I am in the process of considering the purchase of a DS, with most likely the Bridge II upgrade. I will mainly use this device for streaming TIDAL and Qobuz. I have subscribed to each company’s high resolution service.
I currently use a Node 2i to accomplish this. I have read that the internal DAC of the Node is mediocre at best. I will say however I love the user interface of the Node’s software. I can control both TIDAL and Qobuz efficiently from my smart phone.
From what I have read online is that the DS does an Amazing job with TIDAL and Qobuz, however the UI (especially for smart phones) kind of sucks. I guess you have to use an app called Mconnect.
A few questions as I am a newbie.
Would it make sense to feed the Node into the DS via optical cable and still have the benefits of the Node UI and the DS hardware? Would I lose sound quality in the in the MQA files by doing this?
Or would it be better to stream to the DS via the Bridge II option and just deal with the poor UI of the Mconnect app? Are there other smart phone apps recommended to control the DS?
My main goal is to control both programs via my smart phone. I do not have a computer based music server
Josh. If you are using an external streamer i.e. the node, then there is no need for the bridge in the DSD Dac sr. The connection you have outlined is how I have mine set up. I opted for not having the bridge. Using an Auralic Aries mini streamer that I hope to upgrade in the future.
I have a Node 2 (not 2i) and DS w/B2. If SQ is a priority, then streaming to the B2 in the DS is a no-brainer. It’s not fair to compare the Node 2 to the DS/B2 combo, since they are in way different price categories. I agree that the Node 2 UI is better than the MControl/Connect app UI, but I forget that when listening to music through the B2/DS. I’m keeping the Node 2 to use elsewhere in the house - it’s terrific for the price.
Thank You @Standahm1. Can you please share your experience with using the MControl/Connect app with the DS vs the Node’s native UI? Is it at least somewhat comparable when ONLY using a smart phone to control for TIDAL and Qobuz?
The MConnect UI functions very well if you use the search function to find your music of choice. If on the other hand you enjoy browsing, I think the Node 2 UI is far better (seeing many more tracks or albums at the same time using smaller image links). I have grown so used to MConnect that I don’t have a bad time using it - it’s more a challenge to directly remember band names and album names that is an issue. I’m using a 10" pad for the MConnect, so how it would work with a phone I don’t know.
Thank You @Standahm1. Have you had issues of the MConnect app crashing on you after several songs on the DS? In the reviews for the app, I have read this quite a lot
MConnect/Control is very stable now with the latest software versions. It used to suddenly stop after few songs with older software. By the way, I think I have the ‘MControl’ app on my pad…
If you want to spend some more money you can use Roon. It’s interface is exceptional and the library management is unmatched. I used the Bridge II for several years and moved to a Matrix set up.
You’ll need a computer that will run a Roon Core. Then you can control it via phones and tablets or any mainstream computers. The bridge is certified as a Roon endpoint. I use IOS devices mainly and Windows computers.
I’ve used MConnect for a year or so with the DS+Bridge-II with zero issues. The interface is ok and all I need for Tidal and Qbuz. I tried BubbleUPNP and while ok I actually liked the quicker more simple interface of MConnect… and it’s free. Simple robust solution that takes full advantage of High Res direct to the Bridge-II and DSD
bubbleupnp has a tremendous feature, that is taking advantage of the "share"function of android. this allows you to browse via tidal or Qobuz app, and then “share” the music with bubble. this will send the music to the directstream. A bit of best of both worlds, specially when using Qobuz, whose upnp implementation is essentially flawed.