Received Bridge II yesterday to replace a Squeezebox Touch which was connected by ethernet to a Vortexbox Appliance (headless linux box running Logitech Media Server.) Installation was easy as dropping bread into a toaster.
Because LMS has been rock-solid for me forever, I decided to use Holzohr’s experience in this thread to implement it with the BII. Installed Philippe’s uPnP plugin in LMS (v. 1.2.5.0). Had to futz with a couple of settings for an hour or so, but now I’m in business using LMS as server and iPeng app on iPhone as control point.
Success with flac in 16/44 (which is 99% of my collection) and gapless worked on a 24/96 version of Dark Side of the Moon! Success with Pandora for background listening! Success with TIDAL for redbook streaming of damn-near every recording in the world!
Small niggles: iPeng got completely hung up trying to switch from the 24/96 Dark Side to another album. If iPeng gets flustered it will occasionally give 3 seconds of garbled music/static at the beginning of a track. My laptop got kicked off my wifi network this morning and required a router reboot (maybe has to do with a dynamic IP?)
Funny bonus: I listen at night once the wife goes to bed. We installed iPeng on her phone so that if she’s ever awakened or annoyed by a track I’m playing, she can skip it herself from the bedroom.
Sound Quality, on my PWD II and in comparison to the SBT through coax input into firmware 2.4.3, is the best I have ever experienced at home. Winner winner, chicken dinner! So much blacker, quieter background. Imaging took a huge step forward with space delineated between instruments in the soundstage. Pace and rhythm were miles better. A couple of times I freaked out because I thought there was a person in my home, only to realize that it was a studio musician shifting on his stool, and he was present in the room with me. Bass had significantly less overall weight than before, but it was tuneful and accurate for sure. All listening was in NativeX mode with Auto filter.
SQ is my highest priority in this game, and the small hassles in setup and operation are easily worth it to gain the listening experience I enjoyed last night. Chapeau to the whole PS Audio team.
