Bryston BP6, BP6P, BP6DA User Manual

BP6

PREAMPLIFIER

OWNER’S MANUAL

For preamp models

BP6, BP6DA & BP6P

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

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

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

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

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

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-

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.

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.

grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the pro­vided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

apparatus.

used use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

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.

BRYSTON LIMITED WARRANTY

Bryston analog audio circuits are warranted to be free from manufacturing defects for twenty (20) years from the original date of manufacture. The
warranty includes par ts and labour.
Bryston Digital circuits 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 ship­ping costs one way (usually the return portion) during the first three years of warranty coverage.
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.ca
E-MAIL BRYSTON DIRECTLY: [e-mail]
FAX BRYSTON DIRECTLY: 01-705-742-0882
PHONE BRYSTON DIRECTLY: 01-705-742-5325

2

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±.05dB

Maximum Output: 15 Vrms

IMD/THD: <0.0015% at 3 volts out

Sensitivity: 500 mV (excluding phono inputs)
Noise: -100dB (Ref. 500mV input, 20-20kHz)

BP6 Preamplifiers

Additional Specifications for BP6DA:

Input Sample Rate: 16kHz to 108kHz.

Word Length: 16, 18, 20, 24 Bit

Data format: SPDIF standard

Distortion: < 0.002%, 20Hz-20kHz

Signal to Noise Ratio: > 100dB

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±.1dB

BP6 Features: Base model

 4 pair of line level inputs (8 gold plated RCA jacks)
 1 tape loop (2 pair of gold plated RCA jacks)
 2 pair of parallel outputs (2 pair gold plated RCA jacks)

BP6P Features: with Phono Equalization Module

 3 pair of line level inputs (8 gold plated RCA jacks)
 1 pair moving magnet Phono inputs (2 gold plated

RCA jacks)

 1 tape loop (2 pair of gold plated RCA jacks)
 2 pair of parallel outputs (2 pair gold plated RCA jacks)

BP6DA Features: with Digital-to-Analog Converter Module

 3 pair of line level inputs (8 gold plated RCA jacks)
 1 SPDIF digital input (gold plated RCA jack)
 1 tape loop (2 pair of gold plated RCA jacks)
 2 pair of parallel outputs (2 pair gold plated RCA jacks)

Options:

 Silver or Black faceplate, 17” or 19” wide
 Rack mount (17” faceplate plus two 1” rack ears)
 Hand held infra-red remote control (silver or black)

Dimensions:

 17” wide version (standard): 17” x 2.25” x 11”

43.2cm x 5.7cm x 28cm
 19” wide version: 19” x 2.25” x 11”

48.3cm x 5.7cm x 28cm
 Rack mount version: 19” x 2.25” x 11”

48.3cm x 5.7cm x 28cm

Weight:

 actual: 8.4 lb. (3.8Kg)
 shipping: 12 lb. (5.4Kg)

Additional Specifications for BP6P:

Phono Inputs:
Distortion: <0.005%, IMD or THD, any frequency

or combination of frequencies from 20­20kHz, at rated output or below.

Rated Noise: Phono: -80dBA referred to an input of 5

millivolts RMS @ 1kHz

RIAA Accuracy: Within less than +/- 0.05dB from 20-

20kHz inclusive

Input sensitivity: 5mV

Serial Number, Date Code, Electrical Ratings & Model

ATTENTION: To obtain the model number and serial

number of this product please refer to the label attached
to the rear panel.
This label also contains electrical ratings and the date
code (date of manufacture). The date code is a 4 digit
code wherein the first 2 digits are the two least significant
digits of the year (e.g. “05” means the year 2005) and the
last two digits are the week of the year (numbered from
01 to 52)

3

BP6 Preamplifiers

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing a Bryston Preamplifier. Bryston
welcomes any suggestions you may have, or comments
regarding the operation of your amplifier. We consider you,
our customer, to be Bryston’s most important resource,
and your opinion is very much appreciated.
There are three different variations of the BP6 preamp:

 ● BP6 this is the base model
 ● BP6DA includes a D/A converter with an SPDIF input
 ● BP6P

N.B. We recommend that you keep all original packing materials in the event

that your Bryston preamp may need to be returned for servicing. Any of the
original packaging materials that Bryston needs to supply in order to safely return
serviced equipment may be chargeable.

includes Bryston’s discrete moving-magnet

phono equalization stage

SETUP

Bryston BP6 pre-amps with the remote-control option,
should be placed where there is a direct line-of-sight
between the hand-held remote and the remote infra-red
sensor eye located on the left side of the pre-amplifier’s
front panel.
If you purchased the BP6P, which includes a Phono
section, avoid placing the preamplifier directly on top of
your power amplifier. Power amplifiers usually employ
large power supplies and the transformers) in the power
supplies can cause interference (hum) with the sensitive
phono section inside the pre-amp.

ANALOG AUDIO CONNECTIONS to OTHER
EQUIPMENT

All inputs and outputs employ fully discrete active circuitry
and all input and output connectors have gold plated con­tact surfaces. Only cables with high quality gold plated
connectors should be used with your pre-amp to avoid
noise and distortion from the corrosion that will eventually
appear on poorly plated cable connectors.
Connect the pre-amplifier’s left and right outputs to the
appropriate left and right input jacks on your power ampli­fier. Connect your CD player, tuner, tape deck, video
recorder, or laser disc, etc. to the specific left/right pre­amplifier inputs. With the phono stage equipped model
(BP6P) connect your phono cables to the phono input
jacks. If your turntable leads have a separate ground wire,
it may be connected to the ground post adjacent to the
phono inputs on the rear panel.
The tape loop may be used to insert a surround sound
processor, cassette tape deck or video tape recorder into
your system. Plug your tape deck or external processor’s
input cables into the “To Tape” jacks, and the processor or
deck’s output cables into the “From Tape” jacks at the rear
of the pre-amp. The tape or processor loop may be oper­ated via the “Tape/normal” toggle switch located on the
front panel of the preamplifier.

HEADPHONE JACK

A quarter inch stereo (3 conductor) headphone jack is locat­ede on the front panel of all BP6 pre-amps. We recommend
the use of headphones with input impedances between
50 ohms and 600 ohms. Headphones with an impedance
above 600 ohms may experience some problems attaining
sufficient volume levels. The main outputs will be muted
when a phone plug is inserted into the headphone jack.
TAPE outputs are not muted. You can adjust the volume
setting of the headphones by using the volume control on
the front of the BP6 or by utilizing the remote control if your
unit is so equipped. The headphones cannot be muted with
the remote control unit. Use caution when disconnecting the
headphones as the loudspeakers will be immediately re­connected at the volume level indicated by the front panel
volume control.

ANALOG AUDIO INPUTS

BP6 preamplifiers are equipped with 4 pairs of RCA input
connectors and one pair of RCA tape input jacks. All RCA
jacks are gold plated. Input sensitivity is 500mV and input
impedance is 50K ohms. See also PHONO EQUALIZATION

MODULES for Phono input details.

ANALOG AUDIO OUTPUTS

There are two pairs of parallel RCA main outputs and one
pair of RCA tape output jacks. They are capable of driving
up to 15 volts into any load of 600 ohms or greater.

TAPE LOOP

Tape Outputs: The “TO TAPE” outputs are selected

by the rotary ‘SELECTOR” knob and are provided as a
recording output. This feed is unaffected by the operation
of other front panel controls.
Tape Inputs: The “FROM TAPE” (unbalanced RCA)
inputs are useful for monitoring tape playback or pro­cessed signals. Moving the “Tape/Normal” toggle to Tape’
(up) position monitors the recorded signal on recorders
equipped with a separate playback head, or the processed
signal when using a signal processor. Input sensitivity is
500mv, input impedance is 10K ohms.

REMOTE CONTROL (optional)

The BP6 preamplifiers are available with
an optional hand held infra-red remote
control unit with the following functions:
VOLUME is remotely controlled via the

▲ (up) and ▼ (down) arrow buttons. A

motorized volume control ensures the
lowest distortion with maximum long term
reliability. It is also manually accessible on
the front panel.
MUTE attenuates the main outputs of
the preamplifier, but not the tape outputs
(labeled “To Tape”).

4

MOVING MAGNET PHONO EQUALIZATION
MODULE (optional)

Bryston’s optional phono stage circuitry features highly
accurate equalization, extremely low noise and distor­tion and provides headroom margins sufficient to prevent
overload from any known phono source. If your turntable
provides a separate ground lead system noise may be mini­mized by connecting it to the ground post adjacent to the
phono inputs on the rear panel.
Input impedance is 50K ohms and sensitivity is 5mV.

DIGITAL AUDIO INPUT MODULE (optional)

The BP6DA model contains one SPDIF compatible digital
audio input. To select the digital audio input, set the rotary
SELECTOR to DAC. The digital-to-analog convertor can
handle input sample rates from 16KHz to 108KHz, and

word lengths of 16, 18, 20 or 24 bits.

VISUAL INDICATORS

The bi-colour LED (light emitting diode) located on the
front panel lights GREEN when the power is on and RED
when the power is on and the output is muted

BP6 Preamplifiers

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS:

● VOLUME CONTROL: Rotary control varies the output
level to the main PREAMP OUT outputs (does not effect
‘TO TAPE’ outputs).

● BALANCE CONTROL: is a tailored-inflection type
which has very gradual action near the center of rota­tion allowing fine adjustments to the stereo image.
For convenience the electrical center of the control is
detented.

● SOURCE SELECTOR SWITCH: Rotary switch deter-
mines which input will appear at the “TO TAPE” outputs
for recording or processing, as well as determining
which program is available at the Main outputs. (When
the “TAPE/NORMAL” switch is in “Tape” position,
“FROM TAPE” inputs appear at Main Outputs).

● TAPE/NORMAL SWITCH: “Normal” position monitors
whichever input is selected at the rotary SELECTOR
switch. “Tape” position provides monitoring of the
“FROM TAPE” input for A/B comparison with the source.
Should an external processor or equalizer be connected
in the tape loop, the ‘TAPE / NORMAL” switch will act
as an in/out switch for the external equipment.

BRYSTON LTD., 677 NEAL DRIVE, P.O. BOX 2170, PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO CANADA K9J 7Y4

BP6_MANUAL_20060324