short question on Bluesound Node 2i and Axiom Air

Just curious if anyone knows if the Bluesound units can stream to the Axiom Air via bluetooth.

Per the Bluesound page:
https://www.bluesound.com/products/node/
The NODE 2i has enhanced dual band Wi-Fi which provides best-in-class performance even in crowded airspace. With state-of-the-art Bluetooth® aptX® HD, the NODE 2i can easily support 24-bit streaming directly from your phone or tablet, as well as transmit studio-quality music to Bluetooth headphones and speakers.

It likely can but why would you not just stream to the AxiomAir directly over WiFi?

Originally Posted By Ian

It likely can but why would you not just stream to the AxiomAir directly over WiFi?

Hey Ian.
Presently we have a Sonos system which after yesterday is no longer being supported (legacy units apparently going the way of Windows 7 with a similar warning that the software will eventually stop working properly over time...). More ewaste. Lovely.

I was thinking about getting the Bluesound system as a replacement. The primary purpose is not only streaming music, but having it in multiple rooms. Hence, using the Bluesound system through the living room area system and out on the deck via the Axiom Air would require synchronization of the music playing from the same source. If the Bluesound plays on the living room system and can also stream out via bluetooth to the Air...all is well.

Previously we would have to take a Sonos unit outside on the patio and hook it up to the Air via the analog jacks (along with plugging it into an electrical receptacle for power whereas the Air has its own battery) to accomplish the same goal. I'm hoping with bluetooth streaming from a Node 2i we could eliminate this and not have to take any unit outside with the Air.

Hi Chesseroo,

The AxiomAir can do all this for you. If you add an AxiomAir Transformer to your living room system https://www.axiomaudio.com/axiomair-transformer you can use the Multi-room built into the AxiomAir to play synchronized music from the same source. And no need to take anything other than your AxiomAir out on the patio.

I like the idea in theory Ian, and certainly you have the hardware down pat, but unfortunately the Air app falls short of user friendliness and polished software. For one simple example, i can install Sonos software on my computer, sort and make playlists or modify the queue from my desktop which is infinitely faster than finger dabbing on my phone to do the same, whereas the Axiom app is phone/tablet only. Additionally i can open the Sonos software to look at files or the queue and such, while a user cannot open the Axiom Air app unless their is an Air turned on for connecting. Otherwise the app just sits at the 'cannot find device' opening page).

I use BubblePnP on my phone to stream to the Air while the kids use iPhone music app for the purpose of sending files to the Air. Bubble has a far more user friendly queue and library viewing system.

We all use the Sonos app when the room sharing comes into play and it's very user friendly for company to browse the library and see what's coming up in the queue or even rearrange the queue. We need equivalent user friendly software if we are to replace it.

I would consider trying out the Air Transformer because of the fantastic hardware expectation, but based on my past experience with the Air app, i don't want to end up trying it when i expect with great probability of only having to return it.

You can open the AxiomAir App on your computer. There are a few ways to do it but probably the easiest is to go to File Explorer, click on Network, and then double click on the AxiomAir under Media Devices.

We put together a series of short videos on what the AxiomAir can do here:

https://www.axiomaudio.com/axiomair-features

Thanks Ian.
I'll take a look at the videos and see if there's anything i missed in evaluating the features comparison, but it looks like we might not be replacing the Sonos units sooner that i initially thought.

Sonos issued an apology email this week clearly based on the confusion from the first email which people read as "we are bricking your units because they are old". The second email tries to correct the ambiguity in their first release now stating:

Quote:

We heard you. We did not get this right from the start. My apologies for that and I wanted to personally assure you of the path forward:

First, rest assured that come May, when we end new software updates for our legacy products, they will continue to work just as they do today. We are not bricking them, we are not forcing them into obsolescence, and we are not taking anything away. Many of you have invested heavily in your Sonos systems, and we intend to honour that investment for as long as possible. While legacy Sonos products won’t get new software features, we pledge to keep them updated with bug fixes and security patches for as long as possible. If we run into something core to the experience that can’t be addressed, we’ll work to offer an alternative solution and let you know about any changes you’ll see in your experience.

Secondly, we heard you on the issue of legacy products and modern products not being able to coexist in your home. We are working on a way to split your system so that modern products work together and get the latest features, while legacy products work together and remain in their current state. We’re finalizing details on this plan and will share more in the coming weeks.

While we have a lot of great products and features in the pipeline, we want our customers to upgrade to our latest and greatest products when they’re excited by what the new products offer, not because they feel forced to do so. That’s the intent of the Trade Up program we launched for our loyal customers.

Thank you for being a Sonos customer. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. I hope that you’ll forgive our misstep, and let us earn back your trust. Without you, Sonos wouldn't exist and we’ll work harder than ever to earn your loyalty every single day.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Patrick

Patrick Spence
CEO, Sonos

How is Sonos going to keep Win7-based units security patched when Win7 was EOL 11 days ago? Does Sonos have an extended support agreement with MS?

Chess, one of the videos you'll find in the link Ian posted is "How to sleep with your AxiomAir". That alone is worth getting into the Air over Sonos.