Fake News. It can be downgraded.
They blocked auto downgraded over net. They didn’t block downgrade over USB via Mytek control panel.
… and have you seen that done successfully?
Yes. I have.
There are changes to remove the annoying green arrow when a downgrade is available instead of upgrade when automatically checking for new a version. There is nothing special to block a downgrade to 1.44 from 1.51.
This is what I used…
This is how they explain how to upload a firmware from the Control Panel that they would prefer you not to use.
To update Brooklyn Bridge firmware to the latest revision an installed the Mytek Control Panel is required. The update can be performed on Windows 7,8,10 and OSX Yosemite / El Capitan / Sierra / High Sierra / Mojave.
How to update the firmware:
Start Mytek Control Panel application. The program (“General” tab / “Firmware” section) will show you the current revision of your unit, and whether it needs an update or not. If so, then simply press the “Load firmware file” button to find the desired firmware file. Next click “Update” button. A progress bar will indicate when the flash process is finished.The DAC will reset itself. Before using restore the Brooklyn Bridge to factory settings. A reboot of the computer is not necessary.
I have never had a problem… but…
If the update fails:
Press and hold the first from the left button and turn the Brooklyn Bridge on. The device will start in Bootloader mode - “MYTEK” logo is fading in and out. The flash process should then be tried again.
Anyone that has messed with firmwares usually has an idea of how helpful, and also how disruptive, a firmware can be. A bad flash of even an official firmware can happen and ruin your day and sometimes make a device not work, aka “Bricked”. The firmware is, for the most part, the lowest level of control on a device. Note the part about If the update fails…, the folks at Mytek put in a safety. That’s good, its helps prevent a failed update or a bad flash from bricking a device and lots of tech support tickets. So this mode will put the device in a state that will allow the Control Panel to see the device and then you can send the firmware again.
Sometimes a firmware update you cannot go backwards… so initially a strong caution may/and should be put out about a downgrading or even upgrading if possible, due to uncertainties of the changes made in an update to prevent bricking. I’m unsure if a firmware could disrupt their bootloader mode, I believe that process on the bridge may be hardcoded and before the firmware process.
At any rate… in the case of going from 1.44 to 1.51, well… it works.
Rogue update my arse! My thoughts… a downgrade scare can be put in to play to make a legal battle look better. If it wasn’t a big deal to downgrade it wouldn’t have as much of an impact on a case. Making a big deal allows one to document the number of units that where effected by looking back at support tickets. If one just puts a note up and says… hey all is ok, we have tried doing such and such and it works, just download a few files and do this… sorry for the bother have a nice… blah blah blah… well, I don’t believe it would benefit ones legal battle if there is one.
Have fun on version 1.44.
My solution. 
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I just got my unit back from a warranty repair, and lo and behold, it has been downgraded from 1.51 back to 1.44. Either that or they sent me a new one with the original firmware. Oh well, I’ll leave it alone…
Did 1.51 enable the left buttons to move inputs – I like and use that feature.
Yes it did, and now that capability is gone for me.
Also, the original problem for which I sent the unit to be repaired in the first place is still appearing intermittently, after taking several months for the repair. Have to say that I’m not happy at all with Mytek. I’m still using the BB as a desktop amplifier for my headphones, working around the issue, but I’m staying away from them for any future purchases…
I guess it’s inevitable that a repair from Mytek would regress the firmware to their last ‘official’ version. As far as I know, you can still download the Mytek Control Panel from the HEM support site, which should get you firmware 1.52 (not a typo, it superseded 1.51 and fixed the intermittent failure to recognise MQA over USB. I reported that problem to Mytek a long time ago, before HEM were sidelined)
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Thanks, Paul, I’ll give it some thought… not sure I want to mess with it anymore and honestly I’m not switching sources frequently. I use it via USB pretty much 100% of the time since it’s connected to my laptop on my desk.
Hi,
I was thinking of buying a Brooklyn Bridge MK1 if I could get my hands on one fairly cheap now the Brooklyn Bridge II Roon is available and the MK1 is discontinued. Then I came upon this thread,and another that Danny had flagged up here A situation with Mytek!!
I’ve gave it a quick skim read so I may have missed some important detail, and I’m also conscious that there might be other threads here on this issue as well, so I wonder if I should maybe steer clear of this product, or have obstacles/issues now been resolved?
Thanks
All I can offer is my personal experience, which I’m not sure is representative. But here it goes: I like the BB and I use it daily as a headphone amplifier when I’m sitting at my desk. It sounds great and its Roon integration is absolutely seamless.
However, I did have an issue with one of the headphone jacks (poor contact, noisy, crackling sound). I sent it for warranty repair and the experience was terrible. Shipped to them mid-April 2022, radio silence for 3 months, finally in mid-July their tech emailed me that he was starting to work on my unit. Early August they said they were shipping my unit back which I got on August 24.
The story doesn’t have a happy ending as the issue reoccurred after a week or so of use. Luckily the other jack works well and I don’t really need two… Needless to say I’ve given up on getting it fixed - I wouldn’t dream to send it back to support again.
TLDR - I have a flawed unit which sounds great and gets the job done for me, but given my experience with their support, I wouldn’t buy again from Mytek.
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Thanks for taking the time to reply Miguel, and sorry to hear of your experience. I guess it’s not the fact that it was faulty because that can happen, it’s more that the support you were offered seems really poor.
Glad to hear that the Roon integration is good though
Still be interested to hear of any other peoples thoughts on this unit in general, and also with the firmware issues because I’m still not clear as to whether this has been resolved.
If I managed to source a Brooklyn Bridge, can somebody perhaps clarify for me any potential pitfalls in relation to it’s compatibility with Roon. Assuming that the firmware on the unit would be 1.44, and from my understanding this will never be upgraded in future by Mytek as the unit is now discontinued, will any future Roon upgrades cause issues to how the unit operates with Roon, and if so what would these issues be? And does the Brooklyn Bridge still retain it’s Roon Ready status? When I check on the Roon partners page the link doesn’t go to Brooklyn Bridge, it goes to Brooklyn Bridge II ROON
A bit of background. I have a Roon Lifetime account, and Roon Core on a NUC. I currently have the Mytek Dac and the Mytek Amp + and really love these units, and have had absolutely zero issues with them. While the Mytek Dac is not exactly ancient, I am just thinking ahead and feel now might be a good time to try and get my hands on a Brooklyn Bridge - due to it being a newer unit and having all the capabilities of my Mytek Dac, but also the added attraction of the inbuilt streaming unit. You might think the obvious thing to do would be to get a Brooklyn Bridge II Roon, but aside from the cost being out of my league I already have a Roon Core so not really practical to do so.
Thanks
I have a Brooklyn Bridge running 1.51 with no problems at all. I think there is a 1.52 version downloadable from the HEM support site via their version of the Mytek update program. That stabilises the MQA indicator via USB input. The 1.51 firmware added a bit of functionality over 1.44. If you end up buying a 1.51 unit, you can roll it back to 1.44 if you wish, via the Mytek version of the Mytek update program (I think :))
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Thanks Paul, appreciate your reply. Glad to hear it’s working for you in 1.51 and reading between the lines you will stay at 1.51 for as long as you have the unit? However given that I’m ignorant of how all this hangs together do you know if it’s possible Roon could come along with an upgrade of their own that could cause the BB to have issues when used with Roon? Or for as long as the BB is on 1.51 or lower will it always work with no issues in Roon and remain Roon Ready? Reason I’m asking is because I don’t know if it was said tongue in cheek or not, but I noticed a poster commenting further up the page that “We are all just one Roon update away from a DAC+”
I guess that’s ultimately a question for Roon Support, but I don’t see that happening for 1.51 units, personally. I think it’s probably a moot point anyway, in that V 1.44 should always be available via the Mytek Control panel if required (whilst ever Mytek exists anyway). I have left my unit on 1.51.
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Cheers Paul. I think I’ll ask a general question in the Roon Software Discussion thread, along the lines of “Can a Roon Upgrade cause a discontinued unit that will never have a firmware upgrade to stop working in Roon the way it did before the Roon Upgrade?”
Have asked the question about Roon Upgrades in the Roon section Paul.
Another question though if you don’t mind. Given that you are on 1.51 and not on 1.52 I’m guessing that there is not an auto update setting on your BB, so there is no chance of HEM ever automatically sending an unwanted firmware upgrade to your BB?
There is an auto update setting, but it will not find anything past 1.51, which installed HEM identification and ‘no roll back’ feature (part of the dispute between HEM and Mytek). That’s why you would need to roll back to 1.44 via the Mytek update program. If you have a 1.44 unit, I’m guessing that it won’t find anything further. There’s nothing wrong with 1.51 or 1.52 as far as I know. I think they would have been coming anyway, had the dispute not happened. They have some useful fixes/features.
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Thanks Paul, appreciate the info.
ps - how do you find the sound quality of the BB compared to other streamers you’ve had?
I think the BB is a an excellent unit in terms of sound quality. At the moment I just have two streaming sources - the BB and Lindemann Limetree Network. Each has its merits.
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