Installing an external linear power supply on the Node 2i (and probably on all versions of the Node) - makes an enormous improvement in the sound quality. There are two companies that offer such power supplies - they both replace the internal switch mode power supply with an interface board (that has additional filtering and capacitance) and let you plug in an external 5V LPS. And same goes for the WiiM - and it is easier to install a better power supply. Because it has a USB power plug.
It’s interesting that you mention that, I never looked into linear power supplies till just now but the Monster Vertex Power strip I purchased for my Asus M16 laptop and Klipsch The Sevens came with a USB Hub that offers two 2.4 amp USB-A Fast Charge Ports and one 20w USB-C Power Delivery Port. I picked up the WiiM Mini to add streaming capabilities to the Sevens so that I can be away from my personal laptop on the other side of the room working and still use Tidal thru Tidal Connect. My question is would I see any benefit as you mention to using a linear power supply instead or does this USB hub accomplish the same results? Am I a know-nothing peasant for using powered speakers that aren’t resolving enough to detect any benefits without passives and separate components? Last question was sarcasm since I love my system for its simplicity and space savings.
After the mod on my NODE N130, I have paired mine with an iFi elite 5v which is significantly better than the cheaper sub-$200 LPS. Even when being used purely as a streamer the jump in quality was noticeable.
@@FlyOnAlbatross In general, linear power supplies are cleaner and more able to supply peak current, than most switch mode power supplies can. They have (usually) great capacitance in the filter in the PS. This gives them greater surge capability.
@@NeilBlanchard I appreciate the response. I do find the whole hobby to be sometime over complex. I enjoy it but I also consider myself a music listener over an equipment listener. Perhaps I just need to delve deeper into this wonderful hobby of audio. I’ve heard more speakers recently and all of them sounded different but only a handful really made me feel something. I love the Klipsch Heresy but something about the Sourcepoint 8s coaxial driver felt special. I want to hear the Forte IVs. I have many speakers on my list but I doubt very seriously I will ever get to hear them let alone find myself spending more than $10k on a pair of speakers. One day I’ll delve into LPSs but I am content with my current setup.
Thank you John for all the useful information on the NodeX. I bought mine after researching quite a bit and this additional information has been awesome!
Thank you for fielding our questions. It shows you care! I personally feel like some of these questions sort of open up the discussion of "how much work and money does it take to make you happy/content with your music listening?". Just curious to know: do most of everyone here see this world of stereo being closer to a trade, or a passion? If I saw my piano and percussion work as a passion and not a trade, then I'd have confusion over what level of conviction do I need to possess in order to properly create music, but if I treat it as a trade, then my end result isn't necessarily focused on not being a "sellout" but rather just making sure my music creation quality increases over time as skill and creativity develop. It'd be the difference of practicing scales to improve dexterity rather than spending time trying to discover a scale that reflects my honest musical expression. I can safely say that in my 25+ years of writing and playing music, I've grown to care less about my "truthfulness" and more about my "wow that was fun!". What's been different is that I've accepted that I'm not able to tell someone what "real" music is, and ultimately that kind of attitude is too simplistic and reductive of others' experiences and life journeys... too preachy? lol Do audiophiles also feel this way? Or is it entirely different?
Dear John. The pops and crackling bug is when playing songs of different resolutions in playlists, not albums. I had this bug in Tidal. If you play a whole album, you don't get pops or crackling because songs on a same album are usually all of the same resolution. But if you have a playlist that has songs that go from low or lossy resolutions to song in high-res (like 48 to 192), you can get some pop and crackling (like a short digital noise) each time a song of a different resolution from the previous one starts playing. This usually happens a fraction of a second at the beginning of songs. This bug was logged I think more than 4 years ago and there doesn't appear to have any fix for it yet. And if I remember correctly, it was happening when the Node was used as a streamer hooked to an external dac. Mine was hooked to my Rega Elicit mk5's internal dac via a digital coax cable.
Fortunately I have no such experience and I use playlists on Roon with different resolutions in the tracks and in over 3 years of listening haven’t heard a pop or crack. I use different Node products and other streamers too with excellent results.
As always, love your videos John. I was setting up a small system in my home office. I was looking at the Node X and the FiiO R7. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow the 2 locally for the weekend. I put the Node X through it's paces (and also in my main system) I didn't know how far I wanted my office system to go (did I want bookshelf speakers and an amp or powered monitors) I then tested the R7. I fell inlove with it right away over the Node X. As all I really wanted was Roon/endpoint and PC speakers before looking into it. So, I have the R7 and some Logitech speakers (for now) and my Focal MG Clear's and it's better than I imagined for what I wanted. While I tested the Node X in my main system, it really was a huge let down there, as I run a G2 Auralic Aries and Chord TT2/M Scaler combo I am really looking forward to the R7 review, be good to see if we have the same thoughts on it.
Dear John. Thanks so much for considering my concern regarding bluesound Roon USB out. Apparently after 1.5 years bluesound team fixed it with the last update on 2021 version, after the new blue sound came out. Again appreciate your time spending on the issue.
So I, somewhat embarrassingly, am one of those people who uses a bluesound node as a streamer into a $6,500 DAC. It didn’t start that way, but my $8,500 prepro only has 2 zones available, and I frequently use 4 zones, all 2 channel “hi-fi”. The solution for getting around time delays was to use the 2 zones on my prepro, with high quality amplification, in my 2 main rooms, and 2 additional bluesound powernodes for my less important zones. The DSP time alignment from the source node then keeps everything in perfect time alignment. It may not be the best network streamer, but it’s the best I’m aware of that handles multi zone without processing delay issues.
I really enjoy your reviews. It is for me an inspiration source to build a better hifi system. I would love to see something about Interconnection cable and loudspeakers cable…. Thank you 😉
I'm searching for audiophile Narnia too :) My closet only has ancient CD, DVD players and maybe gasp... a VCR. Anyways, running a Bluesound Vault and enjoying it. I agree with many of your points on why you still buy CDs and thank you for naming a source to buy CDs which benefits the artists, the heroes of this hobby which is rarely discussed. I used to buy CDs from bands that didn't go national or before they were national, also movie sound tracks or singles of bigger bands which had covers remixes etc as their additional tracks all of which which can be diffcult to find on streaming services. Sure you may find it but it can take multiple attempts. The Vault allows for access to everything with a click for those of us that aren't network engineers, and keeps the CDs nice and safe free of new scratches. We may enjoy the ritual of taking the CD out but the clean up and organization takes more discipline. Currently running RCAs but as soon as I get some new cables, it will only be a transport. I am not experienced enough with DACs to say one is good or bad but I like the sound of my receiver's DAC better. At some point I will buy an external DAC. Thank you for your videos. Always good and thoughtful content.
I think the comments section is also a discussion place. Maybe questions about compressions are not directed to you John but to anyone who might have experience with specific products. I agree that still, they have to mention it
Owned one for a couple of months - good price from SevenOaks and connectivity excellent. Size/space an issue for me, and needed something that works well headphone wise - and this does. The App is good and handles Qobuz natively. It’s not perfect, but absolutely workable, and the DAC is better than my Apple hardware and other device. App works well on IOS and MAC, especially the latter. The sound is very revealing, more so than my A&K HC3 which I previously used with iPad. This is just way more satisfying overall
FOMO-Fi had me smiling ruefully - I really like the look of the the Node X, but I live in Turkey at the moment and getting hold of tech is tricky and expensive. I'll be moving to Europe in a couple of months though, and I sort of expect them all to be sold out. The enforced wait is allowing me time to dream up a system though, so I was pleased to hear that the digital out is the same as the older version. My pockets sadly aren't deep enough for the Peachtree, but the Sabaj A30a is apparently also a digital amp, and people seem to be quite impressed with it... So it's only really the headphone amp that I'd be missing out on, and I could always keep using my old(ish) Aune that drives my HD58Xs very pleasurably. The comment about the relative quality of the Node as a source was interesting as well. I have an Allo Digi One, and although it sounds great, it hardly gets any use as I haven't found an OS that works well and is easy to access for both my wife and I. I've currently got it running on Volumio, and although it works, it's just not very stable. So in the end, we tend to use my Nvidia Shield via its USB, as everything just works effortlessly, either via the TV or our phones. Finally, I think my wife would prefer the look of a white Node than a silver one! Thank you for a really informative couple of videos, plus all your past videos on Bluesound products. PS, the Sabaj apparently has a sub output with a low pass filter, but I'm waiting to find out if they also apply a high pass.
What I liked about my node 2i which I still have is how quickly they replied directly to a bug that the software had. They offered a beta update to test. By the time I was able to look into it the update was already out. It was a bug due to cover art size which crashed the library update.
Cracks and pops I found was a conflict between clocks in my Node 2i and my external Aune DAC. Killed the clock in the Node 2I and the problem went away. Look at audio clock trim setting.
Steve the Audiophiliac shows a lot of end-user stereo systems and what I’ve noticed is that in most of the photos, they have one of the Bluesound Nodes. It really surprises me how popular it is…it looks like its the gold standard.
The best $350 I have spent on my system was paying an electrician to move my ethernet port to directly behind my system. My Node is hard wired and it runs perfectly.
A good solution, wired ethernet is certainly the most robust way to stream audio, especially Roon. It can also be achieved without new wiring by installing a Mesh wifi system, additional Mesh boxes can be plugged into in any room and have ethernet ports to which streamers can be connected. I'm using TPLink Deco M9 wifi routers and have 3 streamers ( 2 Allo Usbridge pi based units & 1 SOtM sMS-200) connected.
Like your videos and watch because I find them entertaining & informative. Especially with new tech. Like others here I'm sure, I have my DAC of choice (Bifrost 2) . I use a WiimPro to stream after using a Yamaha WXC 50 before that. Therefore I knew early on that I wouldn't be interested in the NodeX. Still I enjoyed your video.
I currently have Sonos in a few zones of the house. In my main listening room I have a Sonos Connect (usually streaming Tidal) hooked up to a Rotel A11 Tribute amp and B&W 704 S2 speakers (I also separately have phono and cd inputs). I'm generally happy with the user experience and sound but if I wanted to improve the sound quality of the music streaming from Tidal would I see a big difference if I swapped the Sonos Connect for a Bluesound Node (I can get a good deal on a second-hand 2i) or should I consider a better quality external DAC between the Sonos Connect and amp, or should I ignore either of these changes?
Thank you for the video. I have a question about a bluesound node 2i. Can I provide a beamer with bluetooth to stream to bluesound node 2i, if so there is no delay in image and sound???. Thank you in advance
Could you do a video on using a PC or Mac to play from itunes and what to put in-between them and a desktop DAC like the Hugo TT2 or Dave for the best sound quality.
I use a sonos port into an ifi ipure 2 into a denafrips ares 2. i was shocked at hour much difference the ifi device made. I’m wondering if it is the galvanic issolation more than the reclocking.
On the Node X as a preamp using the digital volume, is this “audiophile” enough to use with a stand alone high end amplifier so to utilize the sub output, or should one be better served by outputting to either a very good integrated either digital or analog? The node’s sub output is a nice thing.. I guess the question would become How difficult is it to integrate a sub with something like a Hegel 190 or Audiolab 7000 or other similar format of mid to hifi integrated amp?
People often say xyz is the "best" because it's what they own and noone likes to admit they bought a dud. Love your reviews John. A large portion of the gear is well above my price point but I enjoy your style all the same. I am in the process of buying gear along the same lines as I had in the mid 90s when I was a spotty geek reading What Hifi. Managed to get a Denon PM66 SE amp and also bought a Denon TU 260L tuner - both What Hifi award winners. Now looking for some Mission 731i. Not audiophile in any way but the nostalgia it gives me, sat at home listening to Jamiroquai Cds.... Priceless. Glad your health is going well (I know you don't like to talk about it). Best wishes from a pom living in Australia 😁
Lol.. Great Video.. and I might add.. your sure putting a lot of R7 teasers in your last couple of videos.. but I don't mind I'm looking forward to seeing what your opinion of it will be.. I like mine but I'm pretty easy.. lol.
Hey John. Great video. 👍🏻 Side Q: Will you be doing a review of the new KEF R3 Metas I see in the background? They look fantastic in the blue btw. Thanks.
If i hardwire from my internet hub directly to my marantz amp, can i still operate it wireless from my qobuz app ? Amp and phone are on the same network. Or do i need a streamer inbetween ? thanks
I have Node 2021 connected to Musical Fidelity M6si via USB cable and I do not experience any problems while listening to the music. No cracks or sound distortions whatsoever.
Thanks for your thoughts. I’m a very happy Node 2i user with Apple phone and ipad. I stream Qobuz and enjoy the music. Using 2i directly into Bryson 4b and then Maggie .7 speakers. Per your thoughts will pass on the Node X and invest in Chord Mojo for my 2i
When you get back to speaker reviews, and if you have the opportunity, I would really like to hear your take on the Eminent Tech LFT8b that the Audiophiliac thought so highly of. My current box speakers are great sounding but I'm getting an itch to try something new and different that's at a price I could actually afford. Thanks for all the great info. I really appreciate it.
I haven’t gone into the world of DACs yet but enjoy listening to 2 channel on my Denon 3700H AVR. Am I correct in assuming that the DAC chip in an advanced AVR is good quality for music?
Good video. I use a SMSL SU 1 with my Gen 3 Node. Excellent sound and value. I don't think I could get a better sound with the Node X standing on its own. Any thoughts? I agree on the WiiM Mini having to use an external DAC. I have the WiiM Pro connected to a Schiit Modi as well. External DACs are the way to go with these streamers. Well put. Cheers, John.
Thank you for the video. Info you should know before my question if you won’t mind getting your opinion. I already own a Node 2i and recently got a Wiim Pro to try and it’s connected to DacMagic Plus for now. I now need to add a third streamer to our house. Is the new enhanced DAC in the Node X better than a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M or similarly priced DAC? If so great, if not what external DAC would be needed to improve on it. Internally improved DAC? Can’t decide on a Node X with internal DAC or Wiim Pro with external DAC to justify the Node X’s elevated price. Hope your willing help and comment on my question. Thank you. Note: my current Node 2i uses the DAC in my Emotiva Preamp via Coax digital input.
Hi John... love your unique combination of substance, humor, and practicality. Re. the WiiM mini, interesting story. I bought one so that I could enter the modern era on the cheap, and of course, spend precious dollars on other things like an external DAC. Loved it. After my local Hi-Fi shop tried to laugh me out the door when I shared my WiiM setup, he told me "garbage in, garbage out", and challenged me to bi-pass the WiiM SPDIF as my streaming source in favor of the SPDIF off of my Sony TV instead. Both were simultaneously hooked up to my Geshelli Labs AKM J2 DAC enabling seemless A / B testing. Well, would you believe he was right! The source is not just a broker of 1s and 0s...rather, quality does matter. The Sony's output was definitely warmer and more pleasing to listen too. The WiiM is not long in my world.
Wiim has 140dB SINAD over Toslink. It is bit perfect. Weak link should be your J2 DAC with 'just' 110dB. Btw WiiM Pro is now Roon Ready certified, for those who care.
Do you really want to leave your Sony TV on all the time? Seems wasteful of energy and likely to make it get older quicker. Better to get a stand-alone streamer and nix using the TV.
@@waldishotinfokiwi ...and so you connect over USB to avoid the toslink limitations. Something you can do with a Bluesound, but can't with a Wiim. I have both streamers and the Bluesound over USB is notably better than the Wiim over toslink. Gave my Wiim to my daughter in the end.
I’m using my Node 2i as an external DAC for a CD transport (audiolab 6000CDT) paired with NAD C 316BEE (mk2) and I need to admit that CDs sound way better (eg more details) than CD quality streaming (probably some digital filters are bypassed in the DAC only /non streaming mode). What I mean here is that for me the DAC and analog output quality of my Node is really nice, if you’re saying that it’s been improved in the X version.. I should probably give it a try and listen to it at some HiFi dealership
Hi John. Glad to see you back in Lisbon. I’d be honored to buy you a coffee one of these days. Now to my question. I currently own a Taotronics TT-BA09 Pro Bluetooth receiver toslink(ed) to a Denon AVR-3805 receiver. It’s not close to ideal but it was just a basic way of having streaming services in my system. I usually tend to just listen to vinyl in the living room anyway. But now (having Spotify, Tidal and AppleMusic which I enjoy during work or on the go, on headphones) I’m considering adding proper streaming in the main system. Would you recommend something like the Node X or a Mojo2/Poly for sound? (considering I could also use the Chords on the go). Maybe my main point is, since the DAC in the Mojo2 is better than the one in the Node X, could the Poly do the main streaming work? Or is the X much much better? What are both streamers ups and downs? Thank you esm.
I am new to streaming and actually, I don't do much streaming. I previously played music through a bluetooth connection. I initially tried the Cambridge Audio MXN10 but I had (perhaps just for my system) significant problems staying connected to my wifi which was a pretty good wifi. Plus, the one time it was connected, I couldn't detect any difference in sound quality between Apple Airplay or bluetooth. I bought the Bluesound Node X once I heard about it because the sound quality was supposed to be decent. My experience is that it set up incredibly easily and quickly reconnects to my wifi regardless whether it gets disconnected by unplugging it or by a wifi outage. Night and day easy compared to the CA product (I have owned several CA products that I have nothing but good things to say about). I find that the sound quality of Apple Airplay is better than bluetooth and I occasionally stream from an iPad to the Node X and I'm fine with the quality. I haven't subscribed to any services (other than the family has a subscription to Apple Music) and maybe I'll dip my toe in there to see what that's like but so far, I mainly play from my own library. I'm worried about artists getting ripped off from services and my taste in music is such that I wouldn't be using 9/10 of any service. Anyhow, in terms of a beginner's streaming device which is easy and gives decent sound quality, I think the Node X is a good choice. Oh, also, it initially sounded a bit shrill but that corrected itself very quickly after initial use.
Yes, I agree and it's about time we had a serious firmware/software update for the Zen Stream which improves the operability and fixes the small but annoying glitches.
Thanks for the follow up. I was definitely sad to have sent back my node x. I ordered it minutes after the launch. I had hoped it would renew my faith in Lenbrook. The external clicks and pops is definitely and issue over usb. It’s with higher resolution especially DSD. Not so much with cd quality. This is was one of the reasons why I have retuned the x and the last node. As usual the customer support refused to to accept it was an issue. I have even created a new customer service profile to avoid being black listed. The treatment is the same. The product and customer experience needs to match then sound quality. I’ve never had a company continually try to make me feel dumb and feel bad about myself. But he NAD/Bluesound. I have been a Sonos user fir 15 years and even when I have issues they work with the end user to get it finger out. No pass the blame into everything and envying else. Im sorry to sound salty but I keep trying to come back to bluesound/NAD I keep running into the same issues.
Interesting, as none of the Bluesound products do DSD as far as I know; it just won't work. Perhaps you should be looking for another streamer than can do DSD.
This is interesting. I have a bluesound Node N 130 and while I like it it is pretty laggy. I have gigabit internet and in the same room where the router is I have a noticeable delay in waiting for my music to load. When I first select the "favorites" or "playlists" it takes about 10 seconds for them to come up. Also when I am perusing my album favorites I get about 20 albums at a time and then there is a delay until it loads the new favorites. This is on an iphone 11 pro Max and a 2019 Ipad Pro. I wonder if it is related to iOS?
How to you get your music to it? Roon, or via external music library from a server, or from som streaming service? The lag may come from that. I have one and these all have different lags. let us know.
Can you please clarify your comment on the Node X vs Node? At 11:15 in the video it sounded as if you said that the two devices are roughly equivalent, which is different from your other video on the Node X. I have the Node X, but no comparative insight on the Node. I'm happy with the Node X.
How’s the digital out on the Node X? I thought the coaxial digital out on the Node 2i was a little hazy and flat. And reviews for the successor stated that the digital out was not improved for that model. I might consider going back into the bluOS ecosystem if the X can scale with higher end external DACs.
Enjoyed the Video. And glad you mentioned WiiM - I have a WiiM pro connected by SPIDF to a Denafrips Pontus II DAC. I love the sound and the App and generally find it hard to contemplate spending additional $ for what is probably a minimal improvement. OTOH the WiiM is the cheapest component in my system ($5k amp $12k Speakers)
Hi John thanks for the extra info but my question remains. How does it compare to the Cambridge Audio CXN v2 that you also reviewed. They ate getting close in price so.....?
I have them both and the Cambridge will be a notch up in my opinion sound wise. The Cambridge is better looking, has a nice display screen, and XLR outs. They really do not play in the same space.
Not sure how the sound would compare head to head, but the Cambridge is getting to be a a much older gen product at this point with little to no hardware/dac updates. The world seems to be moving towards streamers with touch screen interfaces and products such as the new Eversolo DMP-A6 are going to force other manufacturers to step up their game at the price point of the Node X and Cambridge CXN. Rumor mill suggests there may be some new streaming products from Cambridge this year.
Love your reviews and thoughts John, you mentioned Apple music which I use now! Recently bought a new tablet to use my Apple app on, so what's the best (budget?) method to get the sound to my active speakers /soundbar) Streaming to a separate unit or straight to my speakers?
I'm using the latest teufel streamer. ( 250 euro) It has a sirius DAC in it from Apple. Good app and you can also play from your computer. I'm very happy with Teufel. Its working great. And it has a more affordable prise than most of it.
Long-time Node owner here. Apologies for going off-topic, but I just found out that the HiFi Rose 150b streams Apple Music natively. This comes from my dealer who I believe contacted the rep.
I must dig into streaming systems. I know nothing...so a very interesting coupled of videos.. but also, I think I'll release a limited edition album called FOMO 🤣
Hello all, I wouldn't say I am a hifi person per se but I will say that owning a music-playing system and a great lbume collection in a home is something I consider to be as fundamental as having running water. I have been a musician my entire life and music is my passion and my livelihood. I do have a pretty decent system at home complied mostly with components I bought 25 years ago. My serious costs in musical equipment goes to instruments and not into hifi. Good violins cost a hell of a lot more than good amplifiers. Something like the Node X is a godsend for me. Surely there are a lot of products out there that 'sound better.' For 800 bucks, I can integrate my Tidal subscription into my traditional and at this point, vintage YBA and Dynaudio system. It's about listening to music at the end of the day. I no longer have to sit in front of a computer to listen to an album I don't physically possess. I think the Node X is a brilliant component and it brings me joy. In my symphony job, we play different repetoire every week over each 10 month season. There are so many pieces that I need to familiarize myself with, to study, to learn and ultimately perform. This is awesome! I can be in mhy music room with my real hifi setup, crank it, play with along with it, really just get into the music. This is absolutely good enough for what I need it to be. I love it!
I disagree with the comments about the Node (2i) as a streamer into a more expensive DAC's. I have the DCS Bartok and I have both streamed, via AQ Coffee Co-Ax through the Node, and via Network (AQ Cinnamon Ethernet) direct to the Bartok and found little to no difference in sound quality. Especially when playing MQA. Are there better streamers, sure. Is it worth spending the money, that all depends on ones final goals, preferences, and budget. I have to say, I'm very happy using the Node 2i as a streamer and very much like the BlueOS functionality w/ Tidal. I actually prefer it to DCS's Tidal interface. Just my thoughts.
I use Raspberry pi / digi-allo as a streamer to an external DAC with Volumio. It’s worth mentioning that aside from Tidal, I can stream Bandcamp (weekly radio show) and Soundcloud through to my external DAC and it sounds significantly better than Bluetooth. I have been using those services for years now and can’t live without them and don’t believe BluOS supports this. Really appreciate the fellow nerds in the Comment section, and hope someone finds value.
omg, the type in the Blue OS controller app is, like, 4pt . . . too small to read over the age of the 40, lol. Does anyone know if the font size can be increased?
On Android the app (v 3.20.5) respects the system-level font size settings. On iOS the app (v 3.20.2) doesn't respect the system-level font size settings. Personally I think the iOS app's deficient in this regard. Many developers don't support this because it greatly increases the amount of work required designing & testing apps on all the screen & window sizes and all the possible type sizes. Personally I do but I'm 50 so I know what it's like with tiny text.
Guess they are too afraid to come out with a DAC-less BlueOS based streamer, thinking it would cannibalize sales of the Node. It might. Still a pity. Many of us would buy one. General question for those of you with Nodes (any version)...Does using it as a preamp (the onboard volume control) reduce sound quality compared to using it as a streamer/DAC only connected to your "regular" preamp? I'm thinking of getting a Node to use its subwoofer output, but if I do, I'll have to use it as a preamp. Any downsides to that? Otherwise I'll have to run speaker level cables to my subwoofer and I'm not sanguine about doing that. Thanks. I'm not sure if the volume control operates in the digital domain (compressing the dynamic range) or the analog domain.
I have to agree that the zen stream sounded better but I just couldn’t get it to work with my network and the tech support couldn’t get me up and running. I couldn’t listen to more than about 2 songs at a time.
Don't expect John to answer but maybe one of the subscribers will. I have node 2i and wonder if I could use digital out and sub out simultaneously? Both as variables?
If I was interested in just playing music through headphones would it be better to get this device or get a portable DAC for my Android phone instead ? I am not after super high rez audio just something that sounds very nice to listen to. Thanks.
If you are using your phone in combination with headphones to listen to music. I'd say a small portable DAC would suit you far better. I don't have any experience with them, but it seems a lot of people are very fond of the Audioquest Dragonfly range of DAC's.
You might want to consider the NODE, power drain issues using portable devices. I have an A&K portable DAC connected to iPad and its very good, but overall prefer the NODE experience, just the level of detail and no power drain
I would have liked an Eversolo review but he’s gone for the Fiio ! Nothing wrong with mentioning ! You know if there is enough demand he may reconsider! On the other hand as he said he can’t possibly cover everything!
Had the previous Non X Node, replaced it with a Rose RS 250 and now got the Eversolo and I personally can't justify spending twice the price of the Eversolo for the Rose. Eversolo is much nicer than the Node and works great. Give it a try and if you don't like it people will buy it off you in seconds anyway. 😉
I don't think the dac in the Node X is that much of an improvement over previous versions. If I were you, I'd buy a dac that's the same price as the Node X and use your V2 Node as a streamer. Like this you'd have more quality for your money.
Actually, the X has a total different DAC from the previous one, the new one uses an ESS chip while the old uses a BrownBurr. I had the 2021 for a month before I returned it and got the X, and the sound is much clearer and better. However, perhaps with an external dac the sound can be even better, but then… why would one spend 1K on a device just for stream capabilities?
@anthonyk1020 Since he already owns an older version of the Node (v2), I was suggesting he would be better off not spending $1k on the new version and only use his older Node as a streamer. For anyone else who is looking for a first streamer/dac, I'm sure the Node X is the better choice.
@@anthonyk1020 why not fetch a 2nd hand Node N130 (not X) for around 450 Euro and match it with an external DAC (e.g. RME ADI DAC 2)? Better value for money. You may use the Node as a good streaming bridge (bypassing the internal DAC).
The NODE and I suspect NODE X are one of the few streaming platforms that can convert HDMI ARC to USB out to feed into a external DAC many of which tend to have a really good USB implementations and high quality clocks to go with them. On the negative, the lack of Chromecast or LDAC bluethooth codec support are glaring omissions.
Just be grateful it has aptx… Apple TV is a nightmare… but ironically still sounds amazing even though it is sbc. I highly recommend Apple TV for audiophiles because it gives a great eARC signal at variable refresh rate over hdmi 2.1 which the bluesound can convert to usb. On the other hand I don’t know about Sony anc headphones but if I stream sbc Bluetooth (the worst quality Bluetooth from my Apple TV) to my hugo tt, it sounds better than my Nvidia shield tv playing aptx directly to Hugo. I will now try getting the node 3 to get aptx from eARC
I have a Node N130 and I find it always works perfectly with BluOS and it works perfectly fine with Roon using the RCA out. USB out playing standard MQA (green) into an iFi Zen One Signature MQA DAC with Roon is fine, but MQA studio is a disaster. Pops, squeaks and soon stops. Roon core control is stable if I don't use any sample rate conversion on the Node. I can also say this applies to my NAD M10. It's hard to know if the issue is the Node, Roon or the DAC (or what combination). My solution is to use BluOS to control my BluOS enabled devices. Horses for courses.
The pops and crackling bug is when playing songs of different resolutions in playlists, not albums. I had this bug in Tidal. If you play a whole album, you don't get pops or crackling because songs on a same album are usually all of the same resolution. But if you have a playlist that has songs that go from low or lossy resolutions to song in high-res (like 48 to 192), you can get some pop and crackling (like a short digital noise) each time a some of a different resolution from the previous one starts playing. This usually happens a fraction of a second at the beginning of songs. This bug was logged I think more than 4 years ago and there doesn't appear to have any fix for it yet. And if I remember correctly, it was happening when the Node was used as a streamer hooked to an external dac. Mine was hooked to my Rega Elicit mk5's internal dac via a digital coax cable.
So knowing that I could connect this to an external dac via usb, if I wanted to run a hdmi out to my TV, would I then be able hear my TV audio through my system and gain CEC control?
I have the Node 2i. Node X does absolutely nothing for me. Sure, I'd like the remote and the HDMI port, but the bump in sound quality likely isn't big enough for the upgrade. I don't listen to headphones in my den, so the upgrade there does nothing. It would be nice if Lenbrook added a more detailed EQ instead of just the bass and treble sliders along with adding balance control and loudness capabilities a la the Yamaha loudness dial for low volume, late night listening. A number of people have made similar requests of NAD/Bluesound, but the company has ignored all of them.
I want to thank you for your thoroughness and explanatory output. They are comprehensive and great. Full stop.
Haha “the hifi equivalent of Narnia” love your work and sass John. Keep up the great work 😊 I’ve learned so much from your videos. Cheers, Elise
Installing an external linear power supply on the Node 2i (and probably on all versions of the Node) - makes an enormous improvement in the sound quality. There are two companies that offer such power supplies - they both replace the internal switch mode power supply with an interface board (that has additional filtering and capacitance) and let you plug in an external 5V LPS.
And same goes for the WiiM - and it is easier to install a better power supply. Because it has a USB power plug.
It’s interesting that you mention that, I never looked into linear power supplies till just now but the Monster Vertex Power strip I purchased for my Asus M16 laptop and Klipsch The Sevens came with a USB Hub that offers two 2.4 amp USB-A Fast Charge Ports and one 20w USB-C Power Delivery Port.
I picked up the WiiM Mini to add streaming capabilities to the Sevens so that I can be away from my personal laptop on the other side of the room working and still use Tidal thru Tidal Connect.
My question is would I see any benefit as you mention to using a linear power supply instead or does this USB hub accomplish the same results?
Am I a know-nothing peasant for using powered speakers that aren’t resolving enough to detect any benefits without passives and separate components?
Last question was sarcasm since I love my system for its simplicity and space savings.
After the mod on my NODE N130, I have paired mine with an iFi elite 5v which is significantly better than the cheaper sub-$200 LPS. Even when being used purely as a streamer the jump in quality was noticeable.
@@FlyOnAlbatross In general, linear power supplies are cleaner and more able to supply peak current, than most switch mode power supplies can. They have (usually) great capacitance in the filter in the PS. This gives them greater surge capability.
@@NeilBlanchard I appreciate the response. I do find the whole hobby to be sometime over complex. I enjoy it but I also consider myself a music listener over an equipment listener.
Perhaps I just need to delve deeper into this wonderful hobby of audio. I’ve heard more speakers recently and all of them sounded different but only a handful really made me feel something.
I love the Klipsch Heresy but something about the Sourcepoint 8s coaxial driver felt special. I want to hear the Forte IVs. I have many speakers on my list but I doubt very seriously I will ever get to hear them let alone find myself spending more than $10k on a pair of speakers.
One day I’ll delve into LPSs but I am content with my current setup.
Thank you John for all the useful information on the NodeX. I bought mine after researching quite a bit and this additional information has been awesome!
Thank you for fielding our questions. It shows you care! I personally feel like some of these questions sort of open up the discussion of "how much work and money does it take to make you happy/content with your music listening?". Just curious to know: do most of everyone here see this world of stereo being closer to a trade, or a passion? If I saw my piano and percussion work as a passion and not a trade, then I'd have confusion over what level of conviction do I need to possess in order to properly create music, but if I treat it as a trade, then my end result isn't necessarily focused on not being a "sellout" but rather just making sure my music creation quality increases over time as skill and creativity develop. It'd be the difference of practicing scales to improve dexterity rather than spending time trying to discover a scale that reflects my honest musical expression. I can safely say that in my 25+ years of writing and playing music, I've grown to care less about my "truthfulness" and more about my "wow that was fun!". What's been different is that I've accepted that I'm not able to tell someone what "real" music is, and ultimately that kind of attitude is too simplistic and reductive of others' experiences and life journeys... too preachy? lol
Do audiophiles also feel this way? Or is it entirely different?
Dear John. The pops and crackling bug is when playing songs of different resolutions in playlists, not albums. I had this bug in Tidal. If you play a whole album, you don't get pops or crackling because songs on a same album are usually all of the same resolution. But if you have a playlist that has songs that go from low or lossy resolutions to song in high-res (like 48 to 192), you can get some pop and crackling (like a short digital noise) each time a song of a different resolution from the previous one starts playing. This usually happens a fraction of a second at the beginning of songs. This bug was logged I think more than 4 years ago and there doesn't appear to have any fix for it yet. And if I remember correctly, it was happening when the Node was used as a streamer hooked to an external dac. Mine was hooked to my Rega Elicit mk5's internal dac via a digital coax cable.
I experienced the same and you are on point.
Fortunately I have no such experience and I use playlists on Roon with different resolutions in the tracks and in over 3 years of listening haven’t heard a pop or crack. I use different Node products and other streamers too with excellent results.
Wonderful follow up John. I appreciate that you’re listening.
I just missed this by a few weeks. I just purchased the standard node and knew I should've waited!
Great review and rebuttal. Keep up the good work. Hope all is well. 🤘🏼🎸🤘🏼
Thank you for putting this out. I've been really considering buying this piece ❤
As always, love your videos John.
I was setting up a small system in my home office. I was looking at the Node X and the FiiO R7. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow the 2 locally for the weekend. I put the Node X through it's paces (and also in my main system) I didn't know how far I wanted my office system to go (did I want bookshelf speakers and an amp or powered monitors)
I then tested the R7. I fell inlove with it right away over the Node X. As all I really wanted was Roon/endpoint and PC speakers before looking into it.
So, I have the R7 and some Logitech speakers (for now) and my Focal MG Clear's and it's better than I imagined for what I wanted.
While I tested the Node X in my main system, it really was a huge let down there, as I run a G2 Auralic Aries and Chord TT2/M Scaler combo
I am really looking forward to the R7 review, be good to see if we have the same thoughts on it.
Dear John. Thanks so much for considering my concern regarding bluesound Roon USB out. Apparently after 1.5 years bluesound team fixed it with the last update on 2021 version, after the new blue sound came out. Again appreciate your time spending on the issue.
Great followup. Thanks again!
Thank you Darko because I think you are the only one to compare all the Nodes only as a streamer. I think it is the most probable use.
Nice vid. I think I like these style of vids just as much as the original product review. Keep it up 👍 and
So I, somewhat embarrassingly, am one of those people who uses a bluesound node as a streamer into a $6,500 DAC. It didn’t start that way, but my $8,500 prepro only has 2 zones available, and I frequently use 4 zones, all 2 channel “hi-fi”. The solution for getting around time delays was to use the 2 zones on my prepro, with high quality amplification, in my 2 main rooms, and 2 additional bluesound powernodes for my less important zones. The DSP time alignment from the source node then keeps everything in perfect time alignment.
It may not be the best network streamer, but it’s the best I’m aware of that handles multi zone without processing delay issues.
I really enjoy your reviews. It is for me an inspiration source to build a better hifi system. I would love to see something about Interconnection cable and loudspeakers cable…. Thank you 😉
I'm searching for audiophile Narnia too :) My closet only has ancient CD, DVD players and maybe gasp... a VCR. Anyways, running a Bluesound Vault and enjoying it. I agree with many of your points on why you still buy CDs and thank you for naming a source to buy CDs which benefits the artists, the heroes of this hobby which is rarely discussed. I used to buy CDs from bands that didn't go national or before they were national, also movie sound tracks or singles of bigger bands which had covers remixes etc as their additional tracks all of which which can be diffcult to find on streaming services. Sure you may find it but it can take multiple attempts.
The Vault allows for access to everything with a click for those of us that aren't network engineers, and keeps the CDs nice and safe free of new scratches. We may enjoy the ritual of taking the CD out but the clean up and organization takes more discipline. Currently running RCAs but as soon as I get some new cables, it will only be a transport. I am not experienced enough with DACs to say one is good or bad but I like the sound of my receiver's DAC better. At some point I will buy an external DAC. Thank you for your videos. Always good and thoughtful content.
I think the comments section is also a discussion place. Maybe questions about compressions are not directed to you John but to anyone who might have experience with specific products. I agree that still, they have to mention it
Love these followup videos. If it helps you create low stress content, win-win❤
Owned one for a couple of months - good price from SevenOaks and connectivity excellent. Size/space an issue for me, and needed something that works well headphone wise - and this does. The App is good and handles Qobuz natively. It’s not perfect, but absolutely workable, and the DAC is better than my Apple hardware and other device. App works well on IOS and MAC, especially the latter. The sound is very revealing, more so than my A&K HC3 which I previously used with iPad. This is just way more satisfying overall
I have recently bought the Node X and the word “noticeable” is on the spot. I really enjoy The difference with my earlier Node 2i..
FOMO-Fi had me smiling ruefully - I really like the look of the the Node X, but I live in Turkey at the moment and getting hold of tech is tricky and expensive. I'll be moving to Europe in a couple of months though, and I sort of expect them all to be sold out. The enforced wait is allowing me time to dream up a system though, so I was pleased to hear that the digital out is the same as the older version. My pockets sadly aren't deep enough for the Peachtree, but the Sabaj A30a is apparently also a digital amp, and people seem to be quite impressed with it... So it's only really the headphone amp that I'd be missing out on, and I could always keep using my old(ish) Aune that drives my HD58Xs very pleasurably.
The comment about the relative quality of the Node as a source was interesting as well. I have an Allo Digi One, and although it sounds great, it hardly gets any use as I haven't found an OS that works well and is easy to access for both my wife and I. I've currently got it running on Volumio, and although it works, it's just not very stable. So in the end, we tend to use my Nvidia Shield via its USB, as everything just works effortlessly, either via the TV or our phones.
Finally, I think my wife would prefer the look of a white Node than a silver one!
Thank you for a really informative couple of videos, plus all your past videos on Bluesound products.
PS, the Sabaj apparently has a sub output with a low pass filter, but I'm waiting to find out if they also apply a high pass.
Great video as always, your approach to audio reproduction is a breath of fresh air in the too auto referential “audiophile world”.
Another great episode.
What I liked about my node 2i which I still have is how quickly they replied directly to a bug that the software had. They offered a beta update to test. By the time I was able to look into it the update was already out. It was a bug due to cover art size which crashed the library update.
Looking forward to your review of the blue KEF R3's I see in the background.
Cracks and pops I found was a conflict between clocks in my Node 2i and my external Aune DAC. Killed the clock in the Node 2I and the problem went away. Look at audio clock trim setting.
As always entertaining and informative. John it appears you have improved the video as it was full rich colour and you look well tannef😅😂🎵🎵😎👍
Steve the Audiophiliac shows a lot of end-user stereo systems and what I’ve noticed is that in most of the photos, they have one of the Bluesound Nodes. It really surprises me how popular it is…it looks like its the gold standard.
The best $350 I have spent on my system was paying an electrician to move my ethernet port to directly behind my system. My Node is hard wired and it runs perfectly.
A good solution, wired ethernet is certainly the most robust way to stream audio, especially Roon.
It can also be achieved without new wiring by installing a Mesh wifi system, additional Mesh boxes can be plugged into in any room and have ethernet ports to which streamers can be connected.
I'm using TPLink Deco M9 wifi routers and have 3 streamers ( 2 Allo Usbridge pi based units & 1 SOtM sMS-200) connected.
Do I see KEF R3 meta in the back? Is that a secret indication of a future video?
Would be curious to see how something like a Wiim Pro/Wiim Pro Plus might bridge the gap between the Wiim Mini and the Bluesound products
Like your videos and watch because I find them entertaining & informative. Especially with new tech. Like others here I'm sure, I have my DAC of choice (Bifrost 2) . I use a WiimPro to stream after using a Yamaha WXC 50 before that. Therefore I knew early on that I wouldn't be interested in the NodeX. Still I enjoyed your video.
I currently have Sonos in a few zones of the house. In my main listening room I have a Sonos Connect (usually streaming Tidal) hooked up to a Rotel A11 Tribute amp and B&W 704 S2 speakers (I also separately have phono and cd inputs). I'm generally happy with the user experience and sound but if I wanted to improve the sound quality of the music streaming from Tidal would I see a big difference if I swapped the Sonos Connect for a Bluesound Node (I can get a good deal on a second-hand 2i) or should I consider a better quality external DAC between the Sonos Connect and amp, or should I ignore either of these changes?
Really looking forward to the FiiO r7 video!
Thank you for the video. I have a question about a bluesound node 2i. Can I provide a beamer with bluetooth to stream to bluesound node 2i, if so there is no delay in image and sound???. Thank you in advance
Could you do a video on using a PC or Mac to play from itunes and what to put in-between them and a desktop DAC like the Hugo TT2 or Dave for the best sound quality.
I want those KEFs in the background!
I use a sonos port into an ifi ipure 2 into a denafrips ares 2. i was shocked at hour much difference the ifi device made. I’m wondering if it is the galvanic issolation more than the reclocking.
On the Node X as a preamp using the digital volume, is this “audiophile” enough to use with a stand alone high end amplifier so to utilize the sub output, or should one be better served by outputting to either a very good integrated either digital or analog? The node’s sub output is a nice thing.. I guess the question would become How difficult is it to integrate a sub with something like a Hegel 190 or Audiolab 7000 or other similar format of mid to hifi integrated amp?
People often say xyz is the "best" because it's what they own and noone likes to admit they bought a dud. Love your reviews John. A large portion of the gear is well above my price point but I enjoy your style all the same. I am in the process of buying gear along the same lines as I had in the mid 90s when I was a spotty geek reading What Hifi. Managed to get a Denon PM66 SE amp and also bought a Denon TU 260L tuner - both What Hifi award winners. Now looking for some Mission 731i. Not audiophile in any way but the nostalgia it gives me, sat at home listening to Jamiroquai Cds.... Priceless. Glad your health is going well (I know you don't like to talk about it). Best wishes from a pom living in Australia 😁
Oh, have a wiim mini and smsl su-1 dac on the way. Champagne taste, passion pop budget 😎
Lol.. Great Video.. and I might add.. your sure putting a lot of R7 teasers in your last couple of videos.. but I don't mind I'm looking forward to seeing what your opinion of it will be.. I like mine but I'm pretty easy.. lol.
Got the Wiim Pro paired with a SMSL SU-1. I belive this is the best bang for the buck setup as of today.
Compared to what?
@@neilshirleyby definition compared to everything
Or the node-x ;) Had a glance at it at Hifi-Klubben, but as I am not much of a headphone guy I don’t think it would be worth the upgrade in my case.
Hey John. Great video. 👍🏻
Side Q: Will you be doing a review of the new KEF R3 Metas I see in the background? They look fantastic in the blue btw.
Thanks.
I remember the ZX Spectrum! Great video and really enjoyed the feedback.
If i hardwire from my internet hub directly to my marantz amp, can i still operate it wireless from my qobuz app ?
Amp and phone are on the same network. Or do i need a streamer inbetween ? thanks
Are those Kef R3 Meta's in blue behind you???? Keep up the great content :)
I have Node 2021 connected to Musical Fidelity M6si via USB cable and I do not experience any problems while listening to the music. No cracks or sound distortions whatsoever.
@@CommanderGinyu so per John's testing with the Node X, maybe it is better in that regard?
Thanks for your thoughts. I’m a very happy Node 2i user with Apple phone and ipad. I stream Qobuz and enjoy the music. Using 2i directly into Bryson 4b and then Maggie .7 speakers. Per your thoughts will pass on the Node X and invest in Chord Mojo for my 2i
When you get back to speaker reviews, and if you have the opportunity, I would really like to hear your take on the Eminent Tech LFT8b that the Audiophiliac thought so highly of. My current box speakers are great sounding but I'm getting an itch to try something new and different that's at a price I could actually afford. Thanks for all the great info. I really appreciate it.
I haven’t gone into the world of DACs yet but enjoy listening to 2 channel on my Denon 3700H AVR. Am I correct in assuming that the DAC chip in an advanced AVR is good quality for music?
Compared the sound with the Argon solo that i have? I really like the Chromecast in My Solo
will you do something about Denon DNS 2000 the new network and dac player?
Good video. I use a SMSL SU 1 with my Gen 3 Node. Excellent sound and value. I don't think I could get a better sound with the Node X standing on its own. Any thoughts? I agree on the WiiM Mini having to use an external DAC. I have the WiiM Pro connected to a Schiit Modi as well. External DACs are the way to go with these streamers. Well put. Cheers, John.
Thank you for the video. Info you should know before my question if you won’t mind getting your opinion. I already own a Node 2i and recently got a Wiim Pro to try and it’s connected to DacMagic Plus for now. I now need to add a third streamer to our house. Is the new enhanced DAC in the Node X better than a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M or similarly priced DAC? If so great, if not what external DAC would be needed to improve on it. Internally improved DAC? Can’t decide on a Node X with internal DAC or Wiim Pro with external DAC to justify the Node X’s elevated price. Hope your willing help and comment on my question. Thank you. Note: my current Node 2i uses the DAC in my Emotiva Preamp via Coax digital input.
Hi John... love your unique combination of substance, humor, and practicality.
Re. the WiiM mini, interesting story. I bought one so that I could enter the modern era on the cheap, and of course, spend precious dollars on other things like an external DAC. Loved it.
After my local Hi-Fi shop tried to laugh me out the door when I shared my WiiM setup, he told me "garbage in, garbage out", and challenged me to bi-pass the WiiM SPDIF as my streaming source in favor of the SPDIF off of my Sony TV instead. Both were simultaneously hooked up to my Geshelli Labs AKM J2 DAC enabling seemless A / B testing.
Well, would you believe he was right! The source is not just a broker of 1s and 0s...rather, quality does matter. The Sony's output was definitely warmer and more pleasing to listen too.
The WiiM is not long in my world.
Wiim has 140dB SINAD over Toslink. It is bit perfect. Weak link should be your J2 DAC with 'just' 110dB. Btw WiiM Pro is now Roon Ready certified, for those who care.
Do you really want to leave your Sony TV on all the time? Seems wasteful of energy and likely to make it get older quicker. Better to get a stand-alone streamer and nix using the TV.
@@waldishotinfokiwi ...and so you connect over USB to avoid the toslink limitations. Something you can do with a Bluesound, but can't with a Wiim. I have both streamers and the Bluesound over USB is notably better than the Wiim over toslink. Gave my Wiim to my daughter in the end.
I’m using my Node 2i as an external DAC for a CD transport (audiolab 6000CDT) paired with NAD C 316BEE (mk2) and I need to admit that CDs sound way better (eg more details) than CD quality streaming (probably some digital filters are bypassed in the DAC only /non streaming mode).
What I mean here is that for me the DAC and analog output quality of my Node is really nice, if you’re saying that it’s been improved in the X version.. I should probably give it a try and listen to it at some HiFi dealership
Or just get some better DAC unit instead if there is still a room for „noticable difference”.
Hi John. Glad to see you back in Lisbon. I’d be honored to buy you a coffee one of these days.
Now to my question. I currently own a Taotronics TT-BA09 Pro Bluetooth receiver toslink(ed) to a Denon AVR-3805 receiver. It’s not close to ideal but it was just a basic way of having streaming services in my system. I usually tend to just listen to vinyl in the living room anyway. But now (having Spotify, Tidal and AppleMusic which I enjoy during work or on the go, on headphones) I’m considering adding proper streaming in the main system.
Would you recommend something like the Node X or a Mojo2/Poly for sound? (considering I could also use the Chords on the go).
Maybe my main point is, since the DAC in the Mojo2 is better than the one in the Node X, could the Poly do the main streaming work? Or is the X much much better? What are both streamers ups and downs?
Thank you esm.
I am new to streaming and actually, I don't do much streaming. I previously played music through a bluetooth connection. I initially tried the Cambridge Audio MXN10 but I had (perhaps just for my system) significant problems staying connected to my wifi which was a pretty good wifi. Plus, the one time it was connected, I couldn't detect any difference in sound quality between Apple Airplay or bluetooth. I bought the Bluesound Node X once I heard about it because the sound quality was supposed to be decent. My experience is that it set up incredibly easily and quickly reconnects to my wifi regardless whether it gets disconnected by unplugging it or by a wifi outage. Night and day easy compared to the CA product (I have owned several CA products that I have nothing but good things to say about). I find that the sound quality of Apple Airplay is better than bluetooth and I occasionally stream from an iPad to the Node X and I'm fine with the quality. I haven't subscribed to any services (other than the family has a subscription to Apple Music) and maybe I'll dip my toe in there to see what that's like but so far, I mainly play from my own library. I'm worried about artists getting ripped off from services and my taste in music is such that I wouldn't be using 9/10 of any service. Anyhow, in terms of a beginner's streaming device which is easy and gives decent sound quality, I think the Node X is a good choice. Oh, also, it initially sounded a bit shrill but that corrected itself very quickly after initial use.
When you say you play from your own library: do you mean via network over wifi?
I agree on the source being important. Ifi Zen Stream is awesome. Once you get it running that is. Setting that thing up is fiddly but worth it.
Yes, I agree and it's about time we had a serious firmware/software update for the Zen Stream which improves the operability and fixes the small but annoying glitches.
Dear John! Can you please review the R3 Metas I can see in the background?
I would like to have a BluOS device that's similar to Wiim Mini. Just bitperfect optical out but with BluOS app.
Thanks for the follow up. I was definitely sad to have sent back my node x. I ordered it minutes after the launch. I had hoped it would renew my faith in Lenbrook. The external clicks and pops is definitely and issue over usb. It’s with higher resolution especially DSD. Not so much with cd quality. This is was one of the reasons why I have retuned the x and the last node. As usual the customer support refused to to accept it was an issue. I have even created a new customer service profile to avoid being black listed. The treatment is the same. The product and customer experience needs to match then sound quality. I’ve never had a company continually try to make me feel dumb and feel bad about myself. But he NAD/Bluesound. I have been a Sonos user fir 15 years and even when I have issues they work with the end user to get it finger out. No pass the blame into everything and envying else. Im sorry to sound salty but I keep trying to come back to bluesound/NAD I keep running into the same issues.
Interesting, as none of the Bluesound products do DSD as far as I know; it just won't work. Perhaps you should be looking for another streamer than can do DSD.
I choose my NAD DAC because of 2 spdif and 2 coax inputs, 1 usb and balanced output. It is hard to find a DAC with so many i/o connections
Not sure if you have used a cheap Topping DAC and how does it compare to Node X DAC?
This is interesting. I have a bluesound Node N 130 and while I like it it is pretty laggy. I have gigabit internet and in the same room where the router is I have a noticeable delay in waiting for my music to load. When I first select the "favorites" or "playlists" it takes about 10 seconds for them to come up. Also when I am perusing my album favorites I get about 20 albums at a time and then there is a delay until it loads the new favorites. This is on an iphone 11 pro Max and a 2019 Ipad Pro. I wonder if it is related to iOS?
How to you get your music to it? Roon, or via external music library from a server, or from som streaming service? The lag may come from that. I have one and these all have different lags. let us know.
Streamers are great and all, but when will we get to hear about those KEF R3s? 😍
Can you please clarify your comment on the Node X vs Node? At 11:15 in the video it sounded as if you said that the two devices are roughly equivalent, which is different from your other video on the Node X. I have the Node X, but no comparative insight on the Node. I'm happy with the Node X.
How’s the digital out on the Node X? I thought the coaxial digital out on the Node 2i was a little hazy and flat. And reviews for the successor stated that the digital out was not improved for that model. I might consider going back into the bluOS ecosystem if the X can scale with higher end external DACs.
How does the Node X compare to my neighbor's aftermarket stereo in his '93 Honda Civic??
👏
If he got the Blaupunkt head unit and Rockford Fosgate speakers, it is probably better. ;-)
I'd love to see a video of this vs the Wiim Ultra
great vid (will there be a poly 2)!
Enjoyed the Video. And glad you mentioned WiiM - I have a WiiM pro connected by SPIDF to a Denafrips Pontus II DAC. I love the sound and the App and generally find it hard to contemplate spending additional $ for what is probably a minimal improvement. OTOH the WiiM is the cheapest component in my system ($5k amp $12k Speakers)
I do prefer the Sonos app over the Bluesound app.
Hi John thanks for the extra info but my question remains. How does it compare to the Cambridge Audio CXN v2 that you also reviewed. They ate getting close in price so.....?
I have them both and the Cambridge will be a notch up in my opinion sound wise. The Cambridge is better looking, has a nice display screen, and XLR outs. They really do not play in the same space.
Not sure how the sound would compare head to head, but the Cambridge is getting to be a a much older gen product at this point with little to no hardware/dac updates. The world seems to be moving towards streamers with touch screen interfaces and products such as the new Eversolo DMP-A6 are going to force other manufacturers to step up their game at the price point of the Node X and Cambridge CXN. Rumor mill suggests there may be some new streaming products from Cambridge this year.
Love your reviews and thoughts John, you mentioned Apple music which I use now! Recently bought a new tablet to use my Apple app on, so what's the best (budget?) method to get the sound to my active speakers /soundbar) Streaming to a separate unit or straight to my speakers?
I'm using the latest teufel streamer. ( 250 euro) It has a sirius DAC in it from Apple. Good app and you can also play from your computer. I'm very happy with Teufel. Its working great. And it has a more affordable prise than most of it.
Long-time Node owner here. Apologies for going off-topic, but I just found out that the HiFi Rose 150b streams Apple Music natively. This comes from my dealer who I believe contacted the rep.
Is that because it runs Android, and so you're effectively installing the Apple Music Android app?
I must dig into streaming systems. I know nothing...so a very interesting coupled of videos.. but also, I think I'll release a limited edition album called FOMO 🤣
Great video, New to streaming. Thanks
Hello all, I wouldn't say I am a hifi person per se but I will say that owning a music-playing system and a great lbume collection in a home is something I consider to be as fundamental as having running water. I have been a musician my entire life and music is my passion and my livelihood. I do have a pretty decent system at home complied mostly with components I bought 25 years ago. My serious costs in musical equipment goes to instruments and not into hifi. Good violins cost a hell of a lot more than good amplifiers. Something like the Node X is a godsend for me. Surely there are a lot of products out there that 'sound better.' For 800 bucks, I can integrate my Tidal subscription into my traditional and at this point, vintage YBA and Dynaudio system. It's about listening to music at the end of the day. I no longer have to sit in front of a computer to listen to an album I don't physically possess. I think the Node X is a brilliant component and it brings me joy. In my symphony job, we play different repetoire every week over each 10 month season. There are so many pieces that I need to familiarize myself with, to study, to learn and ultimately perform. This is awesome! I can be in mhy music room with my real hifi setup, crank it, play with along with it, really just get into the music. This is absolutely good enough for what I need it to be. I love it!
I disagree with the comments about the Node (2i) as a streamer into a more expensive DAC's. I have the DCS Bartok and I have both streamed, via AQ Coffee Co-Ax through the Node, and via Network (AQ Cinnamon Ethernet) direct to the Bartok and found little to no difference in sound quality. Especially when playing MQA. Are there better streamers, sure. Is it worth spending the money, that all depends on ones final goals, preferences, and budget. I have to say, I'm very happy using the Node 2i as a streamer and very much like the BlueOS functionality w/ Tidal. I actually prefer it to DCS's Tidal interface. Just my thoughts.
I use Raspberry pi / digi-allo as a streamer to an external DAC with Volumio. It’s worth mentioning that aside from Tidal, I can stream Bandcamp (weekly radio show) and Soundcloud through to my external DAC and it sounds significantly better than Bluetooth. I have been using those services for years now and can’t live without them and don’t believe BluOS supports this. Really appreciate the fellow nerds in the Comment section, and hope someone finds value.
omg, the type in the Blue OS controller app is, like, 4pt . . . too small to read over the age of the 40, lol. Does anyone know if the font size can be increased?
On Android the app (v 3.20.5) respects the system-level font size settings. On iOS the app (v 3.20.2) doesn't respect the system-level font size settings.
Personally I think the iOS app's deficient in this regard.
Many developers don't support this because it greatly increases the amount of work required designing & testing apps on all the screen & window sizes and all the possible type sizes. Personally I do but I'm 50 so I know what it's like with tiny text.
Guess they are too afraid to come out with a DAC-less BlueOS based streamer, thinking it would cannibalize sales of the Node. It might. Still a pity. Many of us would buy one. General question for those of you with Nodes (any version)...Does using it as a preamp (the onboard volume control) reduce sound quality compared to using it as a streamer/DAC only connected to your "regular" preamp? I'm thinking of getting a Node to use its subwoofer output, but if I do, I'll have to use it as a preamp. Any downsides to that? Otherwise I'll have to run speaker level cables to my subwoofer and I'm not sanguine about doing that. Thanks. I'm not sure if the volume control operates in the digital domain (compressing the dynamic range) or the analog domain.
What are these yellow cinch cables in the very beginning? Does anyone recognize the brand?
Curious Cables from Australia.
I have to agree that the zen stream sounded better but I just couldn’t get it to work with my network and the tech support couldn’t get me up and running. I couldn’t listen to more than about 2 songs at a time.
Zen should be ashamed of not fixing the otherwise great Stream's wi-fi and rolling out a Mk. II version of it that does work well.
What is blue node connected to produce its music ?
Hi Fi Rose has Apple Music natively. They start at over $2,000.
Don't expect John to answer but maybe one of the subscribers will. I have node 2i and wonder if I could use digital out and sub out simultaneously? Both as variables?
Yes, you can. This is what I did with the Peachtree GAN-1.
Thanks for asking this question.
You can but not with usb. Usb automatically sets volume to fixed. You have to use optical.
If I was interested in just playing music through headphones would it be better to get this device or get a portable DAC for my Android phone instead ? I am not after super high rez audio just something that sounds very nice to listen to. Thanks.
If you are using your phone in combination with headphones to listen to music. I'd say a small portable DAC would suit you far better. I don't have any experience with them, but it seems a lot of people are very fond of the Audioquest Dragonfly range of DAC's.
You might want to consider the NODE, power drain issues using portable devices. I have an A&K portable DAC connected to iPad and its very good, but overall prefer the NODE experience, just the level of detail and no power drain
Anyone know if sub integration/ bass management works when using an external DAC ? on any Node
I think it works if you use the coax, but not if you use the USB.
@@fishwinker Thx 👍
What podcast explains the easiest how to setup a bluenode?
John, I hope you have in que a comparison of the NODE X to the Eversolo DMP-A6. Looking forward to that comparison!
If you watched this video then you already know the answer. 😉
I would have liked an Eversolo review but he’s gone for the Fiio ! Nothing wrong with mentioning ! You know if there is enough demand he may reconsider! On the other hand as he said he can’t possibly cover everything!
Had the previous Non X Node, replaced it with a Rose RS 250 and now got the Eversolo and I personally can't justify spending twice the price of the Eversolo for the Rose. Eversolo is much nicer than the Node and works great. Give it a try and if you don't like it people will buy it off you in seconds anyway. 😉
Is the DAC a big improvement over DAC in prior version? I have the V2 and really need to use an external DAC to get detail.
I don't think the dac in the Node X is that much of an improvement over previous versions. If I were you, I'd buy a dac that's the same price as the Node X and use your V2 Node as a streamer. Like this you'd have more quality for your money.
Actually, the X has a total different DAC from the previous one, the new one uses an ESS chip while the old uses a BrownBurr. I had the 2021 for a month before I returned it and got the X, and the sound is much clearer and better. However, perhaps with an external dac the sound can be even better, but then… why would one spend 1K on a device just for stream capabilities?
@anthonyk1020 Since he already owns an older version of the Node (v2), I was suggesting he would be better off not spending $1k on the new version and only use his older Node as a streamer. For anyone else who is looking for a first streamer/dac, I'm sure the Node X is the better choice.
@@anthonyk1020 why not fetch a 2nd hand Node N130 (not X) for around 450 Euro and match it with an external DAC (e.g. RME ADI DAC 2)? Better value for money. You may use the Node as a good streaming bridge (bypassing the internal DAC).
The NODE and I suspect NODE X are one of the few streaming platforms that can convert HDMI ARC to USB out to feed into a external DAC many of which tend to have a really good USB implementations and high quality clocks to go with them. On the negative, the lack of Chromecast or LDAC bluethooth codec support are glaring omissions.
Just be grateful it has aptx… Apple TV is a nightmare… but ironically still sounds amazing even though it is sbc. I highly recommend Apple TV for audiophiles because it gives a great eARC signal at variable refresh rate over hdmi 2.1 which the bluesound can convert to usb. On the other hand I don’t know about Sony anc headphones but if I stream sbc Bluetooth (the worst quality Bluetooth from my Apple TV) to my hugo tt, it sounds better than my Nvidia shield tv playing aptx directly to Hugo. I will now try getting the node 3 to get aptx from eARC
Narnia Fi 😮 Open the cupboard 🥳
🧌
I have a Node N130 and I find it always works perfectly with BluOS and it works perfectly fine with Roon using the RCA out.
USB out playing standard MQA (green) into an iFi Zen One Signature MQA DAC with Roon is fine, but MQA studio is a disaster. Pops, squeaks and soon stops.
Roon core control is stable if I don't use any sample rate conversion on the Node. I can also say this applies to my NAD M10.
It's hard to know if the issue is the Node, Roon or the DAC (or what combination).
My solution is to use BluOS to control my BluOS enabled devices. Horses for courses.
The pops and crackling bug is when playing songs of different resolutions in playlists, not albums. I had this bug in Tidal. If you play a whole album, you don't get pops or crackling because songs on a same album are usually all of the same resolution. But if you have a playlist that has songs that go from low or lossy resolutions to song in high-res (like 48 to 192), you can get some pop and crackling (like a short digital noise) each time a some of a different resolution from the previous one starts playing. This usually happens a fraction of a second at the beginning of songs. This bug was logged I think more than 4 years ago and there doesn't appear to have any fix for it yet. And if I remember correctly, it was happening when the Node was used as a streamer hooked to an external dac. Mine was hooked to my Rega Elicit mk5's internal dac via a digital coax cable.
So knowing that I could connect this to an external dac via usb, if I wanted to run a hdmi out to my TV, would I then be able hear my TV audio through my system and gain CEC control?
I have the Node 2i. Node X does absolutely nothing for me. Sure, I'd like the remote and the HDMI port, but the bump in sound quality likely isn't big enough for the upgrade. I don't listen to headphones in my den, so the upgrade there does nothing. It would be nice if Lenbrook added a more detailed EQ instead of just the bass and treble sliders along with adding balance control and loudness capabilities a la the Yamaha loudness dial for low volume, late night listening. A number of people have made similar requests of NAD/Bluesound, but the company has ignored all of them.