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Thread: Any Bluesound users?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Dec 2014

    Location: UK, inactive

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    Default Any Bluesound users?

    Been toying with the idea of a ripper/streamer for some time now and wondered if there are any Bluesound users who can give an informed opinion on the performance of their gear.

    I was initially drawn to the Innous Zen Mini but was put off by it's limited connections which seems to be addressed (quite substantially) by the Bluesound Vault 2i. Admittedly it is about £300 dearer so should offer more, but to my mind, and for my uses, it has the bare minimum that I would find acceptable - unfortunately the Zen Mini comes nowhere near and the dearer models from Innous don't seem to offer much that would counter that.

    http://www.bluesound.com/products/vault-2i/
    Last edited by mikmas; 12-10-2018 at 17:32.

  2. #2
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by mikmas View Post
    Been toying with the idea of a ripper/streamer for some time now and wondered if there are any Bluesound users who can give an informed opinion on the performance of their gear.

    I was initially drawn to the Innous Zen Mini but was put off by it's limited connections which seems to be addressed (quite substantially) by the Bluesound Vault 2i. Admittedly it is about £300 dearer so should offer more, but to my mind, and for my uses, it has the bare minimum that I would find acceptable - unfortunately the Zen Mini comes nowhere near and the dearer models from Innous don't seem to offer much that would counter that.

    http://www.bluesound.com/products/vault-2i/
    Is it possible to back these things up to the Cloud using some kind of enterprise grade tool? I have a horror of spending an age acquiring/ripping material only to find either the disk crashes and it all gets lost, or files progressively become unplayable due to bit rot. (Or it gets nicked).

    Obviously you can do this with a custom device of some kind (RAID5 array will protect from a disk crash, and there are cloud synchronisation tools though not necessarily cheap), but is it possible to do this with a proprietary device like this?

  3. #3
    Join Date: Dec 2014

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    Is it possible to back these things up to the Cloud using some kind of enterprise grade tool? I have a horror of spending an age acquiring/ripping material only to find either the disk crashes and it all gets lost, or files progressively become unplayable due to bit rot. (Or it gets nicked).

    Obviously you can do this with a custom device of some kind (RAID5 array will protect from a disk crash, and there are cloud synchronisation tools though not necessarily cheap), but is it possible to do this with a proprietary device like this?
    Precisely the kind of question I am asking myself - along with some trepidation using a proprietary OS with what is essentially a niche product. That's why it would be interesting to get more views/reviews from those who have already taken the plunge.
    In this case I am primarily interested in existing Bluesound users but also welcome posts about other equivalent systems/devices (as long as it doesn't involve RPi derivatives...already too much knowledge on that score)

  4. #4
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Essex-Herts border

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    I'm Matt.

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    I’ve played about with Bluesound stuff quite a bit. In general, the quality of the Node2, Vault2, (now with the i suffix for the new models) is pretty strong. The app is decent & the SQ is more than respectable.
    You can back up a vault using an external usb HD.
    There’s a Bluesound forum/ user site for more info.
    With the i versions having just been launched, I’d imagine there must be some ex demo vault2’s for sale at a very decent price.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Manicatel View Post
    I’ve played about with Bluesound stuff quite a bit. In general, the quality of the Node2, Vault2, (now with the i suffix for the new models) is pretty strong. The app is decent & the SQ is more than respectable.
    You can back up a vault using an external usb HD.
    There’s a Bluesound forum/ user site for more info.
    With the i versions having just been launched, I’d imagine there must be some ex demo vault2’s for sale at a very decent price.
    Thanks for the info Matt - I have looked at the specs for both the Vault 2 and the Vault 2i and to be honest I am really pushed to find a difference .. even in looks
    So yes, keeping an eye on the price of the older model could pay dividends ... already £100 cheaper at Superfi ....

  6. #6
    Join Date: Dec 2014

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    Tracked down the differences finally - in an article on WhatHiFi site:

    "Updated features across the board include Alexa Voice Control, Apple AirPlay 2 compatibility and dual band Wi-Fi ... "

    None of which really interest me, so .....

  7. #7
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Essex-Herts border

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    Only sound quality upgrade ‘may’ be due to the board being redesigned with the digital side apparently further away from the power/ noisy stuff. That & the fact that it’s now dual band WiFi which may improve things if you’re not wiring it to your router.
    The other stuff is convenience orientated rather than sound quality based upgrades.

  8. #8
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

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    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    Is it possible to back these things up to the Cloud using some kind of enterprise grade tool? I have a horror of spending an age acquiring/ripping material only to find either the disk crashes and it all gets lost, or files progressively become unplayable due to bit rot. (Or it gets nicked).

    Obviously you can do this with a custom device of some kind (RAID5 array will protect from a disk crash, and there are cloud synchronisation tools though not necessarily cheap), but is it possible to do this with a proprietary device like this?
    A RAID setup is good but you still have all your files in one place. I have multiple backups on WD Passport drives. The latest 4tb usb drives are just over a hundred quid these days. Keep them in different places to protect against fire or theft.

    Geoff

  9. #9
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
    A RAID setup is good but you still have all your files in one place. I have multiple backups on WD Passport drives. The latest 4tb usb drives are just over a hundred quid these days. Keep them in different places to protect against fire or theft.

    Geoff
    My preference is to have everything off-site - hence asking about a Cloud option.

  10. #10
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

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    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    My preference is to have everything off-site - hence asking about a Cloud option.
    Not sure that the Cloud is practical for very large libraries of 4tb or thereabouts. Cost is an issue too!

    A drive left at a mate's house is offsite too!

    Geoff

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