Moving up from a Node 2i

Running a Node 2 here for close to a year. Mine has never been 'flaky'. I'm specifically posting this in response to the previous poster who reported his was 'flaky'. I do not use the built-in DAC and have always used coax digital to an external DAC.

The Bluesound app is another issue altogether. On Mac the latest version as of the date of this post wouldn't load all my favorite albums so I had to revert back to an older version. The app uses a ridiculous amount of CPU on Mac and Windows which I'm guessing is due to the constant polling of the device. The iOS app also has a bug where it flips back to albums at the exact same spot (albums starting with C) so even if I've already scrolled down to albums that begin with with a letter further down in the alphabet, upon going 'back' through the UI the app has to reload all albums further down in the list alphabetically instead of returning to the exact same place of the album I had selected to view the tracks of.

However these are minor bugs that I can deal with as other streamers lack the ability to stream as many internet sources, or they have ridiculously high price tags.

@ozzy62 

I have 4+ computers, a mobile phone and a tablet. It's nice to control the Node 2 from whichever device I happen to be using at the moment. Why limit yourself to control with just a single device? =D

@larry5729 Sounds as though you simply prefer the sound of the built-in node 2i DAC. Looking at the price of the Project S2 DAC I wouldn't suspect it's a very impressive bit of kit. Step up to something like the NAD M51 DAC I use for digital to analog conversion and you will definitely hear a significant difference in sound quality. If I were you I'd return the S2 and get a refund. Simple as that.

@b_limo The 2i has 3 advantages over the older 2, and they are minimal.

1. The 2i supports Apple Airplay.

2. The 2i built-in DAC sounds better than the 2. This only matters if you’re using the built-in DAC.

3. The 2i wifi supports 802.11ac. 802.11ac has greater throughput capabilities than the 802.11b/g/n supported by the node 2, but this doesn’t matter if your wifi signal strength is strong or you use the wired ethernet connection.

If you don’t use Apple Airplay, the built-in DAC, and don’t have issues with wifi signal strength from your wireless router there’s no benefit to purchasing the 2i over the 2.

@gosta Yeah all good with Sonos until they decide to discontinue updates for whatever you purchased from them. On those grounds I would never purchase a Sonos device.

https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/sonos/150801-sonos-discontinued-speakers-what-to-do-with-them