So I’ve been playing with my few days old DAC a lot, and running it almost continuously to get a good burn in… I’m noticing that sometimes the album art stops updating and it goes to the default PS Audio graphic… Then it randomly comes back. I’m using the provided 4GB Card that came with the unit… should I get a card with more memory? or is this another issue?
I reset the Bridge II via the touch screen option to do so, and it started to work again. is this a bug? or am I doing something wrong?
Unfortunately I don’t think the cover art has ever been reliable so most people have just learnt to live with it. I find turning off the screen solves the problem 
Hi Sam,
Congratulation! DS DAC is an awesome component, you will love its playback capabilities. Bridge II does not search for cover art. MConnect does not either. You need to make sure that the SD card is blank. Cover art must be either embedded into the music file, or in a JPG file in the music folder. Usually, it is named “folder”. I am not sure, but “cover” may be fine. PNG files do work in certain cases. 600 x 600 pixels are easier to load than say 1400 x 1400. There are a few software packages that allow you to search online and load cover art and embed it within the audio file, so you won’t need to have picture of the cover art in the music folder. Also, I have noticed when listening to an artist, changing to another album by the same artist, does not change the cover art on the DS. I dim it anyway and focus on the music.
That’s pretty much the same as buying an Audi A5 2020 model just for the nice shiny interior and the glass cockpit with all the information. On the way home you notice that some of those goodies don’t work. Finally the dealer receptionist tells you to enjoy the ride instead…
Well… I had an answer like that from the maker of the Aries G2 where I asked him whether it was possible to show the audio data on the display. He said: I want you to enjoy the music. I sold the darned thing the same day… Not on my watch…!
not the end of the world, but it does sound like it could be the media streaming software partly at fault… I’m using Roon. The fact that it works with some songs and not others makes me wonder if they have not set the meta data on all of the recordings to include the cover art.
Yes, sadly it’s not more consistent. Sometimes it works flawlessly, other time it doesn’t. It’s been discussed before and without going into too much detail, getting the artwork to display isn’t a trivial task for the DAC. It’ll go back and forth for a little with the playback software to retrieve the picture. If it doesn’t go successfully, it will completely abort mission. This is why you won’t see it load a minute into a track. Inefficient code.
Hey all. Proud new owner of the DirectStream. It’s great…in love with the thick and warm (yet capably resolving) soundstage…though wish the info screen was a little more organized and better aligned. I’m a surgeon, so mildly picky about things being precise. 
Nonetheless, quick question…and not to beat a dead horse here. But, is there an ideal artwork size for Roon (i.e. 500 x 500 or 1000 x 1000)? Spotify seems to work flawlessly (at retrieving the album art), whereas Roon is a little hit/miss. Are they pulling the art in a different way or using different sized artwork? Thnks!!
UPDATE: My own FLAC files loaded into Roon always work. It seems Tidal files are the only ones that struggle. FLAC Tidal tracks usually load; MQA tracks are the real problem child – though often load if I start with the first track of an album (not if I pick a random track in the middle)? Very odd. So Roon must be doing something different with the way it sends artwork from Tidal files to the DAC…and maybe MQA processing puts an additional burden on this process.
Welcome to the forum jmfmd82, and congrats on your new purchase. You will love DSD and Bridge II no matter what others say 
For art display, you need to have a blank SD card in the DSD slot. As for the pixels, I have been using 500 ox 500 or 600 x 600 are sufficient. After all, Roon’s value is in the other info that it will bring from its massive database and partner databased about the work, artists and the album being played as well as suggestions. There is a known problem with the art display though: If you change the album but not the artist, the picture won’t change. However, I habitually dim all displays when listening, and rely on iPad for music info, album review, related albums, etc.
Just got the DirectStream Dac and was having the same problem. Went into Roon settings and turned on “Allow for more covers and photos”. Appears to be working.