Bluesound, the wi-fi multiroom audio firm that competes straight with Sonos, has three new choices for including hi-res streaming audio to current hi-fi techniques: the Node Nano ($299), Node ($549), and Node Icon ($999). The new network music streamers mark a big growth of the corporate’s product line, with each extra reasonably priced and extra high-performance units for quite a lot of patrons.
Given Sonos’ ongoing woes related to its app redesign, Bluesound’s new streamers come an opportune time for Sonos house owners (or those that are considering a primary Sonos buy), who is perhaps asking themselves if there are different decisions.
The Node Nano, which is on the market beginning August 20, is an ultra-small footprint streamer that focuses completely on digital music sources. The new Node is an replace of Bluesound’s current streamer, with options and elements borrowed from the limited-edition Node X, like a THX AAA-powered headphone output. It’s out there 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 provided this professional- and audiophile-grade set of connectors.
Another first for Bluesound: The Node and Node Icon may be upgraded with Dirac Live Room Correction with a license bought straight from Dirac. You’ll even have to purchase Bluesound’s calibration equipment with a high-sensitivity mic.
The Node Nano units a brand new low value for Bluesound’s streamers, giving audiophiles a really reasonably priced solution to improve its current hi-fi techniques or powered audio system with wi-fi, hi-res audio. Unlike the Node/Node Icon, the Nano doesn’t have analog inputs, so you may’t use it to transform analog sources like turntables into digital. However, it has considered one of 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 cellphone, or to a set of wi-fi headphones.
Its entrance panel contains 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 Connect and Tidal Connect. It’s Roon Ready and helps sensible house management protocols like Crestron, Control4, RTI, ELAN, URC, and Lutron. MQA decoding is on the market by default, and Bluesound says assist for DSD256 will arrive with a future firmware replace.
The 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. In addition to the same old choice of analog/digital inputs and outputs, the brand new Node additionally will get an HDMI ARC/eARC enter for capturing digital TV sound.
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 probably the most demanding wired headphones.
The Node Icon kicks efficiency up a number of notches with a number of high-end options that fanatics will admire. Instead 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 mum or dad firm, acquired MQA Labs in 2023.)
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 both sides), 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.
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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. Thanks to an included USB-C port, the Icon is the one Bluesound streamer that may take USB audio straight from a PC or Mac, giving customers yet one more supply of content material for his or her hi-fi system.