Video Asylum

Posted by Sdcampbell on October 22, 2001 at 11:03:28

In Reply to: I did a search but....I am still going to ask... posted by OwenMeany on October 15, 2001 at 20:18:35:

I own a Bryston SP-1, and think it is an outstanding unit. The 2-channel audio quality alone is as good as some preamps I've heard costing $4k or more, and when you add surround decoding that is also first-rate, you have a great value (I have a problem calling any piece of gear that sells for nearly $4k a "bargain", but this may be one of the exceptions). The SP-1 lacks some features that you may want or need, however, such as video switching and a tuner, but it has (as you note) an analog by-pass circuit derived from the BP-25 preamp. I did a more lengthy review of my SP-1 which is posted on AudioReviews, so you may want to look there. I think that the Bryston SP-1 provides one of the few good, 1-box solutions for someone who demands high-quality audio reproduction but also wants a good HT processor. To do better, you'll have to spend a lot more money.