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Bluesound. Any users?

plimpington2 said:
Wait . . . I'm thinking about a Node 2. I'm under the impression I can hard wire to it or stream to it from my MacBook or iPhone, which will give me ability to use my own library OR use the Tidal app already installed on those devices. This is possible, yes?

Judd
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You can certainly stream local files from a shared drive or iThing, or better still a NAS which is always available on your network. You can also as a temp solution pop some music files on a USB stick and plug it into the back of the Node 2.

For Tidal you use the Bluesound app which you install on your Mac, iOS, Windows or Android device. You then use the Bluesound app to play back from Tidal including the MQA albums.
 
Strictly Stereo said:
I believe that you can get partially unfolded 24/96 MQA from the digital outputs. We have a few different analogue amps. Maybe we should have an chat offline? I am about to start preparing Sunday lunch for a dozen people, so I will be up to my eyeballs in cheese sauce and gravy for the next few hours. Happy to have a chat tonight or in the week.
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Per my response above, you do get partial MQA via digital (depends on file, but mostly 48/96).

If you want full fat MQA you will have to either buy a product that produces this at the analogue out (eg Bluesound), or buy a DAC that is MQA enabled. Not too many of these around; at the budget end the Meridian Explorer 2 USB and the Mytek Brooklyn at the costly end. Doubtless others will emerge.

If you really want to try out MQA, but end up using partial via the digital out of a Bluesound, then you'll always have that little niggle.

If you've got the budget, I'd buy an Aries and output the digital to a Brooklyn. Both of these items are easy to sell on and retain value well (you could even trial them from a dealer, if you've a serious intent to buy if they float your boat). At least that way you'll know that you gave it a very serious try. I might buy a Brooklyn myself but I'll probably splash the cash on another serious CD player instead!

Don't overlook the app. the App can make or break a system, IMO. The Bluesound is pretty good, but as I noted above you can't sort Tidal Favourites. The Lightning App is generally easier to use, with more functionality. It's also easy to identify Masters files in the Aries App. Plus you get more information on the details of the file actually playing.
 
There's a review of the Vault 2 and PowerNode 2 in the March HiFi Choice, with the Vault 2 getting 5 stars and the Powernode 2 getting 4 stars.
 
shevans said:
For Tidal you use the Bluesound app which you install on your Mac, iOS, Windows or Android device. You then use the Bluesound app to play back from Tidal including the MQA albums.
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This seems more restrictive than what is suggested above. To be clear, the Bluesound app is the only way to access Tidal streamed content when hard wired to an "iThing"? So no Roon with Bluesound?

Judd
 
plimpington2 said:
This seems more restrictive than what is suggested above. To be clear, the Bluesound app is the only way to access Tidal streamed content when hard wired to an "iThing"? So no Roon with Bluesound?

Judd
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Not sure if thats a statement or a question, you can...

Use the Bluesound app (on any device) to control Tidal and play back.

Use Room to send Tidal to a Bluesound endpoint.
 
Sloop John B said:
I thought that Auralic had pulled out of MQA?

http://support.auralic.com/hc/en-us/articles/222512427-Will-MQA-support-comes-to-AURALiC-device-


.sjb
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They have, for their own devices. But they do pass digital out that is MQA, as it were. You then need an MQA Dac to get MQA out. Of course, most DACs will still work, but just not with MQA analogue out.

So, you can use Aries Mini to stream Tidal Masters and have a Brooklyn to produce full fat MQA analogue out , as suggested.
 
Yes...

If the DAC is MQA certified then you get the full unfold.

If the DAC is not certified then you get the partial unfolding but still get MQA but not at its best.

If you use the analogue outputs you will also get the full unfold.
 
shevans said:
Yes...

If the DAC is MQA certified then you get the full unfold.

If the DAC is not certified then you get the partial unfolding but still get MQA but not at its best.

If you use the analogue outputs you will also get the full unfold.
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Just to add a detail.

Using the analogue output you'll get the full unfold up to 24/192. And there are MQA files that unfold up the 24/352.8 if the MQA enabled DAC supports it.
 
I think I've cracked my problem.

I remembered I had a quite nice Cyrus Pre amp and Power supply tucked away. I've hooked them up and unless I'm imagining things I've just improved my system.

At least it did once I'd figured out why all I was getting was silence. I had to disable the CA pre.

My CD transport digital out goes into the Cambridge Audio 851 DAC. The output from the CA851 goes into the Cyrus Pre and then out of there to my mono amps.

This means I could use the analogue outputs of the Bluesound Vault 2 into the Cyrus Pre and I'm sorted.

Is that correct?

Thanks for all the help.
 
Bingo. Thanks.

Anything else I need to know? If I buy the Vault and can't get Tidal Feckin Masters I'll be well pissed off having paid three months subs for Feck all
 
Haha. I need to sort out an extender thingy (see my technical competence there) as my broadband hub is two rooms away.
 
I have a node 1 and am not very happy with it. Iit has the following issues:
1. The internal DAC is not great and I use optical out to my 10 year old Beresford 7510 which is better than the one inside. For the price of the Node this is disappointing.
2. Software. I found it a bugger to get it to see my digital files on my PC's. when I frst set t up it scanned the hard drive, all was well. But after a while it could not see the files on the PC and I spent many hours trying to fix it, eventually and after asking Bluesound support, giving up. Some months later I tried again, several more hours and sorted it out using a guide for windows PCs that Bluesound have published. I think this is daft: the Bluesound software should obviously be able to see the music files on the pc on which it is installed without any faffing about at all. It not Windows fault.
3. Spotify. As it is the only Spotify Connect device that I have I need it to stream Spotify though my system (32.5/250/Arriva). But if the Bluesound device is on before you open Spotify it wont show up as a Connect device. So you have to get the Spotify app running then switch on the Node. Annoying. (I am not someone who leaves devices switched on)
4. Case. The Node1 has this weird Cuboid case which looks nice I guess but surely it is about 5 times bigger than it need to be. Its annoyingly large.
5. Bluetooth. I have the specified Bluetooth add on and it sometimes works like it should. But mainly it does not.
6. I bought a Raspberry Pi to use as a streamer (running Moode) and it is loads easier to set up and operate that the Bluesound. Which for the price is pathetic. The Bluesound can see the hard drive attached to the Pi, with none of the trouble I have with Windows machines. which is utterly useless as I would use the Pi to stream from that.

As you can gather Spotify connect functionality is the only reason I have not sold it. I think the Bluesound is largely hype. It is cleverly marketed of course.

Tony
 
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