The Bluesound speaker is an all-in-one product with four components: the digital network streaming part; the digital to analogue converter (DAC) part; the amplifier part; and the sound-making part. The elements can't be replaced separately and the system is proprietary. Bluesound only works with other Bluesound and the Bluesound app.
Having decided that the app wasn't working for us, and after much agonising, we realised that we had to abandon Bluesound and move to a more open system. This would mean that equipment from different companies could be mixed and matched - just like regular hi-fi components can. This also brought the side benefit that different speakers could be chosen for each room, taking account of their looks and size as well as their sound.
A period of desk research followed, then some speakers were auditioned.
For the digital network streaming part we settled on the Wiim range. The Wiim Mini produces good digital output and its built-in DAC produces good analogue output, either of which can be connected to powered speakers. It was hard choosing the powered speakers simply because there are so many good quality models to choose from but we liked being able to choose speakers which suited each room.
For some rooms with limited space we stayed with an all-in-one box, choosing the Wiim Sound.
We're happy with the move. We're enjoying our music more, feel more involved, and haven't had any issues with the open software apps that we're using.
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