2. digital
  3. 153108-546

Not streaming yet and considering Bluesound Node 2i? What you need to know.

Two months ago question marks were orbiting my aching head. Now I have the 2i and an MHDT Orchid DAC. My real interest was getting decent radio over WiFi because my ethernet is on the wrong floor. The 2i one box budget solution was appealing. I got the 2i. Happy Days! I found the 2i playing Tunein radio over 5G WiFi decent. At least it beat my Sangean WFT-1 up pretty good. Adding the Orchid was stunning. How could free radio sound so good? Defined lows, vivid mids, nothing special up top but so coherent, musical and it swings - I could listen all day. Hey now, Music Streaming Services. How good could that be? Qobuz trial time. Hmm. The BluOS app acts as a remote control for the 2i telling it to stream and decode Tunein radio or Spotify directly from WiFi or Ethernet. Here’s the problem. The Node 2i can’t direct stream any music services except Spotify. You can only Bluetooth cast Qobuz (and others) to the Node from the BluOS app even if the Node is hardwired to ethernet and, believe me, the quality suffers. You can USB or Toslink to the 2i but then you don’t need the 2i at all if you’ve got a DAC. This is just an fyi, food for thought for the potential buyer. I’m quite pleased with Tunein Radio and the BluOS app is fun. Would do it again.
wlutke
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
Yeah, I have Bluesound Node products and they can directly stream, and are configured to natively support, Tidal, Qobuzz, Amazon, Deezer, etc., not merely Spotify.

I mean obviously you need an account with those streaming services to access them, but your hardware already supports it.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,992 posts
 
IIRC, when you first setup your Node2i, it only shows Spotify and TuneIn, (and MUSIC SERVICES). If you click on "Music Services", it will take you to a full list of streaming services. Click on each one you have. It will make you log into that service to verify you have an account. Once verified, the Node2i will automatically add it to your list in alphabetical order.
big_greg
6,647 posts
 
I don't think you understand how the Node 2i works. 

While it can connect over bluetooth, if you have it connected to your network via wifi or an ethernet connection and are using the BluOS interface, you're streaming over the internet, not Bluetooth.
wlutke OP
728 posts
 
Maybe the title should read "What I need to know".  I did sign into Qobuz under music services and it worked but the sound was tipped up, edgy and bright at times.   Cymbals were Loud and Forward.  Vinyl, CD and Tunein all sound great.  I had read (misread?) about casting and Airplay being limited to CD quality but with compression issues and the iPad did ask at one point for the Qobuz app's permission to use Bluetooth.  Maybe I'm casting instead of direct streaming.  AGHHH!
bryhifi's avatar
bryhifi
374 posts
 
Check your iPad and see if it is connecting to the Node 2i via bluetooth in the Qobuz app.  My Node 2i would periodically connect via BT to my iPad or iPhone while Spotify is open as the default connection.  Sounds dull and lifeless at which point I click on the device icon on the lower left of the screen and it opens the dialog box. Then switch connection to Node 2i device, brief pause and BAM - good sound returns.  What I have done to stop the rogue BT connect is to turn off BT on both i-Devices since they're all on the same wifi network and I don't really stream BT to the Node 2i.
More to discover