Bryston BR-20 Stereo Preamplifier, DAC, Streamer

One Box Named for the Man Who Ran Bryston

BR-20 stands for Brian Russell, Bryston's longtime president, who died in September 2020 with the preamplifier nearly finished. His team completed it. One box replaces a preamplifier, a DAC and a network streamer.

The analog section is a clean-sheet, fully balanced design using Bryston's own discrete amplifier stages rather than off-the-shelf chips. Input switching runs on physical relays rather than electronic switches, so nothing solid-state sits in the path between your source and the volume control.

The DAC Came Straight From a $3,800 Separate

The converter uses the circuit design Bryston built for the standalone BDA-3, a unit that sold for close to $3,800 on its own. A re-clocking stage strips timing error out of incoming digital. Digital inputs cover AES/EBU, coaxial S/PDIF, optical TosLink and USB-B.

Ceiling depends on which socket you use. TosLink takes 24-bit/96kHz. Coaxial and AES/EBU take 24/192. USB and the internal streamer go to 32-bit/384kHz, and DSD runs to four times rate.

The Streamer Is Wired, and That Is Deliberate

The streamer is Roon Ready and handles Tidal, Qobuz and AirPlay. Four USB 3.0 ports on the back take drives full of local files. Bryston builds it on a modern computing platform so large libraries load quickly.

There is no Wi-Fi, and that is a design decision rather than an omission. Bryston asks you to run Ethernet and advises against Wi-Fi dongles, which put noise into the preamplifier. Plan a cable run to the rack before it arrives.

Four Analog Inputs, and What They Are For

Two RCA pairs and two XLR pairs handle analog. Bryston offers a moving magnet phono board as a factory option, which takes the place of one RCA input. An HDMI board adding four inputs and one output is offered too.

Volume is analog and balanced, moving in half-decibel steps, with a ring of LEDs around the knob you can read from the sofa. Distortion measures below 0.0006 percent. Bryston's Low Z headphone amplifier is built in for headphones that are hard to drive, and the chassis weighs 12 pounds.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Evan McCosham reviewed the BR-20 for SoundStage! Hi-Fi on 1 May 2023, gave it a Reviewers' Choice award, and then bought the unit: "I enjoyed the BR-20 so much that I bought the review sample".

Gordon Brockhouse reviewed it for SoundStage! Simplifi on 15 June 2021, also a Reviewers' Choice, and concluded: "Sonically, I have nothing but positives to say about the BR-20."

Who Is This Preamplifier Best For?

• You are replacing three boxes with one — preamplifier, DAC and streamer share a chassis and a power supply, so two interconnect pairs and two power cords come out of the system and there is one remote left.
• You keep a large local library — four USB 3.0 ports take drives full of files, and the platform indexes big collections quickly, so browsing your own music is as fast as browsing a streaming service.
• You use Roon — the BR-20 is Roon Ready, so it appears as an endpoint the moment you plug it in and your existing zones and playlists work without setup.
• You listen on demanding headphones — Bryston's Low Z headphone amplifier is built in rather than tacked on, so hard-to-drive planars get real current without another box on the desk.
• You play records — there is no phono stage in this configuration — every analog input is line level. Bryston builds the same preamplifier with the board installed: the BR-20 with the MM phono board fitted wires your turntable straight in, with no outboard stage and no input given up.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Line sources take the RCA and XLR inputs. Digital sources fill AES/EBU, coaxial, optical and USB-B. Run Ethernet to the rack for the streamer, since there is no wireless option.

Balanced outputs feed your power amplifier. Two 12V trigger outputs bring the rest of the rack up with the preamplifier, and a trigger input lets another component switch the BR-20. RS-232 and a control Ethernet port hand the system to an installer.

Pairs Well With

Building a system around the BR-20? Start here:

• Power Amplifier: The BR-20 is a preamplifier and needs one — browse Amplifiers.
• Turntable: Add the phono board and it plugs straight in — browse Turntables.
• Interconnects: Balanced runs suit a preamplifier this quiet — see Interconnect Cables.
• Headphones: The Low Z stage is built in and waiting — see Headphones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it connect over Wi-Fi?

It uses wired Ethernet. Bryston advises against Wi-Fi dongles because they introduce noise into the preamplifier, so plan a cable run to the rack.

What sample rates does each input take?

TosLink takes 24-bit/96kHz. Coaxial S/PDIF and AES/EBU take 24/192. USB and the internal streamer reach 32-bit/384kHz, and DSD runs to four times rate.

Which streaming services work with it?

The BR-20 is Roon Ready and supports Tidal, Qobuz and AirPlay. Four USB 3.0 ports also take drives loaded with your own files.

Can it drive difficult headphones?

Yes. Bryston's Low Z headphone amplifier is a dedicated circuit built for low-impedance and hard-to-drive models.

Can a phono stage be added?

Bryston offers the moving magnet board as a factory-installed option, which takes the place of one RCA input. We stock that configuration as a separate listing.

What else can be fitted at the factory?

An HDMI board adding four inputs and one output is offered, which raises the digital input count and lets the BR-20 take video sources.

See It in Action

AV Atmos introduces the BR-20 and walks through its inputs and streaming platform:

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