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dCS Network Bridge


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Today Michael Lavorgna has posted a review of the dCS Network Bridge:

 

http://www.audiostream.com/content/dcs-network-bridge

 

Seems he favors it over the current microRendu in his system.

 

As Chris has had it in his system, I wonder if a review will be forthcoming.  Of course this area is a fast moving one, what with and ultraRendu in the wings and recent SOtM gear.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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Both take a network input.  The output methods are clearly different.  However, for those of us with the option of getting bits into their DAC either via USB (in my case through the Berkeley Alpha USB > Berkeley Ref. 2) or directly into the DAC via AES/EBU it would appear that each would serve the purpose of supporting my particular environment.  Each also offer Roon support and the dCS goes a bit farther with MQA, while the microRendu has another collection of very nice apps.

 

So, maybe you can clarify what it is you mean by "completely different".  I get you about the quite different output options.  And given no USB output on the dCS, I would fully understand why you'd be less than enthusiastic in reviewing the Network Bridge, since fewer DACs support such limitations.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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Gotcha'.  I'm looking forward to your review.  I expect to bring one in house within the next few weeks.  I only get a few days (dealers are not keen on loans that last weeks).  

 

So, unless I hear something really dramatically better from the dCS, I'm more likely to await the ultraRendu.  John, Alex, and Jose are doing exceptional things -- and at a great price point for me and others.  Hard to make a big investment in such a rapidly changing space.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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  • 2 weeks later...

Although I've been a happy camper playing my system via a front end of MacMini -> microRendu / Sonore Signature LPS -> Berkeley Alpha USB -> Berkekely Ref. 2 DAC, my local dealer offered up his dCS Network Bridge for home testing.  The guys had been using it in lieu of their Berkeley set up and felt it was a real winner. 

 

So, for some time I've been giving it a go.  I can say that when I first put it in place and started listening, I knew something special was happening.  Going through familiar album after album, I was treated to an overwhelming feeling of elation, followed by a soon to be a leaner bank account.

 

The overall effect of the dCS Network Bridge is refinement.  The sound comes across as fast, precise and revealing, in a way that's more about layering and timing than anything else.  It's more relaxing and less congested than I'd been used to.  Instruments and voices seemed less "smeared" across the soundstage but just properly located in space; the sense is a bit holographic as the depth of the field is enhanced.  Massed voices are now more distinctly separated and located.  There's a clearer sense of spacial cues as well as things like a vocalist's sibilance (if that's the right term from speech) and this is at the microphone - distance and intonation and air around voices and instruments as well.  Another word that comes to mind is coherence.  That applies to the venue (live music with audience and quite apparent in opera as singers move about the stage both horizontally and forward/back).

 

Also, the better the source material the greater all these elements come through.  Listening to "The Jazz Soul of Oscar Peterson" 24/192 is a treat.  There's both delicacy and a flow to the music as well as a lowering of the noise floor.  Much emerges from a deeper blackness.  As a result dynamics seem greater.  Decay of sounds becomes more pronounced.  Listening to the first cut on Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" I'm struck by the natural, almost shimmering ringing of the cymbals of the drum kit.  And at the other end of the spectrum the bass is more layered and extended.  The extended solo of Ginger Baker on Blind Faith's "Do What You Like" really brings out all the characteristics I'd hope for in music reproduction.  But best of all is solo piano.  It's that lower register that seems hardest to replicate.  You get it with the dCS.  I'd say that anyone with a DAC that's capable of taking advantage of this device (assuming network based digital reproduction) should give it a go.  Don't think they'd be disappointed.  

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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Thank's.  These are systems after all.  Even the "weakest link in the chain" notion is problematic.  Every device/cable in the system can be both affected or affect other elements in the process of getting bits from network/disk to produce sound in the room.  

 

As an aside, my testing with the dCS Network Bridge has revealed that what's coming into the Roon enabled device (microRendu or the dCS Network Bridge) seems to be affected by any intermediary devices.  In my case the Berkeley Alpha USB D-D converter (USB in AES/EBU out).  It appears to be "choking off" data going into the DAC.  It's especially evident with lower frequencies.  Playing the Saint-Saens Sym. 3 Organ 192/24 from Ref. Recordings I do not get the room rumbling and audible very low organ frequencies from the microRendu/Berkeley Alpha USB combo.  Putting the dCS Network Bridge in it's place bring these elements out quite clearly.  In the absence of any other means for "placing blame", I'm inclined to think this is a limitation in the Berkeley rather than Sonore component.  The Berkeley is about 5 years old and likely using much less capable clocking and other elements than what is possible today.  But that's just my guess.

 

As for cost delta it really is not as great as you might imagine: the dCS is $4250.  Replacing the microRendu - Sonore Signature Power supply - Berkeley Alpha USB = $3934 and if you do, as I did, opt for the SR fuses you arrive at  of $4124.  So, it's nearly the same cost.  All other cabling (AC from Berkeley into dCS and Ethernet) remains the same.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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Sorry.  Now I understand the comparison you're speaking of.  Guess that's why it's always hard to write reviews of this type.  They can never stand alone, unless everything gets laid out in gory detail.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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6 hours ago, iefbo said:

I still hope someone will have the chance to compare the DCS to the Aurender N10.

I know it is different functionality and eventually a totally different animal.

But I would like to know if all other components are the same what is the best digital source of those 2.

Having had an Aurender N10 in my system and then switching back to a combination of MacMini and microRendu I found that a better sonic alternative.  Best to get a dealer to loan an N10 to you for trial, as you may or may not find it to your liking.  I'd say the A10, based on what I understand, and Chris and other's reviews, is likely a solid and more universal solution to the emerging streaming world while retaining most of the benefits the N10 offers.  Though I cannot speak for how the A10 fares against the N10 sonically, especially for locally attached media.  For me, swapping my combo Digital to Digital converter and microRendu for the dCS Network Bridge is my next step up.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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7 hours ago, Emerald Core said:

 

Does this mean that you prefer the bridge over N10 ? or do their even remotely sound comparable ?

This simple answer is yes.  But the real answer is not quite that simple.  These music playback systems are a complex, end-to-end chain, with the room as a player in the overall effect.  For instance, I've 3 louvered window blinds behind my speakers, and can alter the sonic effect just moving them a bit, changing their diffusive effects. Same with a few choice tube traps right behind the sofa I sit on.  

 

The Aurender N10 does a number of things that I need multiple devices to do for me.  It's got built-in hard drives, whereas I use a NAS today.  It connects to my downstream D-D converter via USB (I found its AES/EBU output feeding the DAC not as good).  It has it's own specially configured operating system for managing music and playback.  It's a fine all-in-one, as far as it goes.

 

When I first replaced it with a MacMini and microRendu, this new solution, at least for me, was a step up in the attributes I happen to covet in sonic realism.  The microRendu still relies on a USB output, to feed the Berkeley D-D converter.  Moving to the dCS Network Bridge has finally "buried the hatchet" in USB, now banished from my system, by removing the microRendu and "aging" Berkeley D-D converter as the dCS is wired via AES/EBU right into the DAC.  

 

My reaction to the result is as I've noted in an earlier post.  I'm sure as I continue to discover new hardware that results in a better results I'll deploy them.  The Roon R.O.C.K. purpose-built hardware/software solution may be the next change after testing out a collection of Ethernet cables connecting the dCS to the network switch.  My hope is always to simplify, but moving from the N10 was a side excursion, that I hope will always, eventually lead back to simplifying my setup.

 

And so it goes...(the dCS arrives this week) ?

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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I waited a long time moving from a USB attached drive for my MacMini to a 2-slot QNAP NAS that hides behind one of my speakers and is wired into my switch (8-port Cisco smart one).  All colocated with the rest of the hardware in my listening room.  That switchover, in and of itself, made a noticeable sonic improvement.  I agree that power supplies, especially for these sensitive devices (microRendu) can make a significant difference as well.  Even the Ethernet cable from the switch to the microRendu or other network endpoints (dCS) can make a difference. Everything in the chain has an impact to one degree or another.

 

As for a decision on using an N10 or G2 or dCS represent significant variations in cost and resulting sonics.  If you can, bring those options in-house for testing in your system.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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I know it would certainly be nice to test it out, without having a Network Bridge on hand. But no luck. I will say, it's fine as far as it goes.  Quite basic as a player. If you're not using Roon, for instance, or another player, it's supposed to see you NAS and allow you to play tracks and build queues, etc.  I don't know how you'd access music that's on, say, a USB attached or international to a Mac or PC. As for setup, there's little to it. Just need to match the capabilities of your DAC to what the dCS is putting out. 

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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2 hours ago, wdw said:

Have one in house to review from our local HiFi hut....Sound Room, Vancouver, the best!

 

Two seconds in it was apparent how discreet, quiet and fascinating our most well-known playist is from this musical device.  

Piece was brand new, cold out of the box, no burn-in, etc....

 

amazing!

Allow it to "burn" in for 100 hours - just get a source to let the bits flow in and out and you'll really get it to perform at its best.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
7 hours ago, Emerald Core said:

BUMP!

 

Are there any users who owned/listened to the Network Bridge. I am extremely interested to read a comparison between NB, N10 and Signature Rendu (assuming that these are the most raved streamers/renderers at the moment). 

 

Three different philosophies in digital playback. Three different value per $ tier. 

In had the N10 in my system for nearly a year before bringing a microRendu/Sonore Sig. LPS into my environment.  And most recently have been using the dCS Network Bridge. Each change has represented a step up (you can read my earlier posts). However, since every system is different, and each of us has differing tastes/expectation respecting music playback, I hope you've the opportunity to bring demo units home for trial. 

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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37 minutes ago, matthias said:

 

According to this review the Antipodes DX seems to outperform the N10 as well:

 

http://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/network-player-reviews/antipodes-dx-music-server/

 

So it might be better to compare the Antipodes to the dCS NB.

 

Matt

Might be worth a comparison for SQ, but these are intended for very different use cases. The Antipodes is, in its current incarnation, a ripper, Roon sever, and renderer. The dCS serves as a network D-D converter with associated bells and whistles. The Antipodes exists for those looking to have a bit more all-in-one, rather than those who split out Roon Core, music library, and network based renderer. 

 

One bit that got my attention was his description of Roon Mode 1: ..."The added advantage of having both server and renderer / player (RoonReady) in the same device is that they do not need to use the comms layers that sit underneath RAATwhen the two apps talk across a network and according to Antipodes this leads to better sound."  

 

It seems that others have picked up on this approach of Antipodes. See Romaz's post entitled "A novel way to massively improve the SQ of the sMS-200 and microRendu".  I had tested this in my prior MacMini microRendu to DAC setup, with marginal benefit. Have yet to see if my current setup with the dCS would benefit.  

 

I do feel that his descriptions re: the N10 vs. DX echo my own recollection of N10 versus  microRendu. 

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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  • 3 weeks later...
2 hours ago, k-man said:

Look out for the review of the Sonore Signature Rendu SE in Audiostream in the coming weeks. I'm sure a comparison with  the network bridge will be made.

I was pondering with testing the dCS bridge, but after buying the Lush USB cable, there's no way I'm ready to move to the Ethernet protocol anytime soon (AES67/Ravenna now long forgotten).

 

Wonder if Steven rather than Michael will do the review. I've an upgraded microRendu (new board) and Signature LPS in my other system since putting the dCS into my primary system. I've had no desire to return the Sonore gear to test, since it would also require adding back my Berkeley Alpha USB converter to support the Ref. 2 DAC. 

 

As for comparison, the only worthy DAC I'm aware of capable of USB input is the Schitt Yggdrasil. And I'm uncertain that USB is it's preferred input over S/PDIF.  In this arena, assessments by reviewers are best when apples to apples comparisons.  The Network Bridge, not sending out USB, and unlikely that it would be a preferred method in any case, would prove a problematic choice. And using a USB to S/PDIF converter would slight either component under test. 

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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21 minutes ago, AmusedToD said:

 

How does the MicroRendu with Signature LPS stack against the dCS NB? Is the dCS a worthy upgrade?

FYI, I'm using an Audio Alchemy DDP-1 in my other system with the Sonore gear. The DDP-1 has USB, so I don't need the Berkeley D-D converter. I've no interest in A-B testing of dCS vs. Sonore in that system, nor swapping my Berkeley Ref 2 DAC with DDP-1, which would make for such a comparison. I'll leave that to any reviewer out there that wants to do so...and thinks it's of "real" value. 

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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Awaiting firmware fixes as well as the free MQA firmware.  The one bit I found to be an issue, though infrequent, is switching bitrates. Sometimes when Roon/MacMini is sending bitstreams of one bitrate, say 44kbps w. 16 depth, and then to another song with 192/24 the dCS is not quick to respond or correctly respond.  You get around this via a delay in Roon settings of a second (1000ms).  The only other thing that was due to my system setup is that I needed to enable control flow within my smart switch (Cisco) so as not to "overrun" the Roon software buffering.  Once done, never saw an issue since.  Very rarely do I get any hiccups, and they do not seem to be due to the dCS, but more likely either macOS/Roon platform.  Usually it's either a sudden playback stop with restart or other similar anomaly.  I know it's not the source, since I can even backtrack playback and not see an issue with the NAS.  Likely as not, it's some memory buffering in software; but I've no way to trace it or otherwise troubleshoot.  Hoping by moving from MacMini to Roon's upcoming Nucleus hardware/software device, I'll not even have these very occasional issues.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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I know it's coming but not clear whether that gets "baked" into the firmware update I've heard about.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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6 minutes ago, pam1975 said:

@stevebythebay can you please share which setting in Roon you are using to set the 1000ms delay? I would like to use it as well.

Just follow: Settings...Audio...Device (Networked)...(gears to right) Device Setup...Resync Delay...choose, for example, 1000ms (that equals a second).

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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8 minutes ago, firedog said:

Don't think so, as the Sonore was pictured set up in Michael's barn.

Good catch. As I recall both have done Sonore reviews in the past. We'll see whether Michael will venture into the comparison swamp, or if he'll beg off that bit. I can't recall if one of his DACs can input both USB and S/PDIF.  Maybe the Totaldac?

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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The modem is a retail version of a Motorola/Arris Docsis 3 one supported by Comcast.  The switch is a Cisco SG-200 that's plugged into an Eero mesh wifi.  The Cisco is colocated with the audio system, so wiring is short from/to dCS Network Bridge, the NAS and the MacMini.  The idea was to keep the devices from interfering with each other as much as possible.  The cable modem is not wired to the Cisco, but the Eero communicates with another Eero that is wired to another Cisco that is wired to the cable modem.  I never find any problems with WiFi with this mesh network.  I only use an iPad with the Roon app to connect with the Roon core running on the MacMini.  The 3 Ethernet connections are using WireWorld pair of Cat8 (one step down from the Platinum) that connect the NAS and the MacMini to the switch with the Platinum connected to the dCS.  I experimented with using MinimServer on my QNAP NAS in lieu of Roon. However I found it didn't perform as well and the sound was not on par with Roon.

 

Hope that helps.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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10 hours ago, AmusedToD said:

 

Did you test a direct bridged connection from you Mac Mini to the dCS? That's a rather great discovery of @romaz, and a very well known tweak on this forum (check the big thread "A novel way to massively...")

When I had the microRendu in the system I did try this and it was slightly better than relying on my switch configuration.  I've not tried it with the dCS as I expect to replace my MacMini with a Roon ROCK based server as soon as the Nucleus hardware starts to appear.

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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Interesting product but unless I can get one for trial I'll pass. Nobody, it seems, has ever reviewed it and I have to wonder if the "problems" they are claiming to mitigate really need fixing. "Clocking" occurs at all points along the path, it would seem.  And it's part of each Ethernet frame. Error checking is done all along the way ensuring bits out and in correspond, with necessary buffering and control flow, especially with smart switches. So, that's not an issue. I suppose going with battery power might help.  However, I've never heard that electrical issues plague Ethernet devices that are well designed.  Possibly a poor power supply can introduce noise into the audio system, but all such dongles, whether directly or indirectly getting DC  to devices can create issues.  Guess I'll await a review or two. 

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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Agree that there's certainly more to discover.  Just updated the firmware on my DAC so it now can do MQA, but also got a significant sonic bump in performance for PCM.  And that from the guys who delivered the Pacific Microsonics product.  

 

As for Ethernet, I've done testing with different cable company's designs and there are differences.  Some likely due to quality of materials, connectors, and even how the individual "lines" of data transfer are laid out.  Stuff is in the realm of electrical noise and just how the bits arrive (either taxing the sending/receiving devices in managing things and getting everything to the software players).  

 

Seems this is a never ending horse race with one overtaking another - and even new horses entering the race!

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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11 minutes ago, k-man said:

@AmusedToD Where did you get the information about no. 2, i.e. Internal Linear PSU? I understand if it had something along the lines of 'discrete linear regulators'. But usually dCS have their units powered by well designed SMPS. I only know of the Sonore Sig Rendu having the internal Linear PSU.

Not exactly the "horses mouth" but in http://highfidelity.pl/@main-759&lang=en it states:

"...The Stream Unlimited module is plugged in the main PCB prepared by dCS. This arrangement provides several additional possibilities: the signal is additionally clocked, there is also a multi-stage linear power supply, isolating the digital section and the oscillators. This large PCB features the above mentioned FPGA, as well as two beautiful oscillators, mechanically compensated and temperature controlled (they have their own "heating" that stabilizes their temperature)."

Steve Schaffer

Grimm MU1 / dCS Vivaldi Upsampler - APEX DAC - Clock / Spectral DMC-30SV preamp / Spectral Anniversary monoblocks / Wilson Audio Alexia V /  Wilson Lōkē subs / Shunyata Everest / Shunyata Omega interconnects, power cables, Ethernet / Shunyata Altaira / Uptone EtherREGEN switch / Cybershaft OP21A-D / Uptone JS2 LPS / HRS racks - Vortex footers - damping plates

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