Bryston BDA-3.14 Streaming DAC with HDMI - Black - 19 Inch

Two Bryston Products, Merged Into One

The Bryston BDA-3.14 is a converter, a network streamer and a digital preamp in one case. The odd model number is a joke about pi, because the box is literally the BDA-3 converter and the BDP-Pi streaming player put together on one chassis.

Bought separately those two cost around $5,290. Together in this case they cost $4,195, and they are joined inside by I2S rather than by the USB or coaxial cable you would otherwise run between them. That is the better connection of the two.

The Converter Section

Two AK4490 chips do the converting, one per channel, balanced the whole way. They feed a discrete Class A output stage with no chips at all in the signal path. Balanced output is 4 volts and single-ended 2 volts, and either can run fixed or variable.

Fed directly, it takes PCM up to 384kHz and 32 bits, and native DSD up to DSD256 over USB or HDMI. Volume is done digitally inside the AK4490's own 32-bit headroom, so nothing is thrown away when you turn it down.

A Streamer With Ten Digital Inputs Behind It

The streaming side is a Raspberry Pi running Bryston's own Manic Moose software. It reaches Qobuz, Tidal, internet radio, a network drive or a USB stick, and it is Roon Ready. AirPlay, DLNA, Squeezelite and MPD all work too.

Four HDMI Inputs, Which Is Unusual

Round the back are four HDMI audio inputs, a USB Type-B, AES/EBU, optical, coaxial RCA and coaxial BNC, plus Ethernet. Ten digital inputs in all. An HDMI output passes video through to a display, so an SACD or Blu-ray player can send audio here and picture onward.

You can drive it from the front panel, the app, a web browser, RS-232 or TCP/IP. The digital and analog halves have their own power supplies. The case is 19 inches wide, and being a digital product it carries Bryston's five-year warranty.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Steven Stone reviewed the BDA-3.14 for The Absolute Sound, which went on to name it to its Best Audio Gear list. He called it "a first-class component that could be the center of a high-performance digital audio system."

What he valued was the absence of a house sound. The BDA-3.14, he wrote, succeeds at being "an extremely neutral DAC/pre" that "does not prettify or euphonize the sound," and is "deadly silent, with nary a hiccup or burble even with its volume turned up to max."

Gordon Brockhouse gave it an Editors' Choice in SoundStage! Simplifi, finding it "extremely quiet" and crediting it with "amazing dynamics and fluidity." It made it "incredibly easy for me to visualize performers playing the music," he wrote.

Who Is This Streaming DAC Best For?

• You want the streamer and the converter to stop being two boxes — joined inside by I2S, they skip the cable and the interface that sit between them on a shelf.
• You use Roon — full Roon Ready certification means the BDA-3.14 turns up as an endpoint the moment your Core sees the network, with nothing to configure.
• You own an SACD or Blu-ray player — four HDMI audio inputs take its multichannel or DSD output, and the HDMI output passes the picture on to the screen.
• You run active speakers — variable balanced and single-ended outputs drive them directly, which removes a preamp and a pair of interconnects from the system.
• The BDA-3.14 is a digital preamplifier — every input on it is digital, so a turntable or a tuner needs another path to your speakers. An integrated amplifier alongside it covers the analog side.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Join it to the network over Ethernet, then use the Manic Moose app or a browser to set it up. A computer connects on USB Type-B, a disc player on HDMI, and older sources on AES/EBU, optical, coaxial RCA or coaxial BNC.

Balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs run fixed into an amplifier, or variable into a power amp or active speakers. Two USB Type-A ports on the back take drives, and an HDMI output carries video to a display.

Pairs Well With

Building your system? Here are some great companions:

• Integrated Amplifier: To add analog inputs and drive passive speakers — browse our Integrated Amplifiers.
• Speakers: The variable outputs make active pairs simple — see our Floorstanding Speakers.
• Cables: Balanced or single-ended out of the BDA-3.14 — see our Interconnect Cables.
• Audio Rack: A 17-inch Bryston deserves a solid shelf — see our Audio Racks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use it without a separate preamplifier?

Yes. Set the outputs to variable and the BDA-3.14 controls volume into a power amp or a pair of active speakers.

What is I2S, and why does it matter here?

It is the interface a converter uses internally. Joining the streamer to the converter with I2S skips the extra conversion that a USB or coaxial cable between two boxes would add.

What resolution does the internal streamer handle?

Up to 192kHz and 24 bits. Higher rates and native DSD come in through the USB or HDMI inputs instead.

Does it work with Roon?

Yes, it is fully Roon Ready and appears as an endpoint for a Core running on a NAS, a PC or a Nucleus.

Can I use the HDMI inputs with an SACD or Blu-ray player?

Yes. Four HDMI audio inputs accept the player's output, and the HDMI output sends the video on to your display.

What warranty does it carry?

Five years on parts and labor, which is Bryston's term for its digital electronics.

See It in Action

Jiles McCoy talks through the BDA-3.14 with Bryston's Gary Dayton:

And this review takes the lid off, with English captions:

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