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Bluesound Node Review (Streamer)

Jimbob54

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The biggest downsides of Cambridge streamer for me are zero DAC capabilities and quite a steep price.
What do you mean zero dac capabilities? It has a dac.
 

Jimbob54

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You're right. It has a DAC built in but it measures even worse than NODE so it's as if it didn't have one.
Care to share the measurements you've seen. I own the Cambridge and haven't found any.
 

Jimbob54

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Maybe have to use internal DAC only?
It has an internal dac and optical and coax outs too. Poster was referring to its poor dac performance. I've not seen it measured so hoping they provide a link.
 
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Jimbob54

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Here is a measurement of a single DAC chip that's used in Cambridge CXN v2

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/wm8740-dir9001-dac-board-review.10608/

I honestly doubt two of those can offer meaningfully better results. It might have been a faulty specimen though.
Absolutely can't infer anything about the Cambridge from that.

We know it's not going to be a 120db sinad performance as thats above manuf spec for this chip but you'd need to measure as it's executed in the cxn, not infer from a shoddy installation like the one reviewed in that link.

Fwiw though, had I known when I bought mine what I know now, I wouldn't have bothered and either just used USB or looked at a far cheaper Pi based solution. But the cxn functions well, it's just expensive and doesn't allow for eq in the chain, which I now need.
 
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Absolutely can't infer anything about the Cambridge from that.

We know it's not going to be a 120db sinad performance as thats above manuf spec for this chip but you'd need to measure as it's executed in the cxn, not infer from a shoddy installation like the one reviewed in that link.

Fwiw though, had I known when I bought mine what I know now, I wouldn't have bothered and either just used USB or looked at a far cheaper Pi based solution. But the cxn functions well, it's just expensive and doesn't allow for eq in the chain, which I now need.

I never said it was a bad product but I think the value for money might be even lower than is the case with NODE.
 

Jimbob54

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I never said it was a bad product but I think the value for money might be even lower than is the case with NODE.
No, you said it had zero dac capabilities. Which is just wrong. What we don't know is how it performs as a DAC.

Without knowing that it's hard to compare its value to the Node.
 
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For those who just like to listen to music the internal Dac will be fine and for those who really dig into the sound the spdif out provides a good clean signal to any good Dac.

BlueSound is more than just hardware though, its software too and on the software side you get everything you need in a good, easy to follow, ergonomic GUI, which also allows listeners access to music subscriptions like Tidal, listen to their own library as well as Internet radio. I own Roon and Audirvana, side-by-side navigation seems better in BluOS with more relevant and easy to follow menu selections.

Measurements alone paints a picture to a consumer that they will never realize, this is to say, we don't have measuring devices in our ears. Therefore a distortion or jitter measurement that is not audible although not ideal serves no real purpose. Its like not buying a matching blue jacket because in the light spectrum beyond your sight it gives off another color.
 

Laserjock

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For those who just like to listen to music the internal Dac will be fine and for those who really dig into the sound the spdif out provides a good clean signal to any good Dac.

BlueSound is more than just hardware though, its software too and on the software side you get everything you need in a good, easy to follow, ergonomic GUI, which also allows listeners access to music subscriptions like Tidal, listen to their own library as well as Internet radio. I own Roon and Audirvana, side-by-side navigation seems better in BluOS with more relevant and easy to follow menu selections.

Measurements alone paints a picture to a consumer that they will never realize, this is to say, we don't have measuring devices in our ears. Therefore a distortion or jitter measurement that is not audible although not ideal serves no real purpose. Its like not buying a matching blue jacket because in the light spectrum beyond your sight it gives off another color.
I assume the equalizer function in ROON would be the advantage that Amir speaks about that’s not available in Bluesound environment
 
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I assume the equalizer function in ROON would be the advantage that Amir speaks about that’s not available in Bluesound environment

Yeah no parametric EQ etc., only Tone Controls and a Sub Crossover. Certainly not up to modern Audiophile standards.....but then Audiophiles are all about purity ;) so signal manipulation is not required....:)

tone.png
 

Laserjock

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Yeah no parametric EQ etc., only Tone Controls and a Sub Crossover. Certainly not up to modern Audiophile standards.....but then Audiophiles are all about purity ;) so signal manipulation is not required....:)

View attachment 149897
This reminds me that you can set output to fixed or variable, wondering if you could get better DAC performance at a different output level? @amirm
 

981flatsix

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@amirm Hi Amir, Great respect for all the work that is done here and with the in-depth videos.
I'm a long time owner of two bluesound products and I'm kindly requesting a revisit the "app not working" situation...
The main point of the bluesound brand is for it to be controled with the app. And since you were not able to pair to the NODE, it may not have updated its firmware before testing, and also, we don't know how it was configured in the app settings when you did the internal dac test. There are many variables here, which you must to try.
I can only assume, but its very likely that the router where your NODE and phone were conected must have some sort of protocol filter that did not allow the app to talk to the NODE. I use the app from an Android phone, an Iphone and and Ipad.
I have never had problems with the app, its updated frequently and highly refined. Please look into this.
Thanks again for your work.
 

Laserjock

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It's fine. I have a total of 1 DSD album. But MQA works with USB out?
Not yet? Firmware update coming supposedly.
I read in the Bluesound website that DSD is converted to PCM/FLAC or something in order to play through the Bluesound system.

Type in DSD playback in the Bluesound support search
 
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curiouspeter

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Not yet? Firmware update coming supposedly.
I read in the Bluesound website that DSD is converted to PCM/FLAC or something in order to play through the Bluesound system.

Type in DSD playback in the Bluesound support search
Hmm, the native sampling rate remains at 192 kHz, so even DXD requires resampling.

If I am getting one strictly as a streamer, I might as well get the old Node 2i hopefully at a discount.
 
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Hmm, the native sampling rate remains at 192 kHz, so even DXD requires resampling.

If I am getting one strictly as a streamer, I might as well get the old Node 2i hopefully at a discount.

Be-aware that the 2i might not have the ability to stream USB out, it is different hardware. With a small amount of patience and flexibility you can still use coax/toslink out to a Dac until USB becomes available.

Keep in mind that the Node is meant to be a 'general purpose' streamer -not- an Audiophile-grade streamer with a Dac section to compete with high-end dacs. As a general purpose streamer it does a fantastic job at what is was designed to do, the Node vs. the Node 2i even has an upgraded 32-bit/384khz Dac section...which does sound very good btw.
 
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