I recall reading somewhere here that a Bridge III with the improved lens and I2S implementation from the Memory Player transport was in the offing.
I cannot seem to find that thread again.
Is that actually the case?
I believe it is just in the concept stage but all I know is what I read on the forum.
I looked again and found this:
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/latest-ps-audio-news/ps-audio-music-server-in-the-pipeline/page-6/
Apparently they are concentrating on a music server and shelving the Bridge III for now.
Not so. Bridge III will be the music server too. Sort of. They will go hand in hand. Bridge III will be an entirely new piece of hardware that uses the new Octave music server software to control it
Bridge III will be an entirely new piece of hardware that uses the Octave music server software to control it. Instead of MConnect and DLNA that we have now, this will be an entirely new ecosystem that’ll be far richer and easier to use once we launch it. We have to finish Octave, then release the big server, and later next year, we’ll build scaled down hardware to run Octave inside the DAC in the form of Bridge III.
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Paul, regarding Bridge III, will it be a replacement for Bridge II for those who do not use the Octave music server? The description makes it sound like something more, or other than, a next generation Bridge. Also, is it still a slide in card for the DS or a separate box?
Yes. It will be a replacement for Bridge II. An upgrade in performance as well as control.
I think what’s confusing is all the unexplained terminology I am throwing about. Sorry. There’s hardware and control software. Octave is the control software. Bridge III will be the hardware that it controls. Contrast that to what we have today. Bridge II is the hardware and MConnect or any UPnP controller is the software that controls it.
So Bridge III hardware in unrelated to the big server hardware. What they will share is the control software, called Octave.
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Thanks for the clarification.
It wasn’t clear from the other thread and trying to piece together information can lead to wrong conclusions.
So there will be 2 options in future - a Bridge III external server and the scaled down Bridge III module that fits inside the DS. Both will run Octave. Correct?
I’m a bit confused, I assumed that the music server will feed the DAC via I2S. Wouldn’t that negate the need for a Bridge (II or III)?
I think it will, but not everyone will want a music player. The music player will be in the same category as the Aurrender, Melco, it will have a built in ripper, hard drives, etc.
Some people don’t have any digital files, they just want to stream, so the Bridge 3 will meet that need, but better than the 2, and I think the plan is to use Octave to control the Directstreams.
It sounds like the Bridge III module for the DS DAC (running the Octave software) will work with digital files on the LAN too, just like a Bridge II does.
The Music Server (called Octave running the software of the same name) will contain a Bridge III and probably be a more full on device with galvanic isolation and the works. So users who purchase a Music Server will not need a Bridge III module for the DS DAC.
So 2 alternatives like I asked above in my unanswered question.
At least that is what I have gathered until someone who really knows cares to chime in.
The music server does not contain a Bridge III and I am not sure where that came from.
Bridge III will be a “lite” version of the big server for those interested in just streaming from something like Tidal or a NAS - kind of like Bridge II does now - only better.
The big music server has the same Octave software as does Bridge III, but as pointed out, it also has a built in ripper and hard drive, galvanically isolated everything and is the pinnacle of how a server should work.
You wouldn’t want both.
Paul McGowan said Bridge III will be a "lite" version of the big server for those interested in just streaming from something like Tidal or a NAS - kind of like Bridge II does now - only better.Hey Paul, no timeline or ETA necessary and even no concrete answer but is 'the plan' for the Bridge III to also be Roon Ready certified?
Just for existing DS and Bridge II owners to keep enjoying the DS, until funds allow for the big move to Octave
I know this is still a while away but just wanted to pick your brains about what the plan may be, even if it’s just tentative.
Many thanks in advance!
Unlikely, but we really haven’t yet gotten that far. To make a product a Roon endpoint requires a different structure than what we are currently planning at the moment. But still, it’s a ways off into the future.
Hi Paul, I have about four months left on my one-year Roon trial subscription that PS Audio graciously provided when I purchased a Bridge II. I am still on the fence as to whether to buy a Roon license after my trial subscription ends. If the eventual Bridge II replacement (aka “Bridge III”) is not going to be Roon-ready then I would be much less likely to purchase a Roon subscription. (Or, alternatively, I might decide to buy the Roon subscription and then not replace the Bridge II with a Bridge III.) In short, I hope the Bridge III turns out to be Roon-ready so that I and other DS owners would have the maximum configuration options available. Thanks very much!
I know and options always make things easier for users, harder for programmers. I’d give you a 70% it will not be Roon ready and after you see Octave, you may not care. 
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And will the Octave player(s) sound as good as the DMP? I’d get more excited about that than the software, even though I’ve never heard the DMP.
There’s every chance that it will but we won’t know until we finish the work. It’s hard when you start on a project. You have high hopes and you plan everything as best you can to be better than anything else, to best your best efforts. That said, until it’s built I won’t know the answer.
That’s all I really expected Paul. I have a lot of faith in your team, which is why I’ve been around since the P300. I was expressing a hope more than expecting an answer to a question that can’t really be answered. If you manage to match the DMP’s sound quality and get the Octave software “right” (again, a relative term since no software is perfect and not everybody will agree with all the choices you make) it will truly be a game changer. I’m very much looking forward to it.
Me three.
Paul McGowan saidHi Paul, thanks, that is very helpful to know as well as encouraging ... the Bridge II sounds so good and works so well with BubbleUPnP accessing TIDAL HiFi and the audio files on my Melco (running MinimServer) that I am not wedded to Roon in the least. I guess I will hedge on buying a Roon license and wait for the Bridge III to be released.I know and options always make things easier for users, harder for programmers. I’d give you a 70% it will not be Roon ready and after you see Octave, you may not care.
Any chance that the Bridge III will decode MQA?