Mytek Brooklyn Bridge II Streamer Review

[amirm]

Just a quick note in their defense. The Mytek is actually a server and can store content. Not that this is very useful these days with streaming and such but it does have that functionality as a Roon core above and beyond a standard streamer.

 

[Klonatans]

I have an almost identically looking Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ released back in 2018 and I wonder how it measures and what (apart from appearance) it has in common with Brooklyn Bridge II.

 

[voodooless]

Its been up half a day and 4 pages in- yet no fan boi as yet chiming in with the "must be defective" defence. Must be having a lie in.

Usually this doesn’t happen until page 10, so be patient

 

[KSTR]

Would a simple shield around the transformer be enough to properly reduce its interference?

It would help some but I suspect there is also PCB ground layout issues and transformer wiring layout issues that will still spoil the performance.
We're lucky that Amir didn't measure the Phono Input, it's probably abysmal.

 

[voodooless]

Just a quick note in their defense. The Mytek is actually a server and can store content. Not that this is very useful these days with streaming and such but it does have that functionality as a Roon core above and beyond a standard streamer.

You can buy a 14” MacBook Pro M3 Max (14/30 CPU/GPU cores) with 36GB RAM and 4 TB SSD for about the same money. Its 3.5 mm output has about 100 SINAD, so on par with this thing. Seems like a better deal despite the maddening SSD Apple Tax

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

At times we take for granted what ASR has brought to the community of audiophiles: A few years ago. before ASR, we had few (no?) ways to ascertain the quality of this, or similar items. The price would have made it somehow .. interesting.. not entirely HEA... borderline maybe @ $5000... A streamer to consider for a "pure" 2-channel system and it can run ROON ...
Forward to today...
We know we would (shall?) this expensive product. We know this emperor has few clothes. We know we can get better performance for about 1/10 the price, or if one wants to have the streaming and ROON functionalities, perhaps 1/5? 1/7?
A new era.

Thanks @amirm!

Peace.

 

[raif71]

 

[JayGilb]

It would help some but I suspect there is also PCB ground layout issues and transformer wiring layout issues that will still spoil the performance.
We're lucky that Amir didn't measure the Phono Input, it's probably abysmal.

Loosen the nut holding the toroidal and rotate it if possible. I have reduced noise in several devices using this method.

 

[Redman43]

Many see this as a fail from the company, I don't. They know that many so-called "audiophiles" out there equate "Big Price-->Quality stuff" and we all know it works. They would not charge 5000 dollars if they did not know that they could get away with it

 

[Mnyb]

It's shortcommings may not be as audible as one thinks in many cases if its a speaker only setup , you might not hear the noise level ?

 

[Pinkynator]

Just a quick note in their defense. The Mytek is actually a server and can store content. Not that this is very useful these days with streaming and such but it does have that functionality as a Roon core above and beyond a standard streamer.

My internet router, which I paid roughly 140€ / $150, has an USB port and can be a server if I connect an external drive to it. I can make it an SMB share, and I can make it DLNA-compliant. If Roon ever releases an ARM64 build... I can then make my router a Roon server.

Only ethernet inputs and outputs on my router though, and I think they're unbalanced, but all can be fixed with specially braided Cat6a cables! (if you first burn them in at 10 Gbps)

 

[JustJones]

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.

It's designed in New York but built in Poland. Not saying they don't deserve a good working wage as well.

 

[KSTR]

Loosen the nut holding the toroidal and rotate it if possible. I have reduced noise in several devices using this method.

True, but not suited to mass production ;-)
It could well be the mains disturbance will not reduce much even if the transformer itself were out-boarded with extension wires, a meter away.

I think the design of this box was mostly driven by marketing considerations making as much compromises they could get away with, given the large feature set. This thing wants to be a preamp, source selector, headphone amp, streamer with storage... a full-blown control center in the "good enough" category.

 

[daniboun]

View attachment 351826

Very beautiful artistic painting to display on the wall only))

 

[DanielT]

It's designed in New York but built in Poland. Not saying they don't deserve a good working wage as well.


View attachment 351915

Not so surprising because:

Mytek: History of the American company

Mytek Digital was founded in New York in 1992 by Polish native Michal Jurewicz. At the time of the founding of the company, he worked in one of the leading

www.stereocheck.com

 

[Sokel]

Loosen the nut holding the toroidal and rotate it if possible. I have reduced noise in several devices using this method.

@WolfX-700 did too with the Gustard pre,it was interesting to see the effect (inaudible of course but for as visuals is a must)

Edit:wrong wolf,corrected

 

[JustJones]

Not so surprising because:

Mytek Digital was founded in New York in 1992 by Polish native Michal Jurewicz. At the time of the founding of the company, he worked in one of the leading recording studios in New York – Skyline and at the same time was developing his own DACs and ADCs for work in the studio. His works not only passed testing, but were also successfully used in work. Since 1995, Mytek Digital has become his main business and his work has continued to focus on creating high-end studio equipment. In 2005, the company became an official partner of Sony Music in the development of tools for working with the DSD format and SACD recording, which automatically made Mytek the leading DSD experts in the world.

Mytek: History of the American company

Mytek Digital was founded in New York in 1992 by Polish native Michal Jurewicz. At the time of the founding of the company, he worked in one of the leading

www.stereocheck.com

I was replying to @Tks who was commenting on the high labor costs in New York possibly adding to the price but it isn't built in New York.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Thanks @amirm for another revealing review. Regarding the BB II, not a surprise knowing the obscure history behind this particular Mytek unit. Mytek started taking pre orders back in 2021 and by the end of 2023, customers who paid back in 2021, were still waiting for delivery. They also offered an upgrade from BB I to BB II that was never fulfilled. Roon forum is full of complaints from customers still waiting for delivery almost 4 years after fully paying for their units. My recommendation is to stay away from this company and look elsewhere.

Mytek Brooklyn Bridge ll with Roon…is it ever shipping?

Btw is your unit 64GB or 4TB? We can read on Mytek webpage that “from now on Mytek will offer only one model with 4TB of internal storage”. I wonder what’s the reason and personally I am not in favour to pay more for 4TB (for now I 100% stream online).

community.roonlabs.com

 

[Tangband]

I think it's another product designed with a 'just good enough performance' mentality. I suspect it's transparent enough in practice but way off beam now technically when all these super-dacs are around for a ton or two these days. That slow filter may appeal to ignorant audiophools, but surely that could be fixed to work properly? Would a simple shield around the transformer be enough to properly reduce its interference?

Will that internal computer go so out of date it can't be used in a few years time? Maybe I'm confusing the functionality with the early now ten or so years old Naim streamers which I gather glitched themselves almost into non-use - they offered a not very generous trade in on new products (a measly ten percent or so off a new one) late last year.

Naim killed my streamer with new firmware ten years ago - I had to sell my naim streamer as a dac only . No more Naim for me after that .

Regarding the slow digital filter in the Mytek , I think its deliberately to make the streamer sound softer . You see the same thing in Marantz players.

A big toroid trafo needs to be in a different box to not induce magnetical pollution , like Linn did in their lk280 spark power supply .

 

[lordhumungous]

5K pile of horse dung .