dCS Network Bridge

[AmusedToD]

5 minutes ago, Patatorz said:

Ok i obtained my answer from dCS. Take care

 

What did they say, when will the update be available for download?

[Patatorz]

They had delays in software development but should be ready within 1 or 2 months at least. The FW release will also include MQA.

[AmusedToD]

Sure they did. First they said October. When I asked them about the update in November, they said January. Now in January they say February or March. Hope they will roll it out by June. They are worse than Sony with their Dolby Vision update.

[Patatorz]

to be honest, who is really reliable in software updates as of now : Lumin and auralic ? After that....desert

[rickca]

1 hour ago, Patatorz said:

They had delays in software development but should be ready within 1 or 2 months at least. The FW release will also include MQA.

I wouldn't be surprised if the delay is due to MQA.

[AmusedToD]

40 minutes ago, rickca said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the delay is due to MQA.

 

Rossini got the MQA update in December.

[KunterK]

Hi guys 

Once again I can state everything, I mean everything, is important in computer related audio. 

 

Last week I received my Uptone Audio JS-2 power supply. 

 

With one output I powered my 20TB WD USB disk, at 12v. With the other,  I powered the send side of TPLink media converter, at 5v. This was already on battery power.

 

Man, what a difference. The music pouring out is just palpable, so real. One of the biggest upgrades I had. 

 

Just wanted to share. 

 

Cheers 

[AmusedToD]

1 minute ago, KunterK said:

Hi guys 

Once again I can state everything, I mean everything, is important in computer related audio. 

 

Last week I received my Uptone Audio JS-2 power supply. 

 

With one output I powered my 20TB WD USB disk, at 12v. With the other,  I powered the send side of TPLink media converter, at 5v. This was already on battery power.

 

Man, what a difference. The music pouring out is just palpable, so real. One of the biggest upgrades I had. 

 

Just wanted to share. 

 

Cheers 

 

Everything matters, I agree.

 

Two days ago I finally migrated my Roon server from a noisy Windows 10 machine to a ROCK (Intel NUC i5 in a fanless Akasa Newton S7 case) and powered it with an Sbooster BOTW linear PSU. I also used a USB 3.0 to ethernet adapter (cheap Amazon branded one) for the internet connection, whereas between the ROCK and my dCS NBR I kept the direct or “bridged” connection (thankfully it’s just plug and play, the Roon team have sorted this last year in one of the ROCK updates).  And voila, the music is much more relaxed with an easier flow and greater clarity. 

 

The only downside is that the NBR does not have internet access in this configuration, as it’s electrically isolated from the network, which is of course very good for audio. On the other hand, internet is not even needed for audio playback through Roon. When I need AirPlay, I just unplug the cable coming over of the ROCK server and insert another one connected to my switch. A 2 sec job.

[KunterK]

1 hour ago, AmusedToD said:

between the ROCK and my dCS NBR I kept the direct or “bridged” connection (thankfully it’s just plug and play, the Roon team have sorted this last year in one of the ROCK updates)

You still had to make NBR use static IP right? Can you share your setup details? (IP setup  on rock and NBR? 

[AmusedToD]

2 minutes ago, KunterK said:

You still had to make NBR use static IP right? Can you share your setup details? (IP setup  on rock and NBR? 

 

Nope, I did absolutely nothing. Started up ROCK, connected 1 ethernet cable (from the USB to ethernet adapter) to my network switch and connected 1 ethernet cable from the LAN input of the NUC directly to the dCS NBR. It all works perfectly. Please see the pics.

 

 

 

[KunterK]

Thank you. Will give it a try 

[iefbo]

Any thoughts on the DCS Network Bridge vs the Bricasti M5.

They look very similar.

 

[iefbo]

3 hours ago, KunterK said:

 

Once again I can state everything, I mean everything, is important in computer related audio. 

 

 

Doesn't that draw you to an all-in-one solution such as Aurender?

That would avoid (or drastically reduce) network reliance and other devices on the network (routers, switches, cabling, NAS, PC, etc).

[toetapaudio]

1 hour ago, iefbo said:

 

Doesn't that draw you to an all-in-one solution such as Aurender?

That would avoid (or drastically reduce) network reliance and other devices on the network (routers, switches, cabling, NAS, PC, etc).

Even top end streamers like Lumin A1/S1 benefit from a better switch like the one made by AQVOX for example. LAN cable quality also counts, like Sablon for example. PS to switch also makes a difference.

[toetapaudio]

1 hour ago, iefbo said:

Any thoughts on the DCS Network Bridge vs the Bricasti M5.

They look very similar.

 

http://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/network-player-reviews/bricasti-m5-network-player/

 

Also consider Lumin U1 for best sound quality, more expensive, but basically it’s a S1 less dac module.

[KunterK]

1 hour ago, iefbo said:

 

Doesn't that draw you to an all-in-one solution such as Aurender?

That would avoid (or drastically reduce) network reliance and other devices on the network (routers, switches, cabling, NAS, PC, etc).

I changed Aurender N10 for dCS  and yes to my ears the result is much better even in same conditions... and it goes further with enhancements on the surrounding stuff...

[KunterK]

3 hours ago, AmusedToD said:

 

Nope, I did absolutely nothing. Started up ROCK, connected 1 ethernet cable (from the USB to ethernet adapter) to my network switch and connected 1 ethernet cable from the LAN input of the NUC directly to the dCS NBR. It all works perfectly. Please see the pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes it simply works... I was scared a bit assigning static IP to NBR since there is no easy way to reset the device if something goes wrong.

 

And yes it sounds better this way

 

Thank you

[AmusedToD]

27 minutes ago, KunterK said:

Yes it simply works... I was scared a bit assigning static IP to NBR since there is no easy way to reset the device if something goes wrong.

 

And yes it sounds better this way

 

Thank you

 

Sure mate, good to know it works in your setup too. Do you have a linear PSU for the ROCK?

[KunterK]

4 minutes ago, AmusedToD said:

 

Sure mate, good to know it works in your setup too. Do you have a linear PSU for the ROCK?

Yes. A Paul Hynes SR 5 at 15v. Works beautifully.

 

The only place I have left to attend to is the receiving end of the media bridge, which now runs on batteries. I may give the new Uptone LPS1.2 a try.

[Beolab]

Great great review: 

 

 

Did you guys know that it takes 10 working days to build a dCS NBR from start to finish incl. all rigorous tests in between. 

 

 https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017/11/05/review-dcs-network-bridge-the-swiss-army-knife-of-streamers/

[stevebythebay]

On 1/25/2018 at 3:51 AM, AmusedToD said:

 

Everything matters, I agree.

 

Two days ago I finally migrated my Roon server from a noisy Windows 10 machine to a ROCK (Intel NUC i5 in a fanless Akasa Newton S7 case) and powered it with an Sbooster BOTW linear PSU. I also used a USB 3.0 to ethernet adapter (cheap Amazon branded one) for the internet connection, whereas between the ROCK and my dCS NBR I kept the direct or “bridged” connection (thankfully it’s just plug and play, the Roon team have sorted this last year in one of the ROCK updates).  And voila, the music is much more relaxed with an easier flow and greater clarity. 

 

The only downside is that the NBR does not have internet access in this configuration, as it’s electrically isolated from the network, which is of course very good for audio. On the other hand, internet is not even needed for audio playback through Roon. When I need AirPlay, I just unplug the cable coming over of the ROCK server and insert another one connected to my switch. A 2 sec job.

Sounds like a nice upgrade.  I'm considering getting an entry Roon Nucleus if it ever becomes real.  However, from what I gather, there will be no initial LPS.  If I want to emulate what you've done, what are the parts I need to get to pull this off?

[AmusedToD]

10 minutes ago, stevebythebay said:

Sounds like a nice upgrade.  I'm considering getting an entry Roon Nucleus if it ever becomes real.  However, from what I gather, there will be no initial LPS.  If I want to emulate what you've done, what are the parts I need to get to pull this off?

 

The entry level Nucleus is basically an i3 NUC in a fanless case with a high markup. You can make yourself a more powerful machine for much less money.

 

If you intend to use a 2.5” internal SSD for music storage, you should get the NUC7i5BNH. If you don’t intend to use internal storage, just get the NUC7i5BNK. The 7th gen i5 NUC offers 90% of performance of the i7 NUC, but the consumption is much lower (only 15w), so you can use a good quality linear PSU with it. I opted for an Sbooster BOTW 18-19v, which is compatible with both the i3 and i5 NUCs. You can use other supplies, but keep in mind they should offer at least 36w (you basically get the number by multiplying voltage and amperage, for example 12v/3A gets you to 36w).

 

You will also need a 128GB M.2 SSD for the operating system, and 8GB of RAM. See Roon’s recommendations here: https://kb.roonlabs.com/Roon_Optimized_Core_Kit

 

The fanless case I used is an Akasa Newton S7, it’s made exactly for the above mentioned NUCs. When installing the NUC, use a high quality thermal paste instead of the one supplied by Akasa. I used the CoolerMaster Mastergel Maker Nano. 

 

All components are available on Amazon (not sure about the Sbooster).

 

Please also check this video (it’s not the exact same NUC and Akasa case, but the principle is identicle). 

 

 

 

 

 

[stevebythebay]

14 minutes ago, AmusedToD said:

 

The entry level Nucleus is basically an i3 NUC in a fanless case with a high markup. You can make yourself a more powerful machine for much less money.

 

If you intend to use a 2.5” internal SSD for music storage, you should get the NUC7i5BNH. If you don’t intend to use internal storage, just get the NUC7i5BNK. The 7th gen i5 NUC offers 90% of performance of the i7 NUC, but the consumption is much lower (only 15w), so you can use a good quality linear PSU with it. I opted for an Sbooster BOTW 18-19v, which is compatible with both the i3 and i5 NUCs. You can use other supplies, but keep in mind they should offer at least 36w (you basically get the number by multiplying voltage and amperage, for example 12v/3A gets you to 36w).

 

You will also need a 128GB M.2 SSD for the operating system, and 8GB of RAM. See Roon’s recommendations here: https://kb.roonlabs.com/Roon_Optimized_Core_Kit

 

The fanless case I used is an Akasa Newton S7, it’s made exactly for the above mentioned NUCs. When installing the NUC, use a high quality thermal paste instead of the one supplied by Akasa. I used the CoolerMaster Mastergel Maker Nano. 

 

All components are available on Amazon (not sure about the Sbooster).

 

Please also check this video (it’s not the exact same NUC and Akasa case, but the principle is identicle). 

 

Thanks.  Currently using a late 2014 MacMini 2.8Ghz i5 8gb mem w. 250 GB SSD.  I'm wondering how your solution compares to the i7 Nucleus.  When I look at my music collection it fits more than comfortably within the lower system, so I gather an i5 is overkill.  Wondering how much benefit I'd get, if any, in making this change.  Also, whether taking your approach of separating the physical Ethernet networks would yield sonic benefits.  Currently I'm using just one port wired to my Cisco 8-port switch.  My NAS is colocated and wired there as well, in addition to a wired Eero access point (for iPad WiFi access).  The dCS NB is wired into the Cisco as well.  Is this all about hardware or software interference???

 

 

 

a

[Beolab]

I think most of your discussions about  NUC , Rock , Roon , Rendu etc etc can be find elsewhere or by PM , very hard for newcomers to navigate otherwise. Just a small hint. 

 

The NBR is Galvanicly Isolated both the network board incl. the RJ45 ethernet input, what you achieve with the extra tweeking is a degraded timed jittery signal to start with if you are using a Media Converter or using dual ethernet etc. It may sound fluid and with a linear power supply, but it is not the intended way things should sound.  Try just to go with a decent short Cat 7 cable from a wireless accesspoint and compare it with all other gadgets in between, you will end up in the first place in a few month from now. I have already gone the long way and tested it and found out what makes the NBR sound most neutral and at is overal best. 

 

I have masaured the jitter and noise levels with a Pro RJ45 Tool tester i rented a few weeks. 

 

Happy weekend

[AmusedToD]

Well, it’s better to make it more futureproof by selecting more powerful components. Perhaps you will decide to use DSP and upsampling at some point, I am not sure i3 will be able to fulfill those tasks.

 

The “bridged” approach is something @romaz discovered last year. Your can try it with you Mac and see if you hear any benefits.