There are a lot of variables to consider regarding wifi and whether that will be good enough for your system. First, what kind of download speeds do you have? Are you using the built in wifi in the router supplied by your internet provider, or do you have a better after-market wireless router? How far away from the router are your devices, etc.?
I have 70MB download speeds and my wireless download speed is the same at the location of my main system from my aftermarket router. They are not so good when I connect to the Crapcast router provided by my internet provider. |
I prefer Ethernet to WiFi, but this is more a historical thing, as I had significant WiFi issues in the past. I have the Node 2, not the 2i, and my understanding is the 2i has better WiFi. I had an IT,guy check my WiFi using an app on the iPhone and apparently it’s ok now, but you have to be vigilant that your ISP isn’t throttling your bandwidth.
My advice to the OP would be to make sure that the WiFi is optimized to the part of of the house where the Node2 will be residing. Then stream away with the Node2i and see what you think. Most dealers will let you have a trial period.
If you do decide to Ethernet the house, I wouldn’t get hung up on which cable.
Basic Cat5 sounds the same to me as Cat 6 although I am sure that you will find many here that will describe a myriad of differences...
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You'll probably get different opinions about the ethernet cable. In general, I'm not a big cable person. I have upgraded almost all of the cables in my systems from stock and can hear some differences, but not enough that I want to join the megabucks cable club. I would get a CAT6 cable from Monoprice. But that's just me. |
@OP,
I asked a similar question a while ago regarding ethernet cables.
If I recall correctly, a CAT 6 should be good enough for just about any music streaming.
And, don't go crazy over brands. Just get a good quality cable.
bob |
I have a Node 2i in my main system which I run wirelessly. The router is a standard issued unit from Cox Cable which is located in another room approximately 25 feet away. I don’t experience any drop outs.
I own a Chord Hugo which I’ve tried with the Node. I’m happy with the analog outs of the Node and leave the Hugo as the dac from my CD player. All of my equipment is powered through a Shunyata Hydra Triton except for the subs. The Hydra does make a substantial upgrade in the sound of the Node as I did experiment to hear if there was a difference between a wall outlet and the Hydra.
Since you mentioned you like jazz, KJZZ 91.5 HD2 out of Phoenix AZ is excellent and sounds great through the Bluesound products.
I own a Vault 2, Node 2i, and Pulse Flex 2i.
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@pfeiffer - I've never done this, so take it for what it is worth. However, I have seen several folks mention that they have used Power Line adapters to connect from the router to an Ethernet device in a remote location. There are wired Power Line Ethernet adapters and wifi Power Line Ethernet adapters. You would likely want to use the wired variety. |
In light of your responses it looks like wifi might be OK. However, if I decide to get crazy and run a new house ethernet cable through walls, etc.to my dedicated listening room, what is the best hard cable to purchase to serve audio streaming? CAT6...CAT7? I know there are quite of few out there now! thanks, Jim
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I have two Node 2 devices. One in my living room and one in my bedroom, maybe 25 feet away. Both are connected to wifi. I have a wireless access point in my living room and a wireless repeater. I haven't compared to a wired ethernet connection, but both sound great over wireless to my ears. The one in the living room is connected to an Auralic Vega DAC and the one in the bedroom to a Mytek Liberty DAC. |
Thank you very much for the informative responses. Lots of things to check out! Pfeiffer
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I have the Chord Qutest and its a really great sounding DAC. I'm using it with a laptop though (Audirvana + Tidal) through a Wifi connection only and I've never had any drop-out/connection issues.
Once, I brought my spare router which works as a Wifi extender into my listening room to connect my laptop via ethernet cable through the router but perceived no advantages in SQ between an ethernet and wifi connection.
Provided your wifi signal is strong in your basement then you should be fine. If not, Amazon has a bunch of Wifi extenders with an ethernet out which you can connect to the Bluesound node 2i. Hope this helps. |
I am using a Node2 which sounds the same as the 2i or so I am told. I have it connected via a Kimber DV60 coax to a Cutest and after an hour of just listening before I go to bed, I recommend the combo. I tried four or five DACs and landed here. Also I am using cat5 not WiFi and Deezer HiFi as the service. Replace Sonos Connect with the Node 2 which was a big improvement.
ymmv |
I use a Netgear router to get to 5ghz band Wifi for my original Node.
Your Node2i can do this internally.
I have no issues with drop outs and it sounds pretty darn good- though I have never compared wired with wifi as it is just too hard to set up on my main rig.
Outputting to a high resolution DAC, from the Node, is definitely the way to go, as the internal DAC, though good, isn't as good as a dedicated one.
Bob |
I use the node 2i here wifi via a 3 piece eerO system it's been flawless at 230 Mbps download speed. Sounds very good into my Yggdrasil updated.
I changed out that power cable for a Wireworld Electra mini.
I use a Wywires Litespeed SPDiF cable to the Yiggy. All good, mission accomplished I got rid of the PC and all the USb connection BS.
The cables are more $$ than the cost of the Node 2i.
Streaming Qobuz is close to my PS PW Transport.
Hope this helps a bit.
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@pfeiffer - Can you check your internet speed and signal strength at the location where you would be using the Node 2i? If you have a laptop, you should be able to run "Speedtest" and also see your relative signal strength in the Network Center or setup.
BTW, I recently installed a 3 node mesh wireless network in my home which previously had coverage problems. The 3 node Linksys Velop network is providing excellent speed and signal strength throughout my 3 story home. All on one network without "switching" problems. You can even prioritize the connections to insure best performance for a particular device. Works great for me.
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I understand is not as sonically good as ethernet hard connection.
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If you have good decent wifi signal in your basement then you should not notice a difference between wifi or ethernet. I understand the Node 2i even has improved connection properties. If your wifi connection is weak you should look into buying a wifi extender. How does the node 2i work now over wifi?
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