Bluesound Node Review (Streamer)

[NiagaraPete]

If the Node turns out to be a mistake, I can help you getting that PI brought up to date.

 

[bloodshoteyed]

And since I'm using an outboard DAC, sound quality issues with the Bluesound DAC are neither here nor there.

tbh, i wanted to go that route but ended up connecting the Node to a Rme via coax and leaving the PC on ASIO via USB, at least until i move all the music collection over to a NAS (which is planned)...and i had absolutely no issues so far

 

[MattHooper]

Thanks very much NiagaraPete! Hopefully I won't need to take you up on the offer.

One of the things moving me away from the Logitech platform is the lack of Apple music support/Airplay. I've used Tidal for streaming for many years, but Apple has the larger music library, it now offers full-res streaming, and unlike Tidal Apple Music integrates better with the rest of our ecosystem. For instance, I love being able to use voice control to ask Apple Music to play any specific group/album/track while driving. The problem, again, was no real integration for streaming Apple music via the Raspberry Pi to my hi-fi system (to my knowledge - or at least I never got it to do so). At least with the Bluesound I can use airplay, and if that proves sufficient I may just drop Tidal.

 

[NiagaraPete]

Thanks very much NiagaraPete! Hopefully I won't need to take you up on the offer.

One of the things moving me away from the Logitech platform is the lack of Apple music support/Airplay. I've used Tidal for streaming for many years, but Apple has the larger music library, it now offers full-res streaming, and unlike Tidal Apple Music integrates better with the rest of our ecosystem

I’m a Linux guy but my son worked at Apple so now I have iPhone, iPad, MacBook. Streaming to my PI has been super easy. Tidal was just too expensive compared to free Apple Music

 

[12Many]

" I don't understand the need for an HDMI input or how that would fit into music listening."

The HDMI would allow you to use your audio speakers for the TV sound reproduction instead of using a separate sound bar for that function.

Thanks. So, use the ARC to get the sound into the Node. Makes sense.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

The problem, again, was no real integration for streaming Apple music via the Raspberry Pi to my hi-fi system (to my knowledge - or at least I never got it to do so). At least with the Bluesound I can use airplay, and if that proves sufficient I may just drop Tidal.

I've never had much use for AirPlay or Apple, but this LMS plugin has been available for a while now. AirTunes, AirPlay, dunno if they're the same...

GitHub - philippe44/LMS-ShairTunes2W: Airtunes with LMS (fork of https://github.com/disaster123/shairport2_plugin)

Airtunes with LMS (fork of https://github.com/disaster123/shairport2_plugin) - philippe44/LMS-ShairTunes2W

github.com

 

[melvinjames]

Well, I actually ended up ordering the newer NODE which will arrive tomorrow. Figured I may as well get the most up to date one.

I'd like it to just send out the unmolested bitstream to my Benchmark DAC. Are there any settings I have to check to ensure the Bluesound NODE isn't altering the digital signal out to the DAC?

I'd use my pre-amp for adjusting volume generally. Though sometimes I may use the volume control on the iphone app as I do currently with the iPeng raspberry Pi. As I understand it, when using the iphone app, as long as I would adjust the volume back up to 100 % that would be sending out the pure bitstream.

Good choice going with their latest iteration. When using any of the digital-out connections Bluesound has stated the signal is, in fact, unmolested. I connect my SMSL DO100 via USB without issue and it sounds great to my ears. Keep this in mind and find it under Settings / Audio:

 

[MattHooper]

Ok, I received my Bluesound NODE today and gave it a whirl tonight.

First of all: Glory Be! It. Just. Works!

With the exception that I discovered it won't recognize my external music library usb drive because it's formatted for MAC. (The Raspberry Pi/Logitech had no problem). Apparently I'll just have to format a drive to MS-DOS (FAT) and transfer my library to that drive. So no playing from my ripped CD library tonight (I have to buy another drive).

That aside: I couldn't believe how easy it was to set up. Basically plug and play and I was off listening to Tidal and the internet radio stations that went missing from my Logitech/Raspberry Pi server for so long. (Still a mystery).

So I'm really, really happy out of the gate.

Except.... The sound.

I'm not sure exactly what is going on. I've run the optical out of the Bluesound NODE in to my Benchmark DAC2L. I chose the "output level fixed" setting for the Bluesound. So should be good to go.

On the BlueOS controller app I opened up TuneIn Radio, my preferred internet radio source. I played two of my favorite radio stations and when the sound came on it almost seemed like the speakers were wired out of phase. That is, the sound seemed more wispy and vague than I'm used to. Didn't have the solidity and punch. I thought at first maybe I was just too used to having listened to my vinyl front end and the change was screwing with my head. But track after track from the internet radio station just seemed different, not as great as I remembered.

Then I just wanted to test airplay from my phone, so I opened the TuneIn Radio app on my phone, played the same streams and sent them Airplay to the Bluesound. Then...whoa! There it was! More like the sound I was used to. It sounded more solid, present, punchy. WTF? I double checked that I'd chosen the same streams on both the iphone TuneIn app and via the Bluesound app. Yup. So I started switching back and forth between the streams sent via airplay and the streams from the BlueOS app (volume being fixed on both), and there seemed a distinct difference of the type I've just described.
Some announcers voice, for instance, centered between the speakers sounded insubstantial and "see through" but boom, sounded dense and solid and more present from the airplay stream from my phone.

Now, this isn't making sense to me - I'd expect the Bluesound is sending exactly the same bitstream to my DAC as my Raspberry Pi. So I would like to think it's my imagination. But frankly, while subtle, this "difference" seems so distinct (and density of sound is something I always key in on), that it's hard to shake the impression.

Can anyone explain IF there could be a sonic difference and what could be going on?

Tomorrow I'll be able to try my music library via USB I hope.

 

[kschmit2]

[...]
With the exception that I discovered it won't recognize my external music library usb drive because it's formatted for MAC. (The Raspberry Pi/Logitech had no problem). Apparently I'll just have to format a drive to MS-DOS (FAT) and transfer my library to that drive. So no playing from my ripped CD library tonight (I have to buy another drive).
[...]
Tomorrow I'll be able to try my music library via USB I hope.

it should also work with NTFS iirc

 

[ivayvr]

Matt, just a guess but did you check for the system updates of your Node? It is probably a few versions behind from the current version.
And the second idea, did you try to connect analogue out directly to your amp, not as a permanent solution but out of curiosity? There is no contest between your Benchmark and Node's internal DAC.

 

[12Many]

And the second idea, did you try to connect analogue out directly to your amp, not as a permanent solution but out of curiosity? There is no contest between your Benchmark and Node's internal DAC.

Matt, I would be interested in your impressions on this too.

 

[MattHooper]

Matt, just a guess but did you check for the system updates of your Node? It is probably a few versions behind from the current version.

The NODE automatically updated itself upon set up. I checked and it's up to date.

And the second idea, did you try to connect analogue out directly to your amp, not as a permanent solution but out of curiosity? There is no contest between your Benchmark and Node's internal DAC.

Is there any reason to do this?

I'm not actually curious about that set up as I don't ever intend to use the NODE like that, only with my Benchmark DAC.

 

[MattHooper]

Just looking at the settings on the BluOS app:

A/V mode was set "on" - a feature to help latency. Now I've turned it off.

Compressed Group Audio was "on" - now I've turned it off.

Audio Clock Trim was "on." It says "disable when using an External Dac that cannot cope with these adjustments." I have no idea if the Benchmark DAC can "cope" with these adjustments. I'd presume it could. But just in case I've now turned that off.

Could any of these settings have affected the sound quality?

 

[djigibao]

Maybe you can check if your cable is all the way in.

If there is a possibility, it might be better to connect via USB cable.

 

[MattHooper]

Maybe you can check if your cable is all the way in.

If there is a possibility, it might be better to connect via USB cable.

I can't connect to the DAC via usb because that Bluesound USB input is how I attach my external drive/music library.

As I understood it, simply running the optical out from the Bluesound NODE to the DAC should bypass everything and send the bitstream unmolested to the DAC.
I do notice one setting: MQA external DAC. That setting is "off." Not sure what to do with it. The Benchmark doesn't handle MQA, but I also don't want the Bluesound altering the bitstream quality in any way to the DAC.

 

[djigibao]

Try USB just for test to see if the problem is the same.

 

[Timcognito]

Don't forget to search here. Others may have had the same issues.

https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/community/topics

 

[ivayvr]

I am not familiar with any of the audio settings you mentioned. The only time I used an external DAC was briefly with schiit modi connected with optical. I did not hear any improvement compared to the built in DAC and never tried any other ever since.

 

[djigibao]

Do any of you sometimes have problems with Tidal playback?
Sometimes it happens that the song starts for 4-5 seconds and then stops (as if the connection is lost) and after 2-3 seconds it starts playing again and so on several times.
The NODE is connected by wire to the router.

BTW: when playing songs via Spotify, there are never any problems

 

[bloodshoteyed]

Just looking at the settings on the BluOS app:

A/V mode was set "on" - a feature to help latency. Now I've turned it off.

Compressed Group Audio was "on" - now I've turned it off.

Audio Clock Trim was "on." It says "disable when using an External Dac that cannot cope with these adjustments." I have no idea if the Benchmark DAC can "cope" with these adjustments. I'd presume it could. But just in case I've now turned that off.

Could any of these settings have affected the sound quality?

so is the issue still present after changing those settings or not?
interesting one, actually...never used internet radios nor podcasts

I can't connect to the DAC via usb because that Bluesound USB input is how I attach my external drive/music library.

As I understood it, simply running the optical out from the Bluesound NODE to the DAC should bypass everything and send the bitstream unmolested to the DAC.
I do notice one setting: MQA external DAC. That setting is "off." Not sure what to do with it. The Benchmark doesn't handle MQA, but I also don't want the Bluesound altering the bitstream quality in any way to the DAC.

this setting is there in case you got an external DAC hooked up via USB that can unfold MQA by itself (so it turns off unfolding in the Node)