Very tempting—although, as Groucho Marx said, I would never join a club that would admit someone like me as a member.
But seriously, I’ve posted elsewhere about the ticks and pops I hear when using my new DS with the bridge input. PS audio customer service has been great but they’re still trying to solve the problem. When my trial period ends, I’ll have a choice to make, unless the problem is resolved by then: keep the Bridge and DS hoping for a solution, return both and consider other DACs, return the Bridge only with the possibility of getting another Bridge in the future if the problem is resolved, return the Bridge and get the Matrix… and various other possibilities. I like the sound very much with the Bridge input but the extraneous noises are too annoying.
Having followed the pops and ticks over the Bridge II issue for over a year, my conclusion is that it will not be solved. The Korean manufacturer of the Bridge II is incapable, or unwilling to solve it and PS Audio is not able.
I’m not impressed with the Bridge II to begin with and there is a long thread of how the DS sound improves not only from not using the B2, but from removing it entirely.
But I wouldn’t let that reality dissuade you from the DS, its a legit world class DAC.
The Matrix has near universal praise on this thread, FWIW. But there is no trial period or return policy with it. I believe Small Green Computers sells the Sonore UltraDigital I2S converter with a return policy, and it ships from New Hampshire. So that might be an option for you.
Or, given the cult like Matrix fever on this thread , you can likely resell a Matrix here at a small loss.
Dancingsea,
What’s puzzling is why PS Audio, which seems like a quality company with great customer focus, would continue to market and sell the Bridge ll if it has known defects which can’t be remedied . As I said, they’ve provided great customer support and are still trying to fix the problem and I only hope they succeed.
Sticking my nose in where I’m not interested/involved (sorry)…I use the Bridge II all the time with only very minor issues which I choose to ignore. I’m a fan as are others. There’s a relatively recent thread with a decent number of posts from members making comments like mine.
For the record, I “liked” @dancingsea’s post, above, because of his positive comments about the Matrix and not because of his negative comments about the Bridge II. I sold my Bridge II recently, but not because of ‘pops and ticks,’ which I did not experience. Rather, I sold my Bridge II primarily because the I2S input fed by the Melco>Matrix sounds way better in my system.
I have a large DSD collection and find the Bridge 2 pops and ticks very annoying. I use Roon, but much prefer HQPlayer as the back end, which the Bridge won’t support.
My greater point is that the DSD pops is an issue that has been around a long time and is not likely to be solved. If that part bothers someone, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a fix. And that for me, it’s not nearly enough to get rid of my DSJ, it and the DS are great DACs with or without the Bridge.
Seems Bridge enthusiasm is equally divided on this forum. Some love it, others don’t use or remove it entirely.
My bridge II is gone from the DSD. It won’t be back. IMHO, unless you’re stuck on MQA, there’s really no reason to use bridge II. I experienced immediate improvement with USB via microrendu via matrix to the DSD, after removing the bridge. Honestly, I never had a problem with clicks and pops, using the bridge.
One week experiencing the Matrix did me decide to remove BridgeII to put it back in it’s original package, which too left me with a redundant Audioquest Diamong RJ/E. Not (yet) for sale though as i still like the product/concept a lot…
Nice. Yes I went up the mountain the day before the big snow. Haha. It was 26 degrees and sideways rain. The sunrise looked like two car headlights. I was corrected by our Hawaiian host and was told they were ‘dragon eyes ‘. I can roll with that.
I guess you’ve already gleaned this but Matrix doesn’t suffer the clicks and pops you get with B2. I move from B2 to Matrix and that’s one of the main benefits for me - in addition to the clear SQ improvement.
Yes-since the Matrix doesn’t use the bridge, I figured the ticks and pops would go away. When I first posted on this issue, someone suggested returning the bridge for a refund and buying the Matrix…which would save money, possibly even if I added a power supply and decent cables. As I’ve said, before, I do enjoy the sound using the bridge and would like that as an option but, absent a fix very soon, I’d be inclined to follow the suggestion.
, you can likely resell a Matrix here at a small loss.
And don’t give me your Hawaii junk!! What city u in Hawaii - I was just there
