i can’t really comment on that. But personally i would go more to separate dac/ transport combo, like puccini or debussy with dcs bridge.
This technology is quickly evolving, so in the future it will be easier to upgrade one of the separated components. They both exist second hand.
Qutest is a stand out product. Sound quality is more important than looks IMHO
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Dear Steve
From a Lancashireman to a Yorkshireman.
I had the dCS Network Bridge with my 272 and, briefly, with a Debussy.
(There is a thread on it.)
The Debussy had a lot more detailed audio information than the 272, but was (for me) musically dead.
And the NB was a solidly engineered but extremely expensive streamer that did not impair the signal as it came in from the internet and moved towards the DAC and amps.
Overall recommendation - you would get a much better result from getting a Naim DAC and 555PSDR with a good quality basic bridge to feed it.
cheers
Jim
I can’t begin to fathom what that could possibly mean. Was that a comment from a professional writer? Does that mean the PS Audio DSD is too dynamic? Too much texture? Soundstage is overly deep/wide/high? Too transparent? I’m confused. Anyway, plenty of DAC’s in your price range so I’m sure you’ll find one you enjoy…good luck with your search!
“There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind … the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it’s successful; if it doesn’t it has failed.”
- Duke Ellington
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Well there are several reviews out there from the various online publications but, for example,
“What is Clear with these characteristics is that the DirectStream is going to hugely appeal to John or Juliette Vinyl, who do things the old way but want a foray into streaming and digital audio. Or anyone who wants a relaxed sound in digital for that matter.”
or
“Those coming from vinyl might prefer for the DirectStream’s sometimes softer transient attack.”
Saying that a lot of these reviews are several years old and a couple of updates out of date and as one review said, each f/w update is like a completely new DAC.
As a DA method I do like the directstream concept… in my youth I read a little on AD/DA (building very hi res analytical instruments for chemical analysis, using off the shelf components I hasten to add) and I like the principles behind DSD.
I’ll certainly put the PS Audio DAC on the ‘must try’ list.
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i didn’t heard the debussy but the puccini. The later was very involving and dynamic, quite wonderful.
The new range today, the rossini, is less elegant and more analytical.
the puccini looks nice for me also.
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You can buy it ready built from the Volumio website, or as a build it yourself job (see nbpf’s post).
I built my own, and run MoodeAudio software.
Regarding power supplies, you will need two, for the “dirty” & “clean” sections. Allo used to recommend a standard Raspberry Pi supply for the dirty side and a battery pack for the clean. However they now produce a suitable PS with two isolated outputs. An interesting alternative is the Cuinas Audio ISO-PS Supercapacitor dual +5V feeding both clean and dirty sides. Do not be tempted by the iFi +5v for the clean side - for some reason the iFi and the ADS do not play nicely together, and the result is a horribly distorted audio stream!
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A confusion
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Two’s company , three’s a crowd maybe …
I haven’t been using Hugo so much and just had batteries replaced but would be sad to let him go …
A fortune?
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My Dragonfly Cobalt has arrived… out of the box sounded clean and tight but a little uninvolving… however after a run in of several hours it starts to groove… and becomes satisfyingly musically and emotional … quite interesting effect… really enjoying it now with my HD650s… listening to the new Freddy Mercury compilation ‘Never Boring’ via Qobuz @ 48/24
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I only really use headphones while travelling or running through my IPhone . The lift the Dragonfly Red gave me was surprisingly good which has led to much more use and enjoyment. I mainly listen to Spotify or the Radio through £200ish Shure IEM’s , I get the feeling I’m holding the Red back a little but like it all the same .
Enjoy your Cobalt .
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Hi SS,
I did wonder what you are going to feed these DACs with, unless I have missed it. I have found that it definitely makes a difference.
In my case, mainly non-Naim, I preferred the dCS Network Bridge over the likes of Sonore or SOtM, especially as it was better AND tweak free!
That said, when I bought a Linn Klimax Renew DS/1 I thought it was as good as anything else I have had in my system …although tonally different. Above I saw that the Katalyst version was recommended, and I have no doubt it will be excellent. Thought I would mention the Renew variants as they are superb bang for buck; and, very actively supported.
M
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Another vote for the DCS Network Bridge, which I found to be even more effective than its (more expensive) Auralic G2 equivalent when feeding a posh Chord dac.
Best regards, BF
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The dCS bridge is right at the top of my list… 
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Hi Steve,
The DCS Network Bridge is excellent, though I ended up with a Sonore UltraRendu due to the isolation that a fibre optic network connection brings and am not disappointed. Perhaps it may become a Signature Rendu one day.
Alternatively, a Naim NDX2 makes for an outstanding streamer with a very good dac inside. If you ever feel the urge to upgrade at a later date, you could either add an external power supply or a better external dac, leaving the NDX2 as an excellent streaming front end. It would certainly be on my shortlist if I were in your position.
Hope this helps, BF
tbh the tweak free element is one of the good aspects 
Yes, it’s plug and forget.
Lots of services, Quobbledbuzz, Groovlicious radio x1000, etc.
little MQA blue and green lights also come on and dance like tiny fireflies in hypnotic patterns, indictating that someone from the actual record label actually signed a bit of paper (perhaps in blood) to authenticate the musical veracity of the music
and it looks cool on the rack, with the extremely restrained (but somehow indicative of Power) tiny blue (MQA-ish) light emitting diode saying ‘Yes, I’m always ready to serve you master.’
But in the end it’s £3k and it doesn’t sound better than a good bridge like wot Bluesfan got
how do you know Jim? have you compared sonore vs dcs bridge?
I compared my 272’s streaming capability with the dCS NB.
They were equal on SQ.