Bluesound Node Icon Streamer DAC Audio Stereo Review [Video]

[amirm]

Here is the video review of Bluesound Node Icon streamer:

Please subscribe to the channel. It is not monetized but like to make sure our voices are heard in the crowd of other videos.

 

[Ismapics]

Thanks for the content @amirm I really enjoy and appreciate it.

 

[Ler0ck]

Your channel will be skyrocket if you do a video review McIntosh amp, Tannoy speakers, or some hiend equipment. Do it and thanks me later.

 

[oozlum]

Those numbers!

 

[Muddywaters]

Those numbers!

View attachment 434426

The devil incarnate!

 

[EERecordist]

Here is the video review of Bluesound Node Icon streamer:

Please subscribe to the channel. It is not monetized but like to make sure our voices are heard in the crowd of other videos.

I usually don't watch the video review, I'm a fast reader. But I watched this one and found it a good compliment to the regular review. I appreciate the discussion of the user interface. Suggestions to the vendors is good. Maybe running through the user interface is something an intern can add to your videos. Personally I am not an adherent of high sampling rates on end consumer playback. I do believe the anti-aliasing filter is very important ADC and DAC.

 

[amirm]

The video format definitely lends itself to more complete explanation of things than writing text for me.

 

[EERecordist]

The video format definitely lends itself to more complete explanation of things than writing text for me.

Is there a local high school, community college, or 4 year that can contribute interns? Access to an AP analyzer and software is a rare thing. It is to the advantage of AP and AES to train up the next generation.

There may even be grants from AES, AP, Klippel, audio conglomerates, Samsung et'al, and Apple, Amazon, Google-Android, streaming services and the like.

ASR wants to remain independent and objective. ASR has vast and deep industry force field experience. Independence and objectivity with stakeholder supporters is not a simple problem.

 

[amirm]

There are probably interns to be had, both from ASR membership and local universities. The issue is logistics. Working from home doesn't allow for others to come and use the equipment. Need to somehow expand the scope to justify having an office space and more test gear.

 

[Multicore]

Hi @amirm I have a question about what you said in the video about the reconstruction filter of the Bluesound Icon DAC:

Is is audible, I can't tell you. Most likely probably not audible.

It's many decades since I studied EE and haven't had much use for that basic theory since then. But I recall that anti-aliasing and reconstruction filters are fundamental and a consequence of sampling itself. Without band limiting the input of an ADC and the output of a DAC there will be spurious nonsense converted signals.

So I've been wondering how come Bluesound's almost nonexistent filter could be "most likely not audible". I suppose this could be if the system downstream of the Bluesound Icon functions as a suitable low pass filter. For example if the downstream system is linear in the ultrasonic band and we assume human hearing is the reconstruction filter.

Is that the assumption Bluesound and Marantz make and as inplied in your comment: we can't hear the spurious output signals because they are ultrasonic? Our ears provide a low pass filter that does the reconstruction job?

Another question: is it safe to assume that the system between the DAC and the ear are linear so that no signals in the audible band can be heard? We usually don't see product specs about ultrasonic linearity.