Bryston BP-17 cubed series Owner's Manual

BP-17³ Cubed Series Preamplier

Owner’s Manual

Important Safety Instructions

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage “ within
the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the product.

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufactur­er’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or
other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polar­ized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug
has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs,
convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufactur­er, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used use caution when moving the
cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for
long periods of time.

14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required
when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as pow­er-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen
into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult
an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO DRIPPING OR SPLASHING AND ENSURE THAT NO OBJECTS FILLED WITH LIQUIDS, SUCH AS VASES, ARE PLACED ON THE EQUIPMENT.
TO COMPLETELY DISCONNECT THIS EQUIPMENT FROM THE AC MAINS, DISCONNECT THE POWER SUPPLY CORD PLUG FROM THE AC RECEPTACLE.
THE MAINS PLUG OF THE POWER SUPPLY CORD SHALL REMAIN READILY OPERABLE.

BRYSTON LIMITED WARRANTY

Bryston analog audio products are warranted to be free from manufacturing defects for twenty (20) years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labour.
Bryston digital products and cables are warranted for five years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts and labour.
Bryston products having motorized moving parts, excluding motorized volume controls, are warranted for three years from the original date of manufacture. The warranty includes parts
and labour.
Bryston will remedy the problem by repair or replacement, as we deem necessary, to restore the product to full performance. Bryston will pay return shipping only for the full length of
the specific product's warranty.
In the event of a defect or malfunction, contact Bryston’s repair centers for return authorization. Products must be returned using original packaging material only. Packing material may
be purchased from Bryston if necessary. This warranty is considered void if the defect, malfunction or failure of the product or any component part was caused by damage (not resulting
from a defect or malfunction) or abuse while in the possession of the customer. Tampering by persons other than factory authorized service personnel or failure to fully comply with Bryston
operating instructions voids the warranty. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which may vary from province to province and country to country.
As of 2006-02-22 Bryston will only warranty Bryston products purchased through authorized Bryston dealers. Bryston products with a date code of 0608 or higher (date code format is
“yyww”, where “yy” is the two least significant digits of the year and “ww” is the week of the year) must be accompanied by a copy of the bill-of-sale from a Bryston authorized dealer to
qualify for warranty service. The warranty is transferable from the original owner to a subsequent owner as long as a copy of the bill-of-sale from the original authorized Bryston dealer
accompanies the re-sale. The copy of the bill of sale to any subsequent owner need ONLY include the Name of the Bryston Authorized Dealer and the Model and Serial number of the
Bryston product The warranty will only be honored in the country of the original purchase unless otherwise pre-authorized by Bryston.

BRYSTON SERVICE in CANADA: BRYSTON SERVICE in the USA:

Postal address: P.O. BOX 2170, Stn. Main
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO
CANADA K9J 7Y4

Courier address: 677 NEAL DRIVE
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO
CANADA K9J 6X7

PHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

79 COVENTRY ST., Suite 5
NEWPORT, VERMONT
U.S.A. 05855-2100

PHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

BRYSTON SERVICE outside Canada and the USA:

contact your local distributor or

CHECK OUR WEB SITE: www.bryston.com
E-MAIL BRYSTON DIRECTLY: [e-mail]
FAX BRYSTON DIRECTLY: 01-705-742-0882
PHONE BRYSTON DIRECTLY: 01-705-742-5325

Table of Contents

Important Safety Instructions .................................... 2

General.........................................................................4

Welcome ................................................................4

Description ............................................................4

Features ................................................................. 4

Shipping Box and Packing Material ...................... 4

Installation ...................................................................4

Ventilation .............................................................4

Connecting to A/C Power ...................................... 4

Connecting to Audio Components .............................4

Connecting Source Components.......................... 4

Connecting Amplication .....................................4

Optional Modules ........................................................ 5

Moving Magnet Phono ..........................................5

Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) ........................ 5

Remote Control ...........................................................5

Serial Protocol ....................................................... 5

Trigger Control ...................................................... 6

Specications and Dimensions ..................................7

Front Panel .................................................................. 8

Rear Panel .................................................................... 9

General

from Bryston for a small fee.

Welcome

Thank you for your purchase of a Bryston

BP-17³ Cubed Series Stereo Preamplier! This
new preamplier is the rst line-level component
to feature our patented Salomie buer which

dramatically reduces distortion at the input stage
thereby reducing distortion of the entire audio
system. The BP-17³ is designed to operate with
superb reliability and class leading sound quality for
a generation or more. We welcome your feedback
and hope you enjoy your new BP-17³ for many years
to come.

Description

The BP-17³ is a top quality stereo analog

preamplier featuring a variety of balanced and

unbalanced inputs and outputs for connecting your

choice of source components and ampliers.

Features

Bryston BP-17³ includes the following features:

• 4 RCA single-ended analog stereo input pairs
and 2 XLR balanced stereo input pairs.

• Optional digital to analog converter

• Optional MM phono stage

• Fixed level output and record input permit use
of equalizer or tape recorder in signal path.

• Remote control RS232 or IR including Bryston
BR-2 remote control.

• Available in either 17 inch or 19 inch wide

C-Series dress panel in silver-toned (clear

anodized) or black anodized aluminum.

Installation

Ventilation

The BP-17³ is a cool-running line level component.
It generates far less heat than ampliers and many

other components. It can be safely placed inside

furniture or an equipment rack. However, it should
not be tightly enclosed. Some airow is desired.

Maintain a minimum of 0.5” to each side and 1.5”

space above the unit to ensure proper airow.

Connecting to A/C Power

Please check the Data Plate on the rear of the unit to

verify power requirements agree with your location.

Plug the IEC-320 C14 end of the power cord into the

BP-17³, then plug the other end into an approved

and grounded A/C receptacle.

Connecting to Audio Components

The BP-17³ is a very low distortion, high resolution
stereo preamplier that will perform at the highest
level in virtually all two-channel stereo systems.

Use high quality interconnect cables and make

rm connections. Balanced connections are
usually preferred for their ability to eectively reject

common mode noise though you should still expect
excellent results with unbalanced equipment.

Connecting Source Components

Analog source components can be connected to
inputs with either balanced XLR interconnects or
unbalanced RCA interconnects.

Shipping Box and Packing Material

Please keep the original shipping box and all
packing material. This will ensure the BP-17³ is

protected in future transport. In the unlikely event
you have a problem and must return it for service,

you must use the proper packing material. Ship
the BP-17³ only in the original packing material
as the unit is not insurable by carriers otherwise.
Replacement packing materials consisting of a

shipping carton with plastic foam inserts is available

4

Connecting Amplication

The BP-17³ features a variety of output methods
to ensure compatibility with a wide variety of
ampliers. Based on the type of inputs available on
your amplier, connect one of the variable outputs
(Balanced Output 1, Balanced Output 2, or Preamp
Output) to your amplier.

BP-17³ Cubed Series Preamplier

Optional Modules

The BP-17³ may be optionally equipped with a

moving magnet phono input and/or a digital to
analog converter. These may be tted at the time
of ordering or retrot at a later time by a certied

technician.

Moving Magnet Phono

The optional MM Phono input occupies INPUT 2, so
input 2 can no longer be used for line level source
components such as tuners, CD players, etc. This

high quality phono stage is the same circuit found in
our stand alone BP-2 MM.

Digital to Analog Converter (DAC)

The DAC is a high quality module that shares INPUT

1. That is, INPUT 1 can still operate as a standard

analog stereo input pair, but it can also operate as

two separate S/PDIF digital coaxial inputs. When

the DAC module is installed, digital inputs 1 and 2
(TOSLINK optical connectors) are also connected
and activated. In total, when the DAC is installed, 4
digital inputs are available for use. To select a DAC
input, press the DIGITAL SELECT button on the
front panel or the BR-2 remote control, then press

the button that corresponds with the input you wish

to hear. The DAC can receive PCM digital audio at

44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, or 96kHz sampling rates

and 16 or 24 bit resolution. When a digital input is
activated, the LED above 1 will illuminate green. The
LED above the selected digital input will illuminate

red when the input is selected and green when it
is selected locked to a compatible digital audio
source. Each input will remember whether analog
or digital was last selected.

Remote Control

The BP-17³ can be controlled and monitored
through RS232 and IR.

Serial Protocol

The BP-17³ can receive commands, send
acknowledgment of commands received, and can

be queried for certain statuses.

Using the DB9 female connector at the rear of the
unit, the BP17 can receive commands via a straight­through cable at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity
and 1 stop bit (9600,8,N,1). Valid commands will

return the “>” character indicating that the unit

is ready to receive a new command. An invalid
command will return the “!” character.

These serial data commands are as follows:

Category Cmd. Description

Power

Volume

Source

Balance

Trigger

System

000 Power O
029 Power On

015 Toggle On/O

007 Volume Up

008 Volume Down
009 Toggle Mute
058 Mute On
059 Mute O
950 Query current master level
4xx Discrete volume set where xx=00

to 80 (0dB to -80dB)

001 Input 1
002 Input 2 / Phono
003 Input 3
004 Input 4
005 Balanced Input 1

006 Balanced Input 2
061 Toggle Record Monitor
062 Record Monitor On
063 Record Monitor O
081 Digital Input 1
082 Digital Input 2
083 Digital Input 3
084 Digital Input 4

245 Toggle Home Theater Bypass

(unity gain) for current input

019 Balance Le

020 Balance Right

955 Query balance le/right levels

247 Set Trigger 2 for current input
248 Clear Trigger 2 for current input

255 Default system settings

990 returns model, serial, and rev

numbers and date code

5

IR Control

1

2 3

OPTO-1

OPTO-2

SPDIF-2 SPDIF-3

SPDIF-1

UP-SAMPLE

7

0

8 9

USB

SPDIF-4

AES/EBU

FORWARD

PLAY

REPEAT

PAUSE

RANDOM

NEXT

EJECT

STOP

TIME

BACK

SCAN

PREVIOUS

CD

D/A

BR2

4

5 6

CODE

POWER

PREAMP

A/D

Aux/Ph

Tuner

Video

D1

D3

D4

Phase

Rec

VOLUME

MUTE

You may control the BP-17³ with a traditional
infrared remote control such as Bryston’s BR2.

the CODE button and enter the the 3 digit code

712 before the LED goes out. The LED will ash
twice aer a valid code has been successfully

entered.

To use a Bryston BR2 with the BP-17³, press the
PREAMP button. Volume and Mute remain active
even when the remote is in D/A or CD mode.

CODE

UP-SAMPLE

2

1

SPDIF-1

5

4

A/D

SPDIF-4

7

8

TunerTVTV

0

TIME

D1D2D2

BACK

Rec

OPTO-1

SPDIF-2 SPDIF-3

Aux/PhCDCD

AES/EBU

D/A

SCAN

PREVIOUS

OPTO-2

3

6

USB

9

Video

CD

RANDOM

D3

NEXT

POWER

VOLUME

PREAMP

REPEAT

FORWARD

Phase

MUTE

D4

Inputs 1-4, Balanced Input 1 and Balanced Input

2 can be selected by pressing the buttons that

correspond with 1-6 where 5 and 6 select Balanced
Input 1 and Balanced Input 2 respectively. Digital
inputs D1-D4, Record Monitor, Balance L/R are

marked in blue.

Special codes such as those used for bypass or
trigger assignment can be sent by pressing the

CODE button once, then entering the 3 digit code.

HEX codes for use with universal remote controls
are available from Bryston upon request.

Trigger Control

The BP-17³ can control the power state of other

attached devices. Two DC trigger outputs are
provided. Each is a tip/sleeve (mono mini plug) and
is wired with the tip at VDC and sleeve ground.

Trigger 1 will commonly be used to trigger the

attached amplier(s) on or into standby as it is not
source dependent. When the BP-17³ is powered on,
voltage is present at the tip of this connector and is
removed when the unit is placed into standby.

EJECT

STOP

BR2

PAUSE

PLAY

To congure the BR-2 for control over the BP-17³,

execute the following steps:

1. Press and hold the CODE button on the BR2

remote until the red LED begins to ash (usually

takes about 5 seconds).

2. As soon as the LED remains steadily RED, release

6

Trigger 2 can be congured to activate based on
a selected source. Voltage is present at the tip of
this connector when a specic source is selected.
For instance, if a BCD-3 CD player is connected to
Balanced Input 1, you may wish to congure Trigger
2 to activate on when Balanced Input 1 is selected.
To assign Trigger 2 to an input, select that input and

issue the command 247 using the BR-2 or RS232.

Issue command 248 to clear Trigger 2 from that

input.

BP-17³ Cubed Series Preamplier

17 or 19

4.55

13

Specifications and Dimensions

Frequency

Response

THD 1V rms Bal. In/Out: <0.0025%

IMD ≤0.0003%

Noise <10Hz-20kHz, RCA IN/OUT:

relative to full output XLR IN/OUT:

Input

Impedance

Gain RCA IN / RCA rec out:

Weight 5kg | 11 lbs

Dimensions

(See Diagram)

Power

Consumption

at 120V/60Hz

Balanced (non inverting):

RCA IN / RCA preamp out:

XLR IN / XLR xed out:

XLR IN / XLR preamp out:

20Hz - 20kHz: ± 0.05dB

Unbalanced:

Balanced (inverting):

Inches: 17 or 19 W x 4.55 H x 13 D

Cm: 43. or 48.3 W x 11.6 H x 33 D

Standby:

Idle:

Full Power:

-102 dB

-108 dB

6.5 kΩ

4.5kΩ

4.5kΩ

0dB
12dB MAX

6dB
18dB

2W
32W
32W

7

DIGITAL 

D1PHONOSelect D2 D3 D4

ANALOG 

21

4

3

HEADPHONE

85

Front Panel

1. Power / Standby

Press this button to toggle the BP-17³ on or into
standby mode.

Unlit BP-17³ is not receiving power. Plug unit

into AC mains power.

Red Plugged into AC Mains but in standby

mode.

Green or

Blinking

Blinking

Red/Green

BP-17³ is on and operational.

Blue

Receiving valid IR or RS232 data

Red

Fault indicated. Contact customer service

2. Mute

Pressing this button or the Mute button on the
BR-2 will disconnect the main outputs. When

the unit is muted, the LED will illuminate red.
Mute does not aect the headphone or record

outputs.

3. Volume Control

Rotate this knob clockwise to increase the

output volume or counterclockwise to decrease
the volume.

4. Balance Control

Adjust the le / right balance of audio output

by pressing the corresponding buttons on the
front panel. Each button press will attenuate
that channel by 1dB. When either channel is

attenuated, the LED above the aected channel

will illuminate green. Upon the 7th press of

either channel’s balance button, the channel

BALANCE

MUTE

BYPASS POW ERRECBAL 2BAL 1

VOLUME

12 9467 3

will fully mute and the LED above that channel
will illuminate red. Balance does not aect the

record output.

5. Input Selectors

The BP-17³ features 6 analog inputs plus one

record input into which you can connect analog

source components. When the BP-17³ is tted
with the optional DAC module, 5 analog inputs
are available plus 4 digital inputs. When the
BP-17³ is tted with the optional MM Phono
module, 5 line level analog inputs plus one MM
phono input are available.

• BP-17³ Standard: Pressing any of the 7 input buttons

selects the corresponding analog line level input for

listening.

• BP-17³ Phono: Same functionality as the standard

BP-17³ except that input 2 is reserved for input from
a turntable and cannot be used with regular line level

analog components.

• BP-17³ DA: Analog input one can also accept digital

S/PDIF audio. Le becomes D3 and Right becomes
D4. The two TOSLINK optical digital inputs (D1 and

D2) are also populated. Pressing the Select / 1 button
toggles between analog and digital input.

To select a digital input, press the Select / 1 button.
The LED above it will illuminate green. Then press the

input button that corresponds with the digital input

that you would like to listen to. To reactive analog
mode in order to select an analog input for listening,

press the Select / 1 button once again.

6. Record Input

Though this input can be used as a standard

analog input, the previously selected input

will still accept audio. This special input allows
for monitoring of audio coming back in from a

8

BALANCED
OUTPUT 2

BP-17³ Cubed Series Preamplier

B -P 17 ³ STEREO PREAM PLIFIE R

BALANCED
OUTPUT 1

OUTPUTS

MADE IN
FABRIQUE AU ONTARIO

PREAMP
OUTPUT

L

R

CANADA

LEFT

RIGHT

FIXED LEVEL

OUTPUT

PETERBOROUGH

LEFT

RIGHT

RECORDININPUT4INPUT3INPUT 2

L

LEFT

LEFT

LEFT

D3

RIGHT

RIGHT

RIGHT

INPUT 1

PHONO

D4

INPUTS CONTROL

BALANCED

INPUT 2

R

BALANCED

INPUT 1

TOSLINK
DIGITAL

D2 D1

RS232

TRIGGER

TRIGGER

OUT 1

OUT 2

AUX IR

IN

Caution: Turn off unit
and disconnect power
cord before changing
fuses. Replace fuses
only with same type
and value.
Attention: Éteignez
l'appareil et débranchez
le cordon
d'alimentation avant de
changer les fusibles.
Remplacez les fusibles
uniquement par le
même type et la même

POWER IN LET

10 11 13 14

recorder that is currently receiving audio from
the xed level outputs on the back of the BP-17³.

7. IR Receiver

The BP-17³ can be controlled using Bryston’s
BR-2 or another remote control.

8. Headphone Output

Connect headphones to this output. The output

is a 1/4” (6.35mm) TRS connector where the
Tip=Le, Ring=Right, and Sleeve=Ground.
Output impedance is 50Ω. Main outputs are

muted when headphones are connected.

9. Bypass Indicator

One input can be congured as a unity gain

home theater bypass input. When bypass mode

is engaged for an input, this LED will illuminate
green. To toggle bypass for the selected input,

enter the code 245 using the BR-2 or RS232.

Note that when bypass is engaged, balance and
volume controls are defeated.

Rear Panel

10. Output Section

The BP-17³ is equipped with 4 stereo analog
outputs.

• Balanced Output 1: Variable output. Pin 1=GND, Pin

2=Positive, Pin 3=Negative (congurable as xed
output at time of order or later by certied technician)

• Balanced Output 2: Variable output.

• Preamp Output: Variable output, single ended.

• Record Output: Fixed level output, single ended.

11. Input Section

1216 15

Five stereo pairs of single-ended analog inputs

and two stereo pairs of balanced analog inputs

are available to receive audio from analog

source components. When equipped with an

optional digital to analog converter module,
Input 1 can be divided into two separate
S/PDIF inputs, and TOSLINK optical digital
inputs D1 and D2 become available for use.

When equipped with an optional MM phono

option, Input 2 may be connected directly to a

turntable and can no longer be used as a line-

level input.

12. Chassis Ground

Connect this post to the ground wire from your
turntable when the BP-17³ is equipped with the
MM Phono module.

13. Control I/O

The BP-17³ features several control methods
in addition to the IR receiver on the front
panel. A full two-way RS232 suite is available.

See “Remote Control” on p.5. Two DC triggers

can modulate the power state of ampliers,
source components, or other equipment. An

auxiliary IR input can be used with an external IR

receiver“eye” terminated with a 3.5mm plug.

14. A/C Power Input:

An IEC-320 C14 power inlet provides for

connection of an IEC-320 C13 equipped power
cord. Before connecting the power cord to the

amplier, check that the voltage rating on the

data plate or ratings label conforms with your
locality. (continued on next page)

9

15. Master Fuse Compartment:

The BP-173 is protected by an AC Mains fuse

specically rated for the AC power in your

region. The fuse must be installed and in tact

for the amplier to power on and operate. Only
replace the fuse with one of identical value.

Do not attempt removal or replacement

of the fuse when the amplier is

plugged into the wall!

16. Data Plate:

Unit specic information is printed here
including model number, operating voltage,
frequency, and serial number.

BP-17³-17-SIL-120
~120V 60Hz 35W
Serial No BP-17³-00000
Date: 1530 REV: 1234

10

BP-17³ Cubed Series Preamplier

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11

Bryston Limited | 677 Neal Drive | Peterborough, Ontario K9J 6X7

Canada | Phone: [phone] | www.bryston.com

300068-5

08-28-2017