Oppo UDP-205 + Bryston BDA-3 Questions

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tino27

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I apologize if this is a duplicate question. I did some quick searching but didn't find the answer to these specific questions.

Current State: I have an Oppo UDP-205 with an external USB drive attached that contains all of my FLAC/DSD files and am utilizing the built-in DAC and stereo XLR outputs to drive my pre-amp. I use the Oppo for CDs, SACDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and to play the files on the USB drive.

Future State: I am strongly considering adding the Bryston BDA-3 to my system and utilizing the dedicated audio HDMI output from the Oppo into the Bryston for CD/SACD output.

My questions are (with the Bryston in the system):

1) For movies, can I still utilize the XLR outputs directly into my pre-amp? Does using the dedicated audio HDMI output turn those XLR outputs off? Or even better, could I stream just the stereo content of movies (I only have a 2-channel system) via the HDMI cable and let the Bryston decode it?

2) Will the FLAC/DSD files on the external USB drive plugged into the Oppo stream over the HDMI output into the Bryston for decoding? Or would I need an external music server to stream that content instead?

I guess I'm just trying to wrap my head around what the impact / limitations are when adding this piece of kit to my existing system.

Thanks in advance.
 
I did some extensive reading on another forum and found an answer to my first question above and thought I'd update the thread in case it helps anyone else. It seems that that audio from DVD and Blu-Ray will indeed be transferred via HDMI or coax (which was actually recommended over HDMI for non-DSD material as the jitter is apparently lower). While the Bryston cannot decode Dolby Digital / DTS / etc., coax can handle up to 192k/24-bit PCM.
 
tino27 said:
I apologize if this is a duplicate question. I did some quick searching but didn't find the answer to these specific questions.

Current State: I have an Oppo UDP-205 with an external USB drive attached that contains all of my FLAC/DSD files and am utilizing the built-in DAC and stereo XLR outputs to drive my pre-amp. I use the Oppo for CDs, SACDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and to play the files on the USB drive.

Future State: I am strongly considering adding the Bryston BDA-3 to my system and utilizing the dedicated audio HDMI output from the Oppo into the Bryston for CD/SACD output.

My questions are (with the Bryston in the system):

1) For movies, can I still utilize the XLR outputs directly into my pre-amp? Does using the dedicated audio HDMI output turn those XLR outputs off? Or even better, could I stream just the stereo content of movies (I only have a 2-channel system) via the HDMI cable and let the Bryston decode it?

2) Will the FLAC/DSD files on the external USB drive plugged into the Oppo stream over the HDMI output into the Bryston for decoding? Or would I need an external music server to stream that content instead?

I guess I'm just trying to wrap my head around what the impact / limitations are when adding this piece of kit to my existing system.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

The Oppo will output signals simultaneously. That means that you can output HDMI, coax, XLR etc simultaneously.

You can tell the Oppo how to send the HDMI signal to the Bryston. In your case, make sure the Oppo is sending LPCM (NOT bitstream) via HDMI.

FLAC files and DSD files are not the same. The Oppo can pass the FLAC files via HDMI for decoding by the Bryston. However, DSD files cannot be passed directly via HDMI without a conversion. The conversion (DoP) allows a DSD signal to be sent via HDMI using PCM parameters.

If you want to send DSD files without converting first you have to use a USB connection.
 
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