Bridge II update?

They still have not fixed the distortion burst issue with the Bridge2.

Still waiting!

This fix has been like a year in the making. I’m not sure whip cracking is going to make it go faster. But feel free to try…

Whip-Tisshh!

[quote=“kylemillsap, post:263, topic:6851, full:true”]
They still have not fixed the distortion burst issue with the Bridge2.[/quote]
Nor the ticks during playback of DSD files.

I bought a DS Jr. with the Bridge II mainly so I wouldn’t have to mess around with adding a separate streaming device. I don’t like clutter in my system, and have no room for yet another device or dongle, nor do I want the expense of one. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have purchased the DS Jr. but instead, a different DAC/streamer. It wouldn’t have sounded as good, but at least I’d have playback without constant ticks in DSD or the occasional burst when changing sampling rates.

I hope it is fixed soon, as mentioned above. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I ended up buying an Auralic Aries G2. No more weird noises, at a price! Got tired of waiting.

One thing I might consider is buying another Intel NUC, configuring it as a Roon endpoint (with whatever additional software or drivers are needed), and using a USB output into the DS Jr. The DS already busted my audio budget for quite a while, so throwing several hundred more at this isn’t going to happen. The NUC boxes are small and easy tucked away. I built one up to use for my Roon Core and a couple of other media servers to take the processing load off of my NAS, and it’s working nicely.

The G2 was $4000, but quite an improvement in SQ, and, no noises that hurt my ears or potentially damage my speakers.

Did you buy the Auralic Aries G2 (streamer), but still use the DirectStream DAC without Bridge II as a DAC? If yes, do you still “suffer” from the DSD ticks and the long fade in from Snowmass?

I’m also considering buying a new streamer/DAC and was wondering if Auralic was the way to go. I don’t know about the sound quality of the Vega G2 vs. the DirectStream DAC, but if I read the reviews it sure is the streamer /DAC without all the collateral noises/ticks/pops!

To my understanding, the ticks, pops etc are not a Snowmass issue, they are a long standing Bridge II software issue, the only existing solution of which is to revert back to a previous Bridge II software version.

Still using DSD. I don’t stream dsd, but, I don’t get loud bursts of noise that startle me, and sound bad for my speakers. The G2 is the best source I’ve had.

I have different problems with the latest Bridge firmware and DSD files using Jriver and will probably also go back and accept the bugs of the previous firmware instead.

Hopefully there will be a quite bug free version regarding major functions at least short before Bridge II goes out of current production.

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The Bridge II is only able to support up to DSD64 and 32/192 which is not at good considering the data rate it could support. That, along with its suspect sound quality had me abandoning the Bridge II in favor of a Sonore ultraRendu. Not only did I get DSD128 and 24/352.8 input support, I got much better sound quality all with flawless operations.

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Although I’m initially a fan of the bridge concept, how I proceed (Bridge III, stay on II or a new external solution) will mainly depend on Octave‘s delivery for my needs and sound quality comparisons BridgeIII / ext. solution (which will be hard to make without buying everything). I see the main advantage of a non PSA solution in its flexibility in terms of supported SW (just as Bridge II today).

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@jazznut

Sure. But Paul has stated elsewhere that Octave is at least a year away…which probably means it’s much more than a year away. That means the Bridge III card is at least a year away. Do you really want to wait that long for something that may not be any better than what I am suggesting that is available today?

As I have Bridge II, have great sound with it, can use any library SW and I can live with the SW bugs I’m in no hurry.

What is the suspect sound quality you experienced with Bridge II, if I may ask? (And what kind of sources and source material is associated with said quality?)

…because files over wi-fi to router to the Bridge is the best I have ever heard in any of my systems to date; and if I can do better with “Sr.”, I am all ears. :smirk:

The Bridge II is lacking in clarity, resolution, and sound stage width, depth, and isolation when compared to using the ultraRendu. The bass is more muddled and the highs are harsher. With the ultraRendu, I can listen to the both quiter and louder with more enjoyment. Quieter because the music is more full and musical at lower volume levels and louder because the music is cleaner and smoother.

And that is without using HQPlayer or the Matrix SPDIF 2 with the ultraRendu.

USB input…?