Bryston who traditionally make high end Hi Fi gear is set to launch a digital music player that connects to a USB storage device and an outboard DAC to play 24-bit/96kHz music.
The Linux BDP-1 player will sell for around $A2,500. According to TWICE the player features control buttons and two-line display, and it connects to outboard DACs, such as Bryston’s BDA-1 DAC, via AES-EBU or BNC (S/P DIF) digital connections.
Distributed in Australia by Syntec the BDP-1 can be connected to a home network via an Ethernet connection. This claims Bryston enhances the sound quality of music stored on a networked computer or iPhones or iPads.
Bryston spokesman James Tanner described the device this way: “The Bryston BDP-1 does not contain an internal DAC, a hard-drive, a streamer, a CD player/ripper, noisy fans or switching power supplies.” He continued, “Quite simply, the BDP-1 is an ultra-high-performance digital music player when connected to an external drive and DAC.”
TWICE said that by linking up to a home network, the BDP-1 can be controlled by “a variety of graphic interface devices,” Tanner said. Linux’s open-source software protocols ensure “long-term future proofing and compatibility with the widest possible range of user interface devices.” The company is considering the development of “a web-based Music Player Daemon client that will manipulates the database of digital files,” he noted.
The device features a Bryston-modified sound card and supports 16- and 24- bit files with sample rates of 44.1KHz, 48KHz, 88.2KHz, 96KHz, 176.4KHz and 192KHz.
