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Bluesound. Any users?

I use a node 2 to stream tidal hifi into my integrated and I can toggle between the analogue and spdif out, I've tried pretty hard to distinguish a difference between the two as the amp has a decent set of Wolfson chips on board, with regard to masters, it's down to the original production / mastering, as some of them are somewhat underwhelming and others are astonishingly good to my ears such as St Germain. That said I rate the node 2 highly, given that is has pre amp capability, expandable inputs and a very decent headphone out. My cd rips on usb stick sound superb too. The clincher for me though was the native Radio Paradise, which I guess is the HD version and has never sounded better. The bluesound UI is also very good and now allows you to browse masters through the android app.
 
Radio Paradise is great for finding new stuff to listen to (and old stuff as well) because it plays such a variety of music.

I must admit that I am warming to the BluOS app a lot more now as I have found ways to do things that I used to be able to do in Sonos, but was unable to do with BluOS at first.

I certainly would not switch back to Sonos now :)
 
There are several comparisons between the Bluesound Node 2 and the Auralic Aries Mini which is understandable given their similarities in price and function. However I'm interested in whether anyone has compared the Bluesound Node 2 with the, three times the price, Auralic Aries?
 
I have not directly compared the Node 2 and the Aries, but I have compared the Node 2 with the Aries Mini and the Aries Mini with the Aries. What would you like to know?
 
Thanks. I'm wondering what the sound quality difference you get for the higher cost of the Aries over the Aries Mini or Node 2 and it's not much the pros & cons of either Aeries Mini or Node 2 please?
 
The sound you get from the digital outputs on the Aries and Aries Mini is heavily dependent on your DAC and which connection you choose. The Aries comes as standard with a high quality linear power supply and two extremely accurate clocks. Many modern DACs offer asynchronous USB, where the timing is handed off to the clock inside the DAC. Some DACs will also buffer and re-clock the S/PDIF inputs. This negates some of the advantage of having those very precise clocks inside the Aries. I can tell you that I prefer to use the Aries with our Kii THREEs, but the Aries Mini is certainly not far behind.

The Bluesound range is aimed squarely at Sonos customers who want better sound quality. Most of the Auralic range is aimed at a different market. The Aries Mini and the Node 2/Vault 2 are really the only products where these two ranges overlap. Which one works best for you will depend on the rest of your equipment and how you plan to use them. These are the major differences...

  • The Node 2 supports MQA. The Aries Mini does not (although it will pass it through to an MQA-enabled DAC).
  • The Node 2 has an analogue input, which can be used to stream analogue sources from one room to other rooms. The Aries Mini does not.
  • The Node 2 supports a wide range of online streaming services. The Aries Mini does support TIDAL and Qobuz though.
  • The Bluesound range includes the Vault 2 ripper/server and various wireless speakers, which is a nice option for a kitchen or bedroom, for example. The Auralic range includes some very nice higher end streamers and amplifiers.
  • The Aries Mini supports UPnP streaming and Windows file sharing. The Node 2 supports Windows file sharing, so you can access music on a computer or NAS, but not UPnP.
  • The Node 2 supports Roon. The Aries Mini does not (although the higher end Auralic streamers do).
  • The Aries Mini has a 2.5" drive bay into which you can install a hard disk drive or solid state drive. The Lightning platform includes a UPnP server.
  • Both devices will play pretty much any file format you might want. However the Node 2 is limited to 24 bit/192kHz playback. The Aries Mini can run all the way up 32 bit/384kHz or DSD256, should you need it to.

No doubt I have missed something off this list. Let me know if you spot a feature which I have overlooked.
 
Node / Vault 2... off the top of my head

Headphone socket.
Can be controlled by an IR remote
Can plug in a USB drive / memory stick for quick listening.
Mutiroom streaming with additional Bluesound products
Bluetooth receiver
The input is dual Line/optical
 
Strictly Stereo an excellent run through. Thanks for taking the time. Much appreciated.

Do you have a Black Vault 2 in stock?
 
shevans said:
Node / Vault 2... off the top of my head

Headphone socket.
Can be controlled by an IR remote
Can plug in a USB drive / memory stick for quick listening.
Mutiroom streaming with additional Bluesound products
Bluetooth receiver
The inout is dual Line/optical
Click to expand...

Quite right although I should point out that the Aries Mini also offers 3, 4 and 5.
 
Aries does not provide an Android-based app, so if you do not have an Apple phone or ipad could be a deal breaker (it was for me).
 
What are the qualitativ differences soundwise in Bluesound Node 2 vs Aries Mini when using for both an external DAC like your Kii THREEs?

I'm looking for a streamer including as many as possible streaming services (Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Internet Radio) as often I'm listening to those. I love the playlists Spotify offers but also the uncompressed files from Qobuz.
 
Maragoo said:
What are the qualitativ differences soundwise in Bluesound Node 2 vs Aries Mini when using for both an external DAC like your Kii THREEs?

I'm looking for a streamer including as many as possible streaming services (Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Internet Radio) as often I'm listening to those. I love the playlists Spotify offers but also the uncompressed files from Qobuz.
Click to expand...

I would not expect them to sound radically different, but in truth I have not tried the digital outputs on the Node 2 yet.

The Node 2 supports TIDAL, Qobuz, Internet radio and Spotify (via Spotify Connect), plus a whole lot of other streaming services.
 
Would be very interesting to hear what Bluesound Node 2 into Exogal DAC is capable of?

Better will be a Melco streamer, but it's much more complicated to get the streaming services available (Android phone or tablet with BubbleUPNP) and still no Spotify then.
 
For what it's worth, I bought one last week (Node 2) and am very impressed. Both sound and build quality are very good. As far as the app is concerned it's early days but it seems quite logical. To start, it's made my DAC and DAB Tuner obsolete. My Studer are quite safe though :).
 
Thanks to everyone for the help but particularly Strictly Stereo. I've bought a Vault 2 from Lee and am thoroughly looking forward to giving it a listen.
 
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