I can tell you from experience that the Bridge II has a compatibility issue trying to serve DSD files from a NAS via JRiver.
Yes there seems to be an issue, at least my jriver seems to hang up sometimes, the bridge then continues to work with mconnect directly to the NAS
bazza said I can tell you from experience that the Bridge II has a compatibility issue trying to serve DSD files from a NAS via JRiver.Hi bazza,
I’m interested to have NAS via JRivier to stream DSD ISO to Bridge II, do you use QNAP NAS with HD Station? Is there issue to do so?
Just remember DSD requires it to be placed first in a DoP container before going to the Bridge. JRiver does this automatically. Most NAS may not.
Paul, thanks for pointing out the DSD on a NAS issue. I’m sure it’s been stated before, but for whatever reason it didn’t sink into my little grey cells. A NAS seemed the right answer for me, but I do have quite a few DSD downloads currently on a USB drive. I hope you plan on addressing this in your Paul’s Posts series. I’ve got a Bridge II on order so the need for more storage will likely start to become more urgent.
What caused me a lot of confusion was that my Aries would play any file including double DSD from my Synology NAS so when I had this problem with the Bridge II I thought that I had messed up with settings on JRiver. There is no problem with DSD files stored on a USB stick. Does this mean that the issue could be addressed with a Bridge firmware update?
pmotz said I do have quite a few DSD downloads currently on a USB drive. . . . I've got a Bridge II on order so the need for more storage will likely start to become more urgent.DSD works fine via a NAS and the Bridge when you set it up to run via DoP (that's how I do it with MinimServer). However, B2 cannot handle double- or quad-rate DSD, if that's an issue for you.
Magister, thanks for the clarification. When Paul said JRiver is needed, I did that “assuming” thing and thought that was the only thing that would work. Should have known MinimServer would work. The mind is just not so sharp anymore … I still hope Paul addresses this in his Paul’s Posts, there is lot of good information on this site, but it is scattered about. Sometimes I remember those bits, many times I either don’t or confuse them.
Actually, there some other UPnP servers that work with DSD (although I like MinimServer best): Asset and foobar2000 (with SACD and DNLA plugins) come to mind. Any server that allows specifying the use of DoP should work with the Bridge.
Hi Paul,
Your words about 6 months ago. I assume when you say here, “I can tell you one thing we are committed to”, “This is the answer boys”, “Well Roon is it”, “I"m here to tell you it’s freaking awesome”, “I’m having a killer time using it”, that PS Audio and Roon have got to be getting closer to making all these grand words a reality.
Wow, a great sales pitch Paul. These very words are what encouraged me to actually buy the Bridge II. Roon appears the perfect fit for the Perfect Wave Direct Stream DAC. A perfect match.
Paul McGowan said
"I can tell you one thing we are committed to – and hopefully this will happen if the software gods are kind – Roon. Roon is the new Sooloos music management system and we are using it here at the Munich show and I am here to tell you it’s freaking awesome!!! This is the answer boys.
We’ve been waiting for the perfect interface to our music collections? Well Roon is it! Wow. More later, I am in the middle of it all but jhaving a killer time using it."
Somehow I get the feeling you’ve not rose to the challenge Paul and Roon is somehow further from becoming a reality then closer. Sadly.
“this is the answer boys” says Paul.
Where do we stand at this point Paul.
Respectfully,
John W Tann
slydog1
I am not sure exactly what Paul will say, but the earliest that I expect to see a RoonSpeaker implementation on the Bridge II is around mid year 2016. Even that might be optimistic. We have seen software issues wreak havoc woth various plans, and these things are never as easy as it seems that they should be - even to those involved in the process.
J.P.
Remember also that Paul is enthusiastic and readily shares with the world what his dreams are - easy to bring forth as reality or not.
I expect Paul and clan are working on implementing Roon. Fussing will not hasten the process. But a polite inquiry is always welcome. 
Except for the drop out issues noted above, I would like to know which PSA legend(s) voiced BII to sound the way it does.
Whoever it was I would like to buy them a beer or three. Only thing is, you have to come to Australia to collect!
I am still just as excited about Roon as ever - it’s a wonderful music management tool and it’s fun to use.
I hope we can integrate it into Bridge II. It hasn’t been easy getting there - and we’re still struggling. Bridge II is built around a 3d party module that is the heart of it. We’ve worked for more than a year with the developers of the module to write custom software and to integrate their module with our own devices. They have other clients than us, and we wait for them to have enough time to do what we want. We’ve been pushing them to help us integrate the Roon into their core module without much luck. “It’s on the list.” That sort of thing.
We do not own the source code that is the heart of their module and are subservient to their schedule - and even if they will allow Roon to be placed into their OS - so that’s been the problem. And it remains the problem. I am meeting their CEO at CES in January to try and twist his arm. We’ll see. We’re trying. Really.
Hi
Regarding a sound quality improvement from B1 to B2 on JRiver. I experienced a huge upgrade in SQ using JRiver.
Regarding skips on B2 I do occasionally notice the first track being skipped but my main issue is with 176 and 192 flac files each time I start a track whether it is the fist track or following a 44/16 track I get three seconds of really distorted audio.
Santa delivered the Bridge II this morning. Installed it in the Perfectwave and on the initial bootup and the installation of the firmware update, it didn’t recognize it but after a reboot it did. After that, smooth sailing.
The improvement in sound is readily apparent and it is simply glorious. The best thing, though, is being able to stream Tidal (the best bargin in music, IMHO) through the bridge using the Bubble app. It works flawlessly. I can’t stop grinning.
I have the Auralic Aries and the Directstream in my 2 channel system, but the Perfectwave with Bridge II in my HT / music system is pretty darn close to the Directstream.
Kudos to Paul and his team at PS Audio.
Thanks!
I read on another site that Tidal is soon going to be streaming hi res files using MQA. Been rumoured for a while and it seems likely in 2016. Will the Bridge II be able to decode / process the MQA files? If not, is that something that could be added via a firmware upgrade and, if yes, is that something on PS Audio’s To Do list?
While at it, this was posted on Auralic’s Facebook site today:
‘Version 3.0 of Lightning Streaming Platform Firmware is coming,
Adding MQA and RoonReady. Please visit AURALiC in Venetian Suite 29-122 during the 2016 CES, January 6 – 9.
AURALIC North America Inc. and its parent company, AURALIC LIMITED, are pleased to be the first developer of a complete line of high-resolution audio streamers to offer fully implemented capability for two of the industry’s significant new technologies: MQA decoding and the RoonReady integration.
Both these eagerly-awaited technologies will be demonstrated at the 2016 CES, and will be available soon afterwards via online firmware update. MQA decoding will be available for all three AURALiC’s lightning streaming devices: ARIES, ARIES LE and ARIES MINI. The RoonReady capability will initially be available for the ARIES and ARIES LE.
As TIDAL streaming is already integrated into the Lightning DS software platform, all three of AURALiC’s streaming models will be ready to handle TIDAL’s anticipated launch of MQA-encoded music.
During the CES, AURALiC will stream TIDAL and MQA exclusively, and will also be demonstrating the RoonReady capability.
Xuanqian Wang, AURALiC’s president & CEO, pointed out that “with ARIES and ARIES LE fully decoding MQA music, they bring the MQA technology to any existing DAC on the market. "(The ARIES MINI has its own built-in DAC.)
“After more than two years developing and refining the Lightning streaming platform, we are building our own eco system, achieving our goal of repositioning Lightning DS from being a hardware control software to a complete music management system, helping people explore their music.”
"Considering that we first demonstrated a prototype of the Lightning streaming at the 2014 CES, we have grown tremendously as THE streaming solution for high-resolution music, making the impossible possible."
In other important news, AURALiC will make available an iPhone version of its Lighting DS app, with full functionality, soon after CES.’
- So PS Audio now knows where the bar is placed when doing the roadmap for the external version of the Bridge or making a Silent Server.
I reckon ‘RoonReady’ means RoonSpeaker, not RoonServer.
It is so rumored and it’s been that way for a while. To date I am unaware of any MQA streaming application that’s been put in place. Lots of demos and talk, little action.
We tried the hardware here and found the sound so dreadful that either something was wrong or… or I don’t know what to say. I have heard the comparison of MQA vs. no MQA and on those tests, MQA sounded a bit better. But the test was at a show and on unfamiliar equipment.
So far, I remain unimpressed. Perhaps they’ll send hardware that changes my mind.