DAC streamers: Bryston v. HiFi Rose video
I like HiFi Rose's ability to stream video content -- like Tidal video or YouTube -- decoding the audio locally and forwarding the decoded video to a big-screen TV through HDMI. But I was less impressed with the Rose DAC's sound quality. It's OK, but I was looking for something better.
But does any other DAC/streamer of equal or better quality offer this video-output functionality? I hadn't found any real contenders until I started reading about Bryston's Bryston BDA-3.14, announced during the pandemic.
The BDA's spec sheet only mentiones "video passthrough" via an HDMI output. Can anybody tell me, from hands-on experience, whether the Bryston does what the HFR DAC/streamers do? That is, can they decode Blu-ray content (streamed from an external player) or stream video itself directly from the Internet, and, when doing so, forward those internally or externally sourced video streams to an external TV monitor?
The other obvious question is SQ. Anybody have an opinion about how the Bryston DAC compares to HFR's DACs?
Unfortunately, I live far, far away from any dealership, so I have no opportunity to hear the Bryston before purchasing. I did have a loaner HFR RS250 inhouse for a few weeks, though, so I'm pretty familiar with Rose's SQ.
I have a Harbeth system and am contemplating an upgrade to Bryston gear.
I just checked the BDA3 manual and it will pass video through its HDMI output. It notes that will not pass audio thru the HDMI output if the source itself is HDMI, @cundare2. It's likely the same is true with the BDA-3.14, but of course a dealer would know for sure. |
