Just wanted to chime in on this hot topic as it's been a while since an years-earlier thread has been commented on. Yes Manic Moose is still the only real option for BDP control (overpriced Roon notwithstanding), but you know what.. it's a SOUND that ultimately matters and I've directly compared it with Roon using my Oppo 205 (Roon direct to Oppo and BDP3 connected USB Bus2 to same device--with high-res Qobuz as the source)...and MM interface simply blows the doors off the Roon SQ. And my system which consists of a state-of-the-art Audio Research preamp and Cary amp will reveal every little nuance. Sure its not as pretty but it bests it in the category that's most important.. and now that Roon is owned by one of the more questionable business-practiced companies around (yeah i said it), that's even more reason to avoid it. I mean I personally was luckily enough to literally almost be given the BDP3 device by a friend that was getting completely out of the hobby, so yeah I'm going to give it a nice long leash to see if I can make it work. I have to say I'm extremely impressed with the hardware design and bulletproof build of the unit itself--it just oozes quality.
As I'm sure Chris and James at Bryson would agree, the streaming era has created a whole new world of issues because the control app is so important to the overall satisfaction. A Hi-Fi company, especially a "pro-originated" company like Bryson just is not used to dealing with the software side of things... and not only is outsourcing programming
super expensive, it also takes control out of their hands and let's just say many programmers are not exactly the most diligent people in the world.. I for one fully understand why it's taking so long to get a replacement because of their exacting standards...so sure MM can be clunky & sometimes doesn't play nice even if you just try to skip tracks forward (and I still haven't figured out how to scan *through* a track!)...but the sound is ultimately what matters and Manic Moose sounds has that in spades.
One more definite thing to note. I contacted Chris with an internet radio station that I thought everyone would really like to have that sounds fantastic in FLAC. Most services only offer it in MP3 format which pales in comparison to the better bit rate version. It was not available on the typical B radio, but In a matter of days Chris researched it's URL and it was added--you should be able to check it out for yourself under the favorites section in the media player (pureclassix). Truly a fantastic all-encompassing playlist from this Dutch webstation. I don't think there's many companies that would add something like that so fast if it wasn't already embedded in their system...
So thanks Chris and James for making the most of what you've got now in Manic Moose. Sure after a decade
its about due for an overhaul to keep competitive... but don't settle until you get the all-important sound quality aspect perfect. I along with everyone else I'm looking forward to what future software endeavors may bring
