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Article: UPDATE: Amazon Music HD Is Still Lossy*


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19 hours ago, JPK said:

 

I'm looking for an all in one streamer with a hard drive for our 350 CDs and willing to buy more to be respectful of the artists. (I do not have the chops to run something through a Mac Mini/etc.) Intrigued by Bluesound, but a little hesitant about the sound quality.....

The Bluesound Vault might be the answer, but wonder if I should wait for a NAD version (Thinking NAD is better quality than Bluesound) and better yet an Innuos Mini version. Is the Roon streamer compliant with Amazon?

For what it’s worth, I'm really enjoying the Node 2i.  I use it with an external DAC.   While there may not be a list of specific devices, Amazon does provide a listing of “preferred brands” that might help narrow your search a bit: https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited/why-hd#hd-edu-brands

 

it’s also worth noting that the Node 2i has a USB port on the back of the unit, and can read music files from a flash drive plugged into that port.   So, here's something to consider:

 

First, you'd need to rip copies of your CD's, and save them in a file format that's easy for the device - in this case the Node 2i - to read.  Might take some time, and you'd probably look to a program like dbPowerAmp or similar to help make the ripping process easy. 
 

Next, you'd want to copy/store the files in a safe place, maybe a couple of places like an external drive for backups.  You probably wouldn't to have to go through the effort of ripping those CD's again if something happened to the drive that stores all your ripped CD's.

 

Finally, get a flash drive large enough to hold all your ripped CD's.  I suspect a 150 or so GB USB flash drive would be sufficient for 350 CD's ripped to FLAC, but you might get something a bit bigger in case you want to add more ripped CD's to your collection later on.  Something like this might suffice: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sandisk-ultra-256gb-usb-3-0-type-a-flash-drive-black/9208267.p?skuId=9208267&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=DWA&ds_rl=1260402&gclid=CjwKCAiAtej9BRAvEiwA0UAWXqX-U55X9V45Y9Vv0N8iHQb9w4TXwDcd0KCOZsVPdQcSnmaAUdU_lBoCUlAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Then, plug the flash drive into your Node 2i, follow the instructions to have the Node 2i play music from the flash drive, and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/13/2020 at 5:02 PM, Daren F said:

I had one and returned it. I used it only as a transport connected to my DAC. I found that there was large volume fluctuations between some tracks and the first fraction of a second was cut off when tracks would change. This was using it with Tidal. Tidal Masters would be approx. 5dB or more louder than HiFi. Even when set to HiFi only, the beginning of the tracks was cut off. Maybe a compatibility issue with the DAC or defective Node, I don't know.

 

Edit: Just wanted to add that I have a LG V30 as a dedicated remote control point. It's in airplane mode with WiFi enabled. All sounds are muted.

 

There is some delay when advancing tracks but it seems to work pretty good. It is very similar to using BubbleUPnP and qobuz with JRiver as renderer. 


Interesting.  I’m using the Node 2i as a transport as well.  I do notice the variation in track volume, but I elected to keep replay gain turned off.  I suspect turning on the replay gain feature would address the volume disparity between tracks.  
 

I do not experience the issue of the first moment or two of a track being cut off.  

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7 hours ago, Daren F said:

 

I've given up trying to find a solution to get bit perfect Amazon Music HD for now and have also dropped Tidal in favor of qobuz. I'll just have to buck up and pay the higher price for qobuz and Roon for now.

 

Agreed.  The more I learn about AmazonHD, and while it might be a great fit for a subset of folks looks to stream music, the more I'm convinced it’s little more than a vehicle for Amazon to score incremental revenue off the sale of their playback hardware. 

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