That is a good question. Its a cheaper option for those with that. maybe he is doing customer service for those who traded in MK1 who keep the bridge. Way to use with MKII for not much money. Vs. the more expensive AL
Interesting thought, I was looking at the back of the PS Audio Directstream transport. it has Ethernet and airlens in it already. Wouldn’t it be nice if they added streaming to this device?
Yes, but given most have traded in their Bridge…
I believe they said they would give back. but that might have been someone in the forum who is NOT an employee.
No Paul told me and others I believe, they would return a Bridge, I left mine in.
But those who traded in their Bridge wanted to buy an Airlens, which due to this info comes 2 months after the Bridge box. So get the traded in Bridge back for two months and spend add. money for the box? Still fails to make sense for me if the June date for the AL is true and it’s not June next year.
If you want an Airlens wait the two months. If you want to save a bit and liked the bridge on the MKI get the box. Choices are not bad.
1 Like
I just say, those who sent in their Bridge already made their choice…for them the box would just be a two months solution then.
You are not getting what I am saying…its a choice not an and. If you want box, get your card back and stay with box. if you want Airlens wait a few more months for it. I do not think anyone who has the bridge would order both. unless Paul says its 9 months off.
Oh yes, I’d be one of them (if you mean order Airlens after Bridge). I’m sure the Airlens is a serious upgrade also to the boxed Bridge, not to speak of the bugs the Bridge still has with some server SW like Jriver. I’d even say former Bridge users have been a target clientele for the Airlens.
But if you mean order Bridge box AND Airlens, I’m with you. That’s what I talked about in the last posts…the box makes no sense for most if it just comes 2 months before the AL. It’s certainly still a choice as you say…just no very meaningful then I’d say.
Why does talk of a box bring this to mind?
3 Likes
Yeah $1500 to let everyone know you have Mac gear.
1 Like
Paul did say they were shooting for April for Bridge in a Box in response to my recent question, but he did not give any time frame for Airlens in that response.
or to let everyone know you dont have any, but you wish you did
@67Checker - Just like what I consider the best use for a Mac.
6 Likes
It’s scary that in December 2016, over 6 years ago, Paul was talking about having a v1 working server interface and they were already a year in to building their Roon-killer. So PSA are in their 8th year of this.
The firmware was being outsourced to “a brilliant fellow” (obviously not that brilliant) and the work internally was handed to someone called Tyera, who left in 2018. The product I mostly use, a start-up, developed great firmware and app, but it took 5 years and for at least the 2 years there were at least 10 programmers working on it. It was certainly obvious to me that this was massively under-resourced from the start and, as was stated at the beginner of the server thread, the resources have to be maintained after the product is launched.
With the benefit of hindsight, it seems pretty obvious that Ted should have just been told that a Bridge III using the new ConversDigital card has to be designed into the Mk2 DAC and PSA could happily charge $1,000 for it. Many people have been after a Bridge III for years.
Just seems to me that doing servers, speakers and Octave Records all at once was too much and something had to go - it’s great, though, that the speakers seem to be a big success.
I did notice the SFP input on the Lumin U2. Progress at last! I use a battery-powered media converter from SoTM (LHY do one now as well) for SFP to RJ45 so there is no mains connection, but I hope this becomes more common. As there is no current flowing down a fibre-optic cable it provides galvanic isolation (someone will tell me I’m wrong), so SFP has always seemed obvious, but the next best is an RJ45 input. A certain Scottish company started with a blank piece of paper about 20 years ago and decided you only need one input, a network connection, and I don’t think they were wrong. Linn Klimax DS, still one of the best streamer/DACs ever made.
It is curious to see that the brand new 2023 Lumin T3 is almost identical in layout to the 2009 LINN KLIMAX DS, with power supply, streamer/input board and DAC side by side, isolated (Lumin using a steel case, Linn an aluminium billet). They are almost clones, in a good way, everything lines up the same. I’m not into electronics, but to me this is elegant, clear thinking and attractive.
2 Likes
To say the speaker took 50 years would be unfair but we were told so 
My calculation of time regarding streamer started again with the Airlens announcement, not the Server, I mentally closed this chapter.
But those development cycles and detours on the way are not unusual I’d say, we usually just don’t get to know them as consumers.
2 Likes
What’s unusual is Paul’s transparency and openness in keeping us informed. The reactions here is exactly why others do not do that.
10 Likes
The 50 year think is a bit apocryphal.
When the streamer thing started in 2016 I was waiting to see the outcome, but gave up in 2019 and bought Innuos. You have more patience than me.
The Linn DS range was a completely new concept and went from drawing board to release in about 3 years - including streamer, DAC, firmware and proprietary Kinsky app (which was very good). My sound light system is extremely advanced, includes a complete wireless streaming audio system and several patents, took 5 years to raise money, design, build and launch. Proprietary firmware and app, including Roon Ready certification. It had to be completely tooled up from scratch, during Covid.
So I don’t think 8 years is normal - anything close.
I sold my Bridge2 a couple of weeks ago. I saved it for AirLens trade-in and was later thinking about a Bridge box. Nah, enough waiting already. I am moving in a new direction.