BRYSTON BCD-1
Digital sources
The BCD-1 is not an extravagant colourist like Musical Fidelity or Meridian - it does not deliver deep soundstage and rich tonality. Expect rather a lightning fast and accurate player that extracts the information from silver discs with merciless precision and authority. No single sound detail is spared.
Function and form
Crystal Semiconductor CS4398 multibit converters in the BCD-1 use delta-sigma processing - the signal is upsampled from 44.1kHz to 192kHz, then 128-times oversampled and then synchronized by Bryston's CL circuitry to minimize induced jitter.
The rest of the device builds on Bryston's amplification expertise so it is not surprising to see huge toroid transformer, careful shielding and power filtration. The parts are discreet as Bryston sees an advantage in their better stability and stricter tolerances.
When the chassis of the BCD-1 is opened it is not unlike a look into a 15 years old Technics player - it is quite empty. The plastic Philips VAM1202/12 transport was modified for better synchronization with the DAC, yet it is plastic so it behaves like that.
Bass management
The Bryston BCD-1 excelled in Front Line Assembly's Artificial Soldier - it delivered multilayered synthesized sound that was propelled by puncy basslines and computerized structures. The player has a great sense of rhythm and timing so no wonder that my feet started to tap.
Clarity & delicacy
The Bryston's background is ink black and very quiet. This provides a perfect backdrop against which all the sound bits are served with great accuracy. Not only Deutsche Gramophon recordings but also The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down From A Mountain soundtrack (Stephen Endelmana) was very dynamic. Harp strings or flaring French horns give "you are there" feeling. Men's choir or a big drum excited my room with a lot of energy.
Tonal accuracy
The sound of the BCD-1 may not be everyone's cup of coffee. The result will depend a lot on which other components in the audio set up will be used. Thus you can vary the sound from uninvolving and emotionally cold to a warmer style. I prefered Ayre C-5xe, that I reviewed earlier, as it was more universal sonically. Also Sony XA9000ES could play with passion and made listening sessions both analytical and enjoyable, perhaps at the cost of greater neutrality. Where the XA9000ES was diplomatic the BCD-1 was merciless. The intersting fact was that I could hear the same quantity of details from both devices, just the way they sent them to my ears was different.
I liked the BCD-1 most when I paired it with the Accuphase amplifier: the Bryston provided speed and clarity and the Accuphase colours and sophistication. If you plan to buy a CD player then the BCD-1 should be on your list, however I recommend to audition it before you buy in your home set up not to end up with an overly analytic system.
Spatial resolution
The connectivity on the BCD-1's rear panel includes RCA, XLR, 12-V link and an RS232C PC standard inlet for software update, as well as digital outputs (AES/EBU, Toslink and S/PDIF). The company does not recommend to combine the BCD-1 with other transports or D/A converters because they say the performance of digital elements in the BCD-1 was super-optimized to reach extremely low jitter levels.
Recommended resellers
HiFi Store, Praha, tel. +420 283 871 462
Manufacturer's website: http://www.bryston.com
Associated components
- Sources: Ayre Cx-7e
- Amplifiers: Bryston B26/2BSST, Accuphase E-210A
- Interconnects and speaker cables: více typů Cardas, Nordost SPM Reference
- Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 1.1, Totem Rainmaker, Infinity Classia C336, JBL ES80
Gallery
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