Bridge III will likely have one USB input (the server will have multiple USB, not the Bridge). No TOSLINK.
Hmm, USB and Ethernet?
Iāve always assumed B3 will have Ethernet. Without Ethernet, it will not work for those (including me) who store music on a NAS drive on a network.
Iād upgrade my B2 in my DAC when it arrives.
Paulā¦Iāve got the DS/Bridge 2 and DMP. Iām also using a few Synology NAS servers for my ripped discs and downloaded high res and access them behind MinimServer. I stream Tidal as well.
I use the MConnect Software, and the Roon Core install on my iMac is still on trial runā¦havenāt bought anything yet. Having said that, I think Roon is an awesome user experience between the iMac and my mobile devices. It also strikes me as extremely reliable with regard to connections, and never seems to crash.
All this, and now I have MQA support too. Iām very happy with the capabilities I have, but Iām concerned that the path forward with the PS Audio digital audio platform is with the Bridge 3. I purchased the Bridge 2 back in June, only to find out about the Bridge 3, and Octave Software platform are In the works.
My questions are as followsā¦
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From the user experience perspective, I expect Octave will provide a far more robust user interface than MConnect app, but how competitive do you expect Octave to be compared with Roon? Is your ultimate goal to match or exceed the user experience offered by Roon? Why would I want Octave over Roon? Do you have a focus group that provides user experience feedback?
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What features, specs, or design characteristics will give Bridge 3 (the DS card or the server) superior sound quality to the current Bridge 2?
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Will discounts be extended to current Bridge 2 upgrading to Bridge 3? Any rough idea on pricing or ETA at this point?
Thanks, I look forward to any insights.
Ken
mcgruder saidWhy would I want Octave over Roon?
You might not. The good news is that you will have the option of sticking with your Bridge II/Roon setup or switching to a Bridge III/Octave scheme. Having a choice is a good thing.
Given Roonās current popularity, I am impressed by PS Audioās bold decision to put Roon in the rearview mirror as it develops Octave and the Bridge III. PS Audio knew doing so could alienate a portion of its customer base, but PS Audio did it anyway, presumably because it believes Octave is a meaningfully superior platform to Roon.
My bet is that PS Audio comes up with something better than Roon. I tried Roon for a year after I added a Bridge II to my DS (thanks for the free trial, PS Audio) and determined that Roon was not for me. Currently, I use MinimServer on my Melco and drive it with various control points, including Bubble UPnP. I find that MinimServer/Bubble beats Roon in terms of ergonomics and sound quality (to say nothing of cost).
Exactly.
I am not enamored with Rood, but I understand why others like it. My hope is Octave is of greater interest to me, both as to its interface and its sound.
Thanks guys. Yes, of course, Bridge III will have both an Ethernet connection as well as a USB input for connection to a hard drive (something no Bridge has ever had).
Bridge III will supplant Bridge II and at that point, no further development would occur on Bridge II unless it needs support. We will always support products for as long as humanly possible.
The rest of the questions cannot be answered. Remember, Bridge III is likely available at the end of 2018 - making it a year away. Of course weāll make it easy for Bridge II and Bridge I owners to get in on Bridge III. We always do.
I understand the connection of a hard drive will allow Bridge III to act as a self-contained Octave server. Very cool.
Honestly, Iām also of the opinion that MConnect to Bridge2 sounds better than Roon to Bridge2ā¦although, I canāt readily explain why that would be the case, or what artifacts Roon might be introducing by design. MConnect sounds lower noise, more transparent, better separation and more open to me. Itās a subtle difference, but itās thereā¦and is also confirmed by a friend with similar setup that also shares this perception.
I like how much Roon is able to do with creating album art and metadata from my personal libraries, and virtualizing personal and streaming service entities as one. It would be nice if they annotated the MQA titles, since they clearly have all kinds of options for displaying format, live albums, duplicates, and on and on. Seems like a very easy thing to do, but for some reason they choose not to. The other thing is the Artist Bios, Album summaries, and ratingsā¦all very nice things to have that go a long way toward replacing what used to be so nice about having vinyl album covers.
I donāt have to have everything Roon offers, and the best sound is what matters. The upgrade pricing and sound performance should be the huge advantage for PS Audio over the other optionsā¦that is, provided they prove themselves in a different kind of software model that involves much greater understanding of usability. Judging from the accomplishments of the FPGA software team using the DS as a hardware platform, thereās no reason to doubt that similar success could be achieved with software controller and server software running on a future scalable streaming bridge-server hardware platform.
More than likely, Iāll buy an annual Roon subscription, and continue using MControlHD for the best sound delivery and MQA support until Bridge 3 and Octave software are delivered to market. Other developments can take place in a years time, weāll just have to see whats out there at the end of 2018.
Elk saidI understand the connection of a hard drive will allow Bridge III to act as a self-contained Octave server. Very cool.
Hard drive (Not necessarily a NAS) to Bridge3, with no computer in the loop- effectively eliminating the need for a computer??
Thatās the idea.
stevem2 saidThatās the idea.
SWEEEEET
Paul McGowan saidThanks guys. Yes, of course, Bridge III will have both an Ethernet connection as well as a USB input for connection to a hard drive (something no Bridge has ever had).
Bridge III will supplant Bridge II and at that point, no further development would occur on Bridge II unless it needs support. We will always support products for as long as humanly possible.
The rest of the questions cannot be answered. Remember, Bridge III is likely available at the end of 2018 - making it a year away. Of course weāll make it easy for Bridge II and Bridge I owners to get in on Bridge III. We always do.
Thanks Paul. My understanding is that the DS Jr has the Bridge II integrated on its board. . .so Jr owners would need to replace the entire board?
mcgruder saidHonestly, Iām also of the opinion that MConnect to Bridge2 sounds better than Roon to Bridge2ā¦although, I canāt readily explain why that would be the case, or what artifacts Roon might be introducing by design. MConnect sounds lower noise, more transparent, better separation and more open to me. Itās a subtle difference, but itās thereā¦and is also confirmed by a friend with similar setup that also shares this perception.
I havenāt made that observation, having used MControl for a few months and just starting with Roon today. I will say that using MControl I am almost certain to have periods of stuttering, pauses, skipped tracks and just stopping. Iāve been using Roon today playing Tidal (Masters/MQA and otherwise), and there hasnāt been a single anomaly.
I wouldnāt pay for Roon at all (Iām on a 60 day free trial), unless it can eliminate those issues, and so far it has.
$0.02,
Chris V
DSJ owners should be able to upgrade to Bridge III replacing the internal Bridge II board, yes.
But, Paul - what I need to know is - will it slice, dice and julienne? If not, Iām out
Iām really tired of having to use a Madeleine, boning knife and a Leatherman to accomplish the same tasks. If the Veg-O-Matic III does not do everything the II did, and moreā¦my days with PS are numbered.
My days with PS audio are, mathematically sound, numbered anyway. Luckily we have Georg Cantor. Numbers can be easily inifinite. He even proved that some infinite sets of numbers are bigger than othersā¦ I have all the confidence that ps audio will produce products aimed at ever higher steps to heaven. For everybody who wants a jack of all trades, i can recomment an Oppo, or a Sonos. Nice for garden parties, with bbq.
berlin
badbeef saidBut, Paul - what I need to know is - will it slice, dice and julienne? If not, Iām out
Iām really tired of having to use a Madeleine, boning knife and a Leatherman to accomplish the same tasks. If the Veg-O-Matic III does not do everything the II did, and moreā¦my days with PS are numbered.
Wow. Letās mock people because they want to retain certain functionality moving forwardā¦
Hmmm. Being able to plug my USB powered hub into the DS without the pc, with some slick software , with better sound? Hmmm, a non interested DS owner without a bridge just perked up his ears.