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dCS Network Bridge


r_w

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I set up the NUC only today and I have ROCK on it. Previously I was using a Synology NAS and no Roon. Compared to the NAS/NB setup, I don't hear any problems.

 

My fanless case will arrive in a couple of weeks and I will then go to a Paul Hynes power supply as well. Not much point until then, as there is a fan in the NUC case which probably is doing all nasty things on the power supply rails. 

 

And Roon needs to finish the analysis and quiet down as well for me have a better opinion.

 

The best sound through NB came when used with a homebrew NAS using battery powered Asus Tinkerboard running minimserver. So I have my reference there. Lets see if the NUC/Roon will catch that. Its a very close call now. But the user experience in Roon is so good, I am not bothered with slightly lower sound quality.

 

I am not using upsampling or HQPlayer now. I tried briefly, and yes things sound a bit better with roon upsampling and yes NUC7i5 seems to handle it like a champ. No other DSP's though. I will try to give more info once things settle and quiet down. My DAC might not be the best for upsampling due to the design...

 

I use an external USB HDD to NUC, with which I also use a DC iPurifier, and connect it with Audioquest Cinnamon USB Cable.

 

Also, as mentioned many times elsewhere, optical isolation is a gem connecting NB to the switch. All these add up. quite nicely.

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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53 minutes ago, Confused said:

Absolutely, the good thing about the Network Bridge is that it is one thing I could easy get for home demo, I have a good relationship with a dealer that has a demo unit in store.  I would have a problem getting hold of Sonore or SOtM alternatives for comparison though, not an easy thing to do in the UK.  BTW, the Mutec MC3+USB also has AES/EBU (XLR) input, so a Network Bridge + Mutec MC3+USB set up could be a USB free solution.

 

Perfect, then by all accounts give it a try with the Ref10 and please report back.

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54 minutes ago, KunterK said:

I set up the NUC only today and I have ROCK on it. Previously I was using a Synology NAS and no Roon. Compared to the NAS/NB setup, I don't hear any problems.

 

My fanless case will arrive in a couple of weeks and I will then go to a Paul Hynes power supply as well. Not much point until then, as there is a fan in the NUC case which probably is doing all nasty things on the power supply rails. 

 

And Roon needs to finish the analysis and quiet down as well for me have a better opinion.

 

The best sound through NB came when used with a homebrew NAS using battery powered Asus Tinkerboard running minimserver. So I have my reference there. Lets see if the NUC/Roon will catch that. Its a very close call now. But the user experience in Roon is so good, I am not bothered with slightly lower sound quality.

 

I am not using upsampling or HQPlayer now. I tried briefly, and yes things sound a bit better with roon upsampling and yes NUC7i5 seems to handle it like a champ. No other DSP's though. I will try to give more info once things settle and quiet down. My DAC might not be the best for upsampling due to the design...

 

I use an external USB HDD to NUC, with which I also use a DC iPurifier, and connect it with Audioquest Cinnamon USB Cable.

 

Also, as mentioned many times elsewhere, optical isolation is a gem connecting NB to the switch. All these add up. quite nicely.

 

Yes, the fan inside the NUC is the main reason I am still using my iMac, not sure it would be a meaningful upgrade over the Mac. I am intrigued by the Sonictransporter though which is supposed to be fanless and completely silent. 

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35 minutes ago, AmusedToD said:

 

Yes, the fan inside the NUC is the main reason I am still using my iMac, not sure it would be a meaningful upgrade over the Mac. I am intrigued by the Sonictransporter though which is supposed to be fanless and completely silent. 

Fan noise is a killer if the NUC is in the same room with the system.  That's the primary reason I'm awaiting the Nucleus to replace my MacMini.  I believe Chris, in building his Roon R.O.C.K. for running Core, ran into this issue -- principally due to choosing the i7, driving fan noise.

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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4 hours ago, stevebythebay said:

Fan noise is a killer if the NUC is in the same room with the system.  That's the primary reason I'm awaiting the Nucleus to replace my MacMini.  I believe Chris, in building his Roon R.O.C.K. for running Core, ran into this issue -- principally due to choosing the i7, driving fan noise.

My i5 NUC is pretty silent even when driven hard with discovery and DSP. Yes the fan is there but need to be very close to hear.

 

I am more concerned that it is there using the electricity... Power supply should be contaminated, but I don't know by how much. I will see if it makes a difference when the fanless case arrives

Kii Three + BXT, dCS Network Bridge, Astell&Kern SP2000, Stromtank 2500, Roon Nucleus, Echole Power Cables, Mogami + Bocchino AES, SOTM Switch + CAT7 + CAT8

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I'd heard that the i5 is better in dealing with fan noise.  But not so good for very large libraries, ergo Chris seems to have a much as some streaming companies :D  

I'm waiting to see the actual specs for the Nucleus.  For what they're asking it had better be using an LPS.

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 hours ago, yellowblue said:

 

Good to know Romaz is still active! Curious why he has found the Network Bridge to sound thin, most reviews say exactly the opposite...

 

This review put an emphasis on “full bodied and close detailed”

 review-dCS-network-bridge-HiFi%20News.pd

 

This review says:”The sound was “meaty”, there was commitment, power.”

 

http://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-759&lang=en

 

 

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I have been using a Network Bridge for about 3 months.  For the first few weeks I thought it sounded a bit thin, though nicely detailed.  It started sounding better after breaking in for awhile (both it and my ears, I guess).  Now I prefer it to my microRendu which it replaced.

BobH

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17 minutes ago, bobh3501 said:

I have been using a Network Bridge for about 3 months.  For the first few weeks I thought it sounded a bit thin, though nicely detailed.  It started sounding better after breaking in for awhile (both it and my ears, I guess).  Now I prefer it to my microRendu which it replaced.

Considering the huge price difference between a microRendu and a dCS Network Bridge, I'd hope for remarkably better sound.  Can you tell us more about your listening impressions?

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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On 04/10/2017 at 4:53 AM, Cyrus said:

@stevebythebay   I need to update my signature. Here are some updates in case you have any additional thoughts??? Thanks.

 

I just ordered the Sonore UltraRendu, which will be powered by an Uptone Ultracap LPS-1. I also have an Uptone IsoRegen in the chain, powered by it's own LPS-1. Haven't gone all the way with Sonore in terms of the Signature Rendu SE, though it is still an option.

 

The UltraRendu is for testing purposes and will be used in a secondary system.

 

I've been sitting on the fence with respect to the dCS Network Bridge or Antipodes. I would have ordered the DX Gen 3 by now but want confirmation on user installed memory before doing so. For now, based on my needs, component flexibility and setup: I rank the DX Gen 3 / Core first followed by the dCS NB and then the Sig Rendu SE. The advantage of Antipodes for me, is having one component for multiple functions and I really like having the Roon Core/Server and Renderer functions contained in one unit. If I go with the dCS NB then either my current SGC sonicTransporter AP or the Antipodes Core will serve as Roon Core/Server 

 

The Schiit Yggdrasil will soon be joined by a Denafrips Terminator. 

Hi ,

When you get the terminator , i am very much interested by the comparison with the Yggdrasil .

PCserver Supermicro X11SAA under Daphile  ,Jcat pcie net card ,Etherregen,e-red dock endpoint,powered by LPS 1.2 , SPS 500 , Sean Jacobs level 3 psu,  DAC Audiomat Maestro 3, Nagra Classic Amp , Hattor passive preamplifier , Martin Logan montis

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Has anyone tried the dCS NB with A+ 3.1?  Damien says it should work if the dCS NB is fully DLNA compliant.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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20 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

Awesome news!

 

I have the perfect burn-in music to put on Auto repeat: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff. :D

 

Thanks, Rajiv! I’ll give it a listen, even though I have just started exploring classical music, so any directions from you would be highly appreciated!

 

The first and only test for this night, I connected the word clock out on the NB to the word clock in on the Paganini via a 0.7m Oyaide solid silver BNC cable. Guess what, the Paganini locks to 24/192 (even though the NB supposedly sends only up to 96 through the wclk out). So if the clocks are really synced (not sure how to confirm this), then my assumptions are apparently wrong and I am so very glad they are, no need to downsample in NB! :)

 

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7 minutes ago, AmusedToD said:

Thanks, Rajiv! I’ll give it a listen, even though I have just started exploring classical music, so any directions from you would be highly appreciated!

 

I was just riffing off the name of the component (Paganini). :P Actually, I've found the best burn in music to be ocean sounds.

 

7 minutes ago, AmusedToD said:

The first and only test for this night, I connected the word clock out on the NB to the word clock in on the Paganini via a 0.7m Oyaide solid silver BNC cable. Guess what, the Paganini locks to 24/192 (even though the NB supposedly sends only up to 96 through the wclk out). So if the clocks are really synced (not sure how to confirm this), then my assumptions are apparently wrong and I am so very glad they are, no need to downsample in NB! :)

 

I could take the low road and say: I told you so! But I won't. :D

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13 hours ago, rickca said:

Has anyone tried the dCS NB with A+ 3.1?  Damien says it should work if the dCS NB is fully DLNA compliant.

 

Yes, I have....the bridge was recognized immediately with A+ 3.1.  Have been using a ROON ROCK but now alternate with A+ which, to my ear,  sounds somewhat better than Roon.

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2 hours ago, wdw said:

 

Yes, I have....the bridge was recognized immediately with A+ 3.1.  Have been using a ROON ROCK but now alternate with A+ which, to my ear,  sounds somewhat better than Roon.

Great!  Thank you.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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5 hours ago, rickca said:

Great!  Thank you.

 

 

gotta say the Bridge presents the best digital we have heard in our system.  Was using Devialet Air ethernet directly into the Devialet mono blocks (and this is a great sounding protocol) but the insertion of the Bridge (ethernet into the Bridge and AES/XLR out to the Devialet) notched everything up substantially....an audible increase in delicacy and definition.  

News is out that the firmware update in coming next month (November) so we can continue to argue about MQA but with some more direct experience! :D

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3 minutes ago, wdw said:

News is out that the firmware update in coming next month (November) so we can continue to argue about MQA but with some more direct experience! 

I don't use TIDAL (I use Qobuz) so I really don't care about MQA.  What I care about is the USB output.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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