Bluesound Node 2
 

I have been using the Bluesound Node 2 for about two months now. It is a great streamer/dac. It is so good in my system that it is now my primary source. The BluOS is very good and it will be "Roon Ready" soon. Their customer service has been excellent.

Streamers have really taken off and I can see why. I've really enjoyed checking out the hundreds of Internet radio stations. It's also nice to have an extended variety of music available at the touch of a pad or phone.

I realize you all are hip to streamers. I wanted to give a shout out to the Node 2 for anyone looking for an affordable streamer/dac.

It's great that companies like AURALiC and Bluesound, to name a few, have produced compnents with such great sound at very affordable prices.

I am one "happy camper" and look forward to what these companies and the future of computer audio might have in store for us.:thumbsup:

Cheers,

Scott

I am thinking two options...

1. Sonos Connect Streamer + Chord 2Qute DAC.
2. BS Node 2.

Will the second option blow first option out of water in SQ?

Hello, vinod_david,

I don't know but it would certainly cost you much less.:D

I have not used a Sonus Connect or heard music through a Chord 2Qute. Both are well reviewed and I've read many good comments about them.

With its built in DAC the Bluesound Node 2 is an affordable all-in-one solution that has a very good OS and sounds great. I have a very good DAC (though not in the same league as the 2qute), the Arcam rDAC. I wil compare the rDAC to the DAC in the Node at some point but I am enjoying the system so much at this time I haven't been interested in comparisons.

If you are getting the Chord then I would still consider the Node 2. Comparisons between the Node 2 and the Sonos Connect might be what you should check out. There's a very good chance that your system would sound better with the Node 2+DAC than with the Sonos Connect+DAC.

For an all-in-one solution the Node 2 will be hard to beat. The Node 2 has been such a pleasure to use and listen to; even if I decide to upgrade to a higher end DAC I'll definitely still use the Node 2 as my streamer.

I hope you get a chance to check it out.

Cheers,

Scott

Thank you.

Any day the Node 2 will blow the Sonos Streamer alone without external DAC connected to Sonos.

Node 2 looks rack friendly and am beginning to like it.

Has anyone compared the MicroRendu to the Bluesound Node 2 or Sonus Connect? I have been looking into streamers lately. The MicroRendu seems to be very popular. The problem I have with a number of the low cost streamers is they only have a USB out. The Bluesound does have a rca digital out.

Yes, it is very rack friendly. It also looks and feels like a premium piece of equipment. I actually have it on top of my equipment/tv stand and its sleek contemporary design looks fantastic.

vinod_david, thanks for posting a pic. I can't do that.

Cheers,

Scott

It also has TOSLINK digital optical out.

Sonos is similar to Bluesound in many ways, though Bluesound is newer and has better processors on board. I am a pretty big Sonos user (11 zones total). However, I am very intrigued by Roon. If Bluesound becomes Roon-ready -- this could be interesting. I do think Roon is more dependent on raw processor power so something like the Silenzio could be a better fit if Roon is your goal.

Sonos vs Bluesound - for std Redbook (44.1/16 bit) I doubt there is a difference from their digital outs. Bluesound does work with hi-res (including MQA but not DSD) while Sonos does not go beyond 44.1/16. Many opinions on this topic.

Sonos is unequaled with integration with streaming services - from Tidal to Pandora. Full integration with Spotify is coming soon.

So, if your intent is playing from a NAS-based library with some hi-res material, then Bluesound. If primarily streaming, Sonos is hard to beat. Amazon and Sonos have teamed up as well for voice control via Alexa. For what its is worth.

Finally, I would read up on microrendu. I don't know much about it personally.

Measurements of Sonore microRendu Streamer | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

I looked into the microrendu a bit and it has a lot of fans. But I just don't have a good feeling about it. Plus you have to buy a power supply. Then if you want anything other than USB, you need to buy a converter. All that starts to add up.

Ultimately my goal would be to play music both Redbook and hi-res from my NAS. I would prefer something with multiple digital outs. RCA and AES would be great. I don't need a DAC inside or ability to rip CDs. I also don't really need internal storage but it might be a nice thing. I could use the internal drive to play music and just use the NAS as a backup. That way I wouldn't need an Ethernet connection in the room with the stereo.