PS Audio DirectStream network bridge

Thank you, this is what I wanted to know. It sounds like Roon has the ability to connect to the network bridge directly over the lan so I could keep my computer elsewhere if I use Roon. I'm trying to decide how much I don't want a computer in the same room as my stereo.

The network bridge costs $899, which happens to be the price of a new MacBook Air so for the same money I could buy a usb cable and a new Mac to dedicate to nothing but playing music, plus I would have the advantage of having a spare computer. Additionally, usb is more reliable than a lan, requires less configuration, has a lower cost and I wouldn't be locked into using Roon, which while I hear it is good, is very expensive compared to bitperfect and possibly other future choices.

If the network bridge cost $300 instead of $899, this would be an easy choice but as it is there are advantages to going either way.

You are very welcome.  I am happy to be able to share the knowledge on this forum.  Most of the time the other users know a lot more than I do!  But in this case, I have been around the block.

Yes, the bridge does connect over the lan, so you don't need the computer near the audio system.  A big benefit in my eyes as it reduces the clutter.

The bridge is pricey, but it is not just a convenience item.  The bridge acts as its own player, and plays the music that is streamed to it.  When you use USB, you are using the computer as the player and streaming music via USB.  Sonically, the bridge is superior to the USB connection.

Another benefit is that with the bridge, you separate a very noisy machine from the system.  Computers generate a lot of non-hifi-friendly system noise and that can be introduced into the system via USB, not to mention that the computer itself sometimes makes noise - be it a fan or hard drive sounds from an external drive.

Ok, so yes, the bridge is superior to USB for several reasons.

You do not need Roon to use the bridge, but you'd be foolish not to.  J River will stream data to the bridge, it's just that J Rriver sucks.  Some say they think it is sonically superior to Roon.  I have not found that to be the case.  J River is to Roon as a hoarder's house in the ghetto is to a Le Corbusier designed living room in a Swiss mountain villa overlooking Lake Geneva.

On to Roon.  Yes, it is expensive.  $10/month forever.  That's pricey when compared to the affordability of cheap software such as J River or the other offerings such as pure music or other USB player options.  I will say two things about that.  One, you get what you pay for.  The engineers who made Roon are on another level.  If you know about their history and what they achieved with Sooloos, and how Meridian snatched that up in the early days, you will know these guys are leagues ahead of the competition.  Two, when you compare the cost to other household expenses, and consider what you get for the $10, I think it will not sound expensive anymore.  How much is your cable TV / Internet bill?  How much do you pay for HBO?  How much enjoyment do you get out of those costs?  What is the cost of a single cocktail in a restaurant? An extra $10 per month is not really a deal breaker in my opinion.  

As for a computer in the other room, I would say that if you have only one computer now, start there.  I think that if you are listening to music, you are likely not stressing the computer with other tasks.  Quit the other apps, fire up Roon, and listen that way.  Control Roon with an iPhone or iPad in the audio area and you're all set.  If you want a dedicated computer, find a recent 2nd hand or refurbished mac mini.  you do not need a display.  You can temporarily plug it into a TV to set it up.  Then, you can use screen sharing mode to control it from the other mac you have.  I set up my mac mini to atomically launch Roon when it starts up, and I also set it to automatically shut down at 2AM.  This way, when I want to listen to digital music, I simply power on the mac mini, without having to see any display, it starts up, launches Roon, and my phone can see it and control it.  Then, when I am done, and forget to shut it off, it does that on its own at 2AM.

Here's a mac mini on eBay with an SSD drive and a newer processor than mine for $350 used:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Mini-A1347-Desktop-MC815LL-A-July-2011-El-Capitan-SSD-/27230660496...

This is the mac mini that I have, a touch older, with an optical drive for ripping CDs for $250...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Mini-A1347-Mid-2010-2-66Ghz-4GB-320gb-HD-el-Capitan-/252480488661?...

Good luck.  If you have any other questions, or would like to chat, send me a text, I'd be happy to chat on the phone.  - Mark 305-775-3020

Thanks Mark, the mountain villa analogy made me laugh, good post. I'm still considering both possibilities but now I feel I'll be making an informed decision.

When you use USB, you are using the computer as the player and streaming music via USB.

You are not streaming music, you're streaming data since timing is not involved.  Source of D/A conversion timing is the clock inside of your DAC.  Because it is data computer doesn't have to be dedicated, can be slow or fast, with any amount of RAM.  Yes, computer can be electrically noisy (as everything around is including LED bulbs), so you should use USB cable without power wires.  Well designed DAC should have common mode noise suppression in separate digital section.  External HD can be acoustically noisy, but I have one that is very quiet, not to mention SSDs that are getting cheaper.  Format is not important since it is data.  I use ALAC with with WiFi to save space.  Any playback program will do, as long as it is bitperfect.

I had a PS Audio PWD MKII with bridge 1. I ran DLNA server on a Mac or Windows. I prefer LMS over JRiver. SQ was very good but Bridge 1 was very unstable that requires frequent recycles so moved on.

My brother replaced his PS Audio PWD MKII / bridge 1 with PS Audio DirectStream / bridge 11. He brought it to my home over Thanksgiving. It took ~10 minutes to download and install JRiver on my computer.   In JRiver, create a 24-bit Audiophile DAC for UPnP and enable bitstream DSD over Ethernet.   We use JRemote on his iPad ... SQ was a HUGE improvement over PWD.MK11. Bridge 11 is very very stable, faster and NO failures.   Both DAC and computer connected via Ethernet.

I haven't demo all available DACs in the market but at street price, PS Audio DirectStream / bridge 11 is an excellent value.