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that can be used with the BDA-3.14. Choose first
by compatibility with desired audio formats, then
by order of sound quality. Source component
permitting, multiple digital connections can be
made between the source component and BDA-
3.14.
PCM
96 / 24 192 / 24 384 / 32 DSD-64 DSD-256
Toslink
RCA
BNC
XLR
HDMI
USB
I²S
Source audio greater than 192kHz PCM or all DSD is
automatically downsampled to 192kHz / 24 bit when played
through internal streamer.
The question of which available input offers the best
sound quality is not easily answered since it also
depends on the quality of outputs on the source
unit. Among S/PDIF inputs, BNC is favored for
highest sound quality followed by RCA, then Toslink.
AES/EBU (XLR) input is often superior to S/PDIF due
to its balanced (therefore noise rejecting) topology.
USB offers the most comprehensive compatibility
with various audio formats and can offer most
excellent sound quality. HDMI is ubiquitous on
televisions and cable and satellite boxes as well as
DVD and blu-ray disc players among other media
servers. It also has the unique feature of offering
digital transmission of SACD audio from select
players. When choosing from many available inputs,
there is no substitute for listening!
USB Audio
Unlike traditional digital audio interfaces, USB is a
2-way multi-purpose interface originally developed
for computer peripherals. Bryston's advanced
implementation is fully USB Audio Class 2.0
compliant. Additionally, we use a highly advanced
BDA-3.14 Streamer / DAC
asynchronous protocol whereby digital audio jitter
is virtually eradicated by slaving the attached audio
player (computer or dedicated music player) to the
ultra-precise master clock in the BDA-3.14. Modern
Macintosh and Linux computers do not need extra
device drivers installed. To use the BDA-3.14 with
Microsoft Windows computers, please install the
DSD
driver according to the instructions in "Windows
Driver Installation" on page 14. Note that when
switching between the two USB inputs, a few
seconds delay in playback is normal. The BDA-3.14
can only maintain one active USB handshake at
a time. Some digital USB sources such as Bryston
BDPs will require you to reinitialize the USB audio
device when switching between USB inputs.
HDMI Audio
The BDA-3.14 can receive both PCM and DSD audio
over the HDMI, but cannot receive encoded digital
audio such as Dolby Digital or DTS. The BDA-3.14
will request 2-channel un-encoded audio from your
source component.
The BDA-3.14 uses EDID to obtain the correctly
formatted audio signal from the source. As a
2-channel only component, the BDA-3.14 will
attempt to only retrieve the stereo program material
from a disc and will ignore any Dolby or DTS
program.
Connecting to a Stereo
The BDA-3.14 can be used with or without a
separate preamplifier. The BDA-3.14 is factory
configured to start with the volume control set
to approximately 60dB below full output in
order to prevent bursts of energy from damaging
downstream equipment. If you use the BDA-3.14
with an external preamplifier, you will want to set
the default volume to 100% (0dB). From the webUI,
go to Audio Devices, Startup Volume, and define
your desired value.
5
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