ARSY Ne-2 New Version Streaming Music Receiver, Airplay 2 Receiver, WiFi Audio Streamer Stream Hi-Res Audio from Spotify, Tidal, Roon and More

AFTER ONLY 5 MONTHS OF PURCHASE, THIS DEVICE STOP WORKING. THE RCA PORTS DOES NOT WORK. AND CAN'T BE RETORUNED

This little device got some serious recommendation from ASR with SINAD levels around 114dB and dynamic range of 125dB, so when I saw the version 2 was released here, I was excited to try it out myself. Version 2 has added a pinhole reset button to the back near the USB power port, so you can easily clear the WiFi settings and redo the setup easier. I have a Hegel H190 connected to Focal Electra, and another set with Gustard X16 and H16 connected to a bridged power amp delivering 120W per channel using the inverted XLR signal technique out from H16 pre out ports. Before going through the details and sound comparison, let’s start from beginning. Unboxing: Unboxing and setup was easy. Package is high quality, and the unit is a little bit bigger than Apple TV and smaller than Mac Mini. Setup: Setting up is a tiny bit weird using WiFi, since you e to connect to the unit first, then enter your WiFi information by opening www.Ne-2.local from your device browser. Your device complains the WiFi has no internet but it’s okay. Once you save the WiFi information (make sure it’s 2.4Ghz and not 5), you can disconnect from the unit WiFi and connect to your home WiFi. Hopefully everything goes smoothly, and both your phone and ARSY are now on the home WiFi. Upgrading Firmware: If you go back to your browser and open the device page (www.Ne-2.local), you can see about menu on the top left. Clicking on it opens the page and if there is an update available, you can click on update button. Don’t close the window while updating it. I had to update the firmware 2 times to get to the latest. Sound Quality: Since I knew SINAD was good, I was expecting clear and accurate sound, and that’s exactly what you get. Compared to my X16 using Bluetooth, the AirPlay 2 on ARSY through RCA out is much more clear with deeper tighter bass. Then I connected my phone using USB cable to X16, and the sound was quite similar in Lossless format, but on Hi-Res 48KHz sounds, USB was a tad better. The piano tones specially high notes are rendered better with direct connection to X16, but Ne-2 has a pleasing and enjoyable sound stage. Connecting to my Hegel amp, I think the sound from Ne-2 is warmer and nicer than the internal DAC of H190. If the Ne-2 could also provide a network bridge to share its WiFi signal with my Hegel, that would be a fantastic device and could replace my AirPort Express there. Conclusion: The price is very attractive if you don’t have a high-end DAC and don’t need XLR outputs. The company offers Ne-1 with XLR ports, but it’s significantly more expensive. I can see people connecting this device directly to a power amp and be done with it while saving so much money on external DAC equipment. So the value proposition is definitely there, and the excellent sound quality makes it even a better buy. Highly recommended at this price point.

I've had the Ne-2 for less than a week and so far, so good. Setup was easy. After setting up and downloading updated firmware I had to restart (basically unplug the power) the Arsy as well as my mobile device (an iPhone as the controller) to get the Arsy to reliably connect to all the music services and apps I plan to use with it. Here's what works for me so far - Qobuz Connect, Spotify (via Airplay, I don't think Arsy is Spotify Connect certified?), Apple Music via Airplay, and access to my UPnP server (a Lumin L1) that holds digital music files. The server is accessed through the $6 Mconnect app which accesses my Lumin L1 music server. The Mconnect app can also access Qobuz and serve it to the Arsy at hi-res sampling rates (the same as Qobuz Connect). Other than an occasional restart when I've purposely tried to cause a hangup by switching from Airplay to Qobuz Connect to the UPnP server and vice versa (which could well be an iPhone issue), it works great and sounds fantastic. I powered the Arsy with a spare iFi Power Elite (5v) which may be overkill but it works and I don't have to second guess using a cheap usb power supply. My Bluesound Node 2i is officially retired. The Arsy is a simple upgrade, in my opinion.

I think this is a pretty great option to have on the market. Once I entered my router's information into the app and updated the firmware (which took a few minutes for sure, but nothing abnormally burdensome), this was recognized on my network and by Roon (I believe even as a RAAT compliant device). For my use-case, purely as a streaming endpoint for Roon that is capable of hardwiring to LAN, this is a bit less expensive than the market leading device that I also own multiples of. The DAC in this device is pretty middling compared to alternatives out there, but it would suffice for many non-audiophile folks. For audiophiles, even budget-friendly options would improve things, as described below. Likewise I've not even tried the app; I just assume it's not as good as alternatives I'm already using. But that's not why I would buy this. I think this unit shines as a simple endpoint that delivers an excellent digital streaming signal to your DAC via USB. In that regard, it really shines because it works just as well as competitors at a lower cost. I have this feeding an SMSL C200 DAC amp digitally via USB C, and the DAC amp passes RCA to an SMSL S1 (for now). This gives me a very clean path to a stream my ripped CDs to a pair of speakers in my gym. And I can sync this music to other locations in the house via Roon. It works, and is a good price, and I think it's also a little more attractive than the closest market competitor. The glass top gives it a bit more maturity in design, even if it may be a fingerprint magnet and a little more fragile. Overall, I'm impressed with my first ARSY product, and would feel very comfortable with this brand now.

glitchy and doesn't stream apple music well. less glitchy with tidal. but, still issues.