Node Gen 3 future USB output
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I see the new gen will have USB output via a future software update. Will that allow full unfolding of MQA with an external MQA capable DAC?
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I really don't think Bluesound took the demand for USB serious...so little effort has been given to it. I think they assumed most people who bought their product was/is looking for a all in one item...where they would be using the built in dac. I don't think they anticipated just how many people would be using an external dac.
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I think you're right Thomas, not to mention, according to BS they've been hard to keep in stock. So I guess with them 'flying off the shelves' and BS making money hand over fist, investing in USB output while keeping the price the same is not a good 'short-term' ROI move.
Nothing lasts forever though, and its not like consumers don't have choices. The tide could turn very quickly...today's boom could easily be tomorrows bust in a fickle consumer market.
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My NODE feeds a Topping E50 DAC via Coax and it works perfectly fine. I get MQA rendering in the Topping E50 without a single issue. I use Roon as streaming software with Tidal and Qobuz subscriptions.
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So the BS-Node Coax works normally.
Great, mine does too.
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@Christian Allen , what will you replace your node with?
Sam, 1st off... If one does not need USB Output the Node N130 is very nice. However I want USB Output. Just tired of waiting
I will get an ifi Zen Stream
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Good find Christian !!
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I’ve bought Node specifically for USB output with hope that it will be a quick update. Now it only collect dust…
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I think the ifi zen is just a side step. Been hearing it's pretty buggy as well. Going to Volumino from Blueos sounds like a nightmare to me(the reason I bought two nodes was that I was using a raspberry pi with Volumino and had enough). I'd suggest if u can live with the node for a little bit...save your money and get a lumin mini and just be done with it.
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I am also very keen to get this update, although I will not be swapping to some other hardware just because it is delayed. Working for a network vendor I appreciate that new features can often suffer delays and teething troubles before they are robust enough for general release. A realistic estimate from Bluesound would be good to have though!
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Having things drag on leaves the door open for speculation.
One thing we know is every OS 'these days' already has ready made drivers to connect the hardware to the software with regards to USB audio. With Linux its Alsa, Mac its CoreAudio, Windows its WASAPI, even Android has MTP [media transfer protocol] drivers. These drivers exist in our everyday hardware, phones, computers, laptops, etc....they work, they just need to be installed to work. Installation takes all of a minute or so, reboot and you're up and running. The only issue is to make sure 'your software' can talk to the driver.
Hardware <-----the thing you can see and touch
Software <-----BlueOS in this case ie computer code that does stuff
Drivers/Modules <-----bits of code that 'link' software to hardware
For the Node, the hardware is there [we can see the USB port], the software is there [we can log in and interact with it], the drivers are readily available. So the issue can only be their software is having problems talking to the driver and/or their hardware is so unique that standard drivers won't work. Or, its just so low of a priority that they've contracted their Devs to work on completely different things.
Thats my EWAG....
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Couldn’t it be a legal or digital rights problem?
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My last comment post... I received my ifi Zen Stream today. Took 20 minutes to setup and download updates. USB Out working well. I'm wifi streaming Amazon Music HD and using JRiver Media Center 28. Both are CD quality or better with flac files. Also Tunein Radio plays well but at a lesser audio quality. I wish you all the best of luck with your Node and I wish BlueSound the best also.
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Unfortunately given the time line and corporate focus on new product development [just look at their website!!!!!] I believe the entire Node future USB output is pure fantasy or perhaps it was a charade all along. I believe this is a company that has transitioned from a trusted technology company to a pure commodity play.
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I may be following Christian's path of return BSN and getting the Ifi Zen stream. USB output functionality is a critical feature for my streamer. I'm hesitant about going Zen stream as I've extremely anti the DIY hack products like Rasberry PI. I'd rather go higher end like Auralic or Lumin than go with the cream pi.
With that said I'm going to pair a streamer with a DDC (Gustard U18 or Singxer SU6) to both reclock the signal and go I2S into my DAC. With that said the BS team already responded:
"Yesterday's update did not include USB DAC output, not from lack of trying though and we are still looking to add it very shortly. That being said, it is very unlikely it will support I2S."
Shouldn't the DDC be able to take any working USB signal process it and support I2S without needed anything from BS other than a functioning USB output?
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I believe this is a company that has transitioned from a trusted technology company to a pure commodity play.
@Mark, you make a very good point....if this were a stock they would be about to miss their earnings and are losing their trust with their investors....re: Nikola EV company with the truck rolling downhill.
USB output functionality is a critical feature for my streamer.
@Ace, yes USB output is extremely important, but mainly in the Audiophile community. Although we are a small segment of the whole consumer base, we have the loudest voice on the consumer market. Most reviews and buzz around an audio product comes from us, we are not to be ignored, lied too or taken advantage of, we do our research and can easily spend our money elsewhere.
On a positive note for us consumers, we have a lot of forums and message boards on the Internet. The word gets out quick and mistakes are corrected very quick. We also have lots of options and a lot of Audiophiles with very deep technical backgrounds who can provide useful input.
Good luck guys, between this and the lack of real 5Ghz Wifi support its time to reevaluate.
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Hi everyone,
I do have some good news to share. We have the USB DAC output feature for the NODE (N130) now in its final stages of QC. Our target release date for this BluOS update is December 28th, 2021, pending positive results of our final testing phase. All signs point to you being able to use USB output from the NODE to your outboard DAC as of this date. Remember, depending on where you are in the world, this could end up being closer to Dec 29th for you.
This was a feature that we fully anticipated would be ready for the NODE’s launch in June 2021. Quite obviously, and to our collective disappointment, that didn’t happen. There are many reasons for it, but nonetheless I apologize for the lengthy delay to deliver it to you.
Tony and our Support Crew have done a great job with what little information there has been on timeline, to answer your questions to the best of their ability. They have been present here in the Community threads, as well as in individual support requests. As with any feature that we introduce, until we’re at the point where we have confidence in a release date, we don’t comment on release timing; it’s not fair to you to do so, and it’s not fair to our internal team who are working on it either.
There is one issue that some of you will need to be aware of if you’re planning to use this feature: if you are using Roon, and playing MQA files via the NODE’s USB output, there will be audio dropouts. There is currently no timeline for a fix on this. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to the Support Crew directly.
Thank you for being a Bluesound customer; thank you for your passion for great sound; and thanks for your patience as we worked out the technical development. We hope you enjoy every minute of your listening with this feature.
Best regards,
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Those are great news, Matt. Thanks for sharing :) However, the MQA dropouts are not good news for me as I’m Roon subscriber and Tidal subscriber as well. Currently I have no dropouts plying MQA out of the NODE coaxial output. So I’m guessing the coax output would keep its current stable state, right?
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Thanks Matt for the update. :)
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Hi Matt,
Thanks for the good news could you please clarify regarding the Roon dropouts with MQA is this with the Bluesound doing the MQA decoding/unfolding or when the external DAC does the decoding / unfolding? Or both?
Either way still great news....
Regards Mick
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Tony and our Support Crew have done a great job with what little information there has been on timeline, to answer your questions to the best of their ability. They have been present here in the Community threads, as well as in individual support requests.
Absolutely, Tony has the patience of a Saint, for sure he and the support crew has done a very commendable job.
Thank you Matt for the news.
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Absolutely, Tony has the patience of a Saint, for sure he and the support crew has done a very commendable job.
Aw shucks...
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Quick question regarding the MQA bug. I got the new node so that i could better integrate my dac with Roon. I also use Tidal so a lot of my music is MQA so unfortunately this bug seems like it may impact me. My question to the Tony is if i do the first or both folds on my roon NUC server will the Node process the audio ok or will the bug still be applicable.
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We are still investigating but we strongly suspect it may be best to do the unfolds on your third-party devices via ROON and have the NODE be the second player in this case.
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