Wyred 4 Sound bLINK

[Melvin]

I saw reports of EJ and company's new Bluetooth streamer and was intrigued enough to order one. It's a bit pricey mind you and there's virtually no info yet as it's brand spankin' new but, what the heck. As I move more and more toward streaming this might be perfect as my Apple TV2 is getting a bit long in the tooth.

 

https://wyred4sound.com/products/digital-converters/blink

[Melvin]

The bLINK arrived and has been in use for several hours now without a hiccup or stutter. I thought I’d share a bit even at this very early stage.

 

First, let me explain my interest in this device besides what I said initially:

 

First and foremost I want convenience. Not just for myself but also for my guests. I’d say 3/4 of my friends have non-Apple phones and tablets, all of which have Bluetooth capability and none of which have AirPlay capability. I would love for said friends to easily and wirelessly play some of their music on my very Apple-oriented system whenever the spirit moves them. I’m spoiled, so I also want good sound.

 

I also want to be able to listen to TIDAL (or other internet radio like Jazz24) via my iPhone or iPad apps without having to awaken my computer. I like the TIDAL apps in particular and just love the convenience. This simple configuration sounds pretty good with the ATV2 but, I want better (again, spoiled).

 

So what does the bLINK bring to the equation? Why this gizmo? No doubt there are other ways to skin this cat but something about this product struck me .. maybe it’s Wyred’s reputation, maybe the femto-grade reclocking (their other reclocker was well received) .. I don’t know really.

 

At this very early point I’m liking the experience and the sound quality very much. Pairing with my iPad was as quick and painless as it gets. It’s all very responsive and a bit more robust than the ATV2. I’ve happily listened to various radio streams. TIDAL sounds extraordinary. Of interest, the bLINK outputs everything to 24/96 (the ATV2 does 16/48). Interesting, no? Oh, and FWIW, I’m outputting the signal via TOSLINK to my Qute EX.

 

Nice way to end 2015. Peace and good listening.

 

[Melvin]

Well, I've been quite happy with the bLink until today when the unit failed. It was working last time I used it (2 days ago) but today .. nada. It won't power on. This is rather disappointing for a unit scarcely a month old. Hopefully Wyred 4 Sound lives up to their reputation for good service.

[REShaman]

Well, I've been quite happy with the bLink until today when the unit failed. It was working last time I used it (2 days ago) but today .. nada. It won't power on. This is rather disappointing for a unit scarcely a month old. Hopefully Wyred 4 Sound lives up to their reputation for good service.

 

Hello Melvin,

 

Sorry to read about your troubles with your new device. Appreciate how inconvenient it can be to have to repair a month old device that is apparently affording you much pleasure. Kind of like serving a great meal and clearing the table after several bites of a delicious course.

 

Inconvenient and a pain to ship it back, but that's the worst of it. No need to worry about hopefully living up to their reputation. Knowing EJ since 2011 and based on my own experience and several upgrades, and one repair required for my STP-SE's (before the Stage 2 upgrade) programming to be corrected, without reservation, I assure you, EJ will make this right in a bLink (wink).

 

Good fortune with making it right.

 

Best,

Richard

[Melvin]

Hello Melvin,

 

Sorry to read about your troubles with your new device. Appreciate how inconvenient it can be to have to repair a month old device that is apparently affording you much pleasure. Kind of like serving a great meal and clearing the table after several bites of a delicious course.

 

Inconvenient and a pain to ship it back, but that's the worst of it. No need to worry about hopefully living up to their reputation. Knowing EJ since 2011 and based on my own experience and several upgrades, and one repair required for my STP-SE's (before the Stage 2 upgrade) programming to be corrected, without reservation, I assure you, EJ will make this right in a bLink (wink).

 

Good fortune with making it right.

 

Best,

Richard

 

Why thank you Richard. I'm happy to report after work I found a similar spec'd wall-wart in storage, thinking one never knows, plugged it in and violà .. music! Problem solved. Disappointment no more.

 

Peace,

Melvin

[REShaman]

Why thank you Richard. I'm happy to report after work I found a similar spec'd wall-wart in storage, thinking one never knows, plugged it in and violà .. music! Problem solved. Disappointment no more.

 

Peace,

Melvin

 

You're welcome.

 

If I understand you correctly, the SMPS supplied with the bLink failed after a month; and you replaced it with one of your own from storage, and the bLink is now functional?

 

Good intuition on your part. Electronic devices are not perfect no matter how fastidious the designer is. But I was surprised by the seeming failure. Your problem solving steps follow my own admonition guide, to wit: Is it plugged in? And, is the power turned "on"?

 

FYI: I received a email today from W4S with the tracking number for my Recovery USB Reclocker. Arriving Friday. I plan to power the Recovery from the JS-2 LPS, and place the supplied wall SMPS into my own storage.

 

Well done, Melvin. I love happy beginnings.

 

Best,

Richard

[Melvin]

You're welcome.

 

If I understand you correctly, the SMPS supplied with the bLink failed after a month; and you replaced it with one of your own from storage, and the bLink is now functional?

 

Good intuition on your part. Electronic devices are not perfect no matter how fastidious the designer is. But I was surprised by the seeming failure. Your problem solving steps follow my own admonition guide, to wit: Is it plugged in? And, is the power turned "on"?

 

FYI: I received a email today from W4S with the tracking number for my Recovery USB Reclocker. Arriving Friday. I plan to power the Recovery from the JS-2 LPS, and place the supplied wall SMPS into my own storage.

 

Well done, Melvin. I love happy beginnings.

 

Best,

Richard

 

Yes, you understood me perfectly. I'm looking forward to your assessment of the Recovery. Good listening.

[REShaman]

QUOTE=Melvin;506112]Yes, you understood me perfectly. I'm looking forward to your assessment of the Recovery. Good listening.

 

Good!

Me too! Haven't a clue. It's a mystery to discover. Friday it begins, smile.

 

Until then,

Richard

[Melvin]

Now that I've had the bLINK for a while I'd like to share a few more thoughts. First, I’ll reiterate my like of the little gizmo's Bluetooth prowess, it continues to perform as I had hoped. The added benefit of the bLINK is the reclocking through S/PDIF. I pretty much ignored this function thinking I’d never use it. However, I've read some glowing reports of the Remedy reclocker and thought I’d give it a try. From Wyred 4 Sound:

 

"The bLINK was derived from another innovative, award‐winning Wyred 4 Sound product, the Remedy reclocker. Whereas the Remedy is a reclocking device via S/PDIF, the bLINK expands on this concept by adding Bluetooth wireless connectivity! The bLINK gives you the ability to connect via S/PDIF or wirelessly stream music from your favorite wireless source or mobile device to any DAC, all the while providing superior jitter reduction."

 

I’ve been using my Bel Canto mLink USB-S/PDIF converter as of late (love what is brings to my system) and adding another component into the mix moves me further away from the KISS principle I so like, but the results are hard to deny .. it sounds great.

 

Mac mini > Bel Canto mLink > W4S bLINK > Chord Qute EX > PS Audio P-200 > etc. etc.

 

The converter removes a bit of grunge and allows more detail to emerge with beautiful tone and texture. The femto reclocker, despite it’s 24/96 output, allows all that detail to somehow seem more nuanced and musical. This has been a pleasant surprise honestly. This particular combination really has my ear and I have to wonder why. I suppose 2 stages of isolation and reclocking before the DAC really does matter. That’s just a guess.

 

Of note, and I do need more listening time with this, higher-res music (24/192 and up) doesn’t sound decimated (is that the correct word?) or lacking with the 24/96 output of the bLINK. Yes, more time with this but so far it sounds good. Winter is still upon us here in the Northeast USA so I have some time on my hands to play. Fun.

[wanta911]

Now that I've had the bLINK for a while I'd like to share a few more thoughts. First, I’ll reiterate my like of the little gizmo's Bluetooth prowess, it continues to perform as I had hoped. The added benefit of the bLINK is the reclocking through S/PDIF. I pretty much ignored this function thinking I’d never use it. However, I've read some glowing reports of the Remedy reclocker and thought I’d give it a try. From Wyred 4 Sound:

 

 

I'm not surprised, the benefit of reclocking close to the DAC is now obvious to me. I have a MiniDSP DDRC-22D between my Aries & DAC and was curious how this might be affecting the signal. I had read about the Remedy, albeit with mostly poor sources such as Apple TV, so I put one between the MiniDSP unit and the DAC. The difference is quite significant feeding both my Primare DAC 30 & Auralic Vega. Perhaps the difference wouldn't be there in the case of the Aries feeding the DAC directly but I am not going to remove my Room Correction in a hurry.

?

[Melvin]

Nice to know I'm not alone wanta911. There's been little discussion here (that I can remember anyway) about the Remedy but I've read a number of good reports elsewhere. Until my desire to add Bluetooth capability and thus acquiring the bLINK, I sincerely doubt I would have used a reclocker. Now I'm very glad for this discovery. Lucky too!

[p8t3l]

Is anybody else using this little device? I'm really close to pulling the trigger!

 

I will be using it as a bluetooth reciever and using the coxial output rather than the toslink.

 

Theres not been much talk about this device anywhere else, it seems the reclocker has stole its limelight

[Melvin]

I'm resurrecting this thread in case anyone at all has an interest in the bLINK. John Darko's review:

 

High-end Bluetooth audio with Wyred 4 Sound's bLINK | DAR__KO

[Angular Mo]

bluetooth and reclocking together, thanks!