From what I’ve read, because I almost purchased one, is that the bridge is best with older dcs products because you need the dual plugs to go higher rez.
Otherwise your just limiting it’s abilities.
…or you may try Innous Zen or Zenith connected to DAC…sounds great! roon core, roon server, upnp, app for iOS…with internal ssd or hdd
The InnuOS could be connected directly to older streamers via their dedicated Ethernet outputs, thus effectively providing a single box solution and full LAN isolation. Indeed, a very simple and clean approach with no redundancies and, I would expect, excellent sound quality.
or you use the USB out of Innuous and connect it to DAC in (I use a Shiit UBS to SPDIF converter for that)
I don’t get the logic of connecting a streamer to a streamer/amp… are we talking about connecting Bridge to 272?
Nor do I. It would make more sense to connect the DCS to a Dac and a preamp. I’ll be interested to hear how it works out. There is great synergy between the various parts of the 272, which is why it punches above its weight. That synergy will be reduced using a different streamer. I know Jim is really keen on MQA. I’ve never heard it so don’t know if it’s worth spending £3,000 to get. The quality of Tidal can be significantly increased in a 272 by installing Bubble upnp on one’s NAS which effectively turns Tidal into a local upnp source. The advantage of Bubble over the DCS is that the latter costs £3,000 and the former £0. I wonder if Bubble with non-MQA sounds any different to DCS with MQA Tidal?
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Hello JimDog
Can’t wait to hear your results. I have the Mytek Manhattan II operating now for 3 days and have some results, but out of respect, I am waiting for your initial thoughts/results. I also wanted to ask if you think its appropriate to post here,or should I start a new topic and keep this one dcs?
Bailyhill
Colleague came over on Sunday with his dCS Network Bridge, we tried it in a number of configurations in my system with NAP300dr and ATC SCM 40 speakers:
Into the digital input of my SU - This cleaned up the sound nicely, I think I expected this.
Into an Audio Note DAC One - A pleasing combination, the AN DAC softens most things! I could live with this, but limited to standard res. due to the AN DAC
Into a Hugo TT2 - clean sound, but lacking the ‘Naim fun sound’ with rock material, I found this a trait of the TT2 generally. To my ears it was good with classical programme.
Into the digital input of NDX2 - Comparable to NDX2, may be an improvement over NDX2 on its own, but close in my system.
My findings are, a secondhand dCS would be worth buying for me, leaving me with a choice of DACs in the future.
I liked the NDX2, nice unit, easy to set up and use, pleasing Naim sound.
I would also like to try the Linn Selekt configured as a streamer-pre with the posher DAC option fitted, but I will probably wait to see if anyone else brings out something new in the coming 12 months.
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Wow 
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Bailyhill
You are welcome to post anything you want to on this thread.
My first listening test results are posted above.
Fittingly, the system tells me that I just earned my first emoji.
Jim
So I plugged in the dCS NB after the Cisco, then via Chord Shawline into 272, 150x, Chord Epics, Arivas.
Everything sounds tighter, more clearly defined, finer, but also more meaty if both those things are possible.
But the tone of the music, the sonic signature of my system is still Naim.
This is a better result than I hoped for.
I promised my wife last night ‘no more boxes’.
well, I don’t need any more…
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can you say a bit how is the sound of the mytech dac connected to your nd555?
mqa are read, but the sound is better, different, still with prat and involvement?
good to hear you enjoy this dcs. Specially that it improved by a good margin the sound without altering the naim character.
Well done!
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Glad, you are enjoying the dcs. When i compared it to my then nd5xs , it was a massive improvement and i had to sell the nd5xs. The dcs seems to improve the older generation streamers quite a bit. Have you considered swapping your 272 for second hand 202 and ndac ?
The 272 sale would pay for both and you would improve things even more in the process.
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Thanks JimDog for your impressions of the dcs/mqa. I am glad you are impressed.
I have a little different story but similar reaction. Jim and I both have posted and querried about mqa. I have read tons on it both positive and negative. I have an ND555/PSU555 as my source. Its been a lifelong ambition and somewhat labor of love to try to duplicate the original music as it sounded to the performers. Would MQA bring me a step closer?
So you understand my bias’: I have an unorthodox system by the standards of this forum. I share the love of the Naim sound. I have Apogee Scintillas, Krell, Townshend Autotransformer Preamp, Naim Core, Townshend Podiums, Naim Fraim, Inakustics and Fractal f1 interconnects and speaker wires. Most of the equipment is new-except the 35 year old Krell which was rebuilt 6 months ago, and the Apogees which are bone stock(also 35 years old). Built my first sound system in 1958, had Marantz 7c/8b in the 70’s, Co-Founded Apogee Acoustics in the 80’s, designed the Full Range Ribbons, and the Scintillas, had ML6a’s, Goldmund TT, Koetsu, ML2’s, ML3’s, ML9’s, Krell in the 80’s. I was trained as an Aeronautical Engineer and Retired from a major Defense Contractor as Director of Engineering of Navigation Products. I don’t care about lossy, lossless, DRM, Royalties, Open/Closed Source, filters, unfolds, etc. My mission was to determine if MQA via a Mytek Manhattan II would bring me a step closer to the original venue/studio/hall in my system. I have no financial interest in any audio company, and I own all of the above equipment which I was fortunate enough to purchase and I got no dealer accommodations.
After a few days with the Mytek,I can say with the early state of Tidal, its pretty much impossible to find the same cut in both hi rez and mqa and both from the same masters. There is lots of Tidal Master Quality available, but its not on the same album. Some albums have several mqa files and the rest are hi rez or redbook. At least with the play lists and search function using Mconnect which is native to the Mytek. Perhaps Roon would help here, by forcing the mqa file, but then getting the hi rez one seems like its a chore according to what I am reading on the Roon Forums.
My first comparison was of Diana Krall, The Look of Love 24-96, Turn up the Quiet 24-192 and The Girl in the other Room MQA. The only song that was repeated was The Night we called it a day–on 24-96 and MQA. Diana is marvelous in all of them. I think it was Nigel who posted several months ago about her–thanks. Well the MQA sounded richer, more extended, the notes were pure, soundstage was more filled in with more depth. Not an a/b test by any means, but not a problem to pick out the the version that took me closer to what I imagine the original venue. Just sounded better.
Lots of classical material on TIDAL masters. Particularly French Suite #3 in B Minor BWV 814 and Elgar:Romance op 62, The Lyrical Bassoon–The timber of the music was the best in MQA.
James Taylor: You’ve Got a Friend, How Sweet It Is, Shower the People you Love with Love were available both ways and I preferred the MQA.
At this point Tidal has lots of mixed playlists by artist and by genres, some are Masters and some are Hi Rez. I sat at my desk working yesterday afternoon, with my back to the music system and just let some playlists go, while I worked on a new project. What I found is that I would hear cuts that sounded exceeding good, approached what I thought the original sound should be like, and not knowing, I turned around to see if the “MQA” screen was lit. In about 40 times, when I did this, The MQA screen was lit. 2 times the screen read “PCM” cut, very very good.
For me, in this system, the soundstage has more depth, filled in across the room more than with hi rez, the purity at low volume level is much better, the clarity is just better. I can also say that MQA 24-192 is better than MQA 24-96. Some classical music MQA 24-352 is the best, but we are crossing genres so its really different. I heard more of the hall in the 352 vs the others.
So some of this is with the ND555 playing, some its playing thru the Mytek, some is the Mytek for both hi rex vs mqa. Its quite subjective, but MQA consistently gives me more of what I am looking for–convincing me that the sound is in the original venue.
As a final thing, this morning I took a 2 hour ferry ride to Nantucket. I was able to punch in James Taylor, How Sweet it is both in hi rez and mqa on my iPhone and listen. Definitely sounded better in mqa. I was shocked that the iPhone would show the difference. But it did, and it was something that I think most of the younger crown would recognize and prefer immediately.
Message to Naim–I hope your are working to integrate this into our equipment. My iPhone experience above tells me “MQA is Coming to a store near you”.
My bias’, thoughts, experience for 3 days of MQA. I am no longer on the fence. MQA is a step closer for me. Sorry for the long post, but either I can give a one word answer, or share these experiences with you. I suggest an audition for those inclined.
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Is the 202 as a good as the 272 preamp?
and is the nDAC as good as the 272 DAC?
Also, when you factor in the cost of sale and the possibility of one of the 3 transactions going wrong somehow in the murky waters of the 2nd hand market where I have to operate I’d rather kick back and listen to tunes and luxuriate in the happenstance of a redundant streamer section.
As to the first, no. As to the second, yes. It would be a 282 you want. At a price of course.
a real step would be 282/ hicap/ ndac to dcs . But more boxes and more expensive.
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My concern with MQA is its closed source nature, but this is powerful testimony.
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Danger - Money Pit Warning!
After all, once you have an nDAC, and a damned fine DAC it is, surely the nagging temptation of a PS555DR can’t be too far behind; and then, of course, that 282 will start to look like a bottle neck …
Or, just stick with the 272.
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