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Mytek Brooklyn Bridge & alternatives - Questions, and Opinions Invited
#1
Hi,

I haven't found answers so far, so I'll ask here. I'm interested in replacing my W4S Sonos with a more capable streamer. I do need analogue outs to go to the amp that drives the in-wall speakers in our kitchen, and I also need fixed-level outputs to go into the Dev 220. The Mytek Brooklyn Bridge seems to do these things, plus it gets Spotify, Tidal, Quobz and Deezer, which is our current streaming preference; it is also supported on fewer products. MQA is of no interest to me, and I don't use ROON.  I know it is a stumbler to have to work around Deezer, but for now, it is important. That could change, as I'm trying Tidal for a month. Just have to get around the hip-hop and karaoke dance pop section. (sorry, bad manners, I know). 

First, I would love any thoughts about the Brooklyn Br. relating to SQ or functionality, so all thoughts welcome. The comments and reviews I've found are all very positive, with some saying that the sound leans towards the very clean, clear, and .... lean sound. Not to a fault, but perhaps not as full-bodied as Lumin or Innuos, for example. Thoughts? 

Regarding connectivity, the built-in DAC will be useful for the kitchen amp as will the volume control. 

To go from the BB to the Devialet, the Mytek has two AES/ EBU outputs, but the 220 only has one? This I don't understand. Is there a 2 into 1 cable that would work? Or, apparently the RCA. outputs on the Mytek can also be set to a fixed level output, and so I would config other RCA jacks on the 220 to take the Mytek signal. It has no coax or USB outputs. 

The Lumin D2 would be good, but no Deezer. The Innuos Zen mk 3 has the possible advantages of a built in ripper and storage but no Deezer. Apparently the Mytek will play music from a USB SS drive attached, so that might make on-board storage less important. 

Am I making sense here? I'm totally confused, so please, tell me what I like!

>> OR, if I take Deezer out of the equation, that opens up more possibilities, so ignoring Deezer, does the Mytek vs the others question elicit any other recommendations or rankings?

ATB
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
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#2
Suggest looking at the Auralic range, from Altair G1 to Vega 2.1 depending on budget, SQ demands.  They support Deezer!

Also BluOS supports Deezer, so can consider NAD C658, NAD M12
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#3
(31-Jan-2021, 04:21)Snoopy8 Wrote: Suggest looking at the Auralic range, from Altair G1 to Vega 2.1 depending on budget, SQ demands.  They support Deezer!

Also BluOS supports Deezer, so can consider NAD C658, NAD M12

Bluos node 2i?
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#4
(31-Jan-2021, 02:20)Damon Wrote: Hi,

I haven't found answers so far, so I'll ask here. I'm interested in replacing my W4S Sonos with a more capable streamer. I do need analogue outs to go to the amp that drives the in-wall speakers in our kitchen, and I also need fixed-level outputs to go into the Dev 220. The Mytek Brooklyn Bridge seems to do these things, plus it gets Spotify, Tidal, Quobz and Deezer, which is our current streaming preference; it is also supported on fewer products. MQA is of no interest to me, and I don't use ROON.  I know it is a stumbler to have to work around Deezer, but for now, it is important. That could change, as I'm trying Tidal for a month. Just have to get around the hip-hop and karaoke dance pop section. (sorry, bad manners, I know). 

First, I would love any thoughts about the Brooklyn Br. relating to SQ or functionality, so all thoughts welcome. The comments and reviews I've found are all very positive, with some saying that the sound leans towards the very clean, clear, and .... lean sound. Not to a fault, but perhaps not as full-bodied as Lumin or Innuos, for example. Thoughts? 

Regarding connectivity, the built-in DAC will be useful for the kitchen amp as will the volume control. 

To go from the BB to the Devialet, the Mytek has two AES/ EBU outputs, but the 220 only has one? This I don't understand. Is there a 2 into 1 cable that would work? Or, apparently the RCA. outputs on the Mytek can also be set to a fixed level output, and so I would config other RCA jacks on the 220 to take the Mytek signal. It has no coax or USB outputs. 

The Lumin D2 would be good, but no Deezer. The Innuos Zen mk 3 has the possible advantages of a built in ripper and storage but no Deezer. Apparently the Mytek will play music from a USB SS drive attached, so that might make on-board storage less important. 

Am I making sense here? I'm totally confused, so please, tell me what I like!

>> OR, if I take Deezer out of the equation, that opens up more possibilities, so ignoring Deezer, does the Mytek vs the others question elicit any other recommendations or rankings?

ATB

The outputs you refer to on the Brooklyn Bridge are stereo  analogue XLR, whereas the inputs on the Devialet are digital AES/EBU and they are not compatible with each other. As far as I can tell by looking at the specs. you would have to use RCA to connect the two.
Project Eperience X Pack with Ortofon Rondo Red MC, Oppo BDP 105D, 2 x Sonos Connect, QNAP HS251+ NAS with 2 X 6TB Western Digital Red, Mac 5K 32GB running Lifetime Roon, iPad Pro 12.9" for remote control.  Etalon Ethernet Isolator, Devialet 440 Pro CI, Sonus faber Olympica ll with Isoacoustics Gaia ll feet, Auralic Taurus Mkll headphone amp.Denon AH-D5000, Sennheiser HD600 and HD800 with Cardas cable,  Van Den Hul The First Ultimate and Crystal interconnects, Furutech power cables, GSP Audio Spatia speaker cable.
South Coast England
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#5
Thanks for the replies. The NAD products I will look into, as those product numbers are not familiar to me. The Bluesound Node 2i could work, but my feeling is that it would be a sideways move. But I agree that it is a very good alternative to Sonos otherwise.

The Auralic's are likely beyond my budget limit. Alas.

(31-Jan-2021, 12:06)Axel Wrote: The outputs you refer to on the Brooklyn Bridge are stereo  analogue XLR, whereas the inputs on the Devialet are digital AES/EBU and they are not compatible with each other. As far as I can tell by looking at the specs. you would have to use RCA to connect the two.

@Axel
Thanks for this clarification. XLR vs AES/EBU makes sense now, even to me.  Idea Using the RCA connections was the system that was suggested to me. Is there a disadvantage to connecting the Mytek to the Devialet this way? Is it an inferior or less-desirable connection? I understand the analogue RCA out can be a fixed volume, which is what I want.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
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#6
Lindemann Limetree network.
   


Gesendet von iPad mit Tapatalk
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#7
(31-Jan-2021, 17:44)Damon Wrote: Thanks for the replies. The NAD products I will look into, as those product numbers are not familiar to me. The Bluesound Node 2i could work, but my feeling is that it would be a sideways move. But I agree that it is a very good alternative to Sonos otherwise.

The Auralic's are likely beyond my budget limit. Alas.
If SQ was important, then the NAD C658 with Dirac Live & BluOS would be better than the Node 2i.  The NAD M12 is more than double the price of the C658, so way beyond budget.

The Auralic Altair G1 is a bit more than the Lumin D2, but highly rated by the boss at AS
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/r...amer-r897/
The only downside is that it has only a native Apple phone app, no Android.

(31-Jan-2021, 17:44)Damon Wrote: Thanks for this clarification. XLR vs AES/EBU makes sense now, even to me.  Idea Using the RCA connections was the system that was suggested to me. Is there a disadvantage to connecting the Mytek to the Devialet this way? Is it an inferior or less-desirable connection? I understand the analogue RCA out can be a fixed volume, which is what I want.
Many of the streamer DACs have the ability to provide a fixed digital volume; you will need to check individual manuals to confirm.  It may be called different things in the manual eg. fixed volume, bypass volume, disable volume control etc..

With Mytek to Devialet via RCA. you are going through 2 additional conversion steps
Mytek convert digital to analog -> Devialet converts analog to digital and later converts digital to analog
You could argue that the Devialet has superior A2D processor, therefore you cannot hear the difference. BUT, the 2 additional steps will change things...
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#8
Wow, great suggestions all!. The Lindeman looks very interesting, and it is not something I've know of, so that is a great lead. The NAD also will get a look from me. Lots of products use the BluOS so that would make a BluOS amp for the kitchen speakers an easy add in the future.

@Snoopy8, yes, SQ is important and I do want to step up beyond the Bluesound Node 2i if I'm going to embark on this change. Your point about the multiple stages of conversion with the Mytek analogue out is excellent. I personally would want a digital out as well as the analogue pre out, so I'll keep looking.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
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#9
I thought of the Cambridge CXN....

It ticks a few boxes, it has both analogue and S/PDIF outputs, has USB in, so you can use a music server. Plus, I recall you liked your Cambridge CD player, which perhaps bodes well for sound quality via the digital output to the Devialet. I believe you can select fixed or variable output, but this will apply to both analogue and digital, does fixed analogue output work for you?

Then I noticed that Deezer support is offered but via Chromecast or AirPlay, I guess that is not "proper" Deezer support? Maybe it is actually OK?

EDIT: and to back up @Snoopy8 's earlier comment, this recent post is relevant:

https://devialetchat.com/Thread-my-syste...9#pid99229
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#10
You've set a tough challenge there, Damon!  There seem to be few streamers other than Sonos and Bluesound that have native support for Deezer.  Looking at the Deezer HiFi web page I noticed Simaudio Moon, and wondered whether they might have something that fits the bill?

Their 390 Network Player/Preamplifier would be a rather (very!) expensive option but does have both fixed and variable analog outputs.  No digital output, though, which means it arguably wouldn't be eking out the last ounce of performance from your 220.

The MiND 2 Network Player is perhaps more reasonably priced.  It has three digital outputs -- AES/EBU, co-ax and Toslink.  I assume they are all active at the same time, as I can't see anything in the manual to say otherwise.  So you could feed the AES/EBU directly to your 220, and then perhaps take co-ax or Toslink to a separate DAC with volume control to drive your kitchen amp.  Assuming sound quality in the kitchen is less critical, this could be something fairly inexpensive - maybe an SMSL M200, Topping E30, or FiiO K5 Pro for example (I'm sure there are plenty more to choose from).

That's as far as my Googling has got me, so far.  I hope it's somewhat helpful.
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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