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PCM
96 / 24 192 / 24 384 / 32 DSD-64 DSD-256
Toslink
RCA
BNC
XLR
HDMI
USB
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
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. Modern
Macintosh and Linux computers do not need extra
device drivers installed. To use the BDA-3 with
Microsoft Windows computers, please install the
driver according to the instructions in "Windows
Driver Installation" on page 8. Note that when
switching between the two USB inputs, a few
seconds delay in playback is normal. The BDA-3 can
only maintain one active USB handshake at a time.
BDA-3 Digital to Analog Converter
DSD
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 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 will
request 2-channel un-encoded audio from your
source component.
The BDA-3 uses EDID to obtain the correctly
formatted audio signal from the source. As a
2-channel only component, the BDA-3 will attempt
to only retrieve the stereo program material from a
disc and will ignore any Dolby or DTS program.
Connecting to a Preamplifier
Fixed level analog output is provided via left &
right stereo pairs of XLR balanced outputs and
RCA single-ended outputs. Balanced output is
usually preferred when available on the partnering
preamplifier especially when long runs (greater
than 3 meters) of interconnect cable are required.
Connect the Left and Right outputs to the respective
inputs on the preamplifier. Note that the BDA-3 has
no volume control therefore should not be connected
directly to an amplifier!
HDMI Passthrough
Incoming digital video may be passed through
to another receiver such as a surround sound
processor or display using the HDMI output. The
HDMI output can only pass HDMI audio when a
non-HDMI input is actively selected. See PTHD
command in "Serial Protocol" on page 10. The
digital audio outputs mirror the inputs. No sample
rate conversion or any other processing is applied to
the output.
HDMI inputs are 1.4a compliant and can pass 4K
video at up to 30fps. HDMI input 4 is HDCP 2.2
compliant. Video is passed through to a connected
monitor at the native resolution with no processing
or conversion.
5
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