Bluesound Vault 2 or Node 2?


I am about to upgrade from my Sonos units to a Bluesound Vault 2or Node 2… I have one Sonos 5 remote speaker, a Bridge and a Connect to switch out and want to play/stream HiRes files through my main ARC system.  The Vault 2 appears an attractive way to get some of my CD's organized in a convenient and high quality digital format…

Otherwise I've been using my older Macbook pro as a library and ripper/burner, a digital antique with a dying battery.

I am of the understanding that the Bluesound will need to be hard wired to my wifi router which requires about a 25' cable run which luckily is already installed in the house… unless I spend the $$ for a node.

In the current Sonos system I have one of their inexpensive Bridge units hard wired with 3' of cable wired to the router in my utility room which then links to my other units by way of the Sonos RF broadcast field eliminating the need to use the 25' cable run and extending the RF field towards the far end of my house where the remote speaker is located but rarely used.  It is ok for background music while entertaining etc., not HiFi but also not a high priority.

My 1st concern… Can anyone shed some light on if the 25' cable run to the Vault or Node would be a big liability? The cable which runs though the floor and several walls is a simple Belden network cable, works fine, nothing fancy and not easy to exchange however it may be possible if need be.

Also, since CES has just completed for this year, does anyone know if Sonos or Bluesound announced anything "new and improved" meaning that I should wait for the next generation of either unit?  The Sonos user interface is pretty easy and well thought out, though not 100% reliable in my experience, they also have great customer support.  Bluesound comes highly recommended by my friends in the A/V business however it is unfamiliar to me and as with all software will require some adjustment on my part.

I appreciate your thoughts and ideas on these issues.
Ag insider logo xs@2xdrcjj
Thank you for clarifying.  I like the storage and ripping option… This will be for my ARC system so Is there anything similar or a step better than the Vault 2 that I should be considering? I do have the ARC Ref 9 CD/ DAC as part of  the system.

There are a lot of great audiophile options if you want to go higher than Bluesound as well. We use Melco Digital Music Libraries. The Melco N1A is a very popular unit. There are plenty of pieces as well from companies like Aurender, Lumin and more.
Just wondering drcjj if you use your cd9 as a dac as well?
If so what do you run through it?

I love my cd9 but have only been using it as a CD player.  Sounds wonderful.......

Thanks....

I use my Ref 9 most often as a CD player… I was bit skeptical about my old ARC 100.2 power amps bass response and was thinking of changing out that amp for something more modern until I brought home the Ref 9… It was like having a new CD collection and very mesmerizing tonally with great imaging and depth… if there was bass to be heard on a CD it was suddenly solid, deep and defined… love it!

I Played an old Grace Jones album and was shocked to hear so much going on that prior had been just mulched into the background… I did initially find the settings for the Ref 9 sampling rates etc to be fascinating in the way they had effects on the music but now I just leave in the normal 44.1 mode with the softer filter slope… sounds best to me on most recordings… I found messing with the that option too often to be a distraction from simply enjoying the music… kind of like getting a new subwoofer that I played to loud so I could get my moneys worth out of it until I got tired of overdriving the space and my ears.

So far as the DAC goes, I certainly don't feel I have used it to its potential since I haven't been clear about which direction to go with all the potential options in digital sources, storage etc…  That is why I posted the original question here..

I only have a limited about of time to research and experiment and most my precious free time I just like to like to sit and listen to music…
 
I have used the DAC with my Sonos player using the Toslink output and have been told that isn't the best way to transfer the data…The DAC does make a difference in realism to my ears along with and AQ power cord for the Sonos unit… but OMG… Cable auditions are the most neurotic part of my HiFi Hobby…

I love having Audiogon as an audio community resource and thanks to all of you who are sharing your thoughts on this matter!