My first post here - I started using ROON about 3 months ago and I like it much. I am looking for advise for my next move - opinions are for sure very welcome.
i would like to add a seperate end point but I am not 100% sure of what I want. I am currently using a NUC i7 (7th) with ROCK that drives my Audio Alchemy DDP-1 (USB connected). I would like to move the NUC to another room, which means I need an endpoint. My natural choice would have been a used Audio Alchemy DMP-1 (despite it is a bit old) but it is almost impossible to find on the used market. In the context of saving on $, I am considering a used Bryston BDP-1. Since the heavy listing would be done by the NUC, would I be missing anything with the Bryston due to the age of that technology?
thanks for your feedback. Do you feel sometimes you would be better served by a -2 or a -3? do you feel you might be missing something with a -1 due to the age?
I have two of them. The BDP-2 or BDP-3 might outperform them on paper, but the BDP-1 is solid as an endpoint. I threw a similar question out there and this is what the response was.
That is exactly the info I was looking for - many thanks. As a note, I was not aware there were two different versions of the -1. I will make sure I buy the right one.
The advice on the USB model would surely depend on the DAC you intend to connect. Depending on where you read on the internet, the BDP-1USB is basically a stripped down BDP-2 - I think this info came from Bryston and is published in a couple of different reviews online.
Regardless, any BDP-1/2/3 for me makes an excellent endpoint. They have serious on-board power (no fussing or fretting if this or that linear PSU may improve things, as Bryston took care of that), Secondly, they can be remote controlled from a Logitech Harmony or similar (or the Bryston unit if you’re feeling flush with cash) for track skip / pause / play / stop. I can’t overestimate what a difference this makes to Roon, not to have to wake a phone or tablet to move on or repeat a track. Thirdly and finally, they’re built like tanks - I’m sure they’d survive the apocalypse. (As said elsewhere they’re reliable and rock-solid from a networking point-of-view - just “there” all the time.)
In my system, Roon into the BDP-1USB sounds clearly and usefully better than a nice CD transport over S/PDIF into the same DAC. And that’s before you start dabbling with hi-res, DSD and the like. The finest digital component I have ever used.
Thanks Malcolm - interesting point of view and usefull. I wil be using an Audio Alchemy DDP-1 with its PS-5 (external power supply). My first choice remains a used Audio Alchemy DMP-1 streamer that I would connect to the PS-5. Since the Audio Alchemy is almost impossible to find used, I will now be looking for a BDP-1.
ah, good to know. Thanks for the insight. I must admit I have always been interested by Bryston, starting when I was a teenager miking rock bands on tour. our old 4Bs were reliable and great sounding on our Fane speaker kits. Now that I am over 50 with more financial freedom, I am sometimes tempted to restart my main kit at home entirely based on Bryston. But being cheap by nature, I have never made the move to invest $40K+ into what I would like to have. Just sharing a nostalgic moment about a fun time in my early life with Bryston stuff!
Worse thing I have ever had happen to a BDP-1 (nine years) is I had to unplug and reinsert a cable that either worked loose or had a connection issue. Bryston support is excellent. You can actually talk to someone on the phone.
If you’re using Roon, you don’t need a BDP remote. I don’t have one.
i acknoledge Bryston stuff are built like tanks (i sound like a Bryston add - lol!). Yes, I only use ROON - it is really fun to use for the whole family, including the less technologically inclined members (better be careful on this one…).
Bill_Janssen
(Wigwam wool socks now on asymmetrical isolation feet!)
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I hope you guys will pardon a really dumb question…
What exactly does the BDP-1 do? From the What Hi-Fi review: “The BDP-1 simply takes music data from a memory stick or hard drive via one of its four USB inputs, processes the data and squirts it out digitally for an external DAC to complete the task.” I guess I could see it with a hard drive containing music, but with Roon?
For me, the BDP-1 would be mainly used as a music streamer (for Tidal, in my case) and as an endpoint if I use Roon. This means I would be using an ethernet conne tion to access my network (and internet). I could use it to connect my usb hard drive but I plan to keep my hard drive directly connected to my NUC i7
The BDP-1’s original purpose (mentioned in the What Hi-fi review, probably written before Roon was even a thing) was to enable simple, local file playback - there are some interesting early videos on YouTube showing completely disconnected playback on thumb drives using just the front panel buttons. A network (Ethernet) connection allows control of this playback from a PC/tablet - as well as the ability to access music on the network. It can do Airplay through Shairport (?) and I believe it can now stream Tidal natively.
A firmware update a few years in added Roon Ready support early-ish (?) in Roon’s life, so it sits alongside Raspberry Pi, Microrendu, dCS Network Bridge, Pro-ject Stream Box et al as a Roon endpoint without a built-in DAC. For those of us who like to keep the Roon core machine in a different room to the hi-fi.
I’ve probably only just skimmed the surface here. Articles about the BDP-1 written around the time of its launch don’t mention Roon, as the device pre-dates Roon by a few years I think. Its status as a Roon Ready endpoint is a bit of a glorious accident and thanks to Bryston’s ingenuity.
The BDP was designed as a media player deciphering media files. It has it own firmware. The current version is Manic Moose. It can be used as a DLNA streamer, renderer, and Roon ready endpoint. It also can play music files from an attached drive (HDD / SSD / USB STICK) via MPD. Works with Audirvana.
The Roon Ready certification was added in 2016. BDP-1 came out around 2011. The BDP-2 was the current version in 2016, and they designed the firmware so BDP-1 could do many of the same functions, horsepower permitting.
