Amazon Music and Bluesound Node 2i

I like the Tidal Connect interface through Bluesound.   Bluesound's BluOS sucks.  Its interface is clunky, it drops out occasionally (might be the Powernode itself?) and has little 'charm' or ability wrt to providing any interaction with a library.  It also does not synch well with Amazon Music - playlists need to be dropped via the service and restarted.

On the plus side, Amazon HD Ultra is (IMO) a very good source and a bargain.  I love Tidals interface. But for the life of me, I cannot part with more than twice Amazon's cost for the quality of its streaming service.  I think MQA is a con. 

Oh, talking of hype - wtf is wrong with Amazon's spatial audio - beam me up.  It's all over the darn place.  Sounds like some non-musicioan type took apart the recording with a chain saw and created early sixties stereo sound.  Remember how bad some of that studio wizz-bang stuff sounded.  Here we go again.

OK.  Rant over.

I got rid of Amazon HD and kept Tidal.  
The whole point of me getting a streamer was:
No. 1 Convenience   If the service doesn't integrate well with the BluOs system then it's gone. 
No. 2  Easily finding new music to listen to.
No. 3  Convenience  Sitting in my chair or where ever I am in the house and easily controlling my music in one app.   All my hi rez files are on my server along with copies of all my cd's.  

  I use Qobuz and haven’t tried Amazon.  I do find the integration with the Blue OS app clunky.  The favorites, playlists, etc don’t carry over.  Not the case with Cambridge Audio app.  Also the Cambridge is a Chromecast device so now I just use the Qobuz app on my phone and cast it to the CA

I’ve been an Amazon Music HD user since it came out, but it must be said Amazon do seem to go out of their way to make it hard to get the best out of it on hi-fi gear. I do have a Heos Link HS2 feeding my Linn MDSM/4 amp and while it does sound good, as mentioned above, the Heos app is execrable.
I do use a fire tv cube to feed tracks up to 24/192 into the same amo over HDMI and while I am using the native Amazon Music app on the cube, I find the sound not as engaging as the Heos if truth be told.
When it comes to Bluesound, I’ve heard it said that it over comes some of the significant issues (well for me) in the Heos app - the lack of being able to access playlists I have compiled over the years in Amazon music, and access to music I had previously uploaded to my Amazon music library when they had that feature. Tbh, I’m still not clear from the previous posts that the Bluos app does allow me to do that though - I appreciate that third party access to AMHD may well be stifled by the minimal API that Amazon seem to make available to third parties (as an aside, Amazon seem to make it very difficult for third parties to get access to that API - Linn, the manufacturer of my amp, have had no success in the past two years and it’s “not for the want of trying” according to them).
I’m hoping that the upcoming Amazon Devices event this week announces an updated version of their Echo Link which might better support AMHD and address some of the issues all “audiophile” AMHD users have been facing since its release.

@mwinkc.. I use Amazon HD in the Bluos app also and just played 4 + 20 directly in Bluos without any problems. Also scanned through all of the songs on Winelight without problems. Both are HD files and sounded great.
I can’t say why you couldn’t play the selections. Possibly just a connection issue. Is your Node connected to a Preamp or DAC and with what type of cables?
But I would say all streaming services have glitches. A friend uses Qobuz and it has great SQ and selections but has glitches also.

1 month into a 3 month Amazon HD trial, I'm finding a number of albums or tracks on Amazon, that play as expected in the Amazon app, but do not play at all in BlueOS.
So far, the vast majority of albums & tracks play on both the app and from BlueOS.

For example:
Grover Washington Jr, Winelight album. All/most tracks. Title track yields some static-like crackles & pops, only. Other tracks are silent.
CSNY Deja Vü track: 4+20. No sound at all.

Anyone else running in to this?

I also find the sound quality to be excellent from Amazon HD in the BluOs app playing into my main 2-channel system. Try Stevie Ray Vaughan's Tin Pan Alley in HD from his Couldn't Stand The Weather album. Absolutely unbelievable sound. 

I have used both Tidal and Amazon Music on the Node and Tidal is easier to use.  The interface is better.  Amazon HD is not as friendly and it seems as though some of the features of the Amazon Music app don’t exist in BluOS.  For me, it’s something that I have gotten used to, but I do hope that a software update will one day make Amazon Music a better BluOS experience.

My recommendation...skip Tidal, skip Amazon...get Qobuz, learn how to use it....and don’t look back.
I love Amazon...but to me...their music service interfaces have always been half baked.

I can't comment on Tidal but I use my iPhone and iPad with the BluOs app and stream directly to my Node 2i without ever having to go to the Amazon Music App. I can create, edit, and save playlists directly in the BluOs app. I can also search music and view the songs already played in the queue tab and also see upcoming songs in the queue tab. All directly in the BluOs app without ever opening the Amazon app.

@ mrklas 

Now see, this was what I was getting at.  I've Googled this and came to a previous discussion at least a year ago on this particular forum and people complained about the same thing.  

I thought that maybe since that time the interface between Amazon and Bluesound may have gotten better but it appears not.

I thought, could I be doing something wrong?  I haven't gotten an answer that makes using Amazon Music with the Bluesound app more palatable.

Sure, I can switch between the two but I don't have to do that with Tidal.  It kind of defeats the purpose and the whole ease of use thing.

If I determine that Amazon Music or Quobuz (haven't tried yet) streaming services are so much better than Tidal in sound quality and selection maybe I'll be willing to put up with the inconvenience of the app integration.   

Thanks for listening.

sidebar (but related) question

for those that have used amazon hd and also tidal masters and qobuz hi res, how do the 3 sound to you, comparatively? 

and which of the three do you consider to be 'excellent' sounding in your subjective sense?

I found using Amazon Music quite challenging with my Node 2i

And since I had Tidal and a server full of music I used Amazon music only a handful of times and gave up.

I will try and reword my original post.  
Has anyone used both Amazon Music and Tidal with the Bluesound Node 2i mobile app?
If so, which is easier and more convenient to use with the BS app?  
When you are sitting in front of your system with nothing but your phone in your hand.  You have both Amazon Music and Tidal service subscriptions and the Bluesound Controller app on the phone.  
Which works best with the BluOS app. 
Tidal seems to work better.  I can make a playlist right there as I'm listening using the BluOs app on the phone.
I can't seem to do this with Amazon Music without going to the Amazon Music app then back to the BluOs app for control of the Node 2i.

Looking at some of the other comments I can create and add playlists directly within the Bluesound app and my songs will also show up in the queue tab without problems. 
With that said the Blueound app does lack a lot of the nice features that are in the Amazon app. 

I find the actual Amazon HD app very good for navigating and much better than navigating Amazon HD within the Bluesound app. The problem is if I go direct to the Node 2i in my audio system wirelessly from my iPhone or iPad with Airplay from the Amazon HD app the Hi Res FLAC songs max out at 48 kHz even if the song is 96 kHz or 192 kHz. If I want to pick up the full 96 kHz or 24/192 kHz which I always do I will I have to navigate Amazon through the Bluesound app.
It's not terrible working in the Bluesound app but it should be much better. 

@toro3 
Tidal is not what I was having the problem with.  Tidal works pretty good with the BluOs app.  Although I'll try using Tidal connect to see if that works even better.
My problem using  Amazon HD streaming with the Bluesound app on my phone. 
I was under the impression that the beauty of these streaming devices  was that they can be controlled with just your phone.  
It appears that some streaming services don't play well with the BluOs/Node 2i.  
Why should I go to my computer to create a play list when I could do it with the phone while I'm sitting there listening to music?  
Tidal allows me to do this.  Amazon HD apparently not.

OP, why not skip BluOS and utilize Tidal Connect from your phone direct to the Node 2i? You’ll be able to stay within the Tidal app which seems to be more intuitive compared to BluOS. Spotify Connect does the same.

Can’t comment on Amazon, but BluOS is good, but definitely not great.

Why create a p/l on the phone or BluOS?
Made them in the stream app for all devices.

jjsd49. 
I only see the crap can on the bottom of the play queue page. All other OS's I use have a clear & play button.Optional queue building, not default.

If you're using Amazon HD, can you create a playlist on your phone using the Bluesound app?

New Node 2i owner and I am using Amazon HD.  I find using it is easy enough.  You want a bad Amazon interface, try Heos.

Also, my understanding is that you have to go to the Amazon Music app to create your own playlist where as with Tidal you can do it on the Blusound app.

Are you guys using the app on your phones to control the Node 2?  From my phone yes, I can search an album on Amazon but if I play one of their playlists, no queue shows up like on Tidal.  I have no idea what the next song or artist will be.

I also am using the Node 2i with Amazon HD. I have no problems with using the Bluos app. You select the albums you want in the Amazon app and then play them with Bluos app. I have read that the Sq is much better with Qobus and Tidal. I will try Qobus in the future. Amazon has a great selection music as AFAIK. It is very easy to use with Bluos app. I do think Sq is better with Vinyl and CD on my system than streaming on some recordings I have compared. So Qobus maybe be the way to go.

I am using Amazon on the Node and I downloaded the Amazon player app. It's much better -- song history, recommendations, related artists, Ultra HD playlists, go into the album of the song playing, lyrics, etc. Free download, huge improvement. 

I am using the Node 2i with Amazon HD and I think it's great. What is bothering you with the integration?

Good catch JJ! I find a lot of misinformation and disinformation on the node 2i...2 statements here in fact...some don’t know what they are talking about...and others clearly biased against anything not analog.

I use the node 2i and Qobuz....total game changer...practically any music I want to hear (in cd or higher Rez), available instantly for $15 dollars a month!
Putting a nice DAC in front of the node (for me) eliminates all downsides.

P.S. I have high end analog too...different formats for different times and different music. However, if I had to choose only 1...it’d be streaming Quboz.

@fuzztone

you know on bluos there is a ’garbage can’ button top right corner that clears the 'played' queue, yes?

Well, I guess I can't do anything about the BluOS but I'll have to decide what streaming service I want to keep.  
Is Tidal worth keeping due to it's better integration with the Bluesound App?
Or is it better to go with what simply sounds the best and is there that much difference in the sound quality to warrant dealing with the inconvenience of the app integration? 
Haven't tried Quobuz and as I said in the OP I haven't really been critiquing the sound quality of the two different services yet.

Bluesound has a nice user interface for Tidal. 
I upgraded my streamer/DAC and strongly consider keeping the node because of its ease of use. 
I tried Qobuz and I didn’t find the selection to be a better fit than Tidal for me.

Qobuz is OK on Node except for that p/l’s are not in alphabetical order. Can’t search them either. BluOS blows. Especially the permanent persistant queue.
But the SQ of Qobuz is better than Tidal oOR Amaz HD. I seen it on the internet.

quboz works just fine... you use it through blu os... quboz does not have a direct app like tidal connect (as yet anyways)

i have heard amazon music has integration issues with many higher end streaming interfaces, i suspect it is pretty much assuming vast majority of folks who subscribe are using their computers or tablets to stream to mid fi gear

the user interface issue one of the major criteria/pain points when choosing high end streaming gear - so many make their custom ui's and then it is a crapshoot which services they build in.... or else you need to use vanilla apps like bubble upnp media monkey etc etc which are hamstrung in their own right or are designed for a much broader set of use cases than just music streaming