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Bluesound Node users - a question for you?

guey

guey

pfm Member
A friend's just asked me about moving over to a streaming (both local files and online services) set up; and I thought the Bluesound Node might be a good option for him.
My question is, can you just hang a hard drive with your collection on it off the back of it; or do you have to have the collection on your network?
 
You can indeed! I have hundreds of albums in FLAC format on a 256 gb USB flash drive plugged into the back of mine. I’ve also tried with an SSD drive and that also works fine. When you plug the drive in it takes the Node a while to work out what’s on it but then it presents everything beautifully in the BluOS app on your phone or tablet. I’m not sure if there’s a limit on the size of the drive you can use, maybe someone else will know.
 
Thanks for that - it sounds like it could be just the right thing for him then (I didn't fancy having to talk him through network gubbins)
 
From support site
https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/e...eally-Index-Over-200-000-Songs-in-My-Library-

Bluesound has been designed to work with today’s larger music collections, and has indexed libraries with over 200,000 songs in demonstrated practice. This will depend on the music’s metadata.

If the files contain large album artwork and lengthy artist, title or album names, the index may fill up much quicker and the unit could experience memory management issues.

If you are coming to the limit, the BluOS® firmware will stop indexing music to prevent any problems with your library, and send you a message to let you know the limit has been met and no more songs will be indexed.
 
Excellent so I can just attach a HDD to a bluesound node then?

Any recommendations for a HDD or better formats? Ideally get a cd drive hook it up the laptop and transfer my CDs be a good back up if nothing else.
 
Yes, it’s not what Bluesound suggest as the best way to connect to your rips but it works. Pretty much any external drive should work so long as it doesn’t suck too much juice out of the USB socket, 0.5A I think, bigger desktop externals come with a power brick but the smaller portables don’t. You need to format FAT32 or NTFS i.e. PC rather than MacOS or Linux specific ones. The artwork and indexing might be slow/glitchy if you have loads of files/art work.

I reckon a NAS would be a better option or the Vault.

https://www.bluesound.com/products/vault/

Maybe look at the Zen Mini too.
https://www.strictlystereo.com/shop-online/innuos-zen-mini-music-server

Loads of options from uber cheap Rasp Pi based ones to uber expensive stuff like Melco/Weiss.
 
Well I have just bought a node2 on here so at how I like that first. Be good to have my CDs backed up on a HDD though. Plus be interesting to see if they sound and different via the node2
 
Pretty much any USB DVDRW drive should work fine, depending on your laptop USB version 2.0 or 3.0. For myself and work I buy Samsung, LG or Liteon, like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N4WL9OL/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

To rip CD’s one of the best if not the best pieces of software is bBpoweramp
https://www.dbpoweramp.com/

Hard Disks - WD are decent and well priced, this is a good deal for an 8TB £136, you might need much smaller depends how many CD’s you rip and what FLAC compression level you choose
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LWVT81X/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I have the Node 2i and plugged a 1TB HDD with about 650GB into my ASUS router. Fiddled with the Router setting so that the Node 2i could see my music folder and indexed all the track (about 27,000 in a few minutes).

It works flawlessly - I have been very impressed plus very pleased with the very slight improvement in sound quality over Qobuz streams of the same music.

I had Roon and thought I would miss it’s functionality but this set up works perfectly for me.
 
Amber Audio said:
From support site
https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/e...eally-Index-Over-200-000-Songs-in-My-Library-

Bluesound has been designed to work with today’s larger music collections, and has indexed libraries with over 200,000 songs in demonstrated practice. This will depend on the music’s metadata.

If the files contain large album artwork and lengthy artist, title or album names, the index may fill up much quicker and the unit could experience memory management issues.

If you are coming to the limit, the BluOS® firmware will stop indexing music to prevent any problems with your library, and send you a message to let you know the limit has been met and no more songs will be indexed.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, very handy - I've just pinged it on to my mate.
 
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