I tend to think people buy the Node (or POwer Node) out of a desire for convenience vs. top sound quality. I know for me, I just wanted something “decent.” What I don’t want (for a 3rd system that is primarily for video) is a lot of wires and boxes in the way of the screen. It need only be “good enough.” Rather than assemble multiple pieces of gear to chase improved digital performance, I’d rather just pay more for a one-box solution. But I have long exhausted my interest in tweaking if it means more things getting plugged in. However, I know that also is a lot of fun for folks!
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In my experience you are correct. I used a Powernode 2i for 18 months until last week. The amplifier was my issue, it was powerful enough but lacked refinement. It certainly was not unpleasant to listen to.
The Powernode 2i really does win on size and price. I was trying to avoid a standard Class D amp and two or three boxes. In the UK the PS Audio S300 amplifier is competitively priced and well reviewed, and measures well. It’s just too big. A smaller unit, about half the size, is the March P252 (nCore - 125w into 8 ohms) and cheaper at $800 shipped from Australia. The Nord amps are cheap, but come in very big boxes. There are lots of nice little streamers, like the Project Ultra 2s, and DACs, like the Lindemann Limetree Roon Ready streaming DAC, which is only 4" square. At £895 the cost is adding up towards £1,500, around $2,000, and the wires are adding up as well.
I gave up and got a full size unit, the Cambridge Audio CXA81, the amplifier is really good with plenty of power. If I wasn’t using my server as a streamer to it, I would probably use the AptX HD Bluetooth, which I’m using at the moment. It streams 24/48 with 4:1 compression, so the resulting data stream is about the same as 16/44 FLAC. The CXA81 cost me £900 factory refurbished and as new with full warranty, compared to £800 for the Powernode 2i, £2,100 for the NAD M10 and £3,000 for the Stellar Strata.
The CA CXA81 is designed to be used with the CXN v2 streamer, which would make a system cost of £1,700. However, the two take up about 4 times the space of the Powernode 2i and at that price I assume plenty of people would be looking at active ELAC speakers. The Bluesound Node 2i is almost half the price of the CXN v2 and probably just as good.
I enjoyed investigating the market for a small, uncomplicated system with decent power and excellent connectivity and am happy with the result. At the end of the day the speakers and subwoofer cost 75% of the total system price, are high quality and it was a matter of getting an amplifier that was powerful enough with the appropriate speed and tonality.
The other good thing is that Bluesound are very popular and I sold my Powernode 2i for a sensible price in 2 days.
Yes, it’s a smart product!
And I’m not really sure how long I will hang onto the PowerNode. But I’m enjoying for now, and I think anything that might replace it will have to have that app … or an app as easy to use and as flexible.
Sounds like you pulled together a great set-up!
Indeed, the BluOS, system allows you to decide for high end like NAD/Dali systems or any BlueSound device for ultimate convenience. Forgetting about a mess of cables is such convenience.
Nice additional features are:
- any analog source connected to it can be streamed through the BluOS system in the house
- it receives or sends Bluetooth, at least I can utilize my wireless noice cancelling headphones, nice to use them once in a while, in these times of travel restrictions
It would definitely make me consider a higher-end NAD integrated for the backroom at some point!
The Power Node 2i is EUR 899 and the Node 2i EUR 549.
The Vault 2i (2 TB ripping server/streamer) is EUR 1299.
I believe you that the amplifier might not sound as revealing as a S300 but if you already own a high quality DALI or NAD system, any BlueSound device is an excellent financially attractive choice to expand your music experience through the house.
Example:
We have a semi attached kitchen to the living room, to enjoy revealing music while cooking or cleaning up the kitchen I need to crank up my living room system to unpleasant sound levels, so adding speakers to the kitchen, enjoying the exact same infrastructure than the living room now becomes financially interesting.
I know that the Blue Sound SQ will not be the same as in the living room, but a lot better than cranking up the living room system sound level to irrigation of others. And funny enough I can connect the Tivoli AM/FM radio which Resides in the kitchen and stream AM/FM radio through to any room with BluOS devices.
Want mono speaker in the garage, Blue Sound Pulse Flex 2i, EUR 349. Not happy after 4 months working on the car or a cabinet, add a second speaker for nice stereo. Having a BBQ to celebrate the end of Covid 19, take the speakers outside.
The BluOS system allows me to integrate any AV device and computer / smart device we own. To cheaply copy Hans Beekhuyzen’s final comment on the NAD M33: “I love it.”
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I have been using the Vault2i with an Arcam dac for the last 2 years. I like the ease of the bluos app and the sound was enjoyable. I have held off on getting Roon for the longest time and recently jumped in with both feet. Got the roon nucelus plus and the directstream dac arrives today. I am interested to see what changes will occur in my system. I plan on using the Vault2i as source to the digital in of the DS as I have numerous cd’s ripped to the Vault2i already. Tidal and my 14tb hard drive will be handled by the roon and DS. Hopefully there will be a noticeable improvement.
Everything hooked up and played and all I have to say is: WOW
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You could also consider buying a single board computer such as Asus Tinker Board and putting something like a Pecan Pie dac on it and load free Volumio software. Makes a nice streamer. I run mine wireless from a WD My Cloud where I store my music. For a small fee Volumio offers upgrades for Tidal and some others.
I’m using an old Tivoli Audio model one in that way here (although with Pi streamers rather than the Bluesound) - they make a cheerful noise do those Tivoli radios 
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