Hello, I am a new member and happy to have found this forum.
I recently acquired my Network Bridge and connected it to my Debussy. It was working fine for several hours. After leaving both units on, I got no sound the next day when the Debussy was set to SPDIF 1, but I still got sound when it was set to USB input. This is a list of factors that I believe might be relevant to my concern:
The Bridge is connected directly to my modem/router via ethernet and also connected
from USB to my computer.
I streamed music from Audirvana Studio which recognized the Bridge as “[UPnP] dcs-
network bridge” .
I also streamed from BubbleUPnP which also recognized the Bridge.
For comparison listening, I continually switched between both inputs and experienced
no problems hearing music from both inputs.
When playing music using the Bridge, the Debussy displayed the input as SPDIF 1 and
showed the correct sample rate. When the sample rate changed with the next track,
the Debussy showed the new sample rate, but no audio. This tells me that the Bridge
is sending the correct information to the Debussy, but is there other information not
being sent from the Bridge to the DAC?
Audirvana and Bubble both showed that music was playing. Audirvana first showed that the track was being buffered before it showed the track progressing.
I don’t know if the issue is with the Debussy or with the Bridge. Could my connecting cable be the problem? All I have at this time is an old Monster digital cable. I also tried using my RCA interconnect. Both cables worked initially and I could hear audio, but now neither works.
If it’s not the cable, would I still be able to get my Debussy or Bridge repaired at a service facility in the US?
I tried turning both units off and disconnecting the cable and disconnecting the power cords, and then reconnecting.
Thanks for any help or advice. The Bridge was sounding wonderful until I stopped hearing audio.
Hi audioerry . Welcome to the forum. I think I will need to PM you on this to avoid a posting here which will probably cover matters that most members will already be aware of. It is evening here and I don’t have the time to contact you right now so I hope you will be patient with me until tomorrow.
As no doubt you are feeling frustrated I will say that I doubt that your Network Bridge is broken and reading your posting indicates that you may not be using it as intended - I will talk about that when I PM you.
As a general point dCS will support you even though the Bridge is now a legacy item. Of course parts for digital units do not remain in circulation for ever but all dCS units are designed to have a long working life though at this stage of things I doubt that you may need to have recourse to a service as I suspect that your unfamiliarity with Network Bridge is the cause.
Both the Network Bridge and the Debussy are still repairable via our service centre in the USA if required - if you do need help with your problem (I see you are working through it with Pete) then please drop me an email at [email protected]…
Hi, I have a similar problem. I’ve just bought a NB and I’ve already have a Debussy. I connected them through dual AES (is this the better way?) and spdif input stop working on the Debussy. It seems a Debussy conflict because I tried with an IFI streamer and it also doesn’t work.
Thanks for your advices
I am unsure without clarification whether there is a fault . Yes, connecting NWB to Debussy with dual AES is a good way of doing it and probably the most common method. I am assuming that you are connecting S/Pdif at the same time so that you can select between them using the nput button? I am just checking that you are selecting the correct input. I think that should work as I don’t think it is a case of only connecting one or the other at the same time.
However if the Debussy’s S/Pdif input was working previously and it is a used but new to you unit then it does imply that the NWB S/Pdif output may be faulty. However you say that IFI streamer now won’t work into Debussy. Have you another unit with S/Pdif output that you are sure works to try ?
If NWB S/Pdif output is faulty then you may need to contact your local dCS dealer. Although now a legacy product you may still get support in this.
Thanks Pete for your comments. As you say dual AES is the most common way to connect them but is it the best? I compare single AES with dual AES and there was a significant difference in favor dual but a friend told me that spdif is better mainly with high frequencies.
Yes, I believe I connect spdif ok and the IFI was working before a replace the streamer so, I don’t really know but I will check again.
One thing I have realised over nearly 60 years of this hobby is that “best” is difficult to judge unless there is a clear technical reason. Otherwise it amounts to preferences and we all have them. If someone can provide any technical reason why AES is better then fine. In this case I think there may be but I am not equipped technically to go further. Other contributors may have better information. My immediate thought is that being balanced AES should be less prone to induced noise from external sources. Perhaps there is more.
As for single AES v. dual AES there is no difference except that single AES was originally limited to maximum sample rates of 96kHz. So the AES protocol was expanded ( dCS were involved in this) to divide the data for higher sample rates into two thus doubling the potential maximum data rate handled using twin cables. If you look carefully at your user manual you will see that for lower data rates e.g CD redbook 44.1 KS/s that although two AES cables may be connected only one will be in use. Higher rates can now be handled by single AES but not the highest such as DSD128. This is all easy to see on dCS units with display panels where you can watch to see if AES 1, 2,3 or 4 or AES 1+2 (or AES 3+4) are operating at any particular time and with auto dual AES can watch the dCS unit make changes as programme alters.
I would be sceptical about your friends’ observation and how generally it may be applied. Often we can be misled by testing for one thing which involves another change which is then overlooked e.g. different cables.
Thanks for your reply Pete.
I was also surprise of the differences I heard in SQ between single and dual AES, mainly because there where obvious.
Best regards