Best BlueSound Wireless Music System

The BlueSound Wireless Music system takes a leap over the well-established Sonos system to provide whole house audio that supports high resolution music playback.

Your favourite music can be downloaded to a Bluesound server, which they refer to as a vault, streamed from a service, stored on your network, or all of the above. The Bluesound product family, which is essentially an ecosystem, consists of soundbars for TV use as well as audio-only devices.

I tested the Bluesound Wireless Stereo Components for my evaluation. I received a Pulse Mini 2i, a wireless standalone streaming speaker, a Vault 2i, a Node 2i, and other items. Although I encountered a few hiccups during setup and the instructions is not as thorough as it should be, I thought the audio quality was excellent. I thought those minor inconveniences were a minimal price to pay for this setup's adaptability and excellent audio quality.

Highlights

Bluesound Wireless Music System

1. Best in breed audio quality

2. Ability to play just about every music format, including 24/192 high resolution files

Attractive and non-obtrusive design. 

3. The Bluesound components should blend in with any décor.

4. Comes with all cables you are likely to need.

5. Documentation could be vastly improved.

6. Music must be added to the vault over a network. You can’t plug a hard drive into it for quick transfers.

7. Some operations, like making groups of devices for playback, could be more intuitive.

8. There are a few bugs in the software.

Introduction

The Wireless Music System under evaluation is part of the Bluesound family of products, which was created for audiophiles who quickly discovered that compressed MP3 formatted music was just not of high enough quality for serious listening.

The success of Sonos demonstrated that there was a genuine need for high-quality, wireless music distribution from a variety of sources, including file-based music, streaming sources, and some of the more recent formats like MQA. These numerous playback modes have been addressed by Bluesound, who have integrated them into a well-designed system that can be operated from a smartphone, a Mac, or a PC.

As mentioned, Bluesound gave me three parts. A Vault 2i, which is essentially a server with a 2TB hard drive, will be used to store my current music for convenient playing. Additionally, it functions as a CD ripper and streamer for online music services.

A Node 2i that can be plugged into an existing audio system was also given to me. It's a control-free passive gadget. Both your orders and the integration of an existing audio system into the Bluesound network are handled by it. Many customers will probably have numerous Node 2i devices in various rooms if they already have audio systems in place.

Design and Setup

The Bluesound packaging is superb and is very Apple-like. Each component is in the center of the box, surrounded by spacers to keep the device free from damage in shipping. When you first open the box you’ll see a top container with a thin setup guide. Lifting that section off reveals the component, and containers for connecting and power cords. These cables are all of high quality, and should be all you need to get up and running.

Starting with the Vault 2i, you connect it to a router via a provided Ethernet cable. Colored lights show the unit starting up, and then the LEDs turn solid blue, indicating that the device is ready for the next step.

You can name the device using the Bluesound mobile app, PC or Mac app, typically after the room it is in. You can now use that gadget or one of their other devices in other rooms to watch any number of free or paid services. Your personal CD collection can be ripped to the Vault 2i, which will classify them and display album art. Additionally, you can move any data you already own, even high resolution files, onto the Vault hard drive by mounting it on your network.

It is quite easy to add the Node 2i and Pulse Mini 2i speakers. To communicate with the Vault 2i, turn the devices on, wait for the right colour LEDs to appear, and then give them names.

CONCLUSION

The BLUESOUND WIRELESS MUSIC SYSTEM is a high-end, audiophile system with an affordable price to match. Software updates will enable the Bluesound system to expand and remain current. Users will be able to stream audio from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer to a Bluesound system thanks to an upgrade that will support Apple AirPlay 2, the business said in mid-December. Bluesound equipment is a wise investment because of the company's type of assistance.