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Are the Bluesound Node 2i analog output good enough?

narabdela said:
I remember reading that review. If that was 'Audio Science', I'm a banana. :rolleyes:
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The Toslink results are questionable which he concedes, but it's hard to argue with the Roon result.

I'm sure there will be people listening to high resolution files through this device and waxing lyrical about its qualities of "air, bass, palpable realism" or whatever, but the thing can't even get to 16 bits of accuracy. In reality this may not be actually detectable to most people, but a Topping D10 or similar will give technically near-perfect results at not much additional cost, if your audiophilia nervosa kicks in.
 
I have had one in my system for a few weeks and have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised. It doesn't do anything spectacularly well but it also doesn't do anything offensive to my ears. It's sound quality is balanced and smooth - I have heard many a DAC that was impressive on first listen but it's sonic foibles soon become irritating.

Additionally, the app is pretty good and has been rock solid and it indexed all my music (650GB) which is stored on a hard drive connected to my router in a few minutes. For the £399 I paid, it seems like a bargain to me.
 
just wade into this feet first apart from the better wifi module what are the differences between the node 2 and the node2i?

I have picked up a node2 and have a Topping E30 dac i was going to sell it on as brand new unopened but reading this suggests the Node2 into the E30?

I am sure I read before the 2i benefits from a better power supply or was there a module change? Does this apply to the 2 as well?
 
I wonder how much difference asynchronous makes? As I am am planning to swap my Mac Mini for a Node 2i for shear convenience.
 
Toslink optical input works fine at 44.1kHz on my unit, I have not tested any other rates. Sounds good fed from my CD player. I also measured SMPTE IMD which gave almost identical results to using NAS as a source.

The problem with the ASR review is that he never revisited his findings, then a bunch of people jumped on the thread who seem to struggle with the difference between input and output!
 
It's fine for Spotify and standard Tidal bit rates, but yes you can do better. I had a Powernode 2 (currently in storage) on Tidal standard driving my MC Audio RL21, which are pretty revealing speakers, and I must say it sounded pretty darn good indeed. I now run a standrad Node 2 (not 2i) using Amazon HD into my Audionet DNA's DAC under optical (also with RL21 speakers) and it is just fabulous.
 
Interestingly the promotional price for the Node 2i seems to have been extended to the 15th Nov in the EU whereas it's gone back to full price in the UK.
 
I’ve been using one for just over a year, both with and without an external factor. I think it’s easily good enough at its price point, I really do like it. Although as others have said it’s better with an external, mine is currently connected to a Hugo...
 
simon g said:
You realise that you won't be getting full MQA through your DAC? First unfold only. MQA is a waste of time, as far as I'm concerned, but if you want full MQA then you'd have to use an MQA DAC. The analogue out of the Node 2i is MQA, by the way.
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Not only that, but if you run it to an MQA enabled DAC via USB it won't be MQA. Coax or optical out only for the full MQA.
 
I think the analog output is good enough for casual listening. If you want to hear what higher quality streaming sounds like, the digital output signal decoded by a good DAC needs to be used.
I used a TeddyDAC with satisfying results, but wasn't exactly moved by the music. Put it down to listening mostly to MP3s from Amazon Music.
Then, a leap of faith was taken by sending the Node 2i to Israel for modification and upgrade. This involved the supply and installation of one of Teddy Pardo's external power supplies.
The returned unit is just a different animal. Does not sound like the original unit at all.
I'm talking airy, immediate, 3D sound. Dynamic, detailed, emotionally stirring and highly involving.
Thought MP3s faeces. Changed my mind.
 
I am loving the sound coming out of my Bluesound Node 2i via a Sandisk 256GB USB memory stick. In fact via RCA digital coax into my Weiss Dac202, I prefer it to asynchronous FireWire via my Mac Mini.

I have been used to the Apple infrastructure though. Album artwork seems to be an odd format in Itunes, I’m assuming therefore I need to use a product like Bliss to grab album artwork?
 
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