@vortecjr
Do you mean ms2 coax out vs BDP-2 coax out? I will try this a bit later and report.
@vortecjr
Do you mean ms2 coax out vs BDP-2 coax out? I will try this a bit later and report.
Yes. This should give you a good baseline even though they are derived differently internally. At some point you also want to compare USB from the MS2 to something else you like.
Jesus R
I been doing some more listening to this trio and I have some conclusions. Of course, the usual disclaimers apply… Any differences I hear are with my ears, in my room, with my system :-@
Having said that I may have a second opinion in the next week…
There are actually no real surprises. In my comparison the BDP2 produces the best SQ with a delicately detailed sound against a very black background. This is ‘despite’ using it via a coax cable into the PWD II, and even that being a cable without exceptional pedigree. It plays my flac and alac files faultlessly at all resolutions. I am yet to try plugging my WD drive into one of the USB slots, but this maybe the only slight drawback - bringing a noisy external HDD into the music room.
The W4S ms2 is a bit stuffy using the same coax cable. The HDMI output was comparatively more open sounding. This was still bested by the BDP, which had cleaner treble, but in a very subtle way. The W4S was just as extended in the treble, but just a little less organised. The percussion of cymbals and snare drum had a clearer more rounded sound in BDP2, and decayed a little more abruptly. The W4S had a more extended and natural decay on these notes, but the background high frequency noise offset this a little. The W4S is a bit easier to use as it does the ripping and the built in HDD is silent. It also has a USB output for those who prefer this.
The bridge, much as I love it for getting me started with streaming audio, is in third place here. I’ve compared it before, to the W4S ms2, and found the SQ less ‘palpable’. It is the same compared to the BDP2. The same cymbal and snare drum sounds are easily recognised as such, but lack the organised tonal variations and timing to really pull out an image from 2D space between the speakers. I know that sounds harsh on the bridge, and really, it is a great piece of kit, only bested by more expensive and more dedicated players. Personally, I love the EMM interface, and although I’m not really bugged by the lack of gapless, it is a consideration when compared to these players that do it seamlessly.
I haven’t considered value here either, but I think I could make a strong argument for each one at their price point.
I am opening this tread in great anticipation, as always.
Thanks for your contribution so far, stereophilus 
+1!
Thank you for the reports!
stereophilus, now via USB from both devices.
Jesus R
PS nice work
Unless I am confused, neither the W4S nor the BDP has a USB out.
For the BDP, I suspect this because it relies on USB external drives and flash drives for source input. This design avoids the conflict and delays of using USB for both input and output. (The BDP-2 also has eSATA for input.)
I do not have a similar guess as to why the WS4 does not have USB out.
I did expect the I2S out of the W4S to win over the BDP however.
They should both support USB output. Email me and I’ll help you set it up via remote log in.
Jesus R
sonorejr@gmail.com
Stereophilus, does either unit have a physical USB output?
Jesus, can the USB outputs on either/both be configured to be outputs? Neither manufacturer describes this capability, but again I may have missed something.
Elk, they both have USB ports. The Bryston can be enabled for USB output from command line. The W4S can be enabled for USB output from the web GUI or command line.
Jesus R
Very intriguing. Their marketing materials refer to USB for uses other than digital out and the units do not physically group the USB with the digital outs. I am surprised. USB DACs are quite popular. I would expect they both would want to make clear their server/player outputs on USB.
My prediction is the W4S USB out is better than the Bryston’s. I eagerly await the report.
Thank you yet again for sharing your technical expertise!
And you may not have heard the Bridge and PWD II until you’ve heard them with WaveStream. Hopefully you will get to experience it while playing with the Bryston.
Steven B-)
Certainly there are 3 USB slots at the back of the ms2, these can be configured to allow audio output. I have written about this, compared to HDMI, on this thread: http://www.psaudio.com/vanilla/discussion/5328/w4s-server-into-i2s#Item_61
I don’t know about the BDP2 but I will give this a go if I can get it configured properly.
A second pair of audiophile ears will be along for a visit on Saturday to help confirm / refute my assertions.
Hi,
Any hope the Bryston will be able to decode DSD? Is it upgradable in this way? Of course the PWD will not either at this time. But something worth considering.
Steven B-)
@Stereophilus,
Now if we only knew how the Sonore Rendu against the above four. Anyone have any clues how it compares to Bridge, W4S, Bryston, etc?
stereophilus said: I have written about this, compared to HDMI, on this thread
Thanks, I had forgotten this was with the W4S.
I hope you are able to compare with USB out on the Bryston.
Comparing a HDD source on the BDP 2 may be an issue… My HDD is formatted in HFS+ for OSX (mac). The bryston is not reading or playing this properly. From my research, i think it needs FAT 32 formatted drives. This is not something I would be inclined to stretch to currently, especially as the thumb drives are playing perfectly. Sorry to anyone hoping for a report on this.
Perfectly understandable.
Have you tinkered with setting up USB out on the BP2?
Perfectly understandable.
Have you tinkered with setting up USB out on the BP2?
I'd like to give it a go, but I haven't found out how to do it yet. The W4S was quite easy to do. Perhaps I need Jesus to give me a few tips here...
According to Jesus, the BDP USB can only be implemented via command line. This requires login to the unit itself. I would take Jesus up on his offer to set this up by remote login.
I am curious as to whether you notice any degradation using USB on the BDP when the source is also accessed by the unit by USB (such as a USB flash drive). I suspect this is also why Jesus has encouraged a USB to USB comparison of the Bryston and W4S devices.