Bluesound Vault 2

I purchased the Vault 2i and ripped all my CDs. I listen to classical music only and the program is impossible to index by composer. My library is about 30 GB and I have a backup of two days it took to rip my library to which I added some 24/96 downloads thereto. My Vault failed to connect to the internet and support took me through several tests to determine there is something broken on the cable plug to my modem. They said they would send me a replacement but several weeks passed and they are not available by telephone and I have not heard from them.
The fortunate thing is my CDs are ripped in as close to bit perfect as is possible and I play my library from my computer to a USB converter to digital cable and into my vintage MSB Platinum DAC and I suspect this is easier than what the Vault will let me do if I ever get a repair or replacement. On my computer I made my library into a collection of folders with one folder for each composer and works that are in several movements are in sub-folders. My computer automatically puts the composers in alphabetic order for me. I no longer buy CDs because it is better to download. The exception for no longer using discs is 5 channel SACD and vinyl. I will try to put my library in this form into a repaired or replaced Vault if I ever get one and see if it stores it the same way my computer does.

It is simple to back up the Vault with a USB drive. I used an inexpensive USB HD to make backups and restored it to my Zenith when I upgraded which was also a breeze. 

@fjblair 
good move.  If the Node doesn’t work out, or if you want to upgrade, then you won’t have to worry about how to transfer files from the Vault in the future.  It can be done, but it isn’t intuitive 

Yeah I looked at the vault, but I don't trust the all in one rig. I bought the node and I'm going to rip to an external hard drive.

I would like someone to compare innuos Zen mini and Vault? 

I believe you can back up the Vault to a secondary storage drive via USB to have a fall back should the unit fail.

Has anyone compared this unit to the Innuos ZENMini Mk3?
http://innuos.com/en/catalog/go/zenmini-mk3-1tb-hdd

I just purchased a Node 2i and it’s very nice.It is running it into a Yggdrasil A2/5 via SPDIF Wywires and I changed the PC to a Wireworld Electra Mini. I’m bowled over how this thing sounds. The wires are worth more than the 2i.
Qobuz sounds very close depending on material to my PS Audio DS Transport.
I’m having a blast with it. I like getting rid of the computer and the USB cable BS. Use good wires!
The internal DAC is pretty good too. I upgraded my network with an Eero 3 piece router, flawless.

As the previous post noted - hard drive failures can be devastating!

I have the Node 2 which streams digital content from my NAS drive.

The NAS drive has RAID mirroring, so if one hard disk in the NAS fails I simply replace the defective hard disk and the RAID software copies all of the mirrored info to the new drive.

This did happen to me when I was using "Standard Grade" hard disks (like those in most computers), so I know it works very well. I now have "Server Grade" Hard disks which are much more reliable - it’s been running for about 5 years no problems - yet :-)

I do backup my music in the event of a catastrophic failure of both NAS hard disks, and it's in the same format, so I simply copy the files back to the repaired NAS drive.

I rip CD’s using DBPoweramp which let’s you know of the rip was "complete" by comparing a generated code to a database that they maintain from other peoples rips

I have ripped directly to the NAS music folder and also copied directly. Re-indexing the library in the Node 2 interface allows access to the new tracks.

I did originally look at the Vault 2, but decided drive failures may be an issue, so I continued using my NAS that had worked well with my previous DAC.

@peporter - re: recording vinyl...

I have recorded tracks from vinyl using a very simple/cheap A-D converter
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=behringer+uca222&hvadid=13765698437&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt...

It records directly to my MAC via USB cable

I tend to simply record a complete side, as opposed to individual tracks. But the UAC222  converter comes with software that will allow you to edit the digital stream (e.g. into tracks). I think it even has a feature to reduce the crackles and pops

Alas, adding album artwork or metadata to go with the track is not  easily done, so I have not tried ...
- I simply store content by artist and album (i.e. in folders) and the Node 2 ’re-index" feature allows the interface to show this info at time of playing.

DO NOT be fooled by it’s frugal looks/price - it is exceptional value and quality.

Regards - Steve

This product was attractive to me as I had a large number of CD's to rip and liked the idea of an integrated approach to storing my music digitally. So I went ahead and purchased a Vault 2. I later discovered that the integration is however also its weakness: if something fails, the unit becomes an expensive paperweight.

The good:
- Ripping a large CD collection works well with the Vault. Some of your more obscure discs may not be found, but that is rare.
- Storage provided is adequate for most needs.
- Sound quality when paired with an appropriate amplifier and speakers is always excellent.

The bad:
- Ripping takes time, and is not as accurate as other PC based ripping sofware 
This Vault is essentially a Bluesound node cobbled with a CD reader (only CD's BTW, and not DTS or other HiRes music discs), and 2TB of storage. Very expensive when you consider what the three separate functions would cost.
- Meta tags from ripping, album art etc. must all be carefully checked if you have a large library.
- Failures: the achilles heal of the vault is reliability of the storage. And when it fails, it fails hard: your library is no longer accessible by any other devices. Yes you can back up your Vault, but no real way to restore your music to anything other than a vault. Which leads you to:
- Poor warranty. At only one year for hardware, you are left high and dry by Bluesound to deal with the failure. Nor anyway to get your music back.

In short:
- Poor value relative to the functionality provided
- Poor warranty, and you should count on an eventual failure of your storage and plan accordingly

Don't purchase a Vault from Bluesound. Your are far better off with a Node and using professional quality storage, and ripping your CD's with a computer.

I run Roon on a Mac Mini that sends files via ethernet and USB to DACs. The files are those I’ve ripped, as well as from Qobuz and Tidal. I was given a Bluesound Vault 2i recently, but I’m not sure how it fits into my existing setups, or what it adds. I think the Ayre Codex has two inputs and can take USB from the Roon network and directly from the Vault 2i. The Ayre QX-5 Twenty digital hub has both ethernet and USB inputs. Is the Vault 2i primarily a NAS?

Vault 2 cd drive is designed to rip cd’s only. While streaming quality is very good without an external DAC, the files stored on its internal drive sounds flat and dull to my ears. I highly recommend an external DAC if plan to playback ripped files. 

Hello, I am considering to buy Vault 2i. I would like to use it as CD player too. But not sure if this is possible. Is it possible to use it as CD player (not to rip the cd, just play it)? thx for your help

I love my Vault 2i.... amazing what it can do.   It has great sound quality and convenience.  I also have it connected to my DAC but it sounds good in it's own right .    It's like the Swiss Army Knife of digital playback.   Bi directional Blutooth is a great feature too.   Today I used it to play my Magnum Dynalab tuner in another room via Blutooth.   Tonight I' m streaming Tidal .   It's an awesome machine that does everything and sounds great.  

I have a Vault 2i - I find that ripping take 6-7 minutes per CD, with the exception that some of my 24k gold masters seem to rip slightly faster and really scratched or scuffed CD's can take longer. But the average is definitely around 7 minutes. I am ripping to WAV, I believe FLAC would be similar - FLAC may take longer due to the compression involved? In retrospect, I would have chosen FLAC due to its inherent better tag management and reduction in size. But I chose WAV as the purest, rawest form of storage.

The rip is supposed to be very good - bit perfect. I have also found that some CD's are whisper quiet while others are noisy as heck while ripping. Looking at some of the data generated, it appears that this is because of jitter and things like that - where the CD is out of round, or other problems with production.

Keep in mind that all of these CD's play perfectly fine in my car and home CD players, which means that a CD player is able to "rip" these on the fly without any perceptible flaws. So the end result from the Vault is probably pretty good if it is spending this much time with it.

I have a LARGE CD collection from 30 years in the radio industry, and many of them as a music director. I have some impressive collectible CD's and some of them are irreplaceable. 

On one hand, I find it a bit time consuming, but on the other hand I hope that I am getting high quality rips of these cd's.

One VERY POSITIVE aspect of this is that I am now able to take these files and move them to any format, including thumb drives, and backup my files and I should no longer have to worry about my CDs deteriorating - which some of them are starting to do as oxygen enters the sides of the plastic and causes the aluminum to oxidize. My 24k gold CDs are not experiencing this of course. Also, some of the CDs have become very brittle with one of them breaking in two when I tried to remove it.

I also want to be able to free up the tremendous amount of space that these CDs take up in my home.

I have not tried to rip and play a CD at the same time, but you can play other songs that are ripped while you are ripping another CD.

Also, I believe you can import vinyl but I am not certain of the logistics there. I will say that Bluesound has a very robust and competent help forum and Tony W. is an excellent resource if you have questions. Honestly I do not know how they do such a good job of customer support - they are quick to answer and very helpful. I'm fairly impressed with the company.

THAT SAID, this is definitely a work in progress. The hardware is pretty solid. The software is rough around the edges. There are some un-intuitive menu items, and some things don't work how they should. And the app/program isn't very graphical. It is kind of like DOS or a command line based program rather than a GUI. 

But software can by updated, the hardware is pretty good. Lots of options for connectivity and I'm not knowledgeable about DACs and whether this is a good one or not. I have tried to find out more about it, but it is suspiciously difficult to find out details about the DAC - I suspect that means that it is not something they are wanting to put out in the open.

However, I am learning that compared to other equipment in this genre, that you get a lot of hardware for the money and it compares favorably to equipment that costs four or five times the money. Definitely a neat way to enter into the high end of this technology without spending a fortune.

I have posted a lengthy review and comment followups on Amazon.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RK3JMDHTGNVYO/

Peporter
I sold of my analog rig but still had a few albums left that I used as a support for my Vault2 on my equipment rack.  It made the Vault2 sound more holographic 😀
  on a more serious note, the only way to add vinyl to the Vault2 would be to make a digital version of lps and then play them back from your HD via the Vault2.
To digitalization lps, there are many Phono stages or turntables on the market that off usb outputs, and there is free software to edit.  You can then use the Bluesound Software to create a playlist of your digitalized lps.  

Try outputting the Vault via spdif to a half decent DAC and you will REALLY hear an improvement as imho the Vaults internal DAC is its weakest link.

I run mine to a Mytek Brooklyn which handles the full MQA unfolding via Nordost Heimdal 2 spdif cable and it is a huge improvement on the Vaults output via RCA.

Enjoy!

Already started ripping my cds. It will take while but it seems to compensate the time spent.  Set to wav. But Tidal Masters MQA is amazing! Using Shunyata power cable and Van Den Hull stereo cables made a huge difference! Next test will be to import my external HD with hi def files.

I have a Bluesound Node 2.  I have ripped my CDs to an external hard drive and can access them through my network with the Node 2 (and other devices).  I'd rather have them on a standard hard drive that I can easily back up and replace.  Perhaps there's some advantage to using the Vault that I'm missing.

I buying one to listen to Tidal Masters in full MQA 24/192. Better sound than ripped cds? Anyone ?

Can you add vinyl to the Bluesound Vault 2, and if so, how?

dBpoweramp seems to do a comparison to insure a perfect bit-for-bit copy, or to report an error if one occurred.  In my experience, errors are rare.  I rip to a Mac Mini that runs Roon core 24/7.

db

Took some time to rip 2500 cds....lol
But you just do a few a day as you feel like it.

Imho nearly every ripped CD comes out with metadata and artwork perfect. Only a few older really obscure albums need your physical input on your pc to fix.

For $1000 there still is not a much better easier solution that I have found yet.
17 months of usage and still happy with it.

6 to 8 minutes to rip a CD in flac or wav format.
No you cannot play the CD while ripping as it is not a player but as soon as it has ripped at least the first track you can then start playing said ripped CD.

Or listen to other ripped music or stream Tidal etc.

It’s not a CD player so I don’t believe you can listen to the cd you are ripping at the same time.  You should be able to listen to already stored cd’s or stream during the process of ripping.  I can’t verify since I never tried it, just a matter of conjecture on my part.

@ct221933,

Yes, you can rip and stream music simultaneously. 

I am considering the Vault too. Can you play and rip the CD at the same time? That helps kill time.

My average time per cd into the Vault was about 8 minutes.  Just add as many as you feel like each day.  It’s not that hard to do.  Put your favorites in first.

In in the mean time you can listen to your favorites plus there’s Radio Paradise which is free commercial less radio which sounds great with a varied selection of music. Then there is access to page after page of internet radio stations of all sorts of specific genre. No way to get bored with this device even without all of your music loaded in one shot.  Arvin did a Tidal subscription which is another option.  I’m considering this as well.  I’ve seen free trial offers from anywhere from 30 to 90 days.

 I really like my Vault.

Hi! I’m the recent owner of a Vault 2 (have had mine for almost 2 months now) and am really enjoying it. I’m using it mostly for Tidal streaming, but have ripped my 300+ CD collection to it. You are right that it takes about 10-15 mins per rip. It is faster to “drag & drop” import from a networked PC or NAS. However, if your looking for the best possible sound, my dealer & BlueSound recommend doing the direct rip using the Vault as it will insure a perfect bit-for-bit transfer. 

Now, I can’t say for sure that there is a measurable or audible difference, but, I too wanted the best possible sound, so I took the time & ripped everything using the Vault. I will say that the rips from the Vault sound every bit as good, if not even a little bit better, than the CD’s spinning in my Denon DVD-2900 SACD/CD player.

Just my $0.02 worth...Enjoy your music!

Arvin