want to get up and streaming with all new gear, please help


Hello everyone,
origianlly i guess I am looking for input on the best way to connect up a Blue sound Node 2I and a BC E1X integrated amp w/DAC.

but I’ve been out of the loop so long I’m lost on the finer points of streaming, ROON, etc. and not sure if I even need everything I bought to do the trick.

I do not have a ROON subscription as of yet but if needed….

I have several personal confusers including a MAC desktop which has an AQ Red dragon USB DA. a new 15:” Alienware laptop. a couple dell desktops. the Blue Sound Node and the Bel Canto E1X w/on board DA.

as all of the home audio items are new, i’ve not connected anything to anything yet apart from ethernet cables and one pr of analog ICs. not even powered anything up.

i did install the Blue sound app on my iphone and I believe BC has an app called sEEK I probably should install too..

is the BS Node necessary for streaming and NAS file playback given the Bel Canto’s dA digital feature set and numerous digital interfaces, or was that purchase senselewss?

I got the impression the BC INT ether net interface was only for firmware updates but I could be off on this point.

i have a synology two bay NAS with about 70K mostly lossless files, sevewral USB thumb or powered drives loaded with redundant file bacups, subscriptions to Apple music and Spodofy.

i use FUBAR 2K for file playback on both Ms and MAC platforms.

I intend on trying to acquire a higher res streaming service ala, geaser, Tidal Ammazon, or possibly that french outfit if any or all are supported by my present hardware. i suppose if one is not supported perhaps ROON might come into play.

i’m thinking too I’m gonna need some new cables as the only one on hand is an Oyade BNC.

Any EXP in this area would be sincerely appreciated.
thanks much!!
blindjim
Hey Blind Jim,
Great to see your name again.  That Bel Canto looks like some incredible gear.  I've owned BC DACs in various configurations through the years and can attest to their quality and transparency.
The only comments I would add to the previous  good ideas: 
- Be sure to add Tidal HiFi service to your auditioning list, which lets you take advantage of the BC's hardware decoding of MQA.
- Hopefully you own an iPad for a better display when running  the SEEK IOS app.
-Also grab a TOSLink optical cable, run it from your smart TV to the 
BC Integrated, and enjoy Hi Res (24/192) audio from that source as well.
Best, Sandstone

@jond
So basically download the Bel Canto app and you can start streaming, you do not need Roon DLNA control works. It’s likely the app has control software of it’s own or will point you in a recommended direction.

blindjim>
well, here we go again.

screen reader ala accessibility software is not provided by BC in their SEEK app on IOS, albeit if BC and others would only follow apple’s intent no one would be left behind.

apple openly provides and encourages third party app developers to incorporate support for Voice Over (Apple’s screen reading feature) if an IOS app is to be launched.

Sadly, nearly none of these medioa player builders, free or paid subcriptions, comply.

SEEK is useless if the user is not sighted. only one button/control is labeled on the home screen. the user guide for the $8K E1X INT is as welll totally inaccessible. each page of the guide was copied as an image, rather than as text and consequently is read by my adapteive sW as UG page one IMAGE, UG page two = IMAGE, UG page three = IMAGE, etc.. , thus yielding a useless format, if one is without sight, or has some other physical shortcomings, e.g. parapalegics, stroke victims and so on.

ridiculous!! albeit to be fair, Bel Canto is not alone in delivering User Guide into in pdf in this manner, many other likewise outfits follow suit and ignore adding in support for adaptive software for those with physical challenges. why? its cheaper. takes a wee bit less time to encode labels on buttons, controls, etc. and provide a completed project that works for the majority.

one stereophile reviewer mentions the user guide and seEEK app needed greater clarity and support to better understand the entire feature set and operations of the latest BC E1X line up.

Its exceptionally irritating whenever any owner manual is so shortsightedly authored and especially so when one has to outlay thousands of dollars for the device whose abilities, features settings and are indeed expansive oer complex.

i’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer but with sufficient information I have been able to manage some quite steep learning curves various appliances and compionents oblige the user to overcome.

wen a maker is unwilling or unable to provide the buyer/user with the information prerequisite to operating and fully optimizing their product (s) they do both the consumer and themselves a diservice.

BC replied to the stereophile revieewer more info would be forthcoming to clarify better the ins and outs of their latest lineup so a better user experience is the case.

Bel Canto also points towards ROON as another viable path for the E1X integration to an audio system.

I for one sure hope so… and soon.

@sandstone
Hey Blind Jim, Great to see your name again.
The only comments I would add to the previous good ideas:
- Be sure to add Tidal HiFi service to your auditioning list, which lets you take advantage of the BC's h0ardware decoding of MQA.
- Hopefully you own an iPad for a better display when running the SEEK IOS app.

blindjim>
than you. its good to be back and getting involved in the buying and selling end and not just the talking part.

Yes. I own two pads, an Air II and a pad mini latest gen.

bvut SEEK does no better with then than it does on my iphone 8. nada. zilch. SEEK is just not compliant wiuth Voice Over, as such, useless to me.
BJ,  You are so adept at communicating, it is hard to remember that you are doing all of this unsighted. Impressive! 

 I took the occasion to check out VoiceOver this week for the first time.  I learned that VoiceOver functions are by default included as part of the IOS development kernels.  So  It is doubly difficult to understand the BC app not implementing these.

In the meantime, I have a possible workaround to suggest trying;
 Mac or PC running Tidal, Audirvana, --> Bel Canto
Audirvana  is a great audio playback manager. It runs on Mac or PC.  It manages both local networked audio files and streaming services,
including Tidal with full MQA support,  QBuz, and a few others. 
Free trial or Buy lifetime Audirvana(AV) license for $95.  Install and get a discount or extended free trial for Tidal and Qbuz.

Tidal does not have a remote app.  Running it within AV and using AV's remote app for IOS solves this problem.
I tried running the AV remote app using VoiceOver. I'm sure not the best to judge, but it seems to work.  Most of the navigation options are selectable text.
In any event, If you can get this working properly your streaming playback quality should still be outstanding.
Cheers, Sandstone








Thanks so very much Sand...

it is 'hit and miss' predominately with apps that ally or are compatible  with any major adaptive sW... ala JAWS; ZOOM TEXT; and now FUSION (a combination of two factions, AI Squared or ZT, and freedom Scientific or jaws).

my EXP with Audirvana was not anything I would call productive. and neitherr was trying to subscrive to TIDAL or CUBZE. of and by my own actions. these will take someone sighted to aid me and this is always the twisty road one faces when forcede to employ screen reading SW.

it is what it is. I'll grunt about thhis deficit from time to time as the fix for the lack of compatiblility comes from taking code writing shortcuts or ignoring another step or two in writing the app
s code correctly the first time around. for it is the 'mindset' of the app designer  that ignores the fact not everyone is sighted... and we are back to 'it is what it is'... 

8