I'm looking at these two streamers. Which will be the best? I must say i don't like the kubus-form of the Bluesound Node. I find the new Pioneer streamer a beauty and nicer by my amp. Same size. But the sound? And how does it works with a samsung tablet? Good or not?
Bluesound Node or Pioneer N-50A streamer?
- Thread starter peterpan
- Start date
I would get N50a... better connectivity, looks and sounds good too. Shame it hasn't got preamp.. would be great to feed signal to some actives..
... no experience with Bluesound
... no experience with Bluesound
lpv said:
Both items look absurdly expensive for the functionality they provide.
The Bluesound Node is usefull as it has pre-amp functions but there are no inputs, analogue or digital nor does it have Airplay. In other respects it is still 'in developement' regarding network and other functions, so at present it is a slightly less well sorted Sonos Connect with, allegedly, better sound quality, 24/96 capability, Spotify Connect and a much higher price.
As far as I can tell the N50a is not yet available in the UK, it has loads of inputs and outputs but no pre-amp function so it is purely a digital source. When you can get much of this functionality integrated into amplifiers or inexpensive 'all in ones' £500 seems a bit steep.
N50a is available in UK.. give it a few months and get it for less than £400.. sale/ price cut/ etc - something you will never experience with WELL OVERPRICED [ for what it does] Icon Audio passive preamp, or JUST AS WELL OVERPRICED [ for what it does] Benchmark Dac2 [ £1600] which really sounds same as £300 Matrix Mini-i Pro.
lpv said:
I was interested in the N50a and canvassed several dealers last week, at that time no one had seen one. Anyway when I heard what they are going to cost, I lost interest.
The point that I was making is that a streamer is, more or less, a simple computer, a few chips and some relatively undemanding software, why the hell does it cost £500? Pioneer in their marketing comment on the solidity of the casework, for that price I should hope so.
I do not really see deliberately overpricing equipment to enable it to be sold at a discount to be a particularly honest marketing strategy, but that's me, an awfull lot of people fall for it though.
matt49
Well-known member
For a streaming box, it all comes down to software. Investment in software design might justify a premium, but I don't see anything in the Pioneer's spec that would justify the price.
As Dave says, it's basically a computer in a nice box. A Mac Mini or an Intel NUC can do the job just as well, and with more flexibility, for under £300.
As Dave says, it's basically a computer in a nice box. A Mac Mini or an Intel NUC can do the job just as well, and with more flexibility, for under £300.
matt49 said:
True, though the NP50a is expensive even by hi-fi standards, hardware cost is modest and functionality very limited.
Compare with what you get on a Yamaha R-N500 or 301, both cheaper and with amps built in. The R-N301 and a pair of Diamond 9s could be had for a shade over £300. Hardly hi-fi, but for the money......*unknw*
Nice bedroom or kids setup.
ID. said:I guess I can't interest you in the N-70A then
It does have higher spec DAC chips.
To support DSD digital and the rest.
Seriously for a moment, given that even state of the art dac chips cost just a few pounds, I do wonder where some of this pricing comes from. These are relatively low powered products so power supplies need not be expensive, you are paying for connectivity and casework, an awfull lot for casework in fact.
The point I was making with the Yamaha is that all that functionality can be rolled into an amplifier at minimal cost, it makes stand alone streamers at this level look very expensive. Nad have started something with the D3020 but without networking it misses the mark and the pricing on the D7050 is absurd.
The Yamaha does everything, pretty much, upgrading the electronics to match the Pioneers would not be expensive, neither would adding a little extra connectivity, but i reckon the performance is already good enough for it's target market.
matt49 said:
Agreed on Mac.. by far it's the best and overall cheapest streamer when you take into account what it does, however starting from scratch you need bit more than £300... on top of it you need an iPad to control the thing ( I can't imagine using 55in tv to control miature MacMini)... so yes, Mac and Dac it's probably way to go.
lpv said:
As someone who no longer uses a personal music library and enpraces streaming, this is still an expensive option. I am currently looking at a seriously pared down system that is way cheaper than anything mentioned so far.
Buried at the end of a long list of video options, the Amazon Fire has full support for Spotify Connect. At £69 you can afford to forget about the video and other options and simply use it as a Spotify player. It should be able to output a bit perfect data stream, in the case of Spotify Connect, directly from their server, just add a dac/amp/speaker combo to choice.
Pair of these for about £500 will do the job, suitably festive colour too.
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