Bryston SP4 Surround Processor

World Class Cinema at Home

Decades of music and audio for film have been recorded, mixed and mastered in world-class studios outfitted with Bryston audio systems. There is no better way to experience music and movie soundtracks than with equipment from the same brand with which it was originally produced. The scale, power, and presence of modern motion picture soundtracks simply cannot be fully appreciated with lesser hardware.

Bryston’s new SP4 theater processor is engineered to not only accommodate today’s immersive surround formats, like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but is both firmware and hardware upgradeable to accommodate new features in the future. Connect to a wide variety of Bryston professional amplifiers for a cinema experience at home that dramatically exceeds your local cineplex.

Even with today’s variety, many surround processors still give you a fixed channel count and layout. The SP4 gives you 16 discrete inputs that can be routed as you wish to 16 discrete balanced analog outputs plus an optional 16 more via an RCA output expansion board. Any unused channels in the main theater can be routed to separate zones. You can even route inputs to multiple outputs within the same theater. Setup and use is dead simple. The entire processor can be configured from the listening position with any web-enabled device such as a tablet or laptop. Configure your inputs, outputs, channel EQ, and even Dirac Live setup all from the sweet spot.

Bryston isn’t just for audiophiles. Music and movie professionals rely on Bryston to make their masterpieces. Hear at home what the artist intended with a Bryston SP4 theater.

Input / Output

SP4 supports a wide range of inputs and outputs to satisfy music, movie and even game lovers. The 7 input 2 output HDMI matrix accepts 4K / HDR sources and is HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2 compliant. Up to 16 discrete channels of audio can be concurrently processed.

The 6 S/PDIF digital inputs can accept legacy Dolby Digital and DTS as well as raw PCM audio from sources such as DVD players.

Surround music enthusiasts and audiophiles can configure the 8 analog inputs as either a 7.1 input (for analog out of a DVD-A or SACD player) or 4 pairs of stereo analog inputs.

The SP4 features 16 balanced XLR outputs each of which is fully assignable plus 2 more left/right downmix channels. If you have an extra large theater and need more channels, install the optional 16 channel expansion board for a total of 32 outputs.

audio optimization

Calibrating your theater is simple and effective. Installers can use Dirac Live to automatically optimize time and frequency domain performance. Or, you can individually equalize each channel by hand. A unique feature is that separate equalization profiles can be stored for different uses. Want all channels to have augmented bass for home theater use but run the front left and right main channels full range for 2 channel music? Store each as a separate profile and select them from the easy remote app on your smart device.

ultimate control

Your Bryston home cinema fits right in with your whole home integration system. Bryston provides remote control modules for major control systems like Crestron, Control 4, Savant, and RTI. Learning how to use your new theater is a breeze. Access basic functions like volume, source, presets and profiles for all zones from your control system while keeping critical settings hidden behind a password protected page to prevent accidental changes and unnecessary service calls.

Reviews

Bryston Magazine

Guides & Advice
by Moon Audio

Secrets of Hifi

by Jay Haider
Oct. 2018

Widescreen Review

by Doug Blackburn
Feb. 2019