That’s it with a PC you have more clutter and spends more $$$. What l like of the bridge is the 1 box simple solution.
Yes, absolutely! I wonder sometimes why more people gravitate to computer/USB playback.
What will get new from the bridge II? Just gapless?
In addition to gapless, I hope that we will get more bulletproof connectivity. I haven't had the difficulties that some have had with the Bridge, but even so it sometimes just decides to disconnect (like this morning when I had an audiobuddy over to demonstrate the DS). Other hardware out there does not have the issues that the Bridge does in this regard.
I fear that the Bridge will end up playing catchup, again. When it was first designed, gapless wasn’t a big issue; it soon became one. If DSD takes off, PSA will find itself in the same situation. But I certainly understand that Paul may not want to wait much longer to get Bridge II out since lots of people are annoyed at lack of gapless support. Those of us who like not using a computer will have to evaluate Bridge II against the competition and decide what is the best way to move forward.
Having decided to place a small computer in the music room and use a short USB cable, Ted do you mind offering me your opinion? do you think there is an audible advantage adding the USB expansion board JCAT USB or similar product.
Appreciated
John
I like the idea of a small computer with USB - I think it has a lot of potential for both a good user experience and great sound.
I’m pretty sure you will hear a difference with differing cables. But whether it’s small or large, good or bad I can’t guess. My system isn’t very sensitive to USB cables or CPU’s but most I’ve heard are. What Paul likes with the JCAT I don’t like as much, but I think there are more people here that would hear what Paul hears and fewer that value what I like Things like width or depth of soundstage don’t matter to me, I care about realistic sounding instruments and whether a system makes my toes tap. These things aren’t mutually exclusive but we all have different things that float our boats.
You may be able to find a local dealer who will let you audition some cables and if you find that they make a big difference then you can take the time to find the ones you like best. Also some dealers recommend or build various music computers that you might be able to audition before you spend a lot of money there as well. Local audio clubs also often have members who are generous with their time and like to show off their equipment either at your house or yours at theirs…
I agree with the small computer thing now. I really didn't want it in my music room, but the fans aren't that loud. Looking forward, Ted, what's the minimum processor you think we could get away with for a Windows based JRiver/Foobar PC? Actually, it' sprobably a moot point, because I see those Intel NUC PCs already have I5 processors...if they are fanless, then that would pretty much cinch it.
I also agree we all have certain requirements. I love that realism you talk about, and I’ve recently learned Toe-Tapping, but what also gets me (besides the first two) is when the speakers completely disappear and you have a holographic sound field so real you feel as if you could touch the sound in the air! That’s my ultimate goal, and I’ve only heard this level of 3D twice in my life. I hope to able to hear it every night sometime soon!
Also, about the cable auditions - I’ve not done this myself, but I’ve heard The Cable Company has a cable library where you can “borrow” a cable. I’ve had friends use this to test cables in their systems and thought it was a great idea…but when I went to see if I could try an AC-12, they said “PS Audio does’t participate in the cable library”. They do also have a used cable section with 30 day no questions asked exchange. So I suppose if you had a budget in mind…say $250 for a USB cable, you could just go fishing through their lineup until one cable really catches your attention.
Lonely Raven said
I agree with the small computer thing now. I really didn't want it in my music room, but the fans aren't that loud. Looking forward, Ted, what's the minimum processor you think we could get away with for a Windows based JRiver/Foobar PC? Actually, it' sprobably a moot point, because I see those Intel NUC PCs already have I5 processors...if they are fanless, then that would pretty much cinch it.
Heck I didn't know about things like the Intel NUK DN2820FYKH. That's cheap, small and should have plenty of power... under 5 watts for a nominal load !?! and can run fanless... There are also i5 (and higher) versions... Hmm
stevem2 said
Don't forget to add the cost of a hard drive/SSD, RAM and an OS. Still, they are packing a lot into a small package.
Ted Smith said
Lonely Raven said
I agree with the small computer thing now. I really didn't want it in my music room, but the fans aren't that loud. Looking forward, Ted, what's the minimum processor you think we could get away with for a Windows based JRiver/Foobar PC? Actually, it' sprobably a moot point, because I see those Intel NUC PCs already have I5 processors...if they are fanless, then that would pretty much cinch it.
Heck I didn’t know about things like the Intel NUK DN2820FYKH. That’s cheap, small and should have plenty of power… under 5 watts for a nominal load !?! and can run fanless… There are also i5 (and higher) versions… Hmm
I see you just had the same epiphany I did. LOL
Also check out the fit-PC3 - I kinda like the industrial look of the unit; kinda reminds me of the old Rockford Fosgate amps. Looks like something I could build a proper fanless PC out of and experiment with different software on!
I pick this unit up today Intel D54250WYKH Haswell i5 NUC Assembled + 4GB DDR3L+128GB SATA SS
I’ve added separate expansion 3T hard drive with own power supply. the operating system will be Win8.1 with option for Linux if I decide to play around.
All this purchased for just under 1K. The JCAT USB card will not fit into the unit, I’m not to bothered by that. the short mini PCI-e may give an option for later support for add-on USB card - not that important though.
I did not hear a difference that concerns me between the bridge and USB inputs hence making it easy to transition from bridge to USB and the quiet unassuming presence of the NUC in the music room. some people transformer hum is louder than this unit
another advantage for me is this NUC will be dedicated to its task with Fidelizer and JPLAY onboard and not shared as my current music server is.
Thanks for mentioning that Fidelizer. I’m going to give that a try tonight (and hope it doesn’t muck up the computer).
I’ve got a friend coming over for a listening session - I find that having a friend with me helps keep me honest with what I’m hearing. We’re going to give some USB cables a try. Maybe try before/after with Fidelizer as well.
Johno said
Any chance you can help and make available in the download section - Bit perfect test files 176.4 and 192 same as the 96khz bit perfect test file.
Old thread but hopefully someone can help. Installed Bridge 2 last night. Music is on Synology NAS 214+ running Minimserver. Using MConnect on iPhone as controller.
Everything works great for flac files. Correct file data shows in the window, etc. my issue is that no DSD playback no matter what I try. Is there a trick to getting (single rate) DSD to play through the bridge? I read that it was supported out of the box.
You have to play DSD via DoP. Install MinimWatch on your computer if you have not already done so. In MinimWatch, choose Properties/System and add dsf:dopwav to the stream.transcode field. I play DSD this way all the time. If you have any DFF files, also add dff:dopwav. See the MinimStreamer website for more info if you need it.
Paul McGowan said
Understood. It is not something Bridge II is going to be able to do. You'd be better off using USB connected to a computer. Even a small Mac Mini like I use winds up being about the same price. It's not integrated like the Bridge, is a pain in the butt to get setup, but it does have certain advantages the Bridge doesn't. One of them being double rate DSD.
Paul, can you tell which advantages a USB connected computer has to the Bridge II except of the following?
no support over single rate DSD
no SW upgrade option regarding later higher sampling support
no connection of USB drives
To me the biggest advantage of USB over using UPnP is the user interface - I have many programs that can play over USB, the number that [I care about] that play via UPnP is much smaller. Those USB interfaces are the ones I’ve been using for years and the restrictions of using a UPnP interface are galling to me. I understand that the presentation of the metadata and usability on small controllers is much more important to others who have the opposite point of view.
magister said
You have to play DSD via DoP. Install MinimWatch on your computer if you have not already done so. In MinimWatch, choose Properties/System and add dsf:dopwav to the stream.transcode field. I play DSD this way all the time. If you have any DFF files, also add dff:dopwav. See the MinimStreamer website for more info if you need it.
Magister,
Is the use of a DoP package a limitation with the Minim programs? Using an external hard drive attached to my PC running JR21, I wirelessly stream .DSF files to my Xfinity Gateway and from there via Ethernet cable to the Bridge. The files are recognized as “Input: DSD Rate DSD64 1 Bit” by the DS DAC.
The Bridge (I or II) requires DSD files to be in DoP format. I believe only the I2S (and maybe the USB, although I’m not sure if that has been implemented or just discussed/planned) input support native DSD.
stevem2 said
The Bridge (I or II) requires DSD files to be in DoP format. I believe only the I2S (and maybe the USB, although I'm not sure if that has been implemented or just discussed/planned) input support native DSD.
Then how am I able to get .DSF files from my PC/EHD to the Bridge? See screen shot below.
The ‘DSD’ indication on the screen shows that everything is working correctly. DoP does not actually change the DSD data, it just packages it in such a way that it fools the system into thinking it is dealing with PCM. The Bridge ignores the packaging and processes it as the DSD it really is. If your player were actually converting the DSD to PCM, you wouldn’t see ‘DSD’.
Things like width or depth of soundstage don’t matter to me, I care about realistic sounding instruments and whether a system makes my toes tap. These things aren’t mutually exclusive but we all have different things that float our boats.
