dCS Network Bridge

[Zappydev]

Do you still need Nucleus and Roon after using the latest Mosaic app of DCS Network bridge? I am planning to buy DCS network bridge but want to use it directly without any extra client machine/NUC for the best performance. But as far as I read, if you have hundreds of gigabytes of albums stored on NAS, the mosaic app seems to be frustrating and can not deal with the metadata and classification of them. Is it really true that mosaic is not a good way to handle large digital archieves?  Do we still need Nucleus, Intel NUCs or Mac Mini to use with DCS Network bridge? If your answer is yes, how do you connect them with  DCS network bridge(over a switch with CAT cables)? Lastly, is AES/EBU connection the  best way to connect DCS network bridge to Devialet?

Hello

i recently had a trial of the Network Bridge. I think that anyone who is used to Roon would be reluctant to switch to Mosaic. Personally, I was hard pushed to notice any difference in SQ between the Bridge and my Rock connected via Roon AIR with a cable/switch. The Bridge was connected to the Devialet with a Transparent AES cable, and powered via a Transparent power cord; these two items doubling the cost of the Bridge. I could believe that someone wanting a ‘minimalist’ system with the highest SQ might opt for a Bridge and use it via Mosaic, but for me, the convenience of Roon more than outweighed a possible slight difference in SQ (my system, my old ears ....) For me, I didn’t feel the cost of the Bridge was worthwhile at this stage, and the money could be better spent elsewhere, but I write as someone who values the Roon experience, and doesn’t mind having a NUC as part of my system. 

You might want to ask yourself exactly what you expect the Bridge to do for you, especially if you factor in the cost of decent cables. 

Let us know how you get on - I am keen to hear the experiences of others who have made this comparison. 

Good luck,