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Advice Needed: Bluesound Node vs Vault

I'd like to ask for some advice/feedback for anyone knowledgeable about the Bluesound Node and Vault. I'm trying to decide between the two and I can't understand why the Vault costs what it does. From my point of view (please correct me), you pay $700 more for the Vault to get a CD ripper and a 2TB hard drive (which costs $65 on Amazon), and LOSE wifi support. I get that it can be more convenient to stick CDs into the Vault to rip them, but outside of that why would I (or anyone) not just buy the Node and rip my CDs using my computer? There are pretty simple ways using software to get a bit perfect rip using a computer. If the Vault was $200 more I could see it, but I'm totally lost why that product has a $700 markup over a Node. Thanks in advance for any feedback!
jnehma1
mahler123
3,310 posts
 
Their customer service is always great.  The problem is their availability.
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
Though you have to wait to get a Teamviewer appointment, they do allow you to set the time to whatever is convenient for you.
B
mahler123
3,310 posts
 
Well, due to the Holidays and and my work schedule, it may be a few weeks before we are able to do his.  This is a first world problem—90% of my rips are still available to me on the Vault2, and if I use my Oppo as the controller, I can access all of the NAS, and I still have a few thousand shiny silver discs to spin—so I hate to sound a whiner (actually I am a whiner, I just hate to be so obvious).
However, this won’t be the first time that I haven’t been able to use it and had to make a date with their IT department weeks in advance.  
  Looking back at it I think most of my troubles have been related to software upgrades.  I think that djones May have hit the nail on the head—the software downloads don’t make it to home base, which confuses the whole unit(s), which then overheat worryingly.  Perhaps I will do future downloads manually.
  Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread, but prospective purchasers are best informed if made aware of issues.
  The other thing is that posters here regularly criticize the Bluesound products as budget items that can’t possibly compete with streamers that cost 5-10 times as much, and many of us Bluesound owners rejoin that as long as one uses external DACs, they sound exceptional.  Where they may have cut corners is on the networking part.  Perusal of the Bluesound forum suggests that I am not the user who has these issues.  It may be that certain routers are more likely to be affected, as I use the stock router that ATT provides, but I have an IT guy that set up my NAS who says the router is fine.  Anyway they sound great and have a heck of a lot of functionality but at this price I guess something has to give.
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