Bluesound Node Review (Streamer)

[Jimbob54]

That hifiberry thing was recommended, yet the Bluesound Node was not.

Read the conclusion. Spot the difference with the Node.

"I am happy to recommend for the HiFiBerry DAC+ Pro for budget-priced DAC for Raspberry Pi streaming solution."

 

[goofball]

Are Amir's ratings dependent upon price? Or was that rating based on application?

 

[dorirod]

That hifiberry thing was recommended, yet the Bluesound Node was not.

The hifiberry thing that costs $40 and got a 92 SINAD was indeed recommended in 2019.

 

[Jimbob54]

Are Amir's ratings dependent upon price? Or was that rating based on application?

Did you read the quote I put in?

 

[Beershaun]

Are Amir's ratings dependent upon price? Or was that rating based on application?

Both. Because both are relevant and context matters. "Is this the thing I would buy for this application if I had this much money?"

 

[hedrick]

retracted

 

[goofball]

Only Amir can say for sure, but I suspect that the overall rating might have been different if the BluOS app had worked properly for him. Once the BluOS problems occurred, he couldn't do anything other than take basic measurements. It's a good lesson for Bluesound...in the market for mid-tier streaming appliances, I think they and Sonos are the only major players.

 

[Jimbob54]

Only Amir can say for sure, but I suspect that the overall rating might have been different if the BluOS app had worked properly for him. Once the BluOS problems occurred, he couldn't do anything other than take basic measurements. It's a good lesson for Bluesound...in the market for mid-tier streaming appliances, I think they and Sonos are the only major players.

I suspect if the experience had been seamless but with the same measurements it would have gotten ambivalent panther.

I don't see a 2021 desktop device costing $500 or more getting a recommendation unless it clears 96dB SINAD, meets spec and improves on previous gen AND delivers on the UE.

 

[Tangband]

The hifiberry thing that costs $40 and got a 92 SINAD was indeed recommended in 2019.

The bluesound node is a flawed design . Costing 599 dollar .

 

[OldJong]

Or, better yet, one of these with a better score!!!

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...pple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/

Ive got no problem with even lower order harmonics. Some go out of their way to add these to an otherwise boring sterile sound.

 

[Tangband]

Or, better yet, one of these with a better score!!!

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...pple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/

Ive got no problem with even lower order harmonics. Some go out of their way to add these to an otherwise boring sterile sound.

An Apple lightning-headphone adapter for 9 dollars, plus an IPhone with apple lossless high resolution is probably a very good and cheap solution for a streamer ( if you already have the iphone ) that measures better than a bluesound when using the inbuilt dac.

Maybe something for Amirm to check out ? IOS 14.6 unlocked the inbuilt capacity for high resolution 192 kHz sound in iPhone and iPad, making them high-end streamers.

 

[goofball]

Heh, if only it was that simple...the iPhone and the headphone adapter are marvelous devices, but a standalone streaming appliance they are not.

 

[Jimbob54]

Heh, if only it was that simple...the iPhone and the headphone adapter are marvelous devices, but a standalone streaming appliance they are not.

In what respect ?

 

[PeteL]

In what respect ?

you have to be attached with a cable to your amp to chose music that will play out of it? Maybe if you can, with some streaming apps, certainly not all of them, control it from remote, then the phone itself is a streamer yes, but much more expensive and much less flexible than a NODE.

 

[Jimbob54]

you have to be attached with a cable to your amp to chose music that will play out of it? Maybe if you can, with some streaming apps, certainly not all of them, control it from remote, then the phone itself is a streamer yes, but much more expensive and much less flexible than a NODE.

I get that. But I'd like to know what @goofball meant. I hope it was along the lines you mention as I agree with you.

 

[Foulchet]

To me, a smartphone/tablet is a streamer and they have, due to the production scale and technology, far better value than most "Hifi" streamers. Some portable DAP with Android can also work like that. I have an iPad 2017 which was not really expensive (I do not remember the price but it was less than 600-700 I think) and you can connect it to an amp or to a DAC (with jack or cck). Interface is better than streamers, you can read from NAS and all streaming services. I have a streamer but honestly the only upside is aesthetics or specific use case (under your TV for instance, you will not plug a cable from your sofa to your amp) or just for the overall feeling of having a "hifi" device (mostly placebo).
At first I used only the EU jack dongle to the RCA IN of the amp, and after having bought a DAC and a purely digital streamer, it added nothing in terms of functionnalities of my desktop headphone gear.

 

[goofball]

One really needs to be realistic when thinking about these sorts of things. The classic argument you hear in many walks of life is "I can put together x, y and z to make it do stuff, and it's a very good and cheap solution for a xxxxx that measures better/performs better/whatever than a..."

If the piecemeal solutions were that good and that cheap, then there wouldn't be a market for integrated solutions. But realistically, many piecemeal solutions are neither very good, very cheap, nor effective for sizeable numbers of people. The iPhone plus headphone adapter MIGHT measure well, but it is not designed to function as a dedicated streaming appliance. It doesn't have the feature set, nor is it intended to be used in that fashion. Can you make it work for some limited applications? Sure. But don't kid yourself that you're gonna replace a Bluesound, Sonos, Cambridge or anything like that with an iPhone. They aren't the same.

 

[PeteL]

To me, a smartphone/tablet is a streamer and they have, due to the production scale and technology, far better value than most "Hifi" streamers. Some portable DAP with Android can also work like that. I have an iPad 2017 which was not really expensive (I do not remember the price but it was less than 600-700 I think) and you can connect it to an amp or to a DAC (with jack or cck). Interface is better than streamers, you can read from NAS and all streaming services. I have a streamer but honestly the only upside is aesthetics or specific use case (under your TV for instance, you will not plug a cable from your sofa to your amp) or just for the overall feeling of having a "hifi" device (mostly placebo).
At first I used only the EU jack dongle to the RCA IN of the amp, and after having bought a DAC and a purely digital streamer, it added nothing in terms of functionnalities of my desktop headphone gear.

Why is the interface better? and your example of "specific" use case isn't instead the most common use case and the very reason why you buy this?

 

[Foulchet]

Well I did not say that an iPhone or other smartphone/tablet (or also Apple TV/Nvidia Shield/etc. or just PC) can replace every device, but that they are streamers with a very good value (compared to most "Hifi" streamers, maybe the node is not one of them, actually I said on an earlier page that it looked like a "very good device"). They have access to a plethora of apps, internet and they are also...phones. It is OK, I know that Hifi is a far smaller market, I was just saying that they ARE streamers with access to most major streaming services and generally with the last versions while streamers can become obsolete or have access to less services/are outdated (I have a Marantz NR1200 with HEOS and Deezer Hifi is not enabled and it has less streaming services than the AppStore, I play Apple Music from AppleTV or Airplay).

But I agree, it does not replace every device, especially when some devices (like the Node) are more than streamers (it is also a DAC + preamp), I did not say the contrary.

 

[MediumRare]

Google Chromecast Audio ($50 on Ebay) + MusicStreamer App ($5) and you can do literally everything a high-end streamer can (except Dirac). Actually I have three of them for a multiroom solution.
(Edited to specify Chromecast Audio)