Bluesound Node 2

[Melvin]

Just took delivery. Nice packaging. Nice looking contraption. This evening should be fun.

 

[Melvin]

Welcome to CA Melvin! I have a Bluesound Node 2 in each of my two systems. They work exceptionally well and with a TIDAL HiFi account they become truly addictive. While their internal DAC is good on its own, I feed external DACs through the Node's digital outputs for even better sound. Enjoy your new toy!

 

Thanks audio.bill.

 

After a bit of frustration trying to point the Node to my music .. success! At first blush I'm impressed. To start with, I've decided to put it through it's paces using my Chord Qute EX. As I become familiar with the sound quality I intend to try other configurations (BiMBy, W4S bLINK, internal DAC). Fun.

[Melvin]

Good to know. I was getting a bit frustrated because their info (manual & online) was somewhat vague IMO but I got the gist of it finally and was able to connect. I'm using a USB drive attached to my Airport Extreme .. simple really. I'm honestly hoping this takes the place of my Mac mini from here on. I've grown tired of the endless updates and tweaks as of late. Less hassle. More music. The iOS app is a nice touch (pun?) also.

[Melvin]

Last night curiosity forced me to wire up the BSN2 via its analogue out connection. Bluesound uses the Burr Brown PCM5122 for DAC duty and I must say .. it doesn't suck. In fact it's quite good. (BTW, I seem to be fond of Burr Brown DACs.) Digital out to my Qute EX seems more nuanced and revealing, however, when switching between the 2 inputs there is a definite level mismatch in favor of the Qute EX, so it's not as easy to detect the subtle differences. Bottom line is the BSN2 is not shamed at all. Could I live with it sans outboard DAC? Yes, but as I already have a couple of fine DACs, no doubt one of them will be in the mix (Bifrost Multibit is up next). So far I'm happy to say I like what I'm hearing from this contraption.

 

I'm using the BSN2 via WiFi exclusively and I've yet to experience a single glitch playing back from either my own library of uncompressed FLACs, Spotify, or Tune-in Radio. The BluOS operating system and iOS app are very responsive and well done. I'm a bit surprised Bluesound is not discussed here much. Perhaps the specs aren't good enough for many? (The BSN2 will play up to and including 24/192 and no DSD yet.) MQA is scheduled to be implemented (via software update) this year for those that care. I believe there is talk of DSD as well. Time will tell.

[Melvin]

What output to your DAC are you using? It doesn't use USB correct?

 

Correct .. I've tried both toslink and coax and they both sound great. The Qute EX, unlike the Bifrost, can handle 24/192 through its toslink input BTW.

[Melvin]

Good to hear some positive feedback on the bluesound. I was scheming for a while to get an nad m50 so I could add some bluesound devices and zone them. Before I got that far I decided to try Roon and am now committed to its interface. If they would add roon ready support that would be huge.

 

I've wondered if Roon integration will happen in time. Apparently the folks at Bluesound are listening to their customer base and no doubt people are asking for it. I'm not personally interested in Roon at this time (yes, I did take it for a spin) but perhaps at some point I'll revisit.

 

I've been considering significant changes here myself and the BS node 2 looks the likely contender.

 

I've a passive pc (hdplex) with sotm usb, multiple LPSU and a regen and the fiddling around over several years has worn thin. And with my lack of golden ears, I doubt I'll be able to discern any difference in SQ.

 

Even if you can discern differences you might be surprised how good the Node 2 sounds. Yeah, I'm getting tired of dealing with my Mac mini and the endless tweaking. This ticked all the boxes for me, including price. I spent 4 times the cost of the Node 2 for my last Mac (not including all the audiophile software!). So far this is a nice change. I'll give it more time but again, I like what I'm hearing.

[Melvin]

Bluesound started with wanting to be a replacement for Sonos. At least that was their market/marketing and that association seemingly did not help with audiophiles.

 

Also most folks aren't sure what a streamer does. And then wireless and WiFi have a bad rep so that doesn't help either.

 

I suppose you're right master but I thought audiophiles would be interested in a high-res replacement for Sonos. Admittedly, I also needed some time to wrap my head around the whole dedicated streamer thing. Funny you mention wireless because one reason I've balked in the past is the overwhelming volume of reports stating wired Ethernet is a must. One reason I took a chance on the Node 2 was because of the reported WiFi improvements .. I want convenience and good sound. Wireless is a must for me.

 

Unrelated afterthought and correction from a previous post .. the Bifrost can do 24/192 via Toslink.

[Melvin]

Interestingly, this unit has fixed a long term issue I've had with missing bass.

 

A year or so ago I swapped out my wadia 121 with a w4s dac2 dsd and shortly afterwards, my bass dissappeared.

 

I spent a significant amount of time rebuilding the server, testing different configs and outputs. Swapping out different LPSU's. Multiple OS reinstalls then upgrades to win10 and all with no resolution to this issue.

 

I recently decided to change the DAC out and bought the TEAC NT-503 and again, no discernible difference.

 

Added the node 2 last night and everything is fine again. No drivers required. All quite simple. I'm happy but can't help thinking about the significant loss of time and money on this issue. Never again. I'm over DIY solutions.

 

Now the question is what DAC to sell. Plus I've a Regen spare along with SoTM components, HD-Plex and teradak lpsu's and finally, a HD-Plex passive H1S case with thin itx/4670T PC.

 

And do I look at a upgraded coax reclocking solution because you know, there's always something else that can possibly improve the SQ...

 

Hey man, congrats on your new acquisition! Nice that it fixed your missing bass issue.

 

As to the reclocking question, I have a Wyred 4 Sound reclocker which provided a very nice improvement with my Mac. I would use it with either of my USB-SPDIF converters (Bel Canto mLink & SOtM dX-USB HD) paired with one of my DACs (Qute EX or Bifrost MB). I'm not detecting any improvement with the BSN2/DAC pairing. YMMV.

[Melvin]

I was checking BS out yest. at Axpona and overhear BS saying they had no plans on Roon as they spent time and money working on their own software. I walked on...

 

On one hand, they will lose some audiophile business over this but on the other, I doubt their market is the Roon-centric audiophile. They believe in their brand and I'm sure they will continue to develop their software/hardware platform accordingly. Many people (even audiophiles) simply won't pay for Roon and there is plenty of room for everyone.

[Melvin]

I'm contemplating the Node 2 as well, and have been for a while because my PC takes up so much space and needs so many power supplies. What would really be useful is a comparison between the Node 2 and a blinged out audio server to see how much they differ. Does anyone have both?

 

MrSprout, FWIW I'm moving from a Mac mini (late 2012, 2.6GHz quad-core i7, 16GB RAM, 256 SSD, headless) with an Oyen Digital Thunderbolt SSD external hard drive for storage. I have 3 DACs, 2 USB-SPDIF converters, a REGEN, a W4S reclocker, and several PSUs (linear & battery). For software I have licenses for Amarra Symphony, Audirvana+, JRMC, HQPlayer, and Pure Music (among others). I'm still putting the Node 2 through it's paces with various configurations but it will remain. The Mac mini, which served me well, is out. I'm kind of flabbergasted by the sound quality from this appliance (even through its analog out). The cost of the Node 2 is a small fraction of what I paid for my mini and subsequent software. It speaks to just how far we've come in computer audio.

[Melvin]

I've officially retired the Mac mini from my audio space. Well, not exactly I suppose. I'm using the BluOS control app for Mac along with the iPhone/iPad apps. I also have a FLAC-filled Oyen Digital drive attached via USB to my Airport Extreme in an adjacent room providing library duty. I've already stated being somewhat flabbergasted with the sound quality of this appliance and feel I should reiterate .. I'm kind of flabbergasted! In every way it has equaled or surpassed the Mac mini. The sound quality is quite good with the on-board DAC and is elevated much more so with my Chord Qute EX. The device is a joy to use. The apps are well done with few nits to pick. After 8 years of using a well-appointed general-purpose computer in my audio system I'm just thrilled to have found an appliance (among the many) which perfectly suits me. Peace and good listening.

[Melvin]

Bluesound just announced in Munich that they’ll be adding MQA support to their devices via a firmware update on June 1st. Now if only Tidal would finally flip the switch we’d be in business!

 

Thanks for the heads-up! For those interested here is the news link from Bluesound:

 

Bluesound and MQA® Bring the Studio Experience Home : Bluesound

[Melvin]

Quick question for Node 2 users: if you have another device connected to the optical input, such as a Blu-ray player, is it possible to pass the digital signal through to the optical output and use a separate DAC for both sources? For example if you had a DAC with a single input and needed to connect up both devices? I'm assuming source switching would take place in the Bluesound app in that event?

 

Sounds plausible MrSprout but without knowing for sure you might want to ask the folks over on their forum. https://helpdesk.bluesound.com/discussions/

 

This is from the manual:

 

 

and check this out also: https://support.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/articles/202507826

[Melvin]

Hi all, I've just ordered a Node 2 !

 

Is anyone using the coaxial out? In all of my reading so far I've only noticed everyone using the Toslink out.

 

My amp accepts 24/192 on the coax input, and 24/96 on toslink. I'll try both but just wondering if anyone has anything against coax, compared with toslink?

 

Cheers

 

Congrats on the purchase. I hope you enjoy the Node 2 as much as me. I'm using the coax out to my Bifrost MB right now and it sounds great. I hear little difference (if any) using Toslink. I use a Lifatec glass Toslink cable which passes a 24/192 signal flawlessly.

[Melvin]

Just another question - do you guys use a re-clocker with your Node 2? If not, had you tried one and found it wasn't required?

 

With either you coax or toslink output, whichever one you use.

 

Cheers :-)

 

 

Sent from my Blackberry DTEK50 using Tapatalk

 

I use a Wyred 4 Sound bLINK re-clocker with mine in conjunction with a Bifrost Multibit or Qute EX DAC. Sounds great. Do I need to use it? No, absolutely not. The Node 2 sounds pretty good using it's on-board DAC as well, IMO .. not quite at the level of either of my DACs but still most acceptable. Which re-clocker(s) were you contemplating? The new iFi S/PDIF Reclocker has my interest.

[Melvin]

Yep the new ifi relocker has my interest too ! So the reclocker with the Bluesound Node 2 isn't as essential as with a Sonos or Chromecast Audio it seems. That's good to know.

 

No, not essential as has been reported elsewhere. Unfortunately there hasn't been much interest in Bluesound here. I would give a good listen before adding a re-clocker if just for evaluation purposes. BTW, I'm thinking the iFi Re-clocker should be my audio Xmas present this year .

[Melvin]

@Em2016 .. coax is not limited. 24/192 works over both coax and optical (with a Lifatec glass cable in my system). I would do the same as you and try a different cable. Hope it works out. BTW, I use a Black Cat Silverstar! coax.

[Melvin]

In regards to indexing your library, I have had an issue with the Node 2 duplicating files multiple times and don't how to solve it.

I don't have a large library and mainly stream Tidal. However, every time I unplug my USB hard drive from the Node 2 and then replug, the Node adds another copy of the files. I've done this three times and now see 3 copies of each file on the Blue OS app.

Solutions? I've tried reindexing.

 

Sent from my SM-T810 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

The answer to this issue may be hinted at here and in their own documentation which is linked to in the thread:

 

https://helpdesk.bluesound.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=338&sid=baa04e10081051f303302f14e5f92787

[Melvin]

Roon news .. apparently Bluesound will be integrating Roon into their platform in an upcoming release.

[Melvin]

Hey, that is very interesting, thanks for mentioning. I'm fed up using different apps for different devices and Roon, amongst its many strengths, appeals because I only need one control app for everything.

 

I was looking at an Aries mini for my gym but they don't do Roon. Not sure why as the Aries models do. I may get a Bluesound if this is true. Currently using a Sonos in that room.

 

I first saw mention of it on the Bluesound Forum and now Roon Labs have Bluesound listed on their partners page as "coming soon":

 

https://roonlabs.com/partners.html

[Melvin]

It's official:

 

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/lenbrook-annouces-roon-ready-partnership/

[Melvin]

Just an FYI, an update landed today. Mobile apps got updated too.

[Melvin]

What did the update do, exactly, if you know. I'm not noticing anything different.

 

According to Bluesound:

 

https://support.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/articles/230892808

[Melvin]

Roon is still under development. I read (somewhere) by the end of the year it should be a go, but don't quote me on that .

[Melvin]

I have Node 2 . So far I was streaming Tidal only. I have a large library on a hard drive that I was playing via Olive one from an old Mac. I'm planning to copy it and play it via Node 2. What is the easiest way to do it? Thanks in advance.

PS. I'm using smsl Dac, connected to Kitoki tube amp and Omega single driver speakers

 

Hi bakalovb .. not sure if this will be at all helpful to you but I have my library (uncompressed flac) on an external USB drive attached to my AirPort Extreme router and mapped accordingly in "Configure Network Shares". Simple and my Mac no longer needs to be on to listen to music from my library. Good luck.