I have a BDP-2 (with IAD) that I use to play ripped files from an connected external DAC through a Yggdrasil DAC. In that configuration it sounds terrific, although I fully agree that Manic Moose is not the last word in user friendliness. But it works, and is definitely less time-consuming than cueing up an LP.
Recently, I've subscribed to both TIDAL and QoBuz and have been trying (unsuccessfully) to get the BDP-2 / Manic Moose to stream high-res to the DAC.
Turns out that for TIDAL, it's just not possible. The folded masters files are not unfolded, even once, in the BDP players So from TIDAL the DAC only gets 44.1 khz / 16 bit files. The friendly folks from Bryston verified this is true. In defense of the BDP, those 44.1khz CD quality files do sound great, nearly indistinguishable from using the DAC to play Redbook CD's from my transport (a Sony XA5400ES).
Interestingly, my iphone DOES DO the first masters unfold, so connecting my iphone to the DAC gives a higher bit rate signal than the streamer does. Sounds quite nice, maybe a tiny bit better then from the BDP-2? Maybe not though, is very close.
I haven't gotten QoBuz files to stream from the Bryston at their full FLAC resolution (up to 192Khz) either, but haven't put as much time into that project yet. However, once again, connecting my iphone directly to the Yggdrasil works fine, Doing that, I can stream full 192Khz QoBuz FLAC files to the DAC.
Since I'm keen on streaming (probably QoBuz) high-res files to the Yggy, I am not sure where I'll go next; the iphone files sound quite good so I might just stick with that, or might try a Bluesound Node. Roon is another possibility, although I'm not sure if I want to make such a major investment (core, license) just yet.
My apologies for long introduction, but if I had to do it right now, I'd try the Bluesound node first, and would buy from someone with a good return policy and see how it sounds (and works) in your system. If you're happy with it, then be happy. If not, then return it and try something else, perhaps from the used market. While I love the build quality and fantastic sound quality of the BDP-2, it's really not very user friendly with the current software version, especially when streaming (without Roon).
Apparently a new version of the Bryston software called, "Nutty Narwhal" is on the way - perhaps this might address some of the UI and streaming issues?
Recently, I've subscribed to both TIDAL and QoBuz and have been trying (unsuccessfully) to get the BDP-2 / Manic Moose to stream high-res to the DAC.
Turns out that for TIDAL, it's just not possible. The folded masters files are not unfolded, even once, in the BDP players So from TIDAL the DAC only gets 44.1 khz / 16 bit files. The friendly folks from Bryston verified this is true. In defense of the BDP, those 44.1khz CD quality files do sound great, nearly indistinguishable from using the DAC to play Redbook CD's from my transport (a Sony XA5400ES).
Interestingly, my iphone DOES DO the first masters unfold, so connecting my iphone to the DAC gives a higher bit rate signal than the streamer does. Sounds quite nice, maybe a tiny bit better then from the BDP-2? Maybe not though, is very close.
I haven't gotten QoBuz files to stream from the Bryston at their full FLAC resolution (up to 192Khz) either, but haven't put as much time into that project yet. However, once again, connecting my iphone directly to the Yggdrasil works fine, Doing that, I can stream full 192Khz QoBuz FLAC files to the DAC.
Since I'm keen on streaming (probably QoBuz) high-res files to the Yggy, I am not sure where I'll go next; the iphone files sound quite good so I might just stick with that, or might try a Bluesound Node. Roon is another possibility, although I'm not sure if I want to make such a major investment (core, license) just yet.
My apologies for long introduction, but if I had to do it right now, I'd try the Bluesound node first, and would buy from someone with a good return policy and see how it sounds (and works) in your system. If you're happy with it, then be happy. If not, then return it and try something else, perhaps from the used market. While I love the build quality and fantastic sound quality of the BDP-2, it's really not very user friendly with the current software version, especially when streaming (without Roon).
Apparently a new version of the Bryston software called, "Nutty Narwhal" is on the way - perhaps this might address some of the UI and streaming issues?