Repeated "fluttering" distortion only when playing through Roon in Bluesound Node 2i zones

Roon Core Machine

Nucleus Plus running build 1021

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Cisco Meraki MX 100 Gateway, MS250-48LP and MS125-24P switches, all Roon endpoints in same equipment rack connected via ethernet

Connected Audio Devices

Roon Endpoints (all connected via ethernet)
Bluesound Node 2i x 12 (all upgraded to latest BluOS 3.18.7)
Trinnov Altitude 32 x 1
Trinnov Amethyst x 1

Trinnov amps + Wisdom Line 2 or L150i speakers x 2 zones
Wisdom Audio amps + ICS7a speakers x 4 zones
Sonance amps + GoldenEar speakers x 7 zones

Number of Tracks in Library

500+ albums, 6,500 tracks

Description of Issue

For several weeks I have been experiencing repeated distortion (sounds like fluttering) in all Bluesound Node 2i zones, but only when playing through Roon. Happens with Tidal, Qobuz and local library music content. I get the same distortion regardless of the type of amp/speaker combo. If I switch to the BluOS controller app, I do not have any problem once I have stopped playing the last track selected in Roon. I do not experience the issue when playing through both zones with Trinnov endpoints. I have tried restarting Roon server software and power cycling my Nucleus Plus, but neither resolved the issue. I tried disabling Parametric EQ, which is the only DSP I am using, but the issue recurred.

Might be this

I had a similar issue with my Node 2i and it was my Ethernet switch. Once I cycled the Ethernet switch power, the issue went away. Good luck!

Tried cycling the ethernet switch, but that did not resolve the problem unfortunately. Seems to be a known issue with the Bluesound Node 2i and Roon per the link from @ged_hickman1 above. I had left it a while before troubleshooting in the hope that a fix would come along, but it seems that others have also been waiting in vain for some time now.

Have you tried a factory reset? I just cured a distortion problem with a Node 2 by doing that. Good luck!

1 Like

Excellent point Chris! My Node 2i has thrown me three curveballs in the three years I have owned it. All three times I have had issues with the Node 2i was after a firmware update. The last time I had an issue, a factory reset corrected the issue.

Tried doing a factory reset in a zone that I do not use very much, and the distortion was still there after I reconnected the Node 2i.

Given how many other people are having the same problem as per this thread mentioned above by @ged_hickman1, I would have thought others would have already mentioned if a factory reset resolved the issue.

This topic was automatically closed 36 hours after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.