Amazing sound and control
David from Sanford, FL on 5/31/2023
I am not sure how it does it but my cd's including SACD's sound better than original. This unit is fantastic!!!!! on setup you just need to make sure your phone is logged into the same network id.
Pros: great sound - perfect for controlling it out by the pool!!
Cons: If wanting to listen to music it is best not to be loading CD's at the same time.
0 of 0 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Kenneth from Reno, NV on 5/18/2023
0 of 0 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Thornton from Carlisle, MA on 5/9/2023
0 of 0 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Pete from Signal Mtn, TN on 12/22/2022
As an older member of society, once I got past how to app, link and load on to the ssd, then actually use it, the VAULT 2i became easy to use. The VAULT 2i replaces and old Kenwood multi (100 cd) which served us since the late 90's. It died this year. We've rejoined the modern age. Overall a nice unit. We reccomend.
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4 of 4 found this helpful
Brings back the idea of collecting again.
Todd from Gordonsville, VA on 11/11/2022
Now I can collect and save for ever. I purchase a cd and immediately throw it into my Vault 2i where it gets ripped to the internal hard drive saving it in my song vault. I have this connected to my Cambridge Audio Evo 150 and it sounds amazing. My wife loves that we can rip and get rid of our old CDs taking up space in the house. Any albums that I really want I can purchase FLAC files from HDTRACKS.com and get ones I have not been able to find in person. I love collecting again!
Pros: Small footprint lots of connection options clear sound
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7 of 7 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Jeffrey from Wilmington, NC on 2/8/2022
In the steps I am making to downsize my belongings and preparing the move to a smaller home, the biggest hurdle is what to do with my 5800 CD collection. The Bluesound Vault 2i seemed to be the first step in hat direction. At the moment I am 2 weeks into the digital loading process and thus far have about 600 cd's loaded without any flaws. Only 1 0r 2 rejections. I intend to only load maybe 75% of my collection. My main interest in the Vault 2i has been the transfer into it of my collection along with a format to organize and play my music. At the moment it is plugged into my home stereo system and have no complaints with the replay or using the App on my phone. I will eventually cross the wireless speaker bridge. I agree that there should be a more in depth manual included, but I will say that any questions or concerns can be found by digging around online.
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8 of 8 found this helpful
Black box
James from Brigham City, UT on 1/13/2022
This is, literally, a black box. Not only in physical appearance but also in instruction and usability. I feel like a blind man finding my way around this piece of equipment. Instructions basically say plug it in, connect it, use it. I simplify a bit here but not by much. Have thus far transferred several hundred CD's; relatively easy to do. A bit slow but I expected that. Sound quality is every bit as good as directly off the CD. Moving around the resulting 'catalog' is at best difficult. Seemingly random categorization; using the search button is a joke; it cannot finds its own rear end with both hands. I want to love this; I think that as I find my way around and better understand what I can and can't do with this my rating may improve but come on folks; it's 2022; let's have some simple instructions and defined paths to accomplish basic functions.
Pros: excellent storage capacity excellent sound capability easy to upload cd's
Cons: very poor instruction, nonexistant crude (at best) storage categorization
19 of 20 found this helpful
It misidentifies CDs
John from Athens, OH on 1/11/2022
With sadness, I've just returned my open-box Bluesound Vault 2i to Crutchfield; although it was pretty easy for me to set up, streaming worked well, but the CD metadata system that Bluesound uses to ID your CDs mislabeled 16 out of the 125 CDs - all jazz - that I ripped with it. All of them had been bought through 'normal' channels. There were no burns or home-made mixes. This meant that I had more than a 10% failure rate. I checked 4 of the failed CDs on my Mac using the Apple Music app, and all 4 of the disks were properly recognized, complete with album art. Worse, if my albums are mislabeled, the Vault doesn't allow editing. Frankly, any system that's wrong 10% o the time just isn't worth the aggravation for most of us. If it had worked as promised, this unit would have had a fan.
Pros: Compact Easy to use Space for lots of CDs Streaming works well
Cons: 10% of my CDs were misidentified
17 of 18 found this helpful
Quite a workhorse!
Joann from Bradenton, FL on 10/12/2021
I bought the Bluesound Vault 2i as a birthday gift for my husband, who has accumulated a large collection of CDs through the years. Setup went well. Our router is on another floor, so I am using a Netgear WIFI extender with an ethernet cable to the Vault. I am using the Bluos APP on our desktop, my android phone, and an iPad. So far, I have ripped over a 1,000 cds. There have been very few rip failures. I have been using MP3tag to add/correct the metadata and add cover art as needed. In a few rather obscure discs, I have had to resort to scanning in the cover art, but not that often. After only a month of ownership, we have not explored all of the vault's capabilities. Just today we tried streaming Radio Paradise. I was pleasantly surprised that the audio quality matched that of our local library. So far, so good!
Pros: Compact, easy to set up, compatible with old school AVR.
Cons: It would be nice to have some additional features in the Bluos App. For example, password protection of Setup to prevent accidental changes of configuration.
7 of 7 found this helpful
Mislead
Crutchfield customer from Sedona, AZ on 8/23/2021
I sent it back, now awaiting refund. The Crutchfield rep told me that ethernet connection was necessary to input cd's, but after input the Vault could be controlled for playback using wifi. This is not the case.
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15 of 25 found this helpful
Dissappointed
Mark from Essex, IA on 8/9/2021
I bought the (open box) option and it did not work for me, I am not wi-fi, Bluetooth, network illiterate so it's not that, but unless I could try a brand new one and know for sure that the open box wasn't defective I would steer clear. I never call customer service but I wanted this to work so I did. I can't say I was to impressed. Crutchfield refunded my money no problem but still a little disappointed in the product and Crutchfield. EDIT: Basically there is no manual so your on your own.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
13 of 20 found this helpful
Temperamental darling
Crutchfield customer from Bronx, NY on 8/4/2021
This unit is temperamental the best. From the size of the font to the artwork or just erasing something is impossible. It's also temperamental when ripping a cd it's a wall and flutter literally has the machine shaking Beth and forth make a poor washing machine. The software has the appearance of being generated sometime in the 1990. I have over 3000 CDs and it refuses to copy the Beatles, the stones, Supertramp and the list goes on and on. It is also extremely slow in retrieving information aside from losing it. That being said it's OK if you don't mind Pulling the hairs out of your head. I highly advise making multiple copies of your library and even then you will have problems. It's definitely OK until something better comes along. From 1 to 10, I give it a 5 and I'm being generous. Good luck to all.
Pros: Will hold most of your CDs
Cons: Erases songs or CDs at will, the software has to be reloaded over and over again until you can access whatever you're looking for. Extremely noisy sounding like a washing machine that needs repair
5 of 9 found this helpful
On the fence
Crutchfield customer from Gold River, CA on 7/19/2021
Still on the fence about this product. Documentation to accompany it is almost non-existent so setup and use has been trial and error, with help from online forums. Still in the process of ripping my CD catalog. It's slow but expected. I did not expect to have to purchase software in order to edit meta data, though. And I had some difficulty connecting to my home receiver, but maybe that's more of an issue with the receiver than the Vault. Bluetooth headphones connected fine. With time and useage, my rating may improve. It does seem rather pricey for what it is, though. I'm not a techy but it seems like perhaps I could have simply used a NAS device for a lot less money. I did purchase the remote separately and am glad that I did. I was disturbed by the fact that all the lights remained illuminated at all times, regardless of use; however, the remote allows me to turn them off entirely, which is something that cannot otherwise be accomplished. Since I'm still playing with the connection to my receiver, I will not comment on sound quality other than that it sounds great thru my Bose headphones.
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8 of 8 found this helpful
Bad.
dan from Pompano Beach on 5/11/2021
I couldn't get it to work. The instructions are not only nearly non-existent, but also not correct. Tried to get support but its only by email - no phone or chat - and so it takes days for them to respond and then all they said was to unplug and then reset it. It still doesn't work. I tried to contact them again but they never responded. Shameful execution and support for this expensive of a product.
Pros: None
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4 of 8 found this helpful
Not user friendly
dan from Pompano Beach, FL on 5/11/2021
The included instructions don't follow what appears on the app so it gets very confusing quickly. You can go to the website and read the hundreds of pages of instructions, but if its that complicated then maybe they need to work on the UI a bit more. I think they should be honest and upfront about the fact that it needs to be a wired connection to the router for it to play. Otherwise its just a shiny brick. UPDATED 5/11/21: I couldn't get it to work. The instructions are not only nearly non-existent, but also not correct. Tried to get support but its only by email - no phone or chat - and so it takes days for them to respond and then all they said was to unplug and then reset it. It still doesn't work. I tried to contact them again but they never responded. Shameful execution and support for this expensive of a product.
Pros: None
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4 of 7 found this helpful
Great produce
Crutchfield customer from Palm Harbor, FL on 3/20/2021
Excellent product. Very happy with my purchase. Got all my old cds captured, and adding a couple nodes to other rooms in the house . If you have other older digital media players that you want to share the stored music, suggest ripping music as both FLAC, and best quality MP3
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2 of 3 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Lawton, OK on 3/7/2021
Love it. I should have gotten one of these sooner.
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0 of 2 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Clarksville, VA on 12/30/2020
From the packaging and instructions, to the free software and ease of use, the Vault and Crutchfield's customer interface are second to none.
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2 of 3 found this helpful
Great product. Needs a written manual
Crutchfield customer from New York, NY on 8/22/2020
Love it!! Crutchfield chat helped Me find a workaround WiFi extender so I had an Ethernet connection to the vault. It took awhile to download the BluOS app to my phone and iPad. But it now is great to sit on sofa and control everything from iPad. Also love Internet Radio!!!! I wish vault came with instruction manual. Had to learn via YouTube. Thats why it took so long to set up.
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6 of 7 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Mchenry, IL on 8/2/2020
App to control the unit is not user friendly at all. Significant loss of volume as compared to any other source. Tried to work with it for a week or so and was never able to get it to perform acceptable. Had to return it.
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Cons: Substantial loss of volume. Difficult to use app.
8 of 12 found this helpful
Wish I could keep it
Crutchfield customer from San Francisco, CA on 6/10/2020
Definitely a great addition to my system for its sound quality and versatility, unfortunately makes a grinding sound when ripping CDs and the playback and editing modes could use some tweaking. Also, doesn't recognize many CD titles and songs.
Pros: Good sound and great for huge CD collections
Cons: Noisy ripping and UI needs more options
9 of 10 found this helpful
Satisfied and Recommended
Crutchfield customer from Palmyra, VA on 5/21/2020
First I will start off by saying it is disappointing that this is not WiFi capable which is the only reason for the four star rating. That being said it is a fairly straight forward setup. Some cd's and compilations will require the use of additional software to provide metadata to sort and store properly. I expected this when I purchased the unit, but you should be aware regardless. Although I ripped a cd I've owned since 1989 and it recognized the tracks and the artwork perfectly. The instructions are a bit vague, but you can go online and there seems to be plenty of information available. Regarding sound quality, I currently have it hooked up to my McIntosh MA6200 integrated amp which is driving Tannoy D10's with no complaints. While ripping a series of cd's the fan kicked on and seemed a bit loud. I corrected this by placing soft rubber furniture floor protectors under the unit, problem solved, in my case anyway.
Pros: Compact size Straight forward operation Many options for streaming
Cons: Instructions are vague Fan noise might be an issue for some, easy fix? Must be hard wired to network
11 of 12 found this helpful
Incomplete, but so far unimpressed
Thomas from Latrobe, PA on 3/21/2020
I wanted a device to hold my CD collection and stream music from various sources. The Vault seemed like a good choice. I ripped a large number of CDs and wanted to play them. The Vault seems to ignore play commands, then skips constantly when it does play. Not just a single song / album, but everything. I signed up for the Tidal 3-month subscription, but it has been inconsistent as well. I attempted a re-set, checked my BT connection, etc. This is set up via ethernet cable so not a Wifi issue. About ready to return it if I cannot rely on it working well consistently.
Pros: Great idea to stream and hold CD collection
Cons: Execution is not working well so far.
12 of 12 found this helpful
Great idea, poorly executed
Matthew from OLYMPIA, WA on 2/26/2020
Immediate return. This suffers from two major issues: 1. The fans and drive put out so much noise that I can hear them from across my listening room, which totally defeats the purpose of having a high quality component. I could justify it if this was only during CD ripping, but it happens while just sitting idle, with no CD in the player. Nuh uh; that's not acceptable for a dedicated component. 2. Why would you build a streamer that doesn't have a wifi adapter? If I want to run an optical cable from this guy to my stereo, then I need to run a *physical* ethernet adapter to that same spot? That means more time and money spent, and another plastic box hanging out in my room, or some more wires in the wall? Nowadays all of my equipement - tv, receiver etc., all uses wireless. I don't see any fundamental design reason why this couldn't. So...cool feature set to have a ripper/streamer/library in one. Maybe it makes sense for people who plan to use a 100% BlueSound system, so they can hide the thing in a closet somewhere and just turn on Bluetooth. But, for use in my own stereo system, I'm already so annoyed by the thing it has to go back immediately (sorry, Crutchfield).
Pros: The software interface is pretty simple, the app is pretty good
Cons: Noisy. Seriously. Why would you have an ostensibly high-quality streamer that puts out fan and drive noise when the optical reader isn't in use? Please redesign using no moving parts other than the optical drive (e.g. SSDs, fanless cooling), and turn off the optical drive when it isn't in use, if you aren't already. And...no wifi adapter? Whaaaa?
21 of 23 found this helpful
Great experience so far
Crutchfield customer from Indianapolis, IN on 2/16/2020
Easy set up and ripping process. Good responsiveness from Bluesound about metadata management . Like the product. Accessibility of your entire CDs collection from the App is great. Use the FLAC format to rip the CD. Cannot tell the sound difference between the Vault and original CD. Crutchfield customers service was very helpful and informative. We bought a backup external hard drive in case of.
Pros: Ease of use and sound quality
Cons: Loading CDs one by one is tedious, hence the backup in case of...
6 of 6 found this helpful
Performed as Described/Expected - But Weak Instructions
Crutchfield customer from Scottsdale, AZ on 12/15/2019
The Vault came quickly, as always from Crutchfield. It is a simple component and relatively intuitive to use once you understand it. I have started ripping our collection of 700+ cds and am excited to be able have them all in a format where we can just select and play... so many we haven't heard in so long because of having to choose them physically. The only reason I'm not giving this a 5 star is because the instructions in the box and online are pathetic and I had to Google several questions and blogs to get me on the road to understanding how the thing works - fortunately, it wasn't hard to find the info I needed. Another disappointment is that there is no remote and I have set up in a place that is not easy to reach. I had to Google how to turn the thing off when we left for a few weeks. A little more help for first-time users would have been nice. All that said, it works like charm, so very excited.
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10 of 11 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Knoxville, TN on 12/4/2019
This is my second vault that I purchased for my vacation home. Hundreds of cds at two locations now. Well worth the price.
Pros: Your entire music library is now available at your fingertips.
Cons: None other than price.
4 of 4 found this helpful
Great way to bring your cd collection back!
Crutchfield customer from Califon, NJ on 9/22/2019
Incredibly easy to use and I am half way through loading my cd collection but the app design makes it so easy to access any song quickly. It is now a source in my Russound A bus whole house system and is an awesome addition.
Pros: Ease of load and great access via app
Cons: Twice while ripping live play of other music from app stopped. Used the reset in settings and that fixed it. Great upgrade would be to access app away from home to play stored music via web
3 of 3 found this helpful
Getting what you paid for and then some.
Crutchfield customer from Fruita, CO on 9/19/2019
The Vault 2i does everything as advertised. I have been loading my CDs into it at the rate of one every ten minutes or so. Quite convenient. It also feeds into my OPPO UHD 205 Blueray player which in turn drives my JBL 705P speakers. This gives me incredible hi rez performance for a total outlay of $4500. What a bargain! And there has not been the slightest hiccup from either of my systems since I went Blusound. Highly recommended.
Pros: Everything I was hoping for when I bought it on faith without audition.
Cons: Hell no!!!
5 of 5 found this helpful
Bluesound Vault 2i
Crutchfield customer from Jax Bch, FL on 9/2/2019
Attractive. Very limited software. Easily rips and stores CD's. Pristine discs copy easily. A few fairly clean looking CD's won't copy. When tracts are removed from or added to the vault, never got it to reindex correctly.
Pros: Looks. Ripping CD's and playing inside the home.
Cons: Difficult and problematic to add tracts that don't copy correctly and to remove any tracts that one doesn't want after added.
7 of 7 found this helpful
Great Player - Reliability Concerns
Gary from Pasadena, CA on 8/13/2019
This is a great concept. Easily rips CDs and organizes them for easy access. Sound quality from the Burr Brown DAC is excellent. Having ripped over 100 cds, I've only had difficulty with one not reading properly. The 2TB storage capacity is sufficient for 1500 CDs - that's alot of music. This unit is a nice way to store and organize a variety of digital music formats. Makes listening to CD's fun again. Often found myself listening to the Vault 2i instead of my vinyl collection. That's the good news! Unfortunately however, less than 2 months after receiving the unit, the system 'locked-up' and has been completely non-responsive. Bluesound tech service has been responsive via email during the past few weeks and finally today through an on-line diagnostic session. Bottom line, I must return the unit, they won't try to retrieve my music, which took hours to load, and I will get a refurbished unit in return. Not the customer service one would expect from a "high-end" audio mfg. Frustrated.
Pros: Hi fidelity sound. Nice user interface once setup
Cons: Little documentation. Requires a lot of on-line research to learn features and troubleshoot.
29 of 30 found this helpful
Solid affordable streamer / CD ripper and storage
Nick from Franklin on 8/12/2019
If you have a large collection CDs and want to rip them to lossless files , this is the device you'll want. It is a great overall audio streamer as well . Plays flawlessly in all aspects . Tidal MQA is very nice as well . The audio quality difference compared to my Maratnz built in streaming is noticeably higher quality . Looks , quality and sound are top notch .
Pros: Price , sound quality , easy to operate , app is solid , pairs with other Bluespound streamers .
Cons: None
4 of 4 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Midland, TX on 4/28/2019
A perfect solution to allow you to play your hi resolution digital music library through your legacy amplifier and speakers. I needed a music server with storage that was less than 12 inches in depth. Perfect fit. While this will not work for everyone, I used a power line adapter kit to connect to my router. The online Bluesound support site is very helpful and easy to use. If I can set this up any one can. Thank you.
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8 of 10 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Wilmington, DE on 4/28/2019
Loved the Bluesound vault 2i concept and all it does but I was stymied with the lack of info about getting started . Anyway I persevered and finally found the mother lode its a great unit and I look forward to many days of great ripping, streaming and filling up that 2 terabyte storage.
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3 of 4 found this helpful
The ultimate music server!
Crutchfield customer from Cartersville, GA on 3/26/2019
For those that have the ultimate CD collection, this is an awesome device for mass storage and play back. More than enough storage space and provides access to multiple music services.
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6 of 7 found this helpful
Good quality, frustrating design.
Mark from Cary, NC on 3/15/2019
For people like me who have large CD libraries and hate the quality of streaming, this provides the functionality you are looking for with caveats. As others have mentioned, documentation is skimpy at best. Have no idea if you can random play all songs without putting all songs in a playlist. It's that type of lack of info that is frustrating. You learn as you go with this. Good luck getting phone support. Also, do not like at all that there is no remote. Have to use the app. I would give this product five starts if it had an HDMI out for video and a remote so you could see your songs on the tv screen and use a remote like apple tv. That would be much more user friendly. On the plus side 2TB is huge and the sound quality is very good. Completely happy with the sound, just wish they designed the ergonomics and usability better.
Pros: Great sound. Large capacity.
Cons: Frustrating design features and lack of remote.
17 of 18 found this helpful
Kinda Works
Cecil from Lenoir City, TN on 2/25/2019
Setup was simple. "Instruction manual" did not contain ANY useful info on operation, no mention whatsoever of what color lights mean during ripping, how to set rip mode-FLAC, MP3 etc, or anything else operational. Most CDs rip but we are finding an "encode error" on approximately 5-10% of rips resulting in unit not recording some or all of the songs. We learned to check ripped CDs to see if they recorded properly. Some take 3 or 4 rips to record all songs. Others won't record thus far. This has resulted in a somewhat labor intensive operation...ripping, checking rip, re-ripping as required...etc. Unit continues to go to "upgrade" mode (solid red lights) for 15-30 secs many times a day. Called Bluesound for help. They said they couldn't see where it did this...to call them when it does it...not sure why...can never get help on the phone. After scheduling remote help, nothing has changed. Bottom line...works ok...when it works...
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32 of 37 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Ocean, NJ on 1/16/2019
This is a great sounding unit that does everything it promises. The only critique I would make is that there is little to none included documentation. Even searching the manufacturers website it is not easy to find the information you are looking for - I eventually saw the answers to my questions (how do you you rename, move or delete the music files?) but it took some searching. Otherwise a full recommendation.
Pros: Features all work, sound is great
Cons: Little to no documentation, finding the anwsers to questions can be challenging.
6 of 7 found this helpful
One star, with qualifications.
Larry from Cold Spring, NY on 1/16/2019
My one star review definitely needs qualifications. I have a high-end stereo system - Krell amplifier, Thiel speakers and a Theta Miles CD player; all approximately 20 years old and still producing extraordinarily clear and superb sound in my living room. I purchased the Bluesound Vault 2i in the hopes that it will replace my aging CD player and still produce the sound I am accustomed to. The thought of lying on my couch and choosing any number of the over 1000 CDs in my collection without having to get up, was extremely enticing for me, let alone not having to store my CD collection in my living room. After several hours of trying to figure out the installation (I needed a Wi-Fi extender to accomplish hardwiring the vault to the Internet) I loaded a favorite jazz album (Sketch of Tel Aviv) into the Vault (FLAC formatted) and played it back. I noticed immediately that it lacked the depth and the clarity that I was used to. I then played the CD from my Theta CD player and confirmed there was a significant difference. I loaded Paul Simon's Graceland album and experienced the same issue between the Vault and my CD player. I tried, in vain, to reach blue sound support via the telephone to see if there was anything I was missing. After three phone calls, waiting more than a half hour on each, I gave up. In trying to understand the difference in sound quality, my reasoning eliminated the Internet connection as being any part of the problem, simply because CDs are loaded directly i
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37 of 42 found this helpful
Bluesound VAULT 2i
Crutchfield customer from Windsor Mill, MD on 1/9/2019
Great product. Looking forward to trying some of the hi res streaming services.
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Cons: Wish the ripping environment was faster.
9 of 9 found this helpful
Audiophile Quality Sound
David from Lynnwood, WA on 10/17/2018
I have been using a DAC to play my hi resolution files from my laptop for the past 3 years. I no longer need to hook my laptop up to my DAC. This little beauty burns in all of my cd's and also takes all my hi res files I purchased from HD Tracks and puts them in one accessible unit. The application interface is outstanding and very user friendly. The sound quality of this unit is better than my NAD DAC that I was using before I purchased this. The soundstage is outstanding with the sound disappearing from the each speaker and instead enveloping the room. I truly was impressed with the sound at this price range. If you want to get all of your files in one place and you cd's this is the unit for you. You will never need to pull out another CD again and your hi res files will be in the same unit that plays with audiophile quality sound. Surprisingly excellent sound and an easy to use app to play music make this unit high value. Highly recommended.
Pros: Easy set up, easy application use, outstanding audiophile sound quality, small footprint, is very versatile.
Cons: No wifi-uses a hard wire connection. This is really not a con for me but it may be for others.
4 of 5 found this helpful