BLUESOUND HUB NETWORK ACCESSORY - FULL REVIEW, CLOSE UP SECTION, PROS AND CONS PLUS A FINAL RATING!

[@leroytrio5227]

Great show. Multiple lightbulbs going off in my head!

[@thetrumanshow4791]

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but the primary problem I see with the Hub . . . . It has no "killer app". Still worse, underling issue or "purpose" the Hub is designed to solve is not a purpose that is in high demand. The purpose or issue addressed is: playing physical media in other rooms of the house without moving the source equipment. But you are still left with either returning to the source (to flip vinyl/tapes, or change CDs), or worse, employing your own personal DJ to stay in the same room as the source equipment to do the work for you. Did I miss something?

[@stumied1588]

Hi, great review (and oddly the only one on the hub?!) - but I am left with 2 questions: how does the built-in phono input compare to using an external phono amp, and using the hub’s analogue in when streaming? Second - how does streaming via the hub compare to directly plugging into a node? (Specifically when streaming to a BluOs built-in amp, compared to a node and plugging into a unit) Thanks in advance!

[@michaelbdougherty]

I’m confused. If I connected the Hub’s RCA back to my Amp’s pre-amp out, I could send the turntable sound everywhere. But it probably wouldn’t be synced with the turntable sound at the source system. If I unplug my turntable from the amp and plug it into the Hub, then I can’t hear it at the source system unless I run a separate blue sound output back to the source system. Not sure I want to be unplugging and replugging components like that.

[@BongEyedBastard]

Still failing to understand what this Hub does that a router streaming to your Blusound Node (and myriad other devices) cannot.

[@TheAudiophileMan]

The Hub allows you to connect physical sources - inherently non-streaming sources - to Bluesound gear, to stream around the house. Like a turntable, for example. A CD transport is another example. So these components become network connected via RCA ports, optical, coax, etc.

[@trevekneebone369]

Listen to my cassette deck in other parts of the house. Place my turntable somewhere less obtrusive, etc.

[@richardsinger01]

@@trevekneebone369 but this would be very inconvenient - boung into another location to turn the record over. However, if you can connect to more than one node you could listen locally and remotely to your records.

[@thebestoffools]

If my router is in another room than my Node, if I plug a Hub physically (ethernet cable) to my router, will my Node connect to the Hub via Wi-Fi instead of the router and will this improve the sound when streaming say from Tidal? In other words, can the Hub be used to bypass the router's Wi-Fi signal to connect to a Node?

[@hmrowland6114]

Dumb question probably but this requires blue tooth speakers? Do the node and hub connect physically or etherically? Good review Paul.

[@steverogers7611]

So if I out this on the pre amp out on my m33 it will send its phono to my other blu devices ?

[@maximed4805]

Thanks for the review. What do you mean by wired connection vs wifi? For example if you want to send your turntable analog input into your powernode (which has no analog input), how would you do it? 1. Would you connect the hub to the internet of your house via Ethernet and then connect the powernode to internet via Ethernet as well? 2. Or you would connect both the hub and the powernode directly together? If so with which cable?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

You can plug an Ethernet cable into the rear of The Hub. That cable then runs direct to your router or wifi extender box so is, effectively, connected 'direct'. You can too, connect the box to your home's wifi network so info is retrieved 'over the air' as it where.

[@barneyrubble9309]

so can i stream to a Node 2 via the HUB? Edit: Is there a lag if you stream the HDMI arc to another Node??

[@patrickmccrank8414]

Does that mean that if you want to connect other bluesound devices, that don't have WIFI, you need this thing? Why would I not simply buy other devices that do have WIFI?

[@NiceWindow]

can you connect direct between hub and BS powernode with cat 5 cable ?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

This is a wifi thing, Gavin. But you can connect wired to your home network. Given the option, I would choose wired to the home network first, over wired to a Node and wifi to a home network, for sound quality reasons. The home network is the 'source' signal, the top of the pyramid as it where, so you really want that to be top notch first, before you look elsewhere.

[@tonyhodgkinson4586]

Decent connectivity.

[@ferdinandbardamu3945]

It's unforgivable that this thing doesn't have SPDIF OUT.

[@WhatEver-dx3eu]

You obviously didn't pay attention to what this device really does.