Bluesound Node 2i Network Audio Player Review & Comments

Was a white one on there yesterday £345 with make an offer
 
Finally taken the plunge and ordered a Node 2i due to the price reduction. The vast majority of written and YouTube reviews are very positive and the the £100 off could not be ignored. Someone sold a used Node 2i on eBay yesterday for £362 + £ 9 p&p! Unfortunately Richer Sounds have stopped selling at the reduced price, so I brought mine from Amazon. I have been watching this thread for a couple of months and can't wait to hook it up to my system. Any keys tips folks on initial set up?

I got mine on Saturday and have been using it 5-6 hours every day since without a single issue. I did have to connect it via Ethernet over Powerline though, but that's mainly because my WiFi isn't very stable for music purposes. I have mine connected to my amp via the Coax Digital Output.

I found it very easy to set up and so far, have found BluOS to be a very good app. I use Tidal currently and have been comparing BluOS with Roon. If there is an improvement with Roon, I haven't been able to hear it, so will likely drop Roon when my free trial runs out at the weekend.

Just make sure you allow BluOS to update your Roon 2i when you first switch it all on and you should be good to go. This update took a little time on mine, but it's worth it.

Enjoy! It really is a bargain at this price. :smashin:
 
I got mine on Saturday and have been using it 5-6 hours every day since without a single issue. I did have to connect it via Ethernet over Powerline though, but that's mainly because my WiFi isn't very stable for music purposes. I have mine connected to my amp via the Coax Digital Output.

I found it very easy to set up and so far, have found BluOS to be a very good app. I use Tidal currently and have been comparing BluOS with Roon. If there is an improvement with Roon, I haven't been able to hear it, so will likely drop Roon when my free trial runs out at the weekend.

Just make sure you allow BluOS to update your Roon 2i when you first switch it all on and you should be good to go. This update took a little time on mine, but it's worth it.

Enjoy! It really is a bargain at this price. :smashin:
Thanks - I intend to use the analog RCA connections to my amp. I will now look at selling my old Arcam rDac wireless as it will now be redundant. Already have Spotify Premium and will try Tidal when they have their next 3 month offer. Not too sure the kids will appreciate me swapping streaming services.
 
I just connected up the SBT, then using Shairtunes2 plugin to be able sync the SBT and 2i over Airplay (played via FLAC's from my iPhone). Which seemed about the easiest way to facilitate A/B switching on my amp given 2 different platforms.

Basically zero difference.

Tl;dr, My experience with all these 'value' units sporting Delta-Sigma based chips is they fundamentally sound the same!

I would suggest if your SBT is working and you're happy with the software and platform, then put the 2i money into an external DAC and treat the SBT as a transport.

Very interesting write-up, thanks for experimenting! I feared buyers remorse if purchasing the Bluesound Node 2i, particularly if not noticing any tangible increase in performance.

I'm now turning my attention to the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 as a neater one-box solution!
 
Very interesting write-up, thanks for experimenting! I feared buyers remorse if purchasing the Bluesound Node 2i, particularly if not noticing any tangible increase in performance.

I'm now turning my attention to the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 as a neater one-box solution!

Depends on your amp I guess but it's highly likely that the money put towards an 1120 in your case would be a better overall spend than even an external DAC now - certainly if what's touted on here is even merely half true about them!
I also quite like the idea of these TDAi amps but I'm a little concerned the 1120 is not powerful enough (I certainly don't want to go backwards in power), the 2170 seems dated and lacking features compared to the other models, and the 3140 is simply rather expensive!
 
Depends on your amp I guess but it's highly likely that the money put towards an 1120 in your case would be a better overall spend than even an external DAC now - certainly if what's touted on here is even merely half true about them!
I also quite like the idea of these TDAi amps but I'm a little concerned the 1120 is not powerful enough (I certainly don't want to go backwards in power), the 2170 seems dated and lacking features compared to the other models, and the 3140 is simply rather expensive!

I'm currently using a Yamaha AV amp into my Kef speakers, and have been thinking about getting an integrated amp with HT bypass for a while, to get more out of the music side of things. The power of the 1120 is the one thing that worries me - I'm trying to get one for home demo, but I'm concerned that if I like the concept, I made end up just shooting for the 3400 which I'm not sure will get past SWMBO! :D
 
I'm currently using a Yamaha AV amp into my Kef speakers, and have been thinking about getting an integrated amp with HT bypass for a while, to get more out of the music side of things. The power of the 1120 is the one thing that worries me - I'm trying to get one for home demo, but I'm concerned that if I like the concept, I made end up just shooting for the 3140 which I'm not sure will get past SWMBO! :D

There is only one way to find out. Try an 1120 at home in your system. If it lacks power, but you really like what it and RP does in your system, then the 3400 may be the only other option if the 2170 is a no go for you.
 
Yep, its RP that I'm most eager to test given the rave reviews. Will be interesting to see how much of a difference it makes in practice.
 
I'm currently using a Yamaha AV amp into my Kef speakers, and have been thinking about getting an integrated amp with HT bypass for a while, to get more out of the music side of things.

You’ll find my topic on the Hi-Fi Separates forum. I have a Yamaha RX-A3010 feeding B&W speakers and wasn’t at all happy about the sound quality I was getting. In short, after demoing both a Naim Supernait 3 and the smaller XS3 I opted for the latter and I have my hi-fi system back. :)

AVRs just can’t cut it for music with a couple of exceptions. A Rega Elicit might suit your KEFs. Get a home demo - you can’t judge things in a shop.
 
You’ll find my topic on the Hi-Fi Separates forum. I have a Yamaha RX-A3010 feeding B&W speakers and wasn’t at all happy about the sound quality I was getting. In short, after demoing both a Naim Supernait 3 and the smaller XS3 I opted for the latter and I have my hi-fi system back. :)

AVRs just can’t cut it for music with a couple of exceptions. A Rega Elicit might suit your KEFs. Get a home demo - you can’t judge things in a shop.

Thanks Ray, just noticed your thread. Will need to set aside some time to read it all properly, as it's quite a long one!

I've been debating whether moving from a Yamaha to Arcam or Anthem AV amp would help with music duties, but I'm increasingly coming to the inclusion that a dedicated stereo amp/streamer is probably the way to go.
 
Thanks Ray, just noticed your thread. Will need to set aside some time to read it all properly, as it's quite a long one!

I've been debating whether moving from a Yamaha to Arcam or Anthem AV amp would help with music duties, but I'm increasingly coming to the inclusion that a dedicated stereo amp/streamer is probably the way to go.

It did go on a bit but ultimately I reached a satisfactory conclusion. I never realised how easy it would be to integrate an integrated amp into a Home Cinema system. Dead easy.

I did contemplate an Arcam AVR but that would have left the problem of disposing of my otherwise excellent Yamaha. Some suggested the Anthem wouldn't be as good with music as Naim etc. despite its high cost. I suppose it depends on whether you would like a one-box solution (Arcam) or two like me.

The Naim is very slim and takes up no space at all. Probably best to start your own topic over there and you'll get good advice.
 
I suppose it depends on whether you would like a one-box solution (Arcam) or two like me.

Thanks Ray. Obviously my preference is a two-box solution, but I haven't put that past my wife yet. She is most likely to take a different view. :D
 
Thanks Ray. Obviously my preference is a two-box solution, but I haven't put that past my wife yet. She is most likely to take a different view. :D
If you have no say on what iron she wants how can she influence your hifi decision? :D
 
Has anyone noticed that the sound is a lot more dynamic when using Airplay 2 vs Spotify Connect when using the Node2i connected to an amplifier? The volume is also around maybe 5 dB lower then Spotify Connect. I don’t know if I need to enable audio normalization in the Spotify app or adjust the sound settings too low volume? I’ve tried the latter, but it only seems to work when using your iPad as source not when using Spotify Connect. Any tips?
 
You assume Tejstar doesn't wield an iron, and that considering how many boxes are on display in the shared home is solely his decision.

So much casual sexism in one sentence.
 
You assume Tejstar doesn't wield an iron, and that considering how many boxes are on display in the shared home is solely his decision.

So much casual sexism in one sentence.

Crikey! It was meant as a joke. Humour generally pokes fun at people. Lighten up lady.
 
So much casual sexism in one sentence.

So much pointless virtue signalling in one sentence.

Crikey! It was meant as a joke. Humour generally pokes fun at people. Lighten up lady.

Absolutely, and a funny one it was too. Humour is often about playing on stereo types and creating caricatures, there's nothing derogatory implied with it. People are just too easily offend, or offended on the behalf of others now - that it's getting more than a little bit ridiculous!
 
@TB Rich , well said sir. :lesson:
Someone posted me a jpg many years ago of a male protester standing at the back of a group of women protesting about equal rights. He was holding up a placard with "B**ch, iron my shirt" on it. It was probably that which jogged my memory. I think he lived but cannot be sure. :D
 
@TB Rich , well said sir. :lesson:
Someone posted me a jpg many years ago of a male protester standing at the back of a group of women protesting about equal rights. He was holding up a placard with "B**ch, iron my shirt" on it. It was probably that which jogged my memory. I think he lived but cannot be sure. :D

I think I've seen that same pic once upon a time! :D
 
Got my 2i Friday and spent many hours streaming music form Amazon and Tidal, sampling some MQA.

The 2i was really easy to setup and worked almost flawlessly all weekend. The Bluos app on my Android phone worked well and is pretty easy to navigate but there are some functions that are not obvious so I had to search on the Bluesound site for answers. Thankfully the info on their site covers about everything you need to know.

Issues: On two occasions when the 2i went to a new song during shuffle play there was a pretty massive rise in volume even though I have the volume limiter setting on in Amazon and Tidal. That was very annoying. I don't understand what's going on with that yet. My other issue is I hear a spike, pop or snap through the speakers when the 2i is going to another song while in shuffle mode. I have the 2i connected to my router. I do not get this spike when streaming directly from my computer via USB to DAC.

The sound: My nephew and I did some critical listening comparing Amazon hi res to Tidal hi res streaming directly form my computer to DAC and from router to 2i. There is no detectable difference in the 2 music services that we could hear. Streaming through the 2i from router sounded a bit higher quality to me than from the computer, seemed a bit more detail came through, could be a noise floor situation.

MQA: As with any streaming format, a bad recording or a terrible mixing job as so often can be found in (Remastered) selections are going to sound bad, MQA or not. To my nephew and I there wasn't a very big difference in sound quality between a good hi res song and the same song in MQA. The caveat being type of music. Playing mainstream rock, ambient, electronic, pop etc. there wasn't much of a difference(those are my main genres). However, vocal/instrument heavy songs, like Norah Jones or classical style music is where MQA shines IMO.

Overall I feel I will be happy with the 2i and glad I don't have to fire up the computer anymore for listening sessions. I will not be continuing with Tidal after my MQA testing, it just isn't worth switching from Amazon for the genres I listen to most. MQA performs no miracles on all the crappy remasters that are lurking in stream land.

My system:
2i
Musical Paradise D2 Mk3 tube DAC
Wyred 4 Sound preamp
Hegel H360
PS Audio PerfectWave P3 Power Plant
Polk Audio 707
 
On two occasions when the 2i went to a new song during shuffle play there was a pretty massive rise in volume even though I have the volume limiter setting

If you want to mitigate that then you need to use a BluOS Replay-gain setting rather than volume limiter. It's an unfortunate fact of life that some albums are simply mastered higher and lower than others. Personally I do volume control on my integrated rather than in software (to preserve the bit-perfect streaming), so it's just something to live with rather than move to software controlled volume, but I note that on some albums I can need a good 6dB of volume compared to other albums just to be in the same ballpark.
 
Does anyone know if you can turn down the dynamic range down a tad to low volume in the Spotify app? What I mean if it works when you use Spotify Connect when using the Node2i. I only get it to work when not using Spotify Connect only when I use my iPad as source. And does anyone know if you should make some sound adjustments when using Airplay 2? In the Apple l music app.
 
Finally installed my new Node 2i and very impressed with the sound quality just using Spotify. I have quite a few flac files and they are next for my listening test. Will also sign up for a free Qobuz trial next. Great bargain at £399.
PS Playing the flac files etc, I see that in the playlist, tracks from the external hard drive are listed as 'CD ' or 'HR' depending on the file quality. Are there any other file qualities that can be listed?
 
Last edited:

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom