2. digital
  3. 141712-17758

How much would I lose going to a Bluesound Node 2i

I'm considering going a much simpler route for digital. I play to a lot of vinyl on my Lenco TT and Era V phonostage, and so digital comprises 30-40% of what we typically listen to. My current setup is running Roon on a Synology NAS that connects wirelessly to an Auralic Aries LE, then connected to connected to my Metrum Octave DAC via Curious USB Cable and Audiophillio 2. That's a lot of links in the chain, thus the desire to simplify with a single box solution if I can.

I have really enjoyed what I've heard from MQA so far, even though I'm not getting all the goodness yet. My Aries will decode MQA but my Metrum Octave does not support MQA, so I'm not getting the full monty. I am using ROON DSP to convert streams to 96kHz and 176kHz when possible. 192kHz is not supported on the Octave.
It's my understanding that the Bluesound will provide Full Decoder support for MQA and that the internal DAC punches well above its weight, especially compared to the Node 2. So my question is whether I should expect MQA to sound better on the Bluesound than it does on my current setup, and how much Redbook will sound degraded, if at all.

I'm tempted to buy a Node 2i to compare for myself but before I do, I thought I would garner some opinions here.
Thanks!
smccull
justjames72's avatar
justjames72
66 posts
 
Obviously it's all subjective, but I had the Node 2i playing coax out to my Rotel 1572 and I thought the Rotel sounded a bit better even with MQA files.

Now, I have the Metrum Ambre with Metrum Onyx and well...that is an obvious step up in everything. However, I did have the Ambre hooked up to my Rotel 1572 for a short time and the difference was quite noticeable.

I'm thinking the higher up in performance you get with DAC's the less you will be able to tell difference with MQA. I do agree that some MQA tracks sound better than the same track non MQA. I'm still on the fence on how I feel about it. Now, i just let the Ambre and Roon do the MQA unfold. I realize I may not be getting the full monty, but I'm not worried about it. 
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
I maybe in the minority here but I do believe MQA makes a significant SQ difference at least to my ears in my system.
I have two methods of streaming MQA right now and I find both to be superior to non MQA albums from Tidal.

Bluesound Vault 2 via SPDIF to Mytek Brooklyn letting the Brooklyn handle the MQA. You have to hear a 24/192 recording to believe it!

Auralic Aries Mini via USB to Mytel Brooklyn again letting the Brooklyn handle the MQA. Even further up the food chain imho.

But back to the OP question.

I still feel that the internal DAC in the Bluesound products is inferior to an external high quality DAC ( as it should be considering the price difference!) but the Node 2i is supposed to be improved so you may very well be satisfied with it. At least you have the option of trying its DAC or output to a higher quality MQA capable DAC down the road.
smccull OP
24 posts
 
Great responses everyone! I really appreciate the perspective.
On my system I hear a significant difference on certain MQA recordings, but not all. What I hear is more energy in the room. More presence. More detail.

For my ears there's a sense of "suspense" that exists between notes when the audio chain is at its best. I believe it's a combination of attack, decay, detail and lack of noise. I get this with my TT and with certain MQA recordings. Not sure I would with the Node 2i, but may give it a try and report back.
Cheers, to all, and Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate.
Steve
playgtr1's avatar
playgtr1
3 posts
 
What little I understand about MQA and Tidal is MQA is decoded through the software. Furthermore the only way to play MQA through Tidal is off the desktop app so I don’t see how anybody is playing  these back on their streamers.  If I have this wrong please somebody correct me because I’d sure love to figure out how to play and MQA on my Cocktail Audio X 50 
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Once Upon a time that was only way to play MQA but not for a long time.
Now any compatible streamer and DAC will do the job.
I use Bluesound Vault 2 to Mytek Brooklyn and Auralic Aries Mini to Mytek Brooklyn.
Both play full 24/192 MQA files where applicable.
More to discover