (i.e. upsampling). However, what I am after here is comparing playback of 44/16 files and the same file pre-converted to 192/24. For this, I need to put both files in my playlist on my iPhone app and switch between them. I guess I could close my eyes and push the "next track" button a few times until I lost track of what I am listening to and then see if I can pick the winner.
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post #99 of 137
12/23/11 at 6:43am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edorr View Post

I can do that during playback with my perfect wave DAC as well (i.e. upsampling). However, what I am after here is comparing playback of 44/16 files and the same file pre-converted to 192/24. For this, I need to put both files in my playlist on my iPhone app and switch between them. I guess I could close my eyes and push the "next track" button a few times until I lost track of what I am listening to and then see if I can pick the winner.

Doing that will "show" you what sounds better, redbook, or upsampled redbook, input into the particular DAC that you are using.

I am too "tired" of too much tweaking to bother. Besides, I figure that when it comes to redbook, both my CB3 HD and my Gen VIII Series 3 DAC internally do their own upsampling of redbook anyway. Some years ago Neil Sinclair had a paper on this discussing upsampling in these products.
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post #100 of 137
12/23/11 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky View Post

I am too "tired" of too much tweaking to bother.

I don't blame you. The issue is that according to the highly suspect TAS article sample rate conversion is hardly a tweak, but a stepstone improvement on par with say upgrading a DAC. This is enough to get suckers like myself intrigued enough to give it a whirl....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky View Post

Besides, I figure that when it comes to redbook, both my CB3 HD and my Gen VIII Series 3 DAC internally do their own upsampling of redbook anyway. Some years ago Neil Sinclair had a paper on this discussing upsampling in these products.

There is no consensus on this. Have you tried playing CD directly into the GenVIII in native sample rate? What did you think?
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post #101 of 137
12/23/11 at 8:27am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edorr View Post



There is no consensus on this. Have you tried playing CD directly into the GenVIII in native sample rate? What did you think?

Redbook, whether straight from the source into the Gen VIII Series 3 DAC;
or into the CB3 HD, then digi out to the Gen VIII DAC for front left and right channels, sounds marvelous. Sounded great with the Marantz UD9004, just as good with the Theta Compli Blu, and even appreciably better with the Bryston BDP-1. All of this has been at native sample rate.
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post #102 of 137
12/23/11 at 8:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky View Post

Redbook, whether straight from the source into the Gen VIII Series 3 DAC;
or into the CB3 HD, then digi out to the Gen VIII DAC for front left and right channels, sounds marvelous. Sounded great with the Marantz UD9004, just as good with the Theta Compli Blu, and even appreciably better with the Bryston BDP-1. All of this has been at native sample rate.

OK. I misunderstood. I thought you were upsampling.
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post #103 of 137
12/29/11 at 8:51pm
Thread Starter 
It is SO Easy to use the Apple IPad2 with my BDP-1, so I get album covers, song and artist info, and where the IPad2 is a full fledged outstanding music media controller:

1. Download MPad from I-Tunes, and Install it on the IPad2.


2. Be sure that the Bryston BDP-1 has fully started up and leave it at its initial startup screen without changing or playing anyrthing on the front of the

3. Open MPad on the Ipad 2. BDP-1.

4, With MPad open on the IPad2, go to the very top line of screen, a bit past halfway, and you will see a litle white wheel with gears just below the AM/PM for the time above it. Tap the white wheel, and a long rectangular box with a "Settings" menu will open up.

5. In the "Settings" Menu:


Tap on "MPD Server". A new screen opens up for "Connection". Tap
"Manual Connection Setup".

A new screen opens up, "Add Connection".
Tap "Namer", enter "BDP-1".
Tap "Server", enter "Bryston-BDP=1.local
Under "Local Cover Art", tap "URL" and enter
"http://bryston-bdp-1.local/music
Tap under "File Name", enter "Folder.jpg"



I used dBPoweramp to rip regular and HDCDs. This program places a file
"Folder.jpg", a JPEG file, in each album that I rip for the cover art.
Now tap "Save" at the top right of the screen.


Although MPad normally looks to the internet, Amazon, for cover art, sometimes it misses the cover art. In those few cases, I Google on Amazon or elsewhere on the web, find a picture of the cover, save the cover as a JPEG file to my desktop, and then title the file as "Folder.jpg"
and drag it into the album file.

I formatted my two 500 GB Seagate GoFlex drives, which plug into the rear of the BDP-1, in Fat32 format. This permits these drives to show up on my PC network, and for minor stuff I don't need to upplug the drives. If I
rip a bunch of CDs at once,then I will unplug the USB drive from the BDP-1,
and I will connect the USB drive to my laptop for fast file copying and transfer.
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post #104 of 137
12/29/11 at 8:58pm
Thread Starter 
Prediction:

Someone, whether Bryston, Theta, etc:

Will come out with a box that does what the BDP-1 does AND also adds to this:

One HDMI input.

One HDMI output.

BOX will decode HDMI signal into multi-channel PCM plus original video signal, this "new" signal will be copied onto an internal buffer, and then output fout the HDMI output, jitter free, to your SSP. You can then use a blu ray player to ourput the HDMI signal to this BOX, which will output a very pristine jitter free PCM decoded multi-channel audio signal, and the video signal,over HDMI. Better sound jitter free! The same audio benefit to blu ray that we get with all redbook, HDCD and hi rez audio with the BDP-1!!!@@@
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post #105 of 137
12/29/11 at 10:47pm
You are asking for a perpetual motion machine . As soon as you transmit HDMI, you introduce jitter. Sources can do a better or worse job but they cannot eliminate jitter.
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post #106 of 137
12/30/11 at 7:22am
"As soon as you transmit HDMI, you introduce jitter. Sources can do a better or worse job but they cannot eliminate jitter."
********
And the reason Bryston doesn't have HDMI as a source input option in the BDP-1 or BDA-1.

Steve
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post #107 of 137
12/30/11 at 8:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vandevantersh1 View Post

"As soon as you transmit HDMI, you introduce jitter. Sources can do a better or worse job but they cannot eliminate jitter."
********
And the reason Bryston doesn't have HDMI as a source input option in the BDP-1 or BDA-1.

Steve

I am thinking that the jitter of the Casablanca must be low for the signal to travel through it from the Bryston and into the Gen8 and the Casablanca not degrade the sound.
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post #108 of 137
1/19/12 at 9:54pm
Thread Starter 
http://oyendigital.com/hard-drives/s...SD-240-BK.html
for solid state external USB hard drives up to 480 GB. I haven't got one yet - I am using two 500 GB Seagate GoFlex USB drives fine.

Whats neat about Oyen Digital's SSDs is they are external drives, plug and play!!!@@
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post #109 of 137
1/19/12 at 10:23pm
Hi Steve

I am using three 128 GB internal SSD's - all samsungs- There are bunch of SATA to USB adapters . MY SSD's are working fine with these adapters. Internal SSD's are much cheaper . I bought all three of them between 120-130 dollars from newegg. The adapter are $15-20 each. major benefit is speed of data transfer when you first load them. I also used 64GB SanDisk thumb drive. On thumb drives transfer is usually between 5-9 MB/s , while on SSD's it was 60-90 MB/sec.
Fry's electronics in Tempe had Bytec compact SATA to USB enclosure for $16 with $16 rebate - it is unpowered and works just fine. I bought two SIIG adapters which are powered for front two ports. Keep an eye at Techbargains and you find sweet deals on internal SSD's all the time. External SSD;'s are rip off. They are the exact same drives as internals with an enclosure which you can easily do yourself for 10-20 bucks and they are plug and play as well. Moreover you only need SATA2 SSD's which are much cheaper than SATA III SSD's.

Mani
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post #110 of 137
2/19/12 at 8:51am
Thread Starter 
I downloaded from HDTracks some 192-24 and 96-24 stuff - Allison Kraus, Modern Jazz Quartet, Duke Ellington, Linda Ronstadt (jazz), Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, etc, etc.

For hi rez, I simply use my Theta Gen VIII Series 3 DAC, Theta Citadel 1.5 front left and right monoblocks, Aerial 9s front left and right.

Simply amazing sonically.

Now redbook sound phenomenal using my full system (Theta CB3 HD using Theta Gen VIII Series 3 DAC for front left and right, Citadel 1.5s front left and right, Theta Enterprise monoblocks for center and left and right surround, three Aerial SW-12 sub). Also sounds fantastic, but wow can you hear the difference as you move up to higher rez audio!!!@@@

And of course using the BDP-1 we don't have HDMI HDCP dowrezzing hi rez audio that we have with current HDMI SSPs.
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post #111 of 137
2/19/12 at 4:52pm
"for solid state external USB hard drives up to 480 GB. I haven't got one yet..."
********
Any reason why an SSD would be useful for for the BPD-1? Faster data transfer has no benefit. I recently added an OWC Rack Pro to the BDP-1, mostly for the aesthetics and to keep the cats from playing hockey with the loose USB drives.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-...ID/Rack_Mount/

Steve
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post #112 of 137
2/19/12 at 5:56pm
Much faster to transfer 300gb of data . Otherwise some theoretical advantage of no spinning parts /no vibrations
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post #113 of 137
2/22/12 at 6:40pm
Steve

I just ordered a BDP1 for me to play with along with an SP3. Going to be fun playing with the SP3 against my CB3HD but at 1/2 the price , it looks great. Cant wait !

Craig
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post #114 of 137
2/22/12 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by VGI View Post

Steve

I just ordered a BDP1 for me to play with along with an SP3. Going to be fun playing with the SP3 against my CB3HD but at 1/2 the price , it looks great. Cant wait !

Craig

Yea!!!

I've heard great things about the Bryston stereo DAC, too. Though I think I am glad to keep my Gen VIII Series 3 DAC!!!@@@

I bet that you will be impressed with the SP3 as a HDMI SSP at its price point!

You will luv the BDP-1! use an IPad as your music controller like I do. You will luv it.
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post #115 of 137
2/22/12 at 6:52pm
It's a no brainer. You can buy new BDP1 for way less than MSRP.
I used basic Mac book pro, with music fidelity vlink USB to Spdif converter ( one of the cheapest one out there) and pure music player and wire world USB cable . Bdp1 cost less than all of the above combined and is much more easier to use and can stay on all the time . Some of the expensive asyn USB to Spdif converters cost more than what you can get BDP1 for.
I am using MacBook pro as a regular laptop now

I got BDP-1 and BDA1 ( their matching stereo DAC) for less than what Mac book pro and a Berkley audio USB to SPDIF converter would have cost me .

Happy so far
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post #116 of 137
6/28/12 at 1:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky View Post

Prediction:


Someone, whether Bryston, Theta, etc:


Will come out with a box that does what the BDP-1 does AND also adds to this:


One HDMI input.


One HDMI output.


BOX will decode HDMI signal into multi-channel PCM plus original video signal, this "new" signal will be copied onto an internal buffer, and then output fout the HDMI output, jitter free, to your SSP.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky View Post



And of course using the BDP-1 we don't have HDMI HDCP dowrezzing hi rez audio that we have with current HDMI SSPs.


Steve, can you explain these two points on HDMI? What down-rezzing occurs with HDMI? I too am wondering why Bryston didn't accommodate multi-channel high-res in the BDP-1 from the get-go and have asked a number of questions of James Tanner over on Audio Circle, including asking for their thoughts on HDMI for audio.
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post #117 of 137
6/28/12 at 6:40am
Thread Starter 
SACD and DVD-Audio for multi-channel music are from a manufacturer standpoint "dead" formats - not enough business to be worthwhile spending the itme, money and software/hardware design to incorporate them in a product. My wishlist is impractical!

By the way, I am using a powered Seagate GoFlex 2TB drive, and my music files were easily converted from Flac 5 (lossless) to Flac Uncompressed using dBPoweramp!!!!@@ I think that uncompressed may well sound somewhat better so that the BDP-1 doesn't have to uncompress AND convert,now it only has to convert.

Also, my iPad 3 clearly has better graphics and colors for album art than the iPad 2 had!!@@
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post #118 of 137
6/28/12 at 8:09am
Thx. I think brick & mortar distribution of disks to continue to suffer but that multi-channel audio to potentially revive itself in download form. The issue is copy protection - there doesn't yet exist a suitable mechanism for protecting the studios.

But I was more getting to your comments about HDMI as a means of transport. It has to down-res? Some say it also creates jitter problems but I've never seen a proper explanation of this.

As for ripping, I will be sticking with AIFF and/or ALAC with its much better integration with iTunes and onward to portable devices such as the iPhone/iPad. I don't want to rip twice - once for my stereo and again for my on-the-go enjoyment. iTunes can hold a database of uncompressed but also automatically deliver a compressed version to an iPhone or iPad. That plus embedded metadata make it the way to go in my view. Try shifting your FLAC collection around and watch all your artwork etc disappear.
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post #119 of 137
6/28/12 at 10:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevekale View Post

Thx. I think brick & mortar distribution of disks to continue to suffer but that multi-channel audio to potentially revive itself in download form. The issue is copy protection - there doesn't yet exist a suitable mechanism for protecting the studios.
But I was more getting to your comments about HDMI as a means of transport. It has to down-res? Some say it also creates jitter problems but I've never seen a proper explanation of this.
As for ripping, I will be sticking with AIFF and/or ALAC with its much better integration with iTunes and onward to portable devices such as the iPhone/iPad. I don't want to rip twice - once for my stereo and again for my on-the-go enjoyment. iTunes can hold a database of uncompressed but also automatically deliver a compressed version to an iPhone or iPad. That plus embedded metadata make it the way to go in my view. Try shifting your FLAC collection around and watch all your artwork etc disappear.

This server will rip BR and do MCH. Of course SACD and DVD-A need not apply. No idea how it stacks up sonically against something like Bryston, but I like their approach of using standards likw JRiver for library management, rather then developing their own.

http://baetisaudio.com/
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post #120 of 137
7/4/12 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bruzonsky View Post

Prediction:


Someone, whether Bryston, Theta, etc:


Will come out with a box that does what the BDP-1 does AND also adds to this:


One HDMI input.


One HDMI output.


BOX will decode HDMI signal into multi-channel PCM plus original video signal, this "new" signal will be copied onto an internal buffer, and then output fout the HDMI output, jitter free, to your SSP. You can then use a blu ray player to ourput the HDMI signal to this BOX, which will output a very pristine jitter free PCM decoded multi-channel audio signal, and the video signal,over HDMI. Better sound jitter free! The same audio benefit to blu ray that we get with all redbook, HDCD and hi rez audio with the BDP-1!!!@@@


Doesn't the NAD C 390DD meet your prediction? The optional hdmi board adds three hdmi in, and one out.

I have a C 390DD on the way for a small stereo mediaroom. AES/EBU is what I was thinking for the BDP-1 connectivity. I'll still want the optional hdmi daughtercard, for the cable box and Bluray.
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