CES 2017 • Hot Product

Looks are deceiving with the dCS Network Bridge ($4250), which appears to be about as plain as an audio component gets, a single blue LED being its only visible feature. But it actually packs a great deal of functionality into its small chassis. It is essentially the networking part of dCS's Vivaldi and Rossini digital systems, and it brings vast functionality to older dCS digital setups or any non-network DAC.

In addition to use with a computer, the Network Bridge allows connection of USB and NAS drives, and playback from Apple Airplay and streaming services such as Tidal and Spotify. It is also Roon ready. It has USB storage, Ethernet, and WiFi inputs, and S/PDIF and dual-AES outputs. Multiple word-clock inputs allow it to be used with external clocks. It also downsamples digital data, so it can be used with essentially any older DAC.