Bluesound Vault 2i, Cocktail Audio X40 or ??????????

I have to give a vote for the Vault 2...
I use it for streaming and ripping CD's and find it to be remarkably good sounding... My only frustrations are that it has no XLR outputs and it does take approx 5 mins to rip a CD which seems like long time when I am loading in a batch of CDs all at once...

Other than those issues I love its ease of use and its overall functionality as well as sound quality.  Yes, I like the Swiss Army knife analogy... Lots of useful functions.

The company does provide regular software/firmware updates for free and the Vault is connected to my router by a 20' generic cat 5 cable.

The Vault 2 is far better sounding than my previous Sonos set up which was convenient as a tuner and distribution field device for other rooms. In my opinion it did not have the sound quality I wanted as a source for my main listening room system which is all Audio Research gear and quite revealing of source material as well as cables and even fuses.

I do recommend Sonos gear to friends and neighbors who want something easy, inexpensive, even portable,fd and with a nice user interface.

My wife loves music, is not a gear head or audiophile but she recognized the Vault as better sound than the Sonos immediately.

 I did upgrade the AC power cord to a moderately priced ($90?) AQ version and I am using Cardas Clear light RCA 1m interconnects... each which improved the imaging, tonality as well as clarity of the Vault 2... I have not experimented with the Cardas Clear cables with it since they cost more than the Vault and I am using them for my ARC CD player... might be interesting at some point.

I am not up on the newer Bluesound gear however Id like to get an extension speaker for another part of the house so I'll be looking into it.  Enjoy the music !

I just got a Vault 2i and it has changed my life !!!    I messed around with ripping to a HDD via PC and playing the files through my OPPO....   the OPPO did a great job at letting me access files but adding music was a pain...

I was real apprehensive about archiving my CDs to FLAC but the Vault to me sounds identical to the CD when playing through my DAC.   

I have been ripping all day and the best part is I'm listening to files and Tidal while doing so.   

The analog out sounds pretty good too... better than my DAC?  Maybe just as good although different presentation.  I think it's safe to say it souds better than most CD players I've owned.   I was impressed with the MQA files played through it for the most part.  

Im using an Android Tab for control but also havethe app on my phone.  Another great feature is that I can control it through the OPPO player through the network if I want to see my library on the TV and use an IR remote.  

Blutooth HD in both directions....  coax and toslink,  it has everything that kept me from buying the original Vault and then some...

Congrats. I have been a fan of Bluesound for some time now, since I bought a Node 2. The customer service is top notch and the NAD family helps with tech excellence.

I am the original poster. Thank you all for your input. I did wind up with the Vault 2i and am really happy with my choice. Yes, ripping all those CDs is a bit of a pain, but I just leave a pile next to the Vault and whenever I pass by, I insert one. Also very surprised to hear that several of you find the sound to be better than Sonos. Nice bonus for me.

Once again, thank you all. My best wishes for a super 2019.

Alan

Enjoy!!!   I'm still ripping....  great to know you can add and remove music through the the network too... there is so much documention and support out there I'm glad I went with the Vault.