ЦАПы — Bryston BDA-3

The BDA-3 is an external DAC by Bryston, made in Canada. Bryston designed it to work with its own BDP digital music players as well as computers, music servers and CD players, and it is the successor to the BDA-2. The main changes against that model are PCM playback up to 384 kHz with 32 bit resolution and full DSD capability.

Key specs that matter

Ten digital inputs are fitted - four 2-channel HDMI ports, two asynchronous USB 2.0 Type B ports, two S/PDIF coaxial inputs (one BNC and one RCA), one optical TOSLINK and one AES/EBU. DSD decoding reaches DSD-256 through the USB inputs, and SACD signals are accepted over HDMI. On the output side there are XLR and RCA analogue sockets plus an HDMI output that passes 4K video through. Conversion is handled by two AKM DAC chips. With the narrower faceplate the unit measures 431.8 mm wide, 92.2 mm high including feet and 282.45 mm deep, and it weighs 3.9 kg.

Engineering and use context

Bryston's approach relies on re-sampling and re-clocking of the incoming digital signal. Apart from an up-sampling mode the user can select, the BDA-3 does not convert material to another format or resample it at a non-native rate. The analogue output stage is discrete and runs in Class A. Analogue and digital signal paths are kept independent, and each has its own power supply. For integration with home automation the converter includes a network module, so it can be controlled over TCP/IP and RS-232, with IR and DC trigger control also available. A silver or black faceplate can be chosen, in two widths, the wider panel bringing the overall width to 482.6 mm, while the case itself is 50.8 mm tall without its feet, and a 2U rack mount option is offered. The BR2 remote control is sold separately as an accessory. Because the HDMI inputs carry audio while passing video onward, the BDA-3 can take the output of disc players and set-top sources that only have HDMI and hand the picture on to a display.

Pairing

The BDA-3 has no network streaming function of its own, so it is intended to be fed by a separate transport, computer or player, and Bryston names its BDP players for that role. The XLR sockets connect to amplification fitted with balanced line inputs, and the RCA pair connects to single-ended equipment.

Alternatives

The Bryston BDA-3.14 is a converter built on the BDA-3 platform that adds an internal streamer linked by I2S.