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Bluesound Node Icon Owner Impressions

I received my Node Icon about two weeks ago, and I'm curious as to whether my impressions are shared...

It replaced a Node 2i, which was fed into an Esoteric K07x, using it's internal DAC. Right before I received the Node Icon, the Esoteric transport crapped out, so I am not able to make an 'apples to apples' comparison; I'm now using the Icon's DAC and the Esoteric is out of the picture for a while.

This is still a work in progress- I want to bring up the Esoteric again to hear how it's DAC compares, but another player currently resides in the spot. 

To my ears, the Icon sounds much better after being left on for hours- glare/sibilance gone. I routinely left the Esoteric on as it also sounded better than when cold. So it maybe just that the DAC's sound better when warm.

I feel the Icon is giving me more bass than the Esoteric DAC, though perhaps at the expense of a little 'air' in the top end.

The Icon also was much more sensitive to my low strength WiFi signal- it would drop out frequently, not load content, etc. I added a temporary ethernet cable snaking through the house, which cured the problem, but I feel the WiFi signal sounded better. I can't put my finger on it, but I'll do some more listening.

I'm currently using the single ended RCA outs, I don't have any XLR cables to try out.

I'd be interested in other's initial impressions- please post.

 

 

james_edward

Showing 2 responses by soix

soix
10,015 posts
 

I wouldn’t give up on the Mesh/extender option with a better Ethernet/CAT cable as a really long Ethernet run can’t be helpful and could get expensive depending on the cable. Also, you should seriously consider adding a good LPS from the likes of Teddy Pardo, SBooster, or LHY as many have found doing that boosts the Node’s performance close to the level of much pricier streamers. And for only around 400 bucks it seems like a very cost effective upgrade. FWIW.  Given customer feedback the Stack filter seems worth a try, and please share your results if you could. 

soix
10,015 posts
 

I added a temporary ethernet cable snaking through the house, which cured the problem, but I feel the WiFi signal sounded better. I can't put my finger on it, but I'll do some more listening.

You should consider adding a Mesh node or Wi-Fi extender in your listening room and running a shorter (and better) Ethernet cable from that to the Node.  It’s possible the long (and likely cheap) Ethernet cable was compromising performance as the direct connection should sound better than Wi-Fi as it avoids the Node from having to convert the Wi-Fi signal.  Many here have done this and found significant improvements over Wi-Fi, and it appears the Wi-Fi receivers in streamers compromise sound so this is well worth a try as it’s not expensive.  If you decide to try this, here is a good Ethernet cable that’s not too pricey and has been recommended highly here before.  Hope this helps. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VVFC1XZ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_8?smid=A1EA54VWB150Z7&amp=undefined&th=1

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