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Bluesound Node Review (Streamer)

Timcognito

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Google Chromecast ($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.
Sounds great does it integrate Qobuz Tidal TuneIn radio into playlists like the BluOS?
 

Timcognito

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Google Chromecast ($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.
Sorry TuneIn does not go to playslists
 

MaxBuck

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There certainly are any number of ways that one "can" do what the Node does, and in some cases at substantially lower price (possibly yielding superior audio reproduction quality). But they all also either require more expense, substantial effort or present a less friendly interface. Or so it seems to me, at any rate.
 

Rottmannash

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Golfx

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24/96
 

RadioBuddha

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Google Chromecast ($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.

A Google Chromecast or the discontinued Google Chromecast Audio, if it is the former, does it match it up the audio quality of the Chromecast Audio?
 

goofball

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Google Chromecast ($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.
Again, a piecemeal solution with limited use cases...MusicStreamer is useful (I'll even say terrific) for playing locally stored music files to speakers, but it does absolutely nothing for Windows users, Android users or anyone who uses an online streaming service. "Literally everything a high-end streamer can do"? Not even close.

Now with that said...Chromecast and AirPlay (by themselves) are FABULOUS for what they do. Most of my own music streaming is done via AirPlay from an iPhone to a Roku box attached to my TV (in turn attached to my stereo setup). If you can live with the limitations (and there are many) of AirPlay and/or Chromecast, then there is a lot of good listening that you can do. There is a reason that Apple and Google promotes those protocols so much...they solve a LOT of thorny integration issues.
 

AudioSceptic

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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.
Just get an older iPhone for a fraction of the price. You don't need to pay for the better camera, screen, etc., of a newer one, features you won't use.

Does anyone actually need (can hear the difference with) hi-res? Settle for CD quality and a really old iPhone will do, with or without the adapter.
 
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I have the Chromecast audio and the bluesound node, and I prefer the node by a mile. It's expensive, but to me it's still value for money. The app works very well, and it sounds great, even if it doesn't measure that well. Plus it has sub out, and you can set the filter from the node.
 

Laserjock

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USB “out” will be great for me and one reason I’ll buy the NODE version.
Wondering if it will be possible to update the older versions?
 

OldJong

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The node is expensive?!

Funny thing is, I regularly see posts referring to it as one of the great bargains today when you compare to competitors, +/- ripping, like
Innuous(several Ks)
Aurender(16k for top model)
Melco(several Ks)
And a closer competitor like Cocktail, still more expensive.

The DAC quality is moot, as they regularly become obsolete, subjectively or objectively anyways.
 

TulseLuper

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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)

The NODE has analog in, a subwoofer out, and headphone out. These functions alone set it apart enough for many to ignore the poor DAC performance.
 

RadioBuddha

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Would it need to be, if we need only to beat the Node?

For my purposes I just need it to match the sound that I hear from the Apple Dac Dongle, I might just buy a Raspberry Pi 4 and send the audio to the Apple Dac Dongle via USB, I want something different from an Iphone in that I want to eliminate the need to charge the phone every other day. The reason I ask about the Google Chromecast TV model, well I tried an Apple TV and the audio was subpar on internet radio stations and using Apple Music, did not try Spotify which is my preferred streaming format. The audio quality from a mid 2015 Macbook Pro is superb but I don't want the computer on while streaming music.

So whether it is Roku/Nvidia Shield/Chromecast TV, if any of these can match the Apple Dac Dongle sound, I'm there, of course the TV would have to be on in those situations but I think that will not be a problem in my use case.

The Allo Boss Dac 2 is high on my list as a potential solution, I'm sending the sound out to analog RCA wires to passive speakers and an old Sony integrated amplifier that works for me.
 

goofball

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The Node is cheap for what it does...it streams a bunch of online services, connects to all sorts of stuff including Bluetooth and HDMI, is Alexa-controllable, Roon-ready, MQA-ready and supports AirPlay to boot. It's backed by a company who has been in the audio business for a long time, and has received regular updates as technology changes. A less than perfect DAC? Heh, you can't win them all...
 
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