That is some rarefied air. LOL. Let us know how it sounds in your system.
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Iāve had Roon five years, and although I love the interface, I think there is room for improvement sound quality wise. Iāve been listening more to Bryston MPD, which is IMO a step up from Roon. Brystonās software is very clunky though. Hoping the A10 will offer me the best of both worldsā¦
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When I purchased my Perfectwave DAC in 2014, I was under the impression that I could feed it with any digital signal and there would be no difference in sound.
At the dealer I bought it from, I tried the DAC fed by the Bridge (probably Bridge I) , using the digital out from a Cyrus Streamline and also a Bryson BDP-2. All music was stored on a NAS.
The Cyrus was the worst result, followed by the Bridge. The Bryson was the best by a considerable margin. Whilst the standard music serving software on the Bryson is somewhat clunky, it works. It is also a ROON endpoint and works flawlessly in that capacity.
Given your budget, I could heartily recommend a Bryson BDP-2. My version is the original one with the ESL @Juli sound card. I think the later versions with the Bryson integrated card had some issues playing nicely with the DS DAC for certain hi-res music formats but others on here would know better.
The short answer from me is that you can definitely do better than the built-in B2 and you would not need to spend a fortune to get there.
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Those BDPs are built like tanks. I have two BDP-2 and a BDP-1. Both 2s have the IAD card. You should upgrade yours. Sound performance goes very close to the current version $4K BDP-3. Starting in the second half of 2015, the IAD upgrade was stock production. The BDP-2 with the Juli card is still a great unit, but closer to the BDP-1 sound wise.
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Any thoughts on the Lumin U1 mini with an external LPS?
The U1 Miniās a great piece but usually hard to find on the used market. Thereās one on Audiogon now though that went up today.
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This is a great thread and I am searching for a bridge II replacement hard. The perfect device, for me, doesnāt exit. It would include the following:
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DLNA/UPnP to support JRiver (donāt see giving up on JRiver, Iāve tried others).
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Fiber input (low priority and can be handled a bunch of ways).
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I2S output (can be achieve with another device of-course given a usb output from the bridge device).
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Qobuz integration and ability to switch from JRemote (controlling JRiver) to Qobuz on the fly.
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Editā¦oh ya, and sound better than the bridge ii.
Some get close but nothing is perfect for me. The dcs bridge is the closest but no chance at I2S since thereās no usb out (matrix and sonore devices need usb input). A bridge II replacement has been a difficult search. Sonore and all itās boxes donāt support Qobuz (unless itās through roon). Maybe a headless server like a Baetis?
Thanks for the heads up.
There is one on Craigslist in Dallas with a Kenneth Lau LPS for a decent price. More than I wish to spend for a network bridge, but I did just sell my etehrRegen, Pardot LPS, and Bridge II to get some funds together.
Using the OPPO 105 as a network bridge for now. I could live happily with that if I woudl stop reading these audio forums. LOL
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Not sure why you need USB output - you can sell / save cash by not opting for these devices and their associated cables & power supplies. This may possibly get you nearer to being able to buy a dCS Network Bridge. I use the AES/EBU output from the dCS Network Bridge to the PSA DAC and it sounds great.
Just to take advantage of the ābetterā DSD input. Agree, itās likely not a deal killerā¦still, while hunting, Iām looking for perfect. Iāll settle eventually.
Itās been nearly two years since I compared the Bridge to the ultraRendu in my system. What I remember is the kind of changes that are generally associated with reduced noise: lower noise floor, improvement in low level detail and bass definition. Whatever it was then, the difference was obvious (to me) and repeatable.
Being a mac guy who runs Roon on a sonicTransporter for audio, I donāt know anything about JRiver compatibility.
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I have a BDP-2 unused and ready to ship ! I think it is the older model but I am not sure !
Bryston has excellent customer service. I bet if you send the the S/N they can tell you what version it is.
Hereās a picture of the upgrade card. Pretty much anything with a production date in late 2015 is factory equipped with the IAD. Earlier versions would have to have added the $500 upgrade kit.
So what Iāve gathered from the thread, one of more basic (but feasible) routes to stream & play DSD would be:
Aries Femto > USB > Directream or
AriesF > USB >Matrix > I2S > Directstream
A step up would be to go Lumin D1 Mini, rather than Aries Femto.
Are there any other options less than $2k (plus DAC)? What Iād like to do is find something that will play DSD until the Octave player is out, then I can make a longer term decision; at the moment my CXN will accept DSD64, but just converts to PCM.
This is the best price Iāve seen and from an Auralic dealer.
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I was just speaking to Mike about it earlier - thank you for confirming that may be a good option / value.
That is pretty good. Usually around 800-1000 from what I have seen.
Might check that out. The used Lumin U1 with Kenneth Lau LPS is $1720 asking price. Tempting but that could get north of $1800 with shipping.
This is where I have trouble getting my head around things in terms of outlay on peripherals and ROI. I only spent a few hundred more on the PSA DS Sr itself used.
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Iām still using mine from four years ago in a secondary system and it just works. As Iāve never used a Matrix I canāt tell you what that brings to the table but as the prices of new units keep creeping up the slightly older units like the Aries Femtoās prices have been going up too and this is the cheapest I have seen one. LDS is also my preferred software. I have bought a couple of things from Mike over the years and he seems to be a straight shooter. From people I know that own or have owned the U1 Mini the added LPS is a big step up from the internal SMPS but that does add to the cost. With the usually used Sbooster and connection kit that adds a little under $500. Also unless they have changed their position again adding the external power supply can void the warranty so a consideration to some if buying new.
Ha. It just sold. I was ready to pull the trigger on it. 