Set Up & Listening

I set up the BCD-3 in my main system with an Aric Audio Unlimited tube preamp, (and briefly with the new Schiit Audio Freya) an Audio Research VS55 power amp, Bryston’s Mini T speakers, a JL Audio d108 subwoofer, and Black Rhodium interconnects and speaker cable. Other than an Acoustic Zen power cord, no special tweaks were used. I had set aside a large stack of CDs in anticipation of the review and all that was left to do was spin tunes.

It has been awhile since I have played actual CDs, but within five songs of the great Maddy Prior’s Bib & Tuck, I had no choice but to pay close attention and eliminate all external thoughts. Focusing on the music and the purity of tone became the only thing I was capable of doing. The first few tracks are acapella, and the layered voices hang in space making it easier than normal to suspend disbelief that you are listening to a canned performance. But more importantly, the natural tone and timbre of the voices were superb.

Irish singer/songwriter Luka Bloom’s Head And Heart, from 2014, is an album I have listened to on numerous occasions for both musical pleasure and during reviews. Not only is it superbly recorded, but it is an excellent mix of well-chosen covers and several originals. The performances from Bloom and his sympathetic band are top notch. The title track is a John Martyn song, and it sets the tone for the rest of the album, with shimmering acoustic atmospherics. The BCD-3 allowed for another level of involvement in the music, and Dylan’s “Every Grain Of Sand”, and the great Don McLean’s “And I Love You So” really hit home. This disc proves yet again that in digital audio, sample rate, bit depth, and format are trumped by care in the production process.