I would not call that progress. I would call it nothing has happened all this time. We were all under the impression that the work was underway. Now to find that the work does not begin for another two weeks is disheartening. We will be lucky to see this by Christmas. This is extremely disappointing news.
I understand the cynicism. But we now know something and it appears the project is moving forward. I prefer to focus on the positive.
And as the Forum Leader we fully expected you to respond this way. My comments were not cynicism. They were disappointment. I am sure there are lots of people here that thought that work was underway. This news was a bit of a surprise. I am not cynical about this just not at all happy.
jaiello saidI am sure there are lots of people here that thought that work was underway.
I think that includes the people at PS Audio. Dennis, who handled Bridge programming at PSA before his recent departure, clearly thought so Hard to tell at this point if that was based on bad information from Converse or was an assumption based on past experience. Paul has expressed frustration with outside vendors many times over the years (with the eLyric programmers, for example) and that is one of the reasons they are doing Octave in-house.
Hey guys…yes it’s disappointing…but keep in mind it’s FREE
Sort of…we all paid something like $6000 for an upgradable DAC so the expectation was that spending that money would get us updates from time to time. You can certainly look at it as free but unless someone gave you that DAC it’s ain’t really free.
jaiello said And as the Forum Leader we fully expected you to respond this way.Complete nonsense. I do not in any way speak for PS Audio. And no one associated with PS Audio has ever attempted to influence what I post. Pretty classy, yes?
As anyone who has followed my comments knows, I am often supportive of PS Audio but have also been critical of PS Audio’s design decisions, etc. I simply disagree with your mindset - as you disagree with mine.
Fair enough. I surrender.
Elk said…But we now know something and it appears the project is moving forward. I prefer to focus on the positive.
Indeed! I’m grateful that Paul shared that news.
This news had three components to my mind: good news; bad news; good news:
Good: Confirmation that concrete plans were in place to make this change in understood timeframes.
Bad: That the work had not yet begun.
Good: The planned timeframe is not that far off, and we could have the software update we want reasonably soon.
It’s tough to share news that’s not all good, for fear of repercussions over the bits that aren’t good. We see this in business all the time. So my hat’s off to Paul - while no doubt, knowing that himself - for choosing to share this news with us anyway. Thank you Paul.
jaiello saidSort of…we all paid something like $6000 for an upgradable DAC so the expectation was that spending that money would get us updates from time to time.
Since I’ve owned my DS, the following have come out: Pikes Peak, Torreys, Huron for the DAC, all with significant improvements in SQ, plus some Bridge updates (I forget how many), including support for Tidal and MQA.
I realize that this does not address the frustration of Roon users who really want that upgrade. But to say that PSA has not brought out many significant upgrades to the DAC and the Bridge is unfair.
I also commend Paul for honestly telling us what’s happening, even if it’s not quite what many hoped to hear.
magister saidI never said that PSA has not brought out many significant upgrades to the DAC and Bridge so I don't feel as if I am being unfair in saying that all of us that are waiting for the MQA update for the Bridge II are disappointed that it has not come yet. This comment cannot be construed as offensive. The fact that people are disappointed is a fact. The fact that PSA is working to get us an update is great. Please don't put words in my mouth.I realize that this does not address the frustration of Roon users who really want that upgrade. But to say that PSA has not brought out many significant upgrades to the DAC and the Bridge is unfair.
The thing I’m having difficulty grasping is the notion that any DAC one bought should upgrade to/do everything any other company comes up with - Pretty Damn Quick, otherwise it was a bad investment. (At least that’s how I’m reading the complaints). Even when these things by outside companies are out of the DAC maker’s control.
I would suggest again that putting Roon or MQA before any DAC is putting the cart before the horse. If you own the DAC and don’t like what it does with your system, and all your other components, fair enough. (If you are solely a computer-music person with no other sources to put into a DAC, then I guess I’m an old moron despite using primarily servers for 20+ years).
If the DS DACs do not make you happy with any source, including Roon and MQA (both of which it currently works with, though, yup, not concurrently) then return it within 30 days. If you’re complaining about something you haven’t bought or heard, I just don’t get it.
You are completely off base on this. I don’t want to return my DS DAC. I actually really like it. I like what it does I just want functionality that was promised to us. I didn’t ask for it. We were told it was coming. So your point about wanting a product that does everything is off base. I just want what was promised. What sparked this entire thing today was Paul telling us that the work had not ever started. Many of us were under the impression that work had begun and that the MQA update was coming soon. Now we discover that the work will not begin for two weeks and that testing will probably begin in October. That means that the finished product is November or December. We thought we would see the software sooner.
I feel compelled to add that the work Converse is doing is on the Bridge II, not the DS. Also, Paul (and Dennis) have been saying they were having trouble getting a reply from Converse, until today. Yes “promises” were made, but they were made on behalf of a third party vendor who has not fulfilled their end of the deal. Someone previously mentioned other customers were also working with Converse, perhaps PS Audio was not the first priority for Converse.
Thanks guys, appreciate all the support but I too am frustrated and feel Jaiellos frustration when you think something’s promised and it isn’t forthcoming. I believe I did say we’d do our best to get to this when time allowed. Roon just sort of popped this in as a surprise to us - after being hounded by their customers too.
I can’t make the third party vendor go faster. This is yet another reason we eventually want to have our own in-house designed solution.
Okay let’s put this to bed. It will be ready when it’s ready and not sooner. Thanks Paul for working to get it done. In the meantime I have a very great DAC that I listen to every day.
Jaiello - though you have posted a lot on this today, I was actually referring to dschamis’ post from two days ago:
“I’m a big Roon fan and looking to buy the Directstream DAC and one of the BHK power amps but likely won’t pull the trigger until I see MQA streaming working. I’d feel like a moron if I spent all this money only to find out that there was some technical reason that this won’t end up working.”
I personally don’t see the connection between two top level pieces of hardware that make everything you put through them sound better (and keep getting better, for free, via FW updates) and any sort of library system and/or “remastering” algorithm/streaming codec. And I am a Roon user and fan.
magog also weighed in with the notion of looking for another DAC due to it not working - and by “working” I think meaning, specifically, Roon and MQA via the Bridge II.
Roon’s been working fine with the DS for a long time. Now MQA (yawn) works (sorta) with a crappy free app. None of this has been at any added cost.
OK I’ll bite.
After just spending $6K for my DirectSteam DAC … I have no more money to buy a library of HiRes music.
My only option is to stream MQA files from Tidal … but yes that Tidal App on MConnect is a clunker. (Sounds awesome however)
I too am waiting with baited breath for Roon MQA streaming.
OK - I’ll reply. Why would you spend that much if it meant you (truly?) couldn’t afford to buy music? 90-something percent of the people in the world would question your sanity. Talk about cart before the horse! Is this what’s going on - folks are thinking, “If I buy this DAC/etc., I won’t ever have to spend money on music again, beyond a monthly subscription to Tidal/MQA - which gives me access to more music than I can ever listen to, in quality that is better than Master Quality 
therefore I can afford it?”
Is this about the Roon Rock/whatever minimal computer NUC front end, paired with the DS DAC? I realize that sounds dismissive, which I don’t totally intend - it’s clearly where all this shit is headed. (Which is why Paul’s working on the server thing. Don’t be unhappy when he comes out with that - just sayin’)
But don’t expect it BEFORE its here.
Oh BB your logic caught me in a little white lie … money is not an object.
Truth is I’ve been able to get many streamed MQA files to sound every bit as good as HiRes downloads on my direct connected music server. The secret was to install a dedicated DSL modem powered by 12V battery directly behind my stereo, then connect to the Bridge with a silver Ethernet cable. Small price to pay for streaming perfection.
Your correct, Roon MQA will just be icing on the cake!