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Reviewers' Choice Award - soundstagehifi.com
"Absolutely Nailed It Sonically" - Killer Preamp with a World-Class DAC
The BR-20 is Bryston's best preamp ever. It combines the excellent BDA-3 DAC with an updated BDP streaming platform, for no-compromise digital performance from the built-in player or from the digital source of your choosing.
Bryston even updated the internal headphone amplifier with more power and lower output impedance to effortlessly power even difficult loads. The BR-20 also offers Bryston's best phono preamp and an all new HDMI card as options for even greater flexibility in your system. It supports up to 15 sources and a wide variety of inputs
"I Bought the Review Sample"
"Regardless of the material, and no matter the volume or my mood, the BR-20 absolutely nailed it sonically every time I sat down for a listen. I find it astonishing to think about how difficult it must be to pare so much grunge away from an electrical signal while still providing a clear electrical pathway for the signal," raves Evan McCosham in his May 1, 2023 review for soundstagehifi.com, which honored the BR-20 with a Reviewers' Choice Award. "I enjoyed the BR-20 so much that I bought the review sample."
"You should take an interest in Bryston's new brainchild," suggests Tomasz Karasinski, stereolifemagazine.com, October 18, 2021. "The Canadians used the experience gained during the design of the BP-17³ and BDP-3.14 (which is a combination of the BDA-3 preamplifier and BDP-Pi transport), then improved each of those modules, added an excellent headphone amplifier and the ability to install optional expansion cards, and packed it all into one box. The best part, however, is that the price of the BR-20 is exactly 2/3 of what you'd have to spend for a set consisting of the BP-173 preamplifier and the BDP-3.14."
Analog Innovation
The analog preamp section is an all-new fully balanced design based on years of R&D at Bryston. The BR-20 utilizes all new fully discrete operational amplifiers from Bryston that outperform previous versions in both general noise floor and common mode rejection. Innovative analog circuitry designed specifically for the BR-20 yields the lowest noise and distortion measurements in the 40-plus year history of the Bryston brand. This means more lifelike performances, more detail, and more dimensionality from the recordings you love.
The volume control is fully analog, truly balanced, and uses an array of very tightly matched resistors across the entire dynamic range of the system. High performance is verified by a clean lab report. THD+N is less than 0.0006%! A ring of small LEDs around the volume knob indicates the output level and are easily viewed from across the listening room.
Two balanced and two unbalanced analog sources can be simultaneously connected. An optional high precision MM phono stage is available as an internal option and is equivalent to Bryston's award winning BP2-MM stand-alone gain stage. Dual balanced outputs can drive multiple amplifiers or even subwoofers. An optional HDMI card is also available.
Bit Perfect and High Resolution
In today's hi-fi system, digital playback is dominant and here to stay. That's why Bryston built its most advanced DAC directly into the BR-20. This allows you to enjoy exceptional sound from seven external digital sources, plus the internal digital player, plus (optionally) four HDMI sources. The internal DAC is none other than Bryston's world renowned BDA-3, which can decode not only PCM up to 384kHz/24 bit, but also DSD 256 (DSD x4). This gives the BR-20 the capability to dramatically enhance the sound of older digital source components while providing the high resolution and interconnectivity of modern and future devices.
Built-in Digital Playback
Bryston's BDA-3.14 was an instant success, combining a digital preamp, a DAC, and Bryston's much loved BDP-Pi. The BR-20 improves on this formula by upgrading to a faster Raspberry Pi 4 with more RAM, faster processing, gigabit ethernet, and USB 3.0 connectivity – which means that the user experience will be smoother, large library handling is better, and the BR-20 is perfectly equipped to handle years of new features and other software improvements. The built-in audio player will natively pass PCM and DSD up to 384kHz and DSD128 respectively to the DAC.
SACD and HDMI
One of the best loved features of Bryston's original BDA-3 is the unusual ability to decode DSD over HDMI. With the optional HDMI card, audiophiles can connect compatible SACD players to the BR-20 over HDMI for a big sound quality boost. Furthermore, if your hi-fi shares living space with your TV, you'll love being able to connect 4K and HDR sources like Apple TV, Blu-Ray, and more. High res video is passed through to a connected monitor or projector.
Advanced Options and Control
With so many inputs available, Bryston wanted to expand control options beyond buttons. Each source button on the front panel and included IR remote control can be configured by you to address your choice of source component. You can even use a smartphone or another web enabled device to adjust volume, change sources, and adjust balance. You can even rename inputs to something easy to remember and hide those you don't use. Those who cherish a dark listening room can dim or disable front panel LEDs and display. Integrators will love the control over IP, RS232 and trigger input/output options.
Headphone Bliss
Though Bryston's built-in headphone outputs have never been an afterthought, Bryston is proud to introduce a new higher power built-in headphone circuit for the BR-20. Its new Low Z headphone amp has a very low output impedance of less than 5 ohms. While this is no replacement for a dedicated device like Bryston's highly acclaimed BHA-1, it's a major step up from typical built-in headphone stages and is capable of powering many of your favorite difficult-to-drive cans.
