Need a little help - Bryston BP 26

[Lars]

Hi, This is Lars from Germany. I am certainly an absolute beginner in terms of understanding measurement results. I am considering buying a used Bryston BP 26 - roughly ten years old. Can someone help me out and explain whether the measurement results for the preamp section (can be found here: https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14_4/bryston-bp-26-preamplifier-11-2007-part-3.html ) would still be good from a today’s point of view? Any other comments as to the BP 26 are of course also appreciated.
Thanks
lars

 

[Willem]

My first question would be whether you really need a pre amplifier at all. I almost only use digital sources and I now use an RME ADI-2 DAC as a pre amplifier. The sound is spectacularly clean and neutral. My family insisted I should keep my LP12 turntable so its output now goes into a Project phono ebox with optical output. The advantage of the ADI-2 is that unlike other DACs it also has tone and balance control, plus dynamic loudness and some parametric filtering.

 

[Lars]

Hi Willem, thanks for your fast reply. I in fact own the same DAC and running it currently into the PS Audio Stellar Pre. Tried the DAC already directly with my Power Amp (Electrocompaniet AW 250R) but unfortunately got a severe humming from my Subwoofer (REL) that I could not get solved. Cheers Lars

 

[graz_lag]

... but unfortunately got a severe humming from my Subwoofer (REL) that I could not get solved ...

I suppose the connection from the power amp into the REL is made via it's Hi-Level input. The black wire of the 3-wires interconnect should be connected to only one of the speaker black terminal on the power amp, not to both.

 

[Lars]

yep it’s a high level connection. As the power amp is fully balanced I connect the black wire to the chassis of the REL as per REL’s instruction. It works just fine with the current preamp that I have but not anymore if I replace the preamp by the RME Dac

 

[Willem]

Did you ask RME? I ask because the ADI-2 will be a (slightly) better pre amp. I use it as a preamp into a Quad 606-2 power amp, plus speakers and a subwoofer connected at high level. Since I then have to attenuate the signal to line level for an Antimode 8033 (and then the sub's line level input), I am planning to connect this at line level with a Y cable, but I have not yet found the time to do this.

 

[LTig]

Did you ask RME?

That's a good suggestion, RMEs customer support has a very good reputation.

[..] I am planning to connect this at line level with a Y cable, but I have not yet found the time to do this.

But then you have no high pass for the sats. If the sub has high passed line level outputs you can use those to feed the power amp, and connect the DAC to the sub's line level inputs.

 

[Willem]

My sub does not have a high pass filter and I am not using one at this moment either. My Quad electrostats are playing full range, and the B&W PV1d is only filling in the very lowest frequencies. I might add a Harrison Labs Fmod at some stage to relieve both the power amplifier and the main speakers from some of the heavy lifting.

 

[Lars]

Will ask RME. But don’t you think that the. Bryston BP 26 should sound much netter?

 

[Willem]

No. If anything the adi-2 will sound marginally cleaner. But the Bryston is probably also sonically perfect, like the ADI-2 and it does not get any more perfect than perfect.

 

[Lars]

Hi, just wanted to give a quick feedback. Managed to connect the REL now using the RME as preamp without humming. The REL has to get a grounding signal from the RCA outputs of the RME.

For the RME I had to use an attenuator (-10db) to get better volume control. Now everything is set and I have to say the sound is just brilliant. Thanks Willem for the advice to try out the RME as preamp. What a great little device! RME could sell this easily at 3x the price with a more audiophile enclosure and respective marketing.

I will now sell my current preamp, won’t buy a new one but will enjoy the RME instead!

 

[BAMCIS]

Will ask RME. But don’t you think that the. Bryston BP 26 should sound much netter?[/QUOTE
DACs today with volume control sound better than any DAC playing thru any pre amp under $5K. I haven't heard the latest pre amps from Ayre or Pass Labs but it's hard to justify spending 5 x more than the Bryston BP 26 for very little if any improvement in SQ. The reason is the signal is passing thu more circuits are involved, you lose maybe 3 db or more SNR going thru an active pre amp compared to the DAC going straight to power amps or powered monitors. Even ol' Paul McGowan of PS Audio dances around this topic, and he makes megabuck pre amps. He'd love to just say the pre amp is the route to take but he knows it's not. If you don't have an analog source to switch to don't use a pre amp. Maybe one day Topping and SMSL will include a good analog input.