Mytek Brooklyn Bridge II Streamer Review

[Billy Budapest]

Is that a typo of an extra digit to the MSRP? At first glance it looked like another chi-fi black box.

It’s American/Polish fi. The company has one foot in the professional audio world, one foot in the consumer “audiophile” world, which could account for the extra digit in the price.

 

[ocinn]

Would appreciate a photo input and analog line input measurements performed in the future on products like these.

Obviously this one is a lost cause and I don’t think anyone will be purchasing it that reads this review, but it would be nice to consistently have that data for other products in the same scope.

 

[Deleted member 72519]

Mytec can write whatever they want about the "sound" of their units. It has a lot of hum and can't even switch the filters - I would rate it a defect unit when it doesn't fulfill manufacturers specs.
Mytec is a valued name in the studio world ... after this post from the owner - not any more. Would never buy a device from them now.

I never experienced any of the problems you mentioned. I have been using Mytek dacs for more then 10 years.

 

[amirm]

Would appreciate a photo input and analog line input measurements performed in the future on products like these.

I always will measure the analog input. Phono stage too although not all the time.

 

[Billy Budapest]

The funny thing in that is that previous Mytec stuff use SMPS

I simply do not understand the audiophile preference for linear power supplies—other than looks and heaviness of weight of transformers. It’s kind of like how a toroidal transformer looks more impressive than a split bobbin transformer yet does the job half as well.

 

[Sokel]

I simply do not understand the audiophile preference for linear power supplies—other than looks and heaviness of weight of transformers. It’s kind of like how a toroidal transformer looks more impressive than a split bobbin transformer yet does the job half as well.

Simplicity and longevity by experience probably.

 

[Billy Budapest]

Simplicity and longevity by experience probably.

There are legitimate reasons for using linear power supplies, but my thoughts are directed towards those people who, for example, replace SMPS power supplies in universal players with aftermarket linear power supplies, thinking they are somehow improving the sound.

 

[IamJF]

A torodial transformer has for e.g. the benefit of "stiff" load connection from secondary to primary and low stray field. Good for big power amps.
BUT - it's the worst transformer for decoupling from the mains network (high capacities between windings). So for a D/A converter ... or any small signal device ...

 

[AuricGoldfinger]

I simply do not understand the audiophile preference for linear power supplies—other than looks and heaviness of weight of transformers. It’s kind of like how a toroidal transformer looks more impressive than a split bobbin transformer yet does the job half as well.

I think audiophiles like them for the bragging rights.

There is something else, though. Personally, I hated turning on a device and having to endure the intolerable whine from a SMPS. Most people can't hear the noisy ones unless they get right up them, but some can hear them as soon as they enter a room. I had measured tones between 7kHz and 20kHz coming from the vents on audio visual gear.

There worst offeners were a Classé Audio home theatre, wherein the preamp could be heard at 2 meters distance, and a Samsung TV which could be heard at 7 meters, changing tone with the on-screen image content. The bandaid was to have the wall surface immediately behind the TV treated with 8cm thick acoustic tile and ditch the overrated Classé setup. The new LG TVs are very quiet and have remained so.

 

[dtaylo1066]

I don't much care about the type of power supply, I just want it designed well to create a quality DC output. Noisy power supplies in this day and age are an outrage and an affront to anyone on this forum. Given the cost of filtering parts, especially for filtering, there is just no excuse for a lousy power supply, especially on mid- to -high-priced gear.

When a power supply test shows a bunch of noise, right off the bat I know someone in the design chain just doesn't give a poop.

 

[Billy Budapest]

I think audiophiles like them for the bragging rights.

There is something else, though. Personally, I hated turning on a device and having to endure the intolerable whine from a SMPS. Most people can't hear the noisy ones unless they get right up them, but some can hear them as soon as they enter a room. I had measured tones between 7kHz and 20kHz coming from the vents on audio visual gear.

There worst offeners were a Classé Audio home theatre, wherein the preamp could be heard at 2 meters distance, and a Samsung TV which could be heard at 7 meters, changing tone with the on-screen image content. The bandaid was to have the wall surface immediately behind the TV treated with 8cm thick acoustic tile and ditch the overrated Classé setup. The new LG TVs are very quiet and have remained so.

I am so used to hearing 16kHz flyback transformer whine from CRT’s that I am pretty much immune.

 

[voodooless]

Personally, I hated turning on a device and having to endure the intolerable whine from a SMPS.

Instead you get the droning hum of DC on your mains

 

[Rhubarb]

What the f.... All beautiful and full of nice functionality, but very badly executed. In German people say "außen hui und innen pfui", or "außen Grundig innen schundig."

What a fabulous expression: Outside hooey, inside phooey!

Can you attempt a translation of the other expression, please? It is surely as a great as hui/pfui!

 

[Rhubarb]

This is such a disappointment given how engorged the enthusiast community was over Mytek products a few years back. It has lots of features and a plethora of I/O—given that it is a minicomputer. Cramming that naked toroid next to all those sensitive inputs, however—shameful. For the price, they should have put it in a MuMetal can and routed the leads a bit better to reduce the radiated noise. Given the price/performance ratio, I have to agree with @amirm that this is not to be recommended.

Hahahaha! "Engorged!" That is the perfect word for the phenomenon/expressions of praise. That guy with the big glasses who listens to German techno looks permanently engorged. Or terminally engorged.

 

[Rhubarb]

When getting into audio a few years back I recall seeing this company's devices, but nothing in terms of serious performance measurements of note. The price was high back then, and it seems even higher now. So glad I went the RME route instead (I was mostly looking for all-in-one desktop devices, so while I don't have streaming, I get basically everything else I needed).

I always have a sneaking suspicion of literally any electronic producing company that actually works in NYC metro area. They all strike me as pretentious overhyped marketing nonsense. In audio we have Gradio's headphones (who's heads have gone on record saying "we don't listen to measurements, we listen to audio"). And now we have Mytek selling $5K audio devices that questionably clear CD quality on some fronts. It seems anyone working in this city is willing to spend every single cent on perception of their product rather than using the supposed prestige one might assume when you say your company is based in NYC and makes products there.

I get labor costs, and just cost of business here is high. But come on, have some pride and stop being a bunch of charlatans goodness.. As if NYC doesn't have an image problem enough as it is. Get your products at or above competition if you're going to vye for prestige and a higher asking price.

I was a Midwestern transplant to NYC for eight years. They do not need to test their products because simply being in NYC is proof positive of awesomeness.

I wasn't awesome before I went but once I was there I was undeniably better than anybody like me from any other place in the world. Then I left and I am ordinary again. Amazing how it works!

Hooey on the inside, phooey on the outside! Basically meaning 110% awesomeness however it is sliced. Solid Gold!!!

 

[MacClintock]

What a fabulous expression: Outside hooey, inside phooey!

Can you attempt a translation of the other expression, please? It is surely as a great as hui/pfui!

Well, the other expression is much more colloquial, you will not find it in a dictionary or somewhere. Grundig was a well know producer of electronics, radios and TVs, founded in 1930 by Max Grundig and a big player during the Nazi time and the 1950s and 1960s "Wirtschaftswunder" years. But then it's quality and innovation increasingly deterioted, until they went into bankruptcy, in the 2000s. Some parts may still exists with other names in different companies. However, "schundig" means trashy, shoddy, so this phrase was just a rhyme to poke fun of an apparently nice product (of the high reputation epoch of Grundig) with low-level interior.

So what about this attempt (trying to copy the use of a brand name): Outside Mytek, inside car wreck?

 

[Rhubarb]

Interesting indeed, how did they "subjectively" measure it's 20% better, and not say 30 or 10 or 25%?
they measured with their ears, so they must have very finely tuned hearing i guess.

Your ears don't have ratchets? You just count the clicks as the pawls engage and then you know how many percent.

 

[Rhubarb]

Well, the other expression is much more colloquial, you will not find it in a dictionary or somewhere. Grundig was a well know producer of electronics, radios and TVs, founded in 1930 by Max Grundig and a big player during the Nazi time and the 1950s and 1960s "Wirtschaftswunder" years. But then it's quality and innovation increasingly deterioted, until they went into bankruptcy, in the 2000s. Some parts may still exists with other names in different companies. However, "schundig" means trashy, shoddy, so this phrase was just a rhyme to poke fun of an apparently nice product (of the high reputation epoch of Grundig) with low-level interior.

So what about this attempt (trying to copy the use of a brand name): Outside Mytek, inside car wreck?

Thank you very much for such a thorough and informative explanation! I think you nailed the perfect translation — car wreck — too funny! And has a sonic element to it as well. Real life car wrecks sound sickening to me, so hollow, so deathly, my heart always drops into my stomach . . . not at all the complicated ear-catching sounds invented by Hollywood movies that sound nothing like real car wrecks.

 

[IamJF]

There is something else, though. Personally, I hated turning on a device and having to endure the intolerable whine from a SMPS. Most people can't hear the noisy ones unless they get right up them, but some can hear them as soon as they enter a room. I had measured tones between 7kHz and 20kHz coming from the vents on audio visual gear.

There worst offeners were a Classé Audio home theatre, wherein the preamp could be heard at 2 meters distance, and a Samsung TV which could be heard at 7 meters, changing tone with the on-screen image content. The bandaid was to have the wall surface immediately behind the TV treated with 8cm thick acoustic tile and ditch the overrated Classé setup. The new LG TVs are very quiet and have remained so.

Of course there are also bad implementations of SMPS! A lot of them ...
Good ones have switching frequencies far outside the audio bandwidth (Hypex at 35kHz when I remember right) which solves already a lot of problems. For power amps you still need enough filter capacity, there are systems with less harmonics (resonant converter) ... it's way easier to build a linear power supply somehow working...

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Sony is still doing it


Though who knows, maybe they're onto something if it makes "mid to high range sounds linger beautifully"

This is precisely the kind of gold-plated product that came to mind. Bling bling, bloop bloop. Ether unicorn magical waves with nothing of objective substance to justify the kilobuck tax.