When you say truncated, do you mean its missing the start of the track or something else?
Yes. Like, maybe, 250ms worth at the start. Unnoticeable with many tracks, but with this track, you miss the sharp strike sound. Also seems to occur at the start of an album.
That’s very annoying. Does resync delay have any effect:?
I have disabled all DSP and haven’t touched the default settings, anywhere else (like resync delay).
@Krutsch, you’re very lucky if it’s only 250MS. My delay on track starts is 10-15+ seconds… if it starts at all.
I agree. Bluesound as a bunch of hardware/amp guys could perhaps be forgiven for terrible software… but Roon Ready means that real software guys (e.g. Roon) have tested and are putting their imprimatur of readiness on the product when used with Roon. Clearly Roon Ready is being passed out far too promiscuously.
1 Like
Don’t give Bluesound a pass because they are “hardware/amp guys”. BlueOS is very much theirs, as is the responsibility for maintaining the interoperability with Roon. I don’t buy that Roon have been handing out certification promiscuously. It is about Bluesound being slow to recognise and respond to issues with their product that arise after certification. This isn’t on Roon.
3 Likes
After resisting it for a long time I ended up with a power line adapter for the Soundbar 2i. I can see a 90% improvement to all problems I had. There are still playback start delays but they are rare now (takes multiple successive skips) and when they happen it is only 3-5 seconds at most. Will keep testing but the power line adapter stays for the soundbar 2i.
Based on all the experiences shared (but none of my own, positive or negative), I’d agree that not only should the Roon Ready designation be removed from these Bluesound products, but that Roon should want that too. Part of having a partner program is holding the partners accountable. I agree that it’s not the wireless network, so if Roon is convinced it’s not on their end, the only reasonable action would be to remove the designation until the partner deals with the issues. It doesn’t sound like Bluesound much cares whether they have the designation or not.
All that said, the Bluesound Pulse 2i and Pulse Mini 2i are a near-perfect solution for my situation - lifetime subscriber of Roon who is now in a living quarter where a compact, good sounding speaker that can be a Roon endpoint fits perfectly. Are there any other speakers that meet the same criteria? I just want one box that can act as a Roon endpoint and sound pretty decent.
Second, it’s hard to tell from all the threads as to whether hard-wiring solves some, most or all of the issues identified. I realize that that requirement kills the deal for many customers, but I can easily run an ethernet cable. So, if there isn’t another product with this promise and hardwiring solves all the issues, it may still work well for me.
I work for a very large company as a trusted partner to another very large competing company. Strange times! The thing is I know where the skeletons are buried but those are secrets I keep. Not least because I’d lose my job if I didn’t. I imagine Roon are:
- Frustrated.
- Bound to an agreement that means Bluesound’s reputation remains undamaged.
1 Like
I’m reading with surprise the seriousness of your troubles with Bluesound 2i as a certified end point for Roon. Had you posted this detailed problem set months ago I would have simply bypassed purchase of Bluesound as it clearly was not a small investment for my streaming budget.
That said, in the number of months I’ve owned the 2i I’ve not experienced any of the issues you have detailed. Don’t know what to make of that but the one variable that I culled from your post was that these significant issues were especially evident running wireless.
I set my Bluesound 2i/Roon up using a wired network connection so perhaps that’s the difference. I’m only responding here to (I guess) add my voice to those you include in your post that have had no problems whatsoever to encourage those who are at a potential purchase starting point to at least give this set up a try before discounting out of hand. Typically you will have at least 30 days to test your equipment’s result within which time you can return the 2i for refund if it presents any of these issues within your audio setup.
In my many years of computer software coding and hardware fiddling experience program outcomes that aren’t wrong consistently across users are most likely local issues of one sort or another. Granted these can be nightmares to resolve.
I’m extremely pleased with my Roon-Bluesound 2i experience and hope for your headaches to get resolved with your setup. I’m sure there are many here that can identify and resonate with the frustrations you have so clearly and reasonably posted. Good luck with succeeding in solving your Roon end point issues.
Never had any trouble with Node 2 or Pulse Flex on a wired connection. With WiFi there were some intermittent problems that were there irrespective of whether Roon was being used or not. Therefore, in my case, I can’t blame the problems with Roon Ready certification as such because it was a general problem with the WiFi functionality of the device, not that it wouldn’t act correctly as a Roon Endpoint. As many have said, I notice that Bluesound always blame the network, even when any other streaming devices work fine in the same circumstances. I recall that earlier Naim streaming devices could be troublesome on WiFi, but they did always recommend a wired connection.
@Henry_McLeod, I’m not giving them a pass, and perhaps the issue is ultimately theirs (probably), but as their BlusOS app works just fine and it’s only Roon that has issues on the Bluesound platform, I look to Roon’s “Roon Ready” seal of approval as a statement that it’s been tested and works. I suspect this issue has been around since the 2i line hit the market and therefore should have been caught in the initial testing. Even were it a subsequent issue, Roon Ready should not be “once upon a time it worked” but rather “if you buy one now it will work as advertised.” Afterall, the Roon Ready certification is aimed at new buyers, not people who already own the gear.
1 Like
@Kirk_Thomas, in my own experience, hard wiring greatly reduces the frequency and severity of the reported issues, but does not entirely eliminate them. I’ve hard wired where it’s possible and am considering an EOP solution where it is not. Nonetheless, I selected Bluesound 2i because of the combination of endpoint capabilities + Wifi.
Watching the market, I would imagine that for some time the HW manufactures are more in need of being Roon Ready that Roon is of having more HW partners sign up. Therefore Roon has plenty of leverage to enforce compliance with their standards related to the Roon Ready program, including on-going certifications, SDK updates, etc. Roon needs to protect the integrity of their brand and their certification program - otherwise, it isn’t worth much.
Thank you @Mc_Ef, you are correct in that the problems are far more acute when using Bluesound 2i as a wireless endpoint. It’s also true, that minus these issues, the Bluesound units have a lot going for them. Were I to be making a recommendation, I would say to a new buyer if they are considering wireless connection: STAY AWAY. If they are planning 100% wired, then your suggestion of trying with a retailer that has a liberal 30-day return policy is quite reasonable. With the added caveat that Bluesound and Roon have not demonstrated a propensity to address issues in a timely fashion.
John, I agree with your initial premise that Roon must respect and protect its “promise” of Roon-ready. In my case I made my significant (for me) investment in Bluesound’s 2i based on that promise, and I suspect others have and will continue to do so into the future. Integrity matters.
I’m sorry to read that Bluesound and Roon have not demonstrated a timely willingness to own the issues that have been uncovered here and as I suspect someone in both organizations takes the time to read these threads (in best practice organizations this undoubtedly occurs) I would hope that well reasoned complaints and dialogue such as you have motivated here will find a more responsible action taken in the future. For “buyers” into both these businesses (like myself) this was my expectation when I bought into both and I’m sure any future like customers will be expecting the same.
Thank you for your post (and add-on responses) John. It definitely has sparked a great deal of very useful and meaningful dialogue on the subject of Roon’s end point certification and promise, and those manufacturers agreeing to participate in that Roon promise as well.
It isn’t just Bluesound though is it. There are at least two big name UK manufacturers who seem to regularly pop up in the Support forum with issues around starting playback at maximum volume and just stopping playing. These manufacturers sell five figure kit that is ‘Roon Ready’.
I have had my own run in with a Bluesound/NAD amplifier and won’t be touching either manufacturer with the proverbial barge pole ever again as a result. It is sad to hear that Bluesound are still having issues nearly 2 years later.
1 Like
I’ve updated my findings in a new thread…
If you already own a Bluesound product and you need to run it wirelessly and can’t, then have a look at my solution. I had to buy WiFi extenders and connect directly to each speaker via an ethernet cable - you may have an old wireless router lying around which can run in bridge mode…
John, I just wanted to chime in to say my experience is the same as yours.
From what I found: In wireless mode, a single Bluesound device (Flex 2i OR Bluesound 2i) works with Roon provided the signal strength is ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Even then, the playback delay problems do occur after successive track skipping. Adding a second Bluesound device in wireless mode… forget it.
These problems only affect Roon + Bluesound. Spotify, multiroom airplay, etc. all work fine with Bluesound in my experience, even when on WiFi only.
As for the Bluesound support… best to be avoided as it will drive you crazy.
1 Like