Some questions after upgrading to Directstream

Audio Components DACs
1

Hi all,

I jut upgraded from Perfectwave MKI/Bridge I to Directstream/Bridge II. I like it and already can hear some nice improvement on the sound.

I have some questions and would appreciate if somebody can share his experience with me.

  1. I can hear some noise coming out from my speakers as soon as I start the directstream. I didn’t hear that before with the Perfectwave. It’'s not bothering me when I listen to music but I wonder if this is normal/ok.

  2. It seems I need to raise the volume more compared to the level I used before with the Perfectwave. Is it normal? The DAC is connected directly to my densen monoblock through RCA output.

  3. Covers are displayed correctly for all music in PCM/Flac format. I purchased my first DSD album and it plays nicely with the bridge. However, the cover is not being displayed. All my music is stored on a synology NAS with Minimserver as music server. I traditionally have a cover.jpg file in the album folder. Is there a different setting for DSD albums?

thanks.

Baocrazy

2

If you find that you are normally listening with the DS’s volume set to less than 66, you can use the analog 20dB attenuator and a higher volume setting (press the “filter” button on your remote to toggle it.) This will lower the noise at your speakers by 20dB.

The maximum output level of the DS is a little lower than the PWD so you do use higher volume setting. If you have the possibility of using a balanced connection from the DS to your amp you can get 6dB more gain and hence use a volume setting that’s 12 units lower.

3

Thanks Ted.

Using the attenuator remove the background noise.

Unfortunately, my amps do not have balance input. Now, the volume level is around 70 which seems to correspond more or less to 40 with Perfectwave. That’s fine as that’s probably as loud as i will ever listen.

4

Perfect!

5

I also use the -20dB option to reduce the “hiss” through the speakers. Additionally I don’t use the original remote but a Logitech. On the Logitech I didn’t assigned any button to the -20dB option just to avoid to press it accidentally. Could cause serious damage to the speakers…

@Ted: will the -20dB stay engaged after power cycling / FW update? I find it a bit odd that there is no indication for it on the standard screen. Only on the “settings” screen one can see if the attenuator is on (low).

6

Yes, the -20dB attenuator setting is persisted like (like volume, balance, etc.) We’ve not had any problems with loosing these settings with power cycling. You might disconnect the outputs during an upgrade. In general all of your settings survive an upgrade, but some people have had an upgrade (or two) that failed to accurately preserve their settings (most often their balance setting). As you mention you can check the current -20dB attenuator setting in the settings screen.