Bluesound Node 2i Newbie

Hi all...

Happy New Year to all and greetings from Ireland... :)

I just got my Bluesound Node 2i setup and playing and "I'm kinda happy" :(

I previously had an ARCAM irDAC that I would plug my iPad Mini 2 into and play my Spotify account by USB connection into my ROTEL/B&W HiFi System (Rotel RA-03 + RCD-02 + RB 06 + RT-06 with QTY 2 x B&W 603 S3 Floor Speakers)... it has served me very well for years.

I recently upgraded to TIDAL and the audio upgrade quality was like night and day compared to that of Spotify. I was then told by a TIDAL Forum Facebook Group that I joined, that my ARCAM irDAC really was old tech and couldn't deliver the MQA verified albums and tracks in my TIDAL account and that I should upgrade... after much research and reading reviews online and listening and watching many YouTube audiophile enthusiasts (John Darko), I decided on the Bluesound Node 2i.

As soon as I plugged it in and played it... to be 100% honest... I couldn't really tell the difference between this and my old ARCAM irDAC unit. I no longer now need to use my iPad Mini 2 fixed by USB to play my music... so that is a big advantage... but one thing I am finding, is that I'm turning the volume up my HiFi much more than I ever did previously to get that full sound... I have the Bluesound Node 2i app volume up to max and I'm controlling the volume manually via my HiFi.. that is now nearly up near half way... before I would be at 25% with the direct USB connection to my iPad Mini 2.

Can anyone let me know if I'm 100% getting the max HiFi CD quality from the unit and the same with the MQA albums and tracks... I can see a little icon next to the MQA symbol when I play an MQA track from Tidal... it shows as a lightish bluey-green circular icon... when I was using my Trial of ROON all fully MQA tracks displayed with a purple style circular icon.

I have a Fibre to the Home Broadband connection so my speeds are super fact... I have 285MB in my office and about 120MB in my Living Room.

Can anyone let me know if this is normal with this product..? I do like the convenience of it being on the network... and I am playing my music using the Bluesound iOS app from my iPad Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max and then selecting the Airplay option... could this be the problem... is Airplay 2 supportive of CD and MQA file quality....? Is my playback setup not right ?

Any advice, comments or just general banter much appreciated :)

Yours sincerely,
Anthony McCarthy

Official comment

Tony W.

Product Support Manager

January 15, 2020 20:32

Hi Anthony

Glad to hear you are enjoying your NODE. Overall sounds about right. I noticed you also opened a request with our Support Crew - they will reach out to you via e-mail.

Anthony McCarthy

January 17, 2020 08:57

Hello Tony and thank you for your comments.

I think I have the playback quality issue resolved as it seems what I was listening to was Bluetooth quality. I have now connected my Node to my network via ethernet and my Apple Airport Xpress (Gen 2) network extender and the quality seems to have vastly improved.

Now I have a new problem of a red flicking light that I would like to turn off by making sure my Node is either off or on Standby mode.

How can I do this....?

Also I downloaded a new firmware update off the website... do I need to install that... as my new Node was bought brand new..?

Please advise and revert when you get an opportunity.

Regards
Anthony

January 17, 2020 14:02

During the installation, the NODE should have upgraded to BluOS 3.6.12, the current firmware release. You can confirm this in the App under Help, About.

When a new firmware is available, you will be prompted in the App within 24 hours of its release. At which point you will be prompted to install it. If you reject the installation, it will prompt you once a day to remind you. You can also select Help, Check for Update if you reject the prompt but then want to install after the album is over.

The update should take less than 15 minutes (less than 5 in many cases) depending on the update size and your connection speed.

January 17, 2020 14:09

Hi again Tony... we gotta stop bumping into each other!! :)

I just checked and all is up to date... so nothing to do... :)

Cheers... :)

Anthony

Bluesound Node 2i Newbie

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