SoTM 200 Ultra Neo vs dCS Bridge

martin778

Well-Known Member
Oct 2, 2014
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I'm looking for a new streamer for my Roon server (i7 NUC based). I've had the SMS-200 Ultra Neo with SPS-500 and was very happy with it but had to sell it due to financial reasons.
I now use a dCS Debussy Plus DAC directly coupled to the NUC but as some might know - the SQ of the USB output of a NUC is nothing more than 'okayish'. Audioquest Jitterbug at the output cleans it up a bit but it's still not quite there yet.

How does the dCS bridge stack up against the 200 Ultra Neo? The Bridge has a big disadvantage of only having full capabilities through its dual AES/EBU output and so far I know dCS gave up on USB output?
The price difference is also considerable, being ~€1750 for the 200 Ultra Neo + sPS-500 vs €3990 for the dCS Bridge.

I have to add that I'm not the kind of person to put 10 different reclockers, isolators and whatnot in the setup, prefer to keep it simple (I'm also using the Debussy's preamp to drive Adam Tensor Delta's).
 

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
4,290
767
1,698
I'm looking for a new streamer for my Roon server (i7 NUC based). I've had the SMS-200 Ultra Neo with SPS-500 and was very happy with it but had to sell it due to financial reasons.
I now use a dCS Debussy Plus DAC directly coupled to the NUC but as some might know - the SQ of the USB output of a NUC is nothing more than 'okayish'. Audioquest Jitterbug at the output cleans it up a bit but it's still not quite there yet.

How does the dCS bridge stack up against the 200 Ultra Neo? The Bridge has a big disadvantage of only having full capabilities through its dual AES/EBU output and so far I know dCS gave up on USB output?
The price difference is also considerable, being ~€1750 for the 200 Ultra Neo + sPS-500 vs €3990 for the dCS Bridge.

I have to add that I'm not the kind of person to put 10 different reclockers, isolators and whatnot in the setup, prefer to keep it simple (I'm also using the Debussy's preamp to drive Adam Tensor Delta's).

Hi,
I own the network bridge and it's awesome. It blows away aurender and lumin in my system; it's so much better, it makes those guys look like DIY amateurs. I haven't tried the SOTM streamer product in my system, but I imagine the result would be the same.

Furthermore, the bridge has been engineered to sound great with other dCS DACs.

So, my thinking is take it home for a spin. But start saving your sheckels in the meantime.

Good Luck!
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,806
4,698
2,790
Portugal
I'm looking for a new streamer for my Roon server (i7 NUC based). I've had the SMS-200 Ultra Neo with SPS-500 and was very happy with it but had to sell it due to financial reasons.
I now use a dCS Debussy Plus DAC directly coupled to the NUC but as some might know - the SQ of the USB output of a NUC is nothing more than 'okayish'. Audioquest Jitterbug at the output cleans it up a bit but it's still not quite there yet.

How does the dCS bridge stack up against the 200 Ultra Neo? The Bridge has a big disadvantage of only having full capabilities through its dual AES/EBU output and so far I know dCS gave up on USB output?
The price difference is also considerable, being ~€1750 for the 200 Ultra Neo + sPS-500 vs €3990 for the dCS Bridge.

I have to add that I'm not the kind of person to put 10 different reclockers, isolators and whatnot in the setup, prefer to keep it simple (I'm also using the Debussy's preamp to drive Adam Tensor Delta's).

IMHO the Bridge has a big advantage of having full capabilities through its dual AES/EBU output - technically the best way to connect digital audio if you have a synchronous system. If you add a separate WordClock to the Debussy and Bridge you will get a Debussy optimal system. An additional word clock will not spoil the simplicity of the system!
 

the sound of Tao

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2014
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Hi,
I own the network bridge and it's awesome. It blows away aurender and lumin in my system; it's so much better, it makes those guys look like DIY amateurs. I haven't tried the SOTM streamer product in my system, but I imagine the result would be the same.

Furthermore, the bridge has been engineered to sound great with other dCS DACs.

So, my thinking is take it home for a spin. But start saving your sheckels in the meantime.

Good Luck!

G’day Caesar, All hyperbole aside (is that a siren I hear in the distance) why do you imagine a DCS bridge would blow away a Sotm renderer especially if you haven’t heard one lol.

The term blows away usually blows at any rate but might disagree on this one. I’d suggest they are both very good and just different and neither is too far from the better end of the pile. I’d suggest the Sotm definitely leans in a slightly more musical direction to the dcs bridge which is why I’m happy I went that way.
 
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caesar

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May 30, 2010
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G’day Caesar, All hyperbole aside (is that a siren I hear in the distance) why do you imagine a DCS bridge would blow away a Sotm renderer especially if you haven’t heard one lol.

The term blows away usually blows at any rate but might disagree on this one. I’d suggest they are both very good and just different and neither is too far from the better end of the pile. I’d suggest the Sotm definitely leans in a slightly more musical direction to the dcs bridge which is why I’m happy I went that way.

I have nothing against SOTM. I own their switch, and it performs. But I have heard enough of these lumins and aurenders and other usb streamers in my own system. Unfortunately, all shIt and waste of time. Old technology. dcs bridge is the only one that comes close to a cd transport, the others are far behind.

Furthermore, the thread originator already has a dcs dac. So no brainer to try.
 

caesar

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May 30, 2010
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Hi Tao,
Another thought here is that the dcs bridge is very resolving. but resolving can be very musical in the right system (like dcs dacs). Less smeared than the usb garbage, resulting in potentially more emotion being communicated.

Cable pairing is key also. attach a warmer cable, like say a cardas vs. ,say, a nordost, and you are in business... YMMV :)
 

the sound of Tao

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Jul 18, 2014
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I’d agree the Sotm and DCS bridge are both very different beasts to either a lumin or aurender.

I’ll admit I’ve been a touch coy about making any outrageous hyperbolousy declarations since recently getting a CX Antipodes server in and now am using the Sotm as a renderer out of the Antipodes. I do tend to share joy when I find it but declaring that I’ve found the absolute best streaming combo I’ve yet heard is a fairly considered admission.

It’s sounding unbelievably good! It’s all just gone completely stratospheric in this recent serve of Antipodes server stepping up. This new combo is up with the best digital experiences that I’ve had and it’s playing just into another league now (and no I haven’t yet heard a venerable select 2/extreme combo) but the sound here now is just confoundingly, wonderously and blisteringly good. I am happily gobsmacked! The Sotm switch and Sotm ultra into the mscaler and Chord TT2 is just so very much better now with a CX Antipodes up front feeding it, and this is by a good margin and in most every way.

I’ve optimised all with external power supplies and all the components and supplies are each up on a brace of Stillpoint ultra 5s and all powered with shunyata PCs from a Triton Typhon combo and all the components are wired up with Platinum Eclipse and Platinum Starlight cables. The pap horns are now singing well beyond my reckoning. Tao digitally signing out of 8 years of chasing rainbow unicorns in the digital upgrade streaming pathway highway. A most happy and musical ending.
 
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Cellindo

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2018
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France
Dear Martin.

I own a Vivaldi DAC with both an USB input and dual AES/EBU inputs too. Actually I use my Network Bridge to feed my DAC with single AES cable.
I am pretty certain the AES input of the dCS DAC is significantly better than the USB input.
In the past, I had a SOtM PCIe + Clock (into a DiY audio server) and never achieved the same SQ as with the AES connection.

So, I would guess the SOtM combo may not give you the best overall result when connected via USB to your Debussy DAC.

I did a (too short) test of the Rossini clock with N.B. and Vivaldi DAC. This was also very promising ! I need to reevaluate again the real benefit(s) of adding an external clock ...
 

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
4,290
767
1,698
I’d agree the Sotm and DCS bridge are both very different beasts to either a lumin or aurender.

I’ll admit I’ve been a touch coy about making any outrageous hyperbolousy declarations since recently getting a CX Antipodes server in and now am using the Sotm as a renderer out of the Antipodes. I do tend to share joy when I find it but declaring that I’ve found the absolute best streaming combo I’ve yet heard is a fairly considered admission.

It’s sounding unbelievably good! It’s all just gone completely stratospheric in this recent serve of Antipodes server stepping up. This new combo is up with the best digital experiences that I’ve had and it’s playing just into another league now (and no I haven’t yet heard a venerable select 2/extreme combo) but the sound here now is just confoundingly, wonderously and blisteringly good. I am happily gobsmacked! The Sotm switch and Sotm ultra into the mscaler and Chord TT2 is just so very much better now with a CX Antipodes up front feeding it, and this is by a good margin and in most every way.

I’ve optimised all with external power supplies and all the components and supplies are each up on a brace of Stillpoint ultra 5s and all powered with shunyata PCs from a Triton Typhon combo and all the components are wired up with Platinum Eclipse and Platinum Starlight cables. The pap horns are now singing well beyond my reckoning. Tao digitally signing out of 8 years of chasing rainbow unicorns in the digital upgrade streaming pathway highway. A most happy and musical ending.

Hi Tao,
Congrats! It's a definitely good feeling to get things right!

One of the biggest problems with digital is that there are just too many options to try. Some will work, some won't. Others may work for one's taste...

DSD always has sounded flawed and severely colored to me (other than 5 out of 100 recordings that just happen to sound great because they are great recordings). So I have always looked on DSD DACs and Servers that up-convert everything to DSD as a joke or a niche taste for those who happen to find realism in DSD.

I don't have the patience of Job for digital because of all of these options. So I look for bright spots of systems that work well. And I definitely think that for the original poster, who is already a dCS customer, the bridge is a no-brainer. dCS even plays the Vivaldi with the bridge...

Anyways, enjoy the journey!
 

the sound of Tao

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2014
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Thanks Caesar, I also find there are just no black and white answers especially in the digital realm. It’s frustrating at times but given how varied are the outcomes it really comes down to trying things out and also being open to other possibilities... that said it makes sense if the op is happy with the dcs sound to just go more of the same.
 

Projectman

Member
Mar 18, 2017
10
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Sarasota, FL
www.projectsteps.com
Hi,
I own the network bridge and it's awesome. It blows away aurender and lumin in my system; it's so much better, it makes those guys look like DIY amateurs. I haven't tried the SOTM streamer product in my system, but I imagine the result would be the same.

Furthermore, the bridge has been engineered to sound great with other dCS DACs.

So, my thinking is take it home for a spin. But start saving your sheckels in the meantime.

Good Luck!
I have owned the Aurender W20, N10, the Lumin S1 and U1. I know own the network bridge and to say it blows away the Lumins and Aurenders makes no sense at all And it is obvious you haven’t heard a higher end Aurender or Lumin. I currently use the Network Bridge with a Debussy DAC.
 

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