Windows 10 Roon Core Direct USB connection to Brooklyn Bridge

Audio Gear Talk Mytek
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I have just reconfigured my system and now run my Roon Core on a Windows 10 laptop situated near my Mytek Brooklyn Bridge. At the moment I am using Ethernet via direct connection to the router.

As the BB will accept higher bit-rate PCM and DSD through its USB interface than via network, I would just like to experiment with using some upsampling and/or DSD conversion within Roon and comparing both methods of connection.

Does anyone have any tips on settings within Windows, Roon or the Brooklyn Bridge to help me avoid problems and get the best from the USB connection? I have downloaded the Mytek Windows Driver. I get a bit confused between Exclusive Mode, volume control, Wasapi and ASIO etc and how they might be relevant to what I want to do. I don’t want to add any additional hardware.

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You want to be using ASIO drivers if possible, which by their very nature are exclusive mode.

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As the saying goes…trust your ears…a difference in sound can often be heard but as to whether you prefer that change will depend. dont assume just as you are upsampling its going to be better. sometimes changes take time to get used to…then if you go back to the other setup you have a better trust in your own recollection of what is better.

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On Windows 10 the WASAPI driver is quite capable. Use either the ASIO or WASAPI setup. Try both out and trust your own ears.

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Well I’m struggling with this. On both WASAPI and ASIO I can’t get Roon to control the volume. The number moves on the control device display but the Bridge volume doesn’t change. If I play an MQA file from Tidal, with the `Bridge set to ‘decoder and renderer’, the MQA indicator on the display randomly drops in and out along with the sample rate indicator dropping and rising again.

Obviously I have something set wrongly somewhere. Anyone actually using USB connection on a Windows 10 machine to a Mytek BB can give me any tips on specific settings here?

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I wonder if the volume problem is because I have the Mytek set to analogue volume control instead of digital? I always assume that analogue volume should be better? There must be some reason behind Mytek providing a digital alternative though?

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Easy enough to test?

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Indeed I shall be doing that very thing in due course. Though I still don’t really understand the practical difference between the two. Not sure it would explain the MQA behaviour either way though. That still happens even I have volume set to ‘fixed’ on either WASAPI or ASIO. It looks like it might not happen if the Mytek is set to ‘renderer only’ in the Roon device settings. Needs more testing though. I could do with a BB user chiming in really.

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There is a specific “USB Volume” setting on the bridge, which by default is DISABLED. Have you tried to change that?

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Yes I did try that, thanks, but both quirks remained. I haven’t seen either of these issues widely reported so I’m certainly scratching my head about them. I haven’t revisited the problem for a while as I was just experimenting and it wasn’t critical to my use of Roon really. I did ask Mytek, but they just said try regressing the firmware, but to be honest I couldn’t be bothered. I might have another look at it now you’ve refreshed this thread.

I either listen to standard sample rates from my library or Tidal Via network into the Bridge, or upsample to max PCM in Roon, then via network into a Lindemann Lime Tree Network device which converts to DSD256, then analogue out into the Bridge analogue input which is set to fixed volume (so volume control is via Lindemann). It just gives me two bites at the cherry :grinning: