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BS Node 2i: WiFi or Ethernet..?

Greetings from snowy Chicago.

My rig:

Bluesound Node 2i
Chord Qutest (with Teddy Pardo LPS)
Belles Soloist 1 int am
Dynaudio Special 40s

I stream Tidal mostly and my router is in the same room as my Node in the basement and I have very strong wifi signal.
But, cant direct connect the Node to network w/o running a 15’ cable.

My question:

- Has anyone heard better SQ results by using ethernet connectivity with Node 2i compared to just using WiFi?
- Am curious if using a wireless "access point" then connecting it to Node 2i via ethernet would sound "better".

Any thoughts or experiences out there?
Thanks.

ianrmack
gdnrbob
4,458 posts
 
@ianrmack ,
I, too, tried an Audioquest PC to the Node, and like you, didn’t hear much of a difference.
As far as connecting the Node. I used Wifi on the 5ghz band and never had an issue with dropouts, nor did I find the sound disappointing-Mind you, I never compared direct wiring vs. Wifi.
Ethernet cable is cheap-unless you want to go buy some Audioquest bulk wire (which I did), and 15 feet isn’t very long. So, if it isn’t too difficult to snake, I would give it a try.
BTW, your Qutest would probably sound better with a better power cable rather than the Node.
Bob
ianrmack OP
227 posts
 
@gdnrbob

Paid like $75 for the AQ PC for Node. Check. Base covered.
I have my Node 2i on 5ghz, too, and signal is STRONG and I never get drop-outs.

Since my modem and router are in same room as Node, I could easily just run a test piece of wire over. Wonder how to reconfigure now...;-)

Re. my Qutest - have a Teddy Pardo linear power supply for it and THAT was a great upgrade. Have some other PCs around and will see.

In general, I am VERY pleased with the SQ I am getting.
Just looking to tweak a bit...if possible.
decooney
2,178 posts
 
It's about noise and the designer of any given streamer. It varies.   

Wired ethernet -and- wireless connections introduce noise.   

Look up Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Wireless Signal Strength.

Also, ref: https://darko.audio/2018/08/ethernet-or-wifi-which-is-better-for-high-end-audio-streaming/


audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,842 posts
 
Ian Mark the Steve Hoffman piece you sent was from soeone who doesn’t know much about  compiter Audio and a dac like the quest will sound far better running usb Mr Hoffman used aes which will not sound as good for more modern dacs designed for high res where usb will sound better
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,635 posts
 
I have. Easy to do.
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