DCS Network Bridge

[PAR]

4 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

Can I ask what streaming solution you had before the Bridge? How does the SQ compare?

 

Does Mosaic integrate Tidal/Quobuz?

 Before I used the Network Bridge ( with a Melco N1ZH/2 as NAS) I was using a dedicated music PC running JRiver MC v.25 for local file replay ( from external HDD storage)and Qobuz' native desktop app. The PC's USB output was conditioned by a number of ifi devices and great attention had been made to cables. The resulting sound was IMO very good indeed for ripped or streamed programme material compared with e.g. the original CDs played via my dCS Paganini transport. The sound was identical or perhaps sometimes  slightly better.

 

The Melco/dCS Network Bridge combination was demonstrated in my home allowing direct comparison with my PC setup. I had allowed an hour for the dealer to convince me of the  superiority of the Melco/dCS. In fact it took around 4 seconds  for me to realise that the Melco/dCS provided a  superior soundworld. An opinion that the past couple of months' hands on experience has done nothing to alter.

 

Yes, the Network Bridge/ Mosaic Control does provide access to Tidal and Qobuz. In regard to the latter it provides all of the search and replay characteristics but not the excellent text aspects of the native Qobuz GUI such as the ability to access the CD booklets or to read original Qobuz essays on the music, performers, label or musical style etc. This is, I understand,  down to Qobuz' decision on what they supply to partners rather than the result of any omission on dCS' part. I therefore still use a PC from time to time to access these aspects. Insofar as Tidal is concerned the Network Bridge in combination with a dCS DAC also provides full decoding of their MQA repertoire.

[skatbelt]

5 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

Has anyone compared the dCS Bridge to the Metrum Acoustics Ambre; particularly over AES?

 

 

 

No competition (for the dCS)...

[Patatorz]

18 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

 

That's interesting, thanks. I can't tell any difference between AES and I2S between Ambre and Adagio.

 

In your opinion, does the performance difference of the Bridge justify the cost over the Ambre?

 

I will PM you about alternate OS so as not to take the thread off topic.

I only tested the AES and I2S between the ambre and the Pavane. i2S is definitely better in terms of sound stage and bandwith extension. This is the post of the Network Bridge so perhaps better to discuss somewhere else. By the way you need also to pay attention to support that is amazing with dCS : evolution, communication, features,.....I would not say that you could have the save support with the other competitor.

[PAR]

 

21 hours ago, Patatorz said:

By the way you need also to pay attention to support that is amazing with dCS : evolution, communication, features,.....I would not say that you could have the save support with the other competitor.

Having been a dCS customer since 1998/9 I can confirm that this is a great company to deal with. Not only do they work at the highest level of technical expertise but their customer relations are of a standard that many other companies would do well to emulate.

 

The link is to a brief video made ( I think) by a Dutch audio magazine visiting the dCS factory. It may not be of the most sophisticated production quality but it does contain a short explanation of how dCS' unique ring DAC functions and gives a glimpse into the quality control procedure they have. Each piece manufactured is tested via a unique (again) computerised test regime. The list of dCS' technical innovations explains why they had to design and build their own test equipment. It  is then listened to and is not shipped until signed off by three dCS employees from various departments in the company not involved in its construction.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZKcaQ90zmw

[octaviars]

Review of the Network Bridge up on Darko.

 

Darko dCS NB

[sfseay]

I see from dCS’s website there are two dealers in the USA.  One of the dealers - hifibuys - doesn’t have any DCS products on their site.  The only other US dealer is listed in NY.  Where are people buying their Network Bridges in the US?

 

thanks in advance for any assistance.  Looking to buy one now.

[PAR]

Where did you get your information from? I just checked the dCS website for USA dealers and there are 22 of them.

 

https://www.dcsltd.co.uk/find/where-to-find/

[jcn3]

14 hours ago, sfseay said:

I see from dCS’s website there are two dealers in the USA.  One of the dealers - hifibuys - doesn’t have any DCS products on their site.  The only other US dealer is listed in NY.  Where are people buying their Network Bridges in the US?

 

thanks in advance for any assistance.  Looking to buy one now.

 

Don't filter by product - you'll see a full list of dealers across the country without it.

[sfseay]

1 hour ago, jcn3 said:

 

Don't filter by product - you'll see a full list of dealers across the country without it.

Thanks.  I previously filtered by the network bridge.  I see the complete list now

[DavidL]

On 8/17/2019 at 11:50 AM, DavidL said:

Yes I am using Mosaic Control but it has a serious bug (for me) that is known to dCS and I'm told will be fixed in version 1.0.2:

 

Currently Mosaic lists music library contents as Album/Composer rather than Album/Artist. This is a major problem as I use ‘Album’ for ‘Work’ for the classical music in my library so where I have several performances of the same work by different artists in my library they all look the same in the Mosaic album listing! 

 

Compared with BubbleUPnP I'm missing a scroll bar that allows rapid, accurate access to items in a long list. So until version 1.0.2 arrives I'm still using BubbleUPnP as controller. Of course I therefore have to accept that playback is not gapless.

 

 

An update. Yesterdays release of the dCS Mosaic control app 1.02 has fixed (1) the Listing of albums and added other browsing features. Scrolling (2) is 'in the works' for future release.
As a result I've just switched from BubbleUPnP to Mosaic. Playback is now gapless and sound quality is improved in my perception.

[Account Closed]

Anyone know if there is a USB output capable version on the way? Also, is Amazon HD Music integration going to happen in the future?

[PAR]

2 hours ago, bobflood said:

Anyone know if there is a USB output capable version on the way? Also, is Amazon HD Music integration going to happen in the future?

I don't think that dCS ultimately consider USB to be a suitable audio interface for technical reasons. There is a USB input but they say that the user experience is not good ( e.g. no album artwork etc.). It is really only a convenience feature. Please bear in mind that the primary purpose of the Network Bridge is to provide connectivity with  earlier generations of dCS equipment all of which incorporate dual AES/EBU connection, that being the preferred interface.

 

I have asked dCS about Amazon HD and, at the time, they were "considering" it. However information from other sources says that there is no proper API available from Amazon so that would prevent dCS from developing a corresponding modification to Mosaic. In any case, as remarked upon at great length on these forums, Amazon have not even included any ability to select  ASIO/WASAPI exclusive mode in their own Windows players which really prevents convenient replay of the HD service at audiophile standards with this OS and probably indicates Amazon's approach to the whole subject.  Other than that, who knows what the future may bring.

[jcn3]

3 hours ago, bobflood said:

Anyone know if there is a USB output capable version on the way? 

 

there's a bigger thread on the nb in the general forum.  here's the answer to your question:

 

 

 

[Account Closed]

On 11/6/2019 at 8:24 PM, jcn3 said:

 

there's a bigger thread on the nb in the general forum.  here's the answer to your question:

 

Thanks, I saw that a while back. I was hoping that maybe there would be some movement to a USB output capability since then.