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Bluesound Node 2i


Tarheel

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On 4/10/2020 at 2:15 AM, ILI said:

 

I'm not sure how to understand this correctly. It seems to me that the node 2i is redundant and the Topping D90 does have fabulous specs. So what does the node 2i do that the Topping D90 can't do?

The Node-2i is a streamer with a built in DAC while the D90 is a DAC with streaming capabilities via Bluetooth. 

First thing to note here is the general consensus is as far as sound quality is concerned, hardwired beats wifi which beats Bluetooth. This has to do with hardwired is best for limiting rf interference. Next  Bluetooth 5.0 I think is limited to 990kb/s. CD quality is 1440kb/s. Wifi can do cd quality but open to more rf noise than hardwired.

When you stream with the D90 your phone or tablet is the streamer sending the signal to the D90 via Bluetooth (and thus limited to Bluetooth specs). With the Node-2i your phone or tablet is not streaming the signal, its only acting as a remote control for the Node ( thus only limited to the spec on the node DAC or an external DAC connected to it).

However you could connect a PC directly to the D90 and get full 24/192 with the PC streaming but you wont have remote control from  phone or tablet.

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Having the Denefrips Pontus in my system the past few days has made the Bluesound Node 2i sound even better than it did with its built in DACs and my older Micromega Dac. Could it sound better? hmmm - WHO KNOWS!!!! All I know is that to my ears in my system the Node 2i sounds fantastic and i now just spend time building my Tidal Playlists and enjoy music hour after hour and it all sounds amazing to me. 

 

I really liked my Yamaha AVR and my Fortes and HSU sub - then I bought the Mcintosh MA252 Integrated and that sounded even better. Then - I went Primaluna and that Amp blows my mind - and I thought wow - Im where I want to be in my audio setup but had glitches with my AVR streaming software that sometimes didn't work and that was irritating. Deciding on the Node2i was a no brainer and hooking that up took literally minutes and have had no glitches streaming since purchasing it. Scouring the Internet I decided that a Ladder Dac was what I wanted to try and so the Denefrips was my latest addition and WOW -- I dont do measurements so I only know that the Pontus Dac sounds really good and so far I'm pretty damned happy = 

 

Happy Easter everyone and stay safe

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On 4/10/2020 at 2:32 AM, ILI said:

 

As so often in the audiophile world, it cost a few hundreds to move from 'average' to 'good', and costs a few thousands to move from 'good' to 'brilliant', right?

 

 

I tell people it's like NASCAR... the first 200 mph is relatively cheap, it's the next 20 mph that's expensive. ;)  

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I think people can build a really great sounding system without spending HUGE $$$$$ but it is easier to get great speakers, a fabulous Amp, good turntable and a good streamer and great DAC if you can afford higher quality components. Not impossible to achieve for a more modest investment but definitely not as easily as throwing some good $$$$ at a high end system.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Node 2i is in hand an apparently on line.  The blue light is on indicating we are connected. Does the iphone 6S not support the Node.  We cannot find the necessary page/pull down to select music providers (Tidal,  Amazon) on the 6S.  We have been calling Bluesound support all morning without getting through.

 

A second question....on my laptop with Windows 7 how do you add a device?  Will try this if the iphone will not work with the Node.

 

Any help appreciated.

 

 

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Goto Apple store and get the BLUOS app for your phone. Install it then run and follow instructions

Also, first off, make sure phone is connected to your home wifi.

sent ya a PM in case you get stuck and cant get Blusound on the horn

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What a frustrating time but at the end of the day I'm up and running.  The Bluos app never came up but we went in through a back door.  Went first to devices on iphone and selected Node 2i.  Then had to go to the Tidal site for a free trial.  After the trial the price quoted was $25.99 and I was expecting $19.99.  Only money and Jay Z probably needs a few bucks more.

 

But the good part of the day was a long phone call with forum members Fido (David) and support from RadBlue.  I think David and I could have talked audio all day.  Thanks to these fine gents who shared their time.

 

Now I guess I need an ipad.........did someone mention rabbit hole.

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1 hour ago, Tarheel said:

What a frustrating time

 

1 hour ago, Tarheel said:

did someone mention rabbit hole

 

Someone a few pages back mentioned Sonos. Up and running in less than a minute out of the box...just sayn'B)

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7 hours ago, Tarheel said:

What a frustrating time but at the end of the day I'm up and running.  The Bluos app never came up but we went in through a back door.  Went first to devices on iphone and selected Node 2i.  Then had to go to the Tidal site for a free trial.  After the trial the price quoted was $25.99 and I was expecting $19.99.  Only money and Jay Z probably needs a few bucks more.

 

But the good part of the day was a long phone call with forum members Fido (David) and support from RadBlue.  I think David and I could have talked audio all day.  Thanks to these fine gents who shared their time.

 

Now I guess I need an ipad.........did someone mention rabbit hole.

It was nice chatting with you today and I'm so stoked you got the Node2i up and running. I hope you enjoy the endless supply of music you now have access to. I currently have over 120 Playlists on my Tidal account and build on the lists regularly. If I come across a song I don't really like I just delete it - I have even deleted a few playlists and if I find i'm missing out on something I cant find on Tidal I just use the Node2i to stream songs I could find on Spotify

 

Stream ON!!!!

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12 hours ago, Tarheel said:

What a frustrating time but at the end of the day I'm up and running.  The Bluos app never came up but we went in through a back door.  Went first to devices on iphone and selected Node 2i.  Then had to go to the Tidal site for a free trial.  After the trial the price quoted was $25.99 and I was expecting $19.99.  Only money and Jay Z probably needs a few bucks more.

 

But the good part of the day was a long phone call with forum members Fido (David) and support from RadBlue.  I think David and I could have talked audio all day.  Thanks to these fine gents who shared their time.

 

Now I guess I need an ipad.........did someone mention rabbit hole.

Glad your up and running now :). I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest Apple was the heart of your issues, I avoid Apple products like ..well... COV-19 :P  ( too soon ? ). I suggest you should install Tidal ( the app not the BLUOS app) on your laptop or PC. While I do use a tablet and phone for BLUOS, I was born of the generation that pre-dates the one that was born with a smart phone genetically attached to their hand, so find good 'ol mouse n keyboard best for doing searches and making playlists.

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36 minutes ago, RadBlue said:

Glad your up and running now :). I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest Apple was the heart of your issues, I avoid Apple products like ..well... COV-19 :P  ( too soon ? ). I suggest you should install Tidal ( the app not the BLUOS app) on your laptop or PC. While I do use a tablet and phone for BLUOS, I was born of the generation that pre-dates the one that was born with a smart phone genetically attached to their hand, so find good 'ol mouse n keyboard best for doing searches and making playlists.

 

I've got a chip implanted into my brain. I just have to 'think' of a song or a playlist, 'select' the streaming service, and the music starts to play!

😁😁😁

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RE:  The Bluesound Node 2i.....what purpose does this unit serve if you already use a DAC (external or internal to an amp/receiver) and if you can already stream by some method?  Is it a matter of improved sound quality or ease of use or what?  Just wondering.....asking for a friend.....

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Fido or RadBlue can explain it better (I'm a newbie to streaming) but its a fast network streamer/dac that decodes and streams MQA up to 24/192 playback.  Plays MP3, AAC, WMA, Flac, Alac, WAV, and AIFF. 

 

I'm streaming a Tidal playlist of John Prine right now

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1 hour ago, jimjimbo said:

RE:  The Bluesound Node 2i.....what purpose does this unit serve if you already use a DAC (external or internal to an amp/receiver) and if you can already stream by some method?  Is it a matter of improved sound quality or ease of use or what?  Just wondering.....asking for a friend.....

There are many ways to stream. Before I got my Blusound Node 2i I streamed from my Yamaha AVR. Sometimes it worked and sometimes there were glitches. To me that was a PITA!!!!! Also playing thru my HT bypass of my Integrated amp made me have to control volume thru my AVR. Incorporating the Node 2i lets me run it from the Node to my Denefrips Dac and then to an aux input on my integrated so I can control thru integrated being able to use Triode or Ultralinear capabilities of my amp and volume controls. To me it sounds much better than directly thru my AVR and it isa far more stable connection. Hi res music thru wifi with never a drop and incredible sound quality song after song. Best thing that ever happened to my music enjoyment and not expensive either.

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Well, I just purchased a Yamaha Aventage RX-A2080 for a secondary system.  This unit utilizes dual ESS 384 khz/32 bit ES9007S SABRE Premier DACS.  Great connectivity, no dropouts, plays everything under the sun.....thinking I could do without the Bluesound.  Thanks for your replies.

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1 hour ago, jimjimbo said:

Well, I just purchased a Yamaha Aventage RX-A2080 for a secondary system.  This unit utilizes dual ESS 384 khz/32 bit ES9007S SABRE Premier DACS.  Great connectivity, no dropouts, plays everything under the sun.....thinking I could do without the Bluesound.  Thanks for your replies.

I probably should have just  bought the rx 3080 instead of my rx 880 - The rx 880 often had trouble seeing the network wirelessly or wired. It does not have the ESS Sabre Dacs like your RX 2080. I like the Node 2i but the 3080 would have saved me investing in a separate streamer and high end DAC. Audio is not always about making the smart choice every time. I love my setup now but there are many ways to get to the same place  in the long run - congrats your Yamaha works flawlessly.

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I went with the Bluesound 2i because it seemed like the simplest option to get my streaming music to my vintage 2channel system. I am hard wired and control my amazon music with the app on a tablet. This isn't wife friendly you can end up with multiple instances of amazon music going. One through the blueos app and the amazon hd app so they will over ride each other. When the amazon app runs it will cast to the bluesounde but drops at time. To make a wife friendly option i split an optical off the hdmi output of my shield tv. The optical plugs into the bluesound and spotify or any other streaming service works and is controlled by the tv remote. Wife friendly. I have not tried tidal this way yet. The wife doesnt care so much about hi rez and at 10 bucks a month spotify is a win. Although the premium spotify does sound great in this mode. 

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