I’ve got a close friend with a Femto in a second room, so I will borrow once I pick up a Directstream DAC. I can then compare my current CXN via coax to my Esoteric DAC vs the Femto via USB to DSD. I can report back once I pick up the gear.
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Ok, I picked up a UltraRendu with a SGC LPS at a really great price (basically a little more than the cost of a used Bridge II).
Will see how that works out.
I was looking at a really nice Lumin U1 mini with a high end Kenneth Lau external LPS, but $1750 just seems like a lot for a dedicated bridge setup.
What I am using does a good, albeit not great job. I just can’t see spending close to what I paid for the DS Sr Dac for just an ethernet bridge.
Maybe I need to look at this differently as it being kind of a source like a transport or something…
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Awesome. I’m sure you’ll hear the difference. I honestly think even my Node2i sounded better than the bridge.
My system’s sound quality in descending order:
- Nucleus+ > Matrix > DS DAC (I2S) setup.
- Nucleus+ > Matrix > DS DAC (AES)
- Naim Uniti Core > DS DAC (SPDIF Coax)
4, 5, 6. The above respectively with Bridge II installed - Bridge II as Roon end point.
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It’s still not clear to me why we can have a device that does USB In / I2S Out, but not Ethernet In / I2S Out - that can do DSD128. 
That would be a network transport / streamer with an I2S output. Even Matrix itself does not implement I2S outputs in its streamers regardless of price! My only explanation is that I2S is a still a fringe rather than a mainstream market. USB, AES, SPDIF and LAN inputs are the main market now. I admire the handful of companies that have managed to flourish in the fringe and sell these little converters, isolators, and re-clockers. In the end all we want is sound that wakes our senses and touches our souls.
I am guessing this has been tried…what is the feedback on running the USB out from a network bridge/streamer into a MATRIX and then into i2S input?
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Nucleus+ (with SSD inside) > Matrix > DSD provides better frequency response, quieter background, and more detailed sound stage. With the Matrix, oversampling to DSD 64 or 128 by Nucleus improvs spatial and sound stage detail. This was not the case with the USB from Nucleus. I cannot explain it.
So you are saying it works well in your situation?? 
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Yup, I was skeptical, but decided to take a chance and I now I am in.
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I use ROON ROCK server->Siltech USB->Matrix->CrystalConnect HDMI->DSD I2S
Works very well
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Anyone use the Bryston BDP-3 (or earlier models)? Looks like it ticks most of my network streaming boxes. Of note, it’s DLNA compatible (JRiver) and includes a space for a 2.5" internal hard drive.
@ amsco15
They look great.
I think there is a thread here somewhere that there might be some interface issues with the PS Audio DS, though.
Thanks. Yes, I found the thread (and remember but didn’t follow that closely then). Looks like the solution attempt for the 24/192 PCM over AES died with the closing of the thread. That’s unfortunate. Wonder if that issue only applies the the BDP-2?
This place has one used.
You might see how they would handle it if it didn’t work with the PSA DS.
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BDP-3 at only $1,599 is a steal!
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Aren’t all the Bryston streamers just Rasberry Pi based units in fancy cases?
Don’t know about Bryston, but the original price of BDP3 is more than US$4k, and it did receive good reviews. I own Naim gear, so I know they use SHARC & ARM NXP. It’s worth checking what the likes of Esoteric use in their $13k streamer.
Esoteric and Teac use Lumin streamer technology with fancier cases and internal instead of external power supplies. They use re-badged Lumin software. They are aimed at slightly different audiences though which accounts for a lot of the cosmetic differences. Whether having the LPS’s inside or outside the main case is a subject for debate as each company believes differently. One company came to the streaming market later so their products had to match the aesthetic of the rest of their line while the other started their look from scratch years earlier.
What it’s original retail was doesn’t change what it actually is though.