dCS will be releasing support for MQA decoding in the Network Bridge on Wednesday, May 9 at 9:00AM UK time (BST). In conjunction with the firmware release a new version of the dCS Network Bridge iOS app will be available via the App Store.
As of this release the software versions for the Network Bridge will be:
Main Board: 1.00
Network Board: 373
iOS App: 1.4.8
Along with MQA support this version includes a number of bugfixes and enhancements.
Notes
Upon performing the update the Network Bridge will need to be rebooted. Although the instructions in the app state otherwise you should ensure that you can connect to the Bridge with the dCS app prior to power-cycling the unit. The entire update process should take no more than 5 - 7 minutes.
If you are using Roon with the Network Bridge and an MQA-capable DAC then you should ensure that the “MQA Capabilities” setting in the Roon Audio Device Setup window is set to “Decoder and Renderer” as shown in the screenshot below. If your DAC is not capable of MQA rendering then you should use the “Decoder Only” settings.
The volume control in the Network Bridge must be disengaged in order for MQA processing to function correctly. This is accomplished by setting the volume level for the Bridge to 0.0dB.
This release includes a number of stability enhancements specific to Roon and you should notice much better behavior when the Bridge is used as a Roon endpoint.
Please use this thread for any questions that you may have about this update.
Hi Andrew,
I just did the update, but the blue light is not blinking afterwards.
(so I guess I may have done it incorrectly)
The app updated but it will not connect.
I have not rebooted the unit yet. (I thought I should talk to you first)
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Joe
First off I edited your email address out of your prior post so as not to have it posted in public.
The Bridge has to be power cycled after any update and as long as the app can connect to the bridge it’s safe to power cycle. There’s nothing wrong with your Bridge, just flip the switch when you get home.
Many thanks for your direction and assistance in this upgrade. In my case, it was flawless. One question.
If setting the Bridge, in ROON settings, as Decoder only, (my DAC is a Devialet so not a Renderer) is the Bridge doing this decoding or is the ROON software doing the work? How do we determine this? This is unclear to me.
Thanks again. Any release date for the new Rossini SACD player?
Audio path should tell you. You can see it in the lit bubble next to the playing track. No harm to setting it to Decoder and Renderer really, your Devialet will just not render.
In the first example the MQA decoding process is taking place inside the Network Bridge. In the second it’s taking place inside of Roon.
If you have an MQA-capable DAC then there’s a good chance (like 99.99999%) that the MQA signaling information isn’t getting passed correctly in the second case. This is a known issue that’s being addressed. The actual audio data making it to the DAC will be identical in both cases.
By far u mean for the first one
As I m using Vivaldi DAC,
NB already did the 1st hardware unfold,
Meanwhile my DAC will simply do PCM processing until the new release of mqa support for vivaldi dac?
That’s correct. In either of the cases you showed the DAC is receiving the same PCM data. When the MQA update for the Vivaldi DAC is released then it will perform the final rendering step.
Hello Andrew,
So in the second case outlined above, as when the Bridge is set to decoder only , ROON is doing the MQA work and not the bridge…correct?
Am I reading this correctly?
Thanks
The Rossini SACD transport was shown at Definitive Audio in March and AXPONA in April. It’e being shown in Munich tomorrow. Orders are being taken and units should start shipping to customers in the late summer.
