It is possible to judge the bridge separately with the DirectStream DAC Snr as it can easily be removed. I bought a dCS Network Bridge after doing a comparison against the PS Bridge II. There was a marked improvement in sound quality with the Bridge II board left in place in the DS DAC and a further, smaller improvement in SQ when I removed the Bridge II from the DS DAC.
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I still have a bridge 2 in the system that has my DSjunior and it works great for streaming. I did put a network isolator ahead of it and linear power supplies on the isolator and local switch. Also used BJC CAT6 cables from the switch to the Jr. All were great improvements.
What network isolation device did you use? Iām considering the Uptone Audio EtherREGEN.
Thanks, Chris
RE: the original question. Yes, I do.
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yes me too!
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Hi Chris,
The system that has the M700ās has a GigaFOIL which is just a single port isolator and works well. My other system has an Ether Regen which is a switch that also has isolation on one port. It also works well. The Ether Regen does not gain anything from an expensive Linear Power Supply according to the manufacturer so it might be the lowest cost solution.
Vern
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Still loving the Bridge II. No issues so far just loads of great music piped into my listening space for under $500 used (NIB) from Audiogon purchase.
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Still like it generally in spite of the frustration about the no gapless bug with Jriver, reintroduced with the latest Bridge firmware update and never resolved despite a few support contacts. I guess the chapter Bridge II was closed meanwhile like the DMP caseā¦at least for use with anything except Roon.
Iāve been steadily switching between the Bridge II and a Sonore ultraRendu for the past week while listening to our Roon and have landed on the ultraRendu. To me it just sounds better.
Thereās something just a little bit better about the ultraRendu. It has moreā¦ sparkle? I donāt know how to describe it. To me itās noticeably better.
I was one of the beta testers and IME it is a solid product. It is hard for me to compare sonically with USB; My sense is that the Bridge is superior, though the margin is not earth-shaking. I think YMMV and this will likely be very system-dependent. But I prefer the Bridge and it has been very stable and trouble-free for me. Looking forward to whatās coming next, though, as always.
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The result may be better if a standalone power supply can be used for Bridge 2.
I love it in its current form.
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The following tweaks made me stick to Bridge II in my digital chain and abandon other upgrades including Matrix:
- Audiophile data switch
- LAN to Fiberoptic converter
- RFI absorber on Bridge II chips, digital board chips, and above the internal power supply
Materials used may vary depending on availability and system, but hereās what worked for my setup:
Melco S100 switch, ADOT converter, 3M AB7050 HF absorber. Both Meclo and ADOT are fed by HDPLEX 300.
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which LAN to fiberoptic converter, if I may ask? Thanks.
I would expect an improvement from connecting from the server to the bridge directly (not via router or switch) using fixed IP addresses. Has anyone tried this? I donāt have a Bridge II so I cant report how it sounds.
I also recommend Jplay Femto audiophile network cards if you use a pc server.
thanks!
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thanks scotte1
You bet.
Good luck.
Scotte1, what cable are you using with TP Link? I have EtherRegen and BridgeII. Iād like to try fiber optic. EtherRegen has a fiberoptic in/output, so I should just need another optic/Ethernet converter to be able to insert a fiber cable in my chain. Looks low cost enough to play with if Iāve got the right idea here.