05-Nov-2018, 22:03
The dCS Network Bridge is not a direct competitor to the CX. The dCS is a streaming device only and cannot act as a server. The CX is a server and can do some of the things the dCS can do. I'm not certain where the Auralic Aries G2 sits but I suspect it's not a direct competitor either.
Why did I go the separate server route. It was an ageing Mac Mini which has since had to be replaced. It had a 1 TB fusion drive and the iTunes library I had on it for my iPod was around 170 GB in size. I had decided to rip my whole CD/SACD collection after trying Roon and that collection came to a bit under 1 TB so, given the hard drive on my Mac Mini was half full I couldn't fit it on the Mac Mini's drive and would have had to run a separate drive anyway. I was thinking in terms of using the Devialet's USB connection which was what I originally did and running Roon on the Mac Mini, I had no way of getting a USB connection from it's Roon output to the Devialet so I needed a computer of some sort close enough to the Devialet to allow a USB connection and if I was going to do that then I wanted a computer optimised for audio purposes since I wouldn't be using it for any other purpose. That meant a music server.
As for HDMI out to a TV with the Mac Mini, I have a totally separate AV setup in a different room. I stream from the Mac Mini to an Apple TV 4K in that room and can watch content in up to 4K resolution on an LG OLED screen there. The Devialet is in a music only system and I like being able to keep separate audio and video systems.
You raised a number of concerns about the CX as an option. I too am concerned about it's value for money, and also about it's ability to perform the more demanding dsp functions Roon can perform. As I said, there are other options and I named some I would be considering if I were going to upgrade my DS. At present the DS is working very well for me and I'm in no hurry to upgrade. I can wait and waiting tends to lead to the availability of more options, cheaper options as prices come down, and better options as functionality improves. You only have the options available at the time you buy but unless you're having to deal with a catastrophic failure or there's some new functionality you absolutely must have now, you usually have the option of choosing your time to buy so it's worth taking your time while you can.
Since you mentioned the dCS Network Bridge as an option I think you need to consider exactly what it is you want to achieve. Do you want a server or do you want a bridge device as an interface between something performing server functions elsewhere and your amp. What kind of sources are you likely to be using (hard drive, internet streaming services, optical drives of some kind, and so on), where those source devices can or need to be located, what kind of connection strategies you want to use and so on. There's lots of ways of assembling a streaming system and you can get very good sound quality with a lot of them but they aren't all going to be equal in your eyes when it comes to the desirability of their setup and the convenience that offers. You have to live with the setup long term and there will be options you don't want to live with, no matter how good the sound quality is and I can tell you that as you get older (I'm 71) you find yourself paying a little more attention over time to things like ease and convenience. Sound quality is still very important to me but I've found I get a bit more enjoyment from a system if I'm not bothered by nagging inconveniences and annoyances and I can just sit down, select something to play, and enjoy it without inconvenience and annoyance. Those sort of things produce a state of mind which reduces my enjoyment and better sound quality isn't always enough to make up for the inconvenience and annoyance of a physical setup that doesn't quite work for me so in my view those things are always worth considering and those things did play a part in my choice to replace the Mac Mini as a source with a separate dedicated music server set up in proximity to my Devialet. If a different setup arrangement works better for you then go for it because what counts in your system is what works for you. What counts in my system is what works for me.
Why did I go the separate server route. It was an ageing Mac Mini which has since had to be replaced. It had a 1 TB fusion drive and the iTunes library I had on it for my iPod was around 170 GB in size. I had decided to rip my whole CD/SACD collection after trying Roon and that collection came to a bit under 1 TB so, given the hard drive on my Mac Mini was half full I couldn't fit it on the Mac Mini's drive and would have had to run a separate drive anyway. I was thinking in terms of using the Devialet's USB connection which was what I originally did and running Roon on the Mac Mini, I had no way of getting a USB connection from it's Roon output to the Devialet so I needed a computer of some sort close enough to the Devialet to allow a USB connection and if I was going to do that then I wanted a computer optimised for audio purposes since I wouldn't be using it for any other purpose. That meant a music server.
As for HDMI out to a TV with the Mac Mini, I have a totally separate AV setup in a different room. I stream from the Mac Mini to an Apple TV 4K in that room and can watch content in up to 4K resolution on an LG OLED screen there. The Devialet is in a music only system and I like being able to keep separate audio and video systems.
You raised a number of concerns about the CX as an option. I too am concerned about it's value for money, and also about it's ability to perform the more demanding dsp functions Roon can perform. As I said, there are other options and I named some I would be considering if I were going to upgrade my DS. At present the DS is working very well for me and I'm in no hurry to upgrade. I can wait and waiting tends to lead to the availability of more options, cheaper options as prices come down, and better options as functionality improves. You only have the options available at the time you buy but unless you're having to deal with a catastrophic failure or there's some new functionality you absolutely must have now, you usually have the option of choosing your time to buy so it's worth taking your time while you can.
Since you mentioned the dCS Network Bridge as an option I think you need to consider exactly what it is you want to achieve. Do you want a server or do you want a bridge device as an interface between something performing server functions elsewhere and your amp. What kind of sources are you likely to be using (hard drive, internet streaming services, optical drives of some kind, and so on), where those source devices can or need to be located, what kind of connection strategies you want to use and so on. There's lots of ways of assembling a streaming system and you can get very good sound quality with a lot of them but they aren't all going to be equal in your eyes when it comes to the desirability of their setup and the convenience that offers. You have to live with the setup long term and there will be options you don't want to live with, no matter how good the sound quality is and I can tell you that as you get older (I'm 71) you find yourself paying a little more attention over time to things like ease and convenience. Sound quality is still very important to me but I've found I get a bit more enjoyment from a system if I'm not bothered by nagging inconveniences and annoyances and I can just sit down, select something to play, and enjoy it without inconvenience and annoyance. Those sort of things produce a state of mind which reduces my enjoyment and better sound quality isn't always enough to make up for the inconvenience and annoyance of a physical setup that doesn't quite work for me so in my view those things are always worth considering and those things did play a part in my choice to replace the Mac Mini as a source with a separate dedicated music server set up in proximity to my Devialet. If a different setup arrangement works better for you then go for it because what counts in your system is what works for you. What counts in my system is what works for me.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
