2. digital
  3. 159527-119273

Any advantage to Bluesound Node 2i Versus Streaming from PC

I'm trying a loaner Bluesound Node 2i streamer which salesperson said will sound better than streaming from my PC.  I doubted this since both are just feeding a digital signal to my Amp.  It's just zeros and ones right?   I have the Bluesound connected with a decent (not high end) digital coaxial cable to my Lyngdorf 3400.  The PC is connected with a cheap USB cable to the same Lyngdorf.  The sensitivity of both inputs is set to 0dB.  The bluesound is set to fixed volume and the PC volume is set to max.  I am playing Tidal through both input devices.  I am trying to discern if there is any difference in sound quality.  When played through the amp the bluesound volume is a whole lot louder than the PC.  I have not found a way to level match the two inputs for comparison.  The bluesound sounds good and is a lot louder per any particular volume setting on the amp.  Does this mean the Bluesound is sending a better signal to the amp?  Is the  coaxial cable a better medium to transmit the  audio signal?  Is this the reason it's louder?  Could the Tidal feed through Bluesound be better than the Tidal Desktop app on my PC?  I need some help as I have to decide by Saturday whether to keep the Bluesound or return it. Other than sound quality there are only minor advantages to owning the Bluesound which don't warrant the purchase.  My amp has a built in streamer but no built in Tidal (which is the reason I'm using the PC.)
ppack

Showing 5 responses by mahler123

mahler123
3,502 posts
 
I don't think you dumped $500 for nothing.  The Node is easier to use than PC, and most streamers give a more satisfactory experience than using just a PC.  Many people feel this way, thus the market for streamers, otherwise everyone would be using a PC.
   I think that people have been confining themselves the thread  to the question of the sonics of a PC vs Node.  In that respect I prefer the Node but it is easy to approach the same level with a PC and a software program that optimizes for playback
mahler123
3,502 posts
 
Roon’s website says that a core can be a Roon Nucleus or a personal computer, but then goes on to add that it could be a “server from one of our hardware partners”.  They  list Lyngdorf as a hardware partner, and most servers really are Linux Computers masquerading as audio components, so I would check with both Roon and Lyngdorf.  You won’t get the full MQA experience even with Roon doing its unfold bit, with the Lyngdorf.
mahler123
3,502 posts
 
Lyngdorf is listed as a Roon partner.  The streamer should be able to be a Roon core and bypass the PC.  I don’t know enough about Roon to know if bypassing the PC is good or bad, perhaps you can experiment yourself.  If you DAC doesn’t do MQA then I think you only partially get the “benefits” there.  You would need the Node2 DAC, which I am guessing will otherwise be inferior to the DAC in the Lyngdorf
mahler123
3,502 posts
 
maybe I've missed it but do you need a streamer?  According to the spec on your amp it has a "media player" which sounds like a built in streamer.
   At any rate there isn't going to be any significant sonic difference between a Bluesound Node and the bog standard PC .  The Node is a computer peripheral masquerading as an Audio component.  Part of it's budget went for a DAC which you will not be using.  I have used a PC (MacAir) running Audirvana Plus at the same time as I had a Node in the same system and did many comparisons.  They sound a little different, but my preference would vary by the track.  Your dealer obviously has an agenda--to make a profit from selling the node.
   In theory the Node ought to sound better than a PC, since it is optimized for music playback, and PCs are not, though a Program such as Audirvana Plus shuts down the other stuff on the PC and tries to optimize it for music playback.  I understand why the Node should sound a tad better, but it simply did not in my experience.
   With the Node one doesn't get dropouts as each new email arrives, and the BlueOS works pretty well to control things from a tablet, and there are other reasons to invest in it, not the least IMO that I don't like having an actual computer in my Audio System.  If you spend much higher on a streamer, it will sound better than the PC.
mahler123
3,502 posts
 
Lyngdorf doesn’t support MQA.  It doesn’t do the “unfold” or whatever the term is.  What you are referring to is bit rate.  Read up on MQA  so that you understand you need both a streamer and a DAC need to support it.
  I tried Roon with a MacAir vintage 2010.  It worked for a day but when I turned it on the next day the Computer froze and seriously overheated.  My one day trial didn’t tantalize me enough to want to retry.  I would run it on a dedicated PC, or else buy one of Roons own machines.  
More to discover