Network Bridge Discussion Thread

Interesting review from Darko

So the interior main board / network card is the same down the whole range o dCS streaming products, from the Vivaldi Upsampler / Streamer to the NWB , that is great info , and also states that it is possible to squeeze a few drops more out of the NWB if dCS wanted to, as i see it.

Then Darko also mentions that he is using the non bit perfect vol. control in the Mosaic app, so he can use it as an pre-amp if connected to a DAC without volume control. That is not the best way to do it :flushed:

Hello, did you test the volume in Mosaic with your NB ?

If i have tested the volume in the mosaic app?

Yes , and it is not bit perfect and should always be set to 100%

That rather depends if you have a volume control in your setup. Just because it’s not bit perfect doesn’t mean it’s not a valid way to control volume. You might not even hear any of the minute losses anyway. Analogue volume controls have their own losses and distortions, after all.

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Agreed.

As far as I am aware Mosaic only sends commands to the dCS streaming component e.g Network Bridge which is where the activity occurs. If I am right then using the Mosaic volume control is activating a digital volume control in Network Bridge, it doesn’t do it in the app.

As for the question of bit perfect, no digital volume control is bit perfect below 0dbfs as they work by reducing bit depth. The interesting question is not "is it or isn’t it " bit perfect but whether the outcome produces audible loss of resolution. In earlier generations of dCS product (e.g. Scarlatti/Paganini) they asserted that loss of resolution would only start to occur with the volume control set below -20dbfs. I have to say that I was never able to detect any loss of resolution even if the volume control was set below this as the increasing reduction in volume made my hearing less and less able to detect any such loss :thinking:

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According to dCS them self’s the volume should always be set to 100% of the NWB to maintain full resolution.

" According to dCS them self’s the volume should always be set to 100% of the NWB to maintain full resolution."

Yes, that’s what I said " no digital volume control is bit perfect below 0dbfs ". However we are listening to music not looking at numbers ( at least I hope).

So, presumably you do not approve of anyone using the volume control on their dCS DAC as that is just the same as using the volume control on the Network Bridge albeit at a different position on the circuit?

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SQ Enhancement Hack

Maybe many of you have tested or heard about using media fibre converters?

I have used two TP-Link 210 converters for a few years now fed on pure battery power from a dual 9 volt lithium power-bank from Rockboard made for guitar pedals etc, that can charge simultaneously. This setup gives you a galvanically isolation from RF , HF , ground noise and the result is pretty huge vs if you are running the ethernet cable straight from your switch or router. The sound gets more solid and relaxed, with a deeper more precise soundstage. ( better separation )
I also using a short Supra CAT 8 Ethernet cables with 8 ferrite magnet clamps with floating ground.

https://www.tp-link.com/se/business-networking/accessory/mc210cs/?utm_medium=select-local

Power-bank:

This made a bigger difference than the rest of the enhancers and tweaks in my system did together, when i am streaming, and it just cost me about 200 € to try. :+1::ok_hand:

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This week I got my etherREGEN at the same time Roon upgraded to 1.7 and made some changes that might affect the sound.

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@octaviars Considering the amount of effort dCS have made (or have they?) towards reclocking and isolating the ethernet stream, has it made an improvement in your setup?

Waiting @octaviars answer and expecting my etherregen for December batch, I can tell you that even with a LPSU on a switch or a clocked switch like ones from fidelity audio brings some improvements. On Audiophile Style you can already read feedbacks from dCS Vivaldi stack owners concerning the etherregen.

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@Kelvin_L I made other changes to my system at the same time as I got the eR so I will have it in my system a couple of weeks and then change back to my old switch and see if it does anything.

@Patatorz I suppose you follow the threads at Audiophile Style and most people are happy with it.

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Yes I follow :grinning: and really excited to receive mine and test it in my system.

Does that include your Audio Envy cables? Just to remind you to let me know how you find them.

Nope they will arrive tomorrow :slight_smile:

Will report with pictures as soon as I have them.

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Mine is quite close to home : hope to receive it for the week end

I look forward to your impressions,

Just received. Burning time now

Does anyone know of any DACs available that are compatible with the DoP format via non-USB inputs?

The Network Bridge offers DoP output up to DSD64 via its BNC, AES and S/PDIF outputs. So far (other than dCS DACs) I’ve only found the Mytek Liberty to be compatible in this way. I can’t stretch to a Bartòk, but am a DSD/SACD fan and would like to investigate a viable companion for the dCS Network Bridge.

Thanks for any suggestions people know of.

Hello,
did you eventually see any improvement ?