Bluesound Node 2i

I got my Node 2i connected last night, and wow! it sounds great so far. Really pleasantly surprised. Had a couple of minor issues getting up and running, but smooth sailing now. I tried using my kid's old Kindle Fire as a controller but the app was not responsive (at least on whatever version of the OS it had). Much better with my iPhone 7. I also tried an old iPad 2 we have and it worked pretty well, albeit with an older version of the Bluesound app. I've been mostly using the Tidal HiFi free trial so far. Very excited about this purchase.

 

New member here, I also have had the Node 2i for about a month, streaming Tidal. I also have a Squeezebox touch on a separate system. They are both excellent, my SB touch is used with a Parasound ZDAC. I tried to use the ZDAC connected to the Node 2i, but there was not noticeable improvement in sound quality. For the price on the Node 2i, you just can't go wrong. In a few years you could always update the dac by using an external one if things improve at a reasonable cost.

 

For those who don't like a huge hifi setup, consider a NAD integrated amp/dac with bluesound's bluos module. 1 box + 2 speakers = less expansive cables needed

 

Can it really stream Tidal masters I always thought this needed to be done through a pc/mac?

 

Yes, it does decode MQA to the full hi-res file.

 

I think so, from one of the bluesound pages: MQA is the new kid on the block when it comes to digital music formats, and it has a lot to offer. The beauty of the MQA format as stated directly from the MQA website is, MQA “delivers master quality audio in a file that’s small enough to stream or download.” So, if you are after a solution for playing high-resolution audio in your home Bluesound’s BluOS partnered with TIDAL Masters and MQA is a worthy mention. In partnership with MQA, TIDAL deliver master-quality audio recordings under their TIDAL MASTERS offering. To access TIDAL MASTERS, all you need is a TIDAL HIFI account. Once you have signed up and you have added TIDAL as a streaming service to the BluOS app (which is relatively quick and painless) you can begin to enjoy high-resolution audio from your Bluesound products. And, as an added convenience, playback is all via the BluOS app meaning no PC or laptop is necessary.

 

The $1000 question is does the node MQA + internal DAC outpace a normal high res/lossless file to a different/higher end DAC. People seem to disagree about that point most.

 

Ok, I do have one minor complaint about my Node 2i... I set the Tidal albums to sort by artist but after I close the BluOs app and re-open, it sorts on album name. It does not retain the sort setting.

 

Let Bluesound know about this. Sounds like something they'd want to fix in an upcoming app release.

 

Thanks for the suggestion...will do and then report back.

 

In my case, no, but the Node 2i will unfold the first layer through coax and send 24/96 to a non MQA dac, and it sounds pretty damn good into my PS Audio Gain Cell Dac.

I have the Node 2i linked to my laptop and can stream all my flac and high res files up to 24/192 from my phone, and they do sound a bit better, but nonetheless, I'm very impressed with the Node with Tidal

 

And what would happen if I then used the digital out i.e daisy chained it to my own DAC?

 

I can't remember if we discussed it earlier in this thread, or in another thread, but it technically cannot do a full MQA pass through. The digital outs are limited to the Tos/Coax outs capabilities - 24/96? This is where things get hazy to me.
However, I've heard several people state in their personal experiences even if it's not a true full MQA pass through, that a higher end external DAC will generally still do a better job.
I think it's more that it just won't do the SAME job as a higher dollar streamer that's doing an MQA pass through to an MQA capable DAC.

I probably butchered that. I'm still learning and figuring this stuff out too. But that's how I've come to understand it based on what I've read.

 

Read my last post

 

Apologies thanks.....have you compared the full MQA ie the node direct into your amp versus the DAC?

 

Thanks that was clear.

 

Digital coax can do up to 24/192 and toslink can do up to 24/96 from what I understand. I'm getting 24/192 through the coax on the Node 2i with my own files

 

Yes, coax into my PS Audio Gain Cell Dac is noticeably better, even at a lower bit rate (24/192 vs 24/96). Try it though, you never know...

 

I've failed a few times trying to get a decent streaming/computer set up into my system-this is a reasonable low cost option. Might give it a go.

 

Just looked at your profile, with the Bryston dac, maybe don't bother trying lol, just go straight to coax

 

Do it man. This thing's pretty cool...

 

Americans now have 1 month free qobuz?

 

One negative I forgot to mention: no Pandora support. Would be great if they could adopt it...

 

Using the Node's analog outputs you get full MQA decoding up to 24/192 using its internal DAC. Full MQA decoding consists of MQA Core (also called the first unfold) and MQA Rendering (second unfold). A streamer's digital output can only provide MQA Core level decoding (typically at either 24/88 or 24/96) since MQA Rendering is DAC specific. If you connect an external DAC which can perform MQA Rendering then the DAC can output fully decoded MQA. Since the Node is a $500 streaming device which incorporates a good quality value oriented DAC, as expected you can achieve better sound quality connecting a higher quality external DAC.

 

3 days now and no response from Bluesound support.