Bluesound, the wi-fi multiroom audio firm that competes instantly with Sonos, has three new choices for including hi-res streaming audio to present hi-fi techniques: the Node Nano ($299), Node ($549), and Node Icon ($999). The brand new community music streamers mark a big growth of the corporate’s product line, with each extra inexpensive and extra high-performance units for quite a lot of consumers.
Given Sonos’ ongoing woes associated to its app redesign, Bluesound’s new streamers come an opportune time for Sonos homeowners (or those that are considering a primary Sonos buy), who is perhaps asking themselves if there are different selections.
Bluesound Node Nano Simon Cohen / Digital Developments
The Node Nano, which is accessible beginning August 20, is an ultra-small footprint streamer that focuses completely on digital music sources. The brand new Node is an replace of Bluesound’s present streamer, with options and elements borrowed from the limited-edition Node X, like a THX AAA-powered headphone output. It’s accessible for preorder on August 20 in black or white and can start transport beginning September 24. The Node Icon is a no-holds-barred premium streamer with a 5-inch colour show and balanced XLR outputs — the primary time Bluesound has supplied this professional- and audiophile-grade set of connectors.
One other first for Bluesound: The Node and Node Icon might be upgraded with Dirac Dwell Room Correction with a license bought instantly from Dirac. You’ll even have to purchase Bluesound’s calibration equipment with a high-sensitivity mic.
Simon Cohen / Digital Developments
The Node Nano units a brand new low value for Bluesound’s streamers, giving audiophiles a really inexpensive solution to improve its present hi-fi techniques or powered audio system with wi-fi, hi-res audio. Not like the Node/Node Icon, the Nano doesn’t have analog inputs, so you possibly can’t use it to transform analog sources like turntables into digital. Nevertheless, it has one in all ESS’s newest DAC chips (ES9039Q2M), a USB port that can be utilized to share native music libraries throughout Bluesound elements, and two-way Bluetooth with aptX Adaptive for hi-res streaming from a telephone, or to a set of wi-fi headphones.
Its entrance panel consists of simply accessible contact controls for favorites, playback, and quantity, and across the again you’ll discover an RCA set of analog outputs and two digital outputs (optical/coaxial). Like all Bluesound units, it really works with Apple AirPlay 2, in addition to Spotify Join and Tidal Join. It’s Roon Prepared and helps sensible residence management protocols like Crestron, Control4, RTI, ELAN, URC, and Lutron. MQA decoding is accessible by default, and Bluesound says help for DSD256 will arrive with a future firmware replace.
Bluesound Node (2024) Bluesound
The brand new Node shares the identical design as its predecessor, with proximity-sensing top-mounted contact controls, however has been beefed up internally with the identical ESS ES9039Q2M DAC because the Nano and revised circuitry. Along with the standard number of analog/digital inputs and outputs, the brand new Node additionally will get an HDMI ARC/eARC enter for capturing digital TV sound.
Bluesound
The slender streamer additionally will get a brand new quarter-inch headphone jack on the entrance panel that’s powered by a THX AAA-grade amplifier, giving the gadget a solution to drive even essentially the most demanding wired headphones.
Bluesound Node Icon Bluesound
The Node Icon kicks efficiency up a number of notches with a number of high-end options that lovers will admire. As a substitute of a single DAC performing conversion on each stereo channels, the Icon makes use of two ESS ES9039Q2M chips in mono mode — one for every channel. These twin DACs are additional supported by MQA Labs’ QRONO d2a, which corrects any timing errors within the digital-to-analogue conversion course of and realigns the timing response to the unique recording — arguably the largest promoting level of the MQA format (Lenbrook, Bluesound’s guardian firm, acquired MQA Labs in 2023.)
Bluesound
Its aluminum chassis homes a 5-inch colour show on the entrance and a full set of contact controls on the highest. There are two headphone outputs (one on either side), and across the again are analog and digital inputs and outputs, with the addition of devoted, balanced XLR analog outputs. Bluesound says these are linked on to the dual DACs.
Like the brand new Node, there’s an HDMI ARC/eARC enter, and the Icon additionally will get a second USB port for larger native mass storage entry and sharing. Due to an included USB-C port, the Icon is the one Bluesound streamer that may take USB audio instantly from a PC or Mac, giving customers one more supply of content material for his or her hi-fi system.
