This article is about the new NODE products from our friends at Bluesound: the NODE NANO, the NODE, and the NODE ICON. All three of these products are music streamers that can open up the wealth of streaming music to your system. Each one can function as a streamer you could add to your existing system, or each one can drive a set of powered speakers or a power amplifier, as they all have variable or fixed-level outputs.

Company History

Before we get into the technical details of each of these, we’d like to look back at how the Bluesound brand and their now famous NODE lineup came about.

While streaming music seems so normal these days, it’s not really been around for that long. Sonos was one of the first brands to recognize its potential and was the first brand to introduce music streamers at affordable prices. Lenbrook International is the parent company of Bluesound, and they also own NAD. NAD rocked the audio world back in 1978 with their 3020 integrated amp. Their engineers had developed a piece of gear that performed far above its price. This unit launched the brand and put NAD as one of the very top brands producing high-value products. The 3020 was so good it became one of the best-selling integrated amps in history. All of their follow-up products had this same value, and as CDs came out and the world of digital audio emerged, their engineers continued to amaze music lovers with products that sounded fantastic for the money.

Lenbrook had these same engineers design the audio side of their new entry into the world of streaming and hired a world-class software team for the interface side. A team from Audio Advice was invited to the initial launch of the Bluesound brand, and we became fans on the spot. Just like their original 3020, these products set a new standard for the sound you could get for a very affordable price in a music streaming system.

There were and still are other great products in the Bluesound line. But the NODE, with its flexibility to be the heart of a streaming system, has been the best-selling piece by a long margin. It has also been an Audio Advice favorite, with more of our passionate music-loving staff having NODEs in their personal systems than any other brand.

It has been over ten years since the introduction of the Bluesound line. You could say they pioneered affordable access to high-res audio streaming and continue to advance just how good streaming can sound with these new NODE pieces. Best yet, Bluesound has lowered the price of entry to their great lineup and made these the best-sounding NODES yet.

BluOS

Before we get into the actual units, let's talk a little bit about BlueOS, the software all Bluesound products run on. First and foremost, it enables true Hi-Res audio streaming supporting 24/192K. You’ll find all of the major Hi Res services there, including Qobuz, Tidal, Deezer, and more, plus the usual Spotify, Pandora, Amazon, and many more. Their units can also stream Hi-Res audio files on your network. The app is very simple to use and supports grouping rooms as well. Apple fans will like the fact it also supports AirPlay 2, and you can even use voice control if you wish. We find it very easy to navigate to find music and set up playlists. Plus it works on iOS, Android, or even a PC.

Now, let's take a look at these great new units to help you decide which might be best for your needs. Speaking of your audio or home theater needs, when you purchase your gear from Audio Advice, you get our team of incredibly passionate music and home theater lovers to assist you. Whether you have set-up questions or want to know how to get the most out of your new piece of gear, we love helping people get the best performance from their systems.

We love the look of the new NANO. You’ll find an angled front panel with touch controls for quick access to volume, and you have two presets you can configure in the BlueOS app for quick access to your favorite service or playlist.

One very critical part of any streamer is the DAC inside the unit and the hardware supporting that DAC. No audio companies make their own DACs, as it's a very intensive R&D process and requires huge economies of scale to be successful. ESS is one of the premier DAC manufacturers in the world, and their broad lineup of DACs are found in all kinds of consumer electronics, from some of the best home theater processors to mobile devices. They have a line of DACs aimed at high-performance audio, and home theaters called their SABRE Audiophile DACs. They just introduced a new, top-of-the-line, two-channel DAC called the ES9039Q2M. This has the highest dynamic range of any of their DACs yet! The great news is that Bluesound has chosen this top-end DAC for the NANO.

Of course, as we said, the hardware supporting the DAC has to be first class to get the best performance, and this is something that each manufacturer does for themselves after they choose the DAC they will use. The Lenbrook engineering team has decades of experience in digital and analog audio. It is a known fact they have continued to produce award-winning audio products ever since that first 3020 integrated amp came out in 1978. So, who would be better than their team to extract the best possible performance from this new ESS top-of-the-line DAC?

Like the previous NODEs, the NANO will support MQA audio files, and a future update will enable DSD. For quick access when your friends come over or to send sound to your wireless headphones, the NANO also has Bluetooth aptX Adaptive two-way on board.

When we received a beta version of the NANO, the first question that came to our minds was whether it would sound better than the current NODE, which sells for quite a bit more.

Well, after extensive listening tests where we used identical audio cables and matched the volume perfectly, the answer is yes and no. You can tell the better DAC is capable of extracting more tiny details in the music and has a slightly more open sound. The current NODE has a little bit more bass extension and is definitely more dynamic. We suspect the differences are due to the better power supply found in the regular NODE. And we wondered if an aftermarket power supply would improve the NANO, but that is for another day.

Now, whether you will hear these differences on most systems will be up to your ears and the resolving power of the system. We used a very high-end rig to make the comparisons, which cost far more than you would typically match up with a NODE. And we came to the conclusion that, for its $299 price (August 2024), the NODE NANO is a world-beater!

You can connect the NANO to an existing audio system using the RCA audio outputs in fixed-level mode. If you have a set of powered speakers or a separate power amp and speakers, the NANO can be switched to variable output to use as a preamp, too. It can even learn IR commands!

A lot of music lovers may have purchased a DAC they really love to bring their CDs to life and want a streamer only to use with their existing DAC. Well, the NANO has you covered there, too, with both coaxial and Toslink digital outs.

Whether you want a simple but awesome basic streamer or want to add streaming to a pretty serious digital rig you already own, we can’t think of anything better for the entry-level price of $299 than the NODE NANO. Or better yet, if you are already in the Bluesound family with one of their components, the NANO will let you add a second area for a very modest cost!

Yes, the NODE NANO is setting a new bar for very affordable streamers, which made us wonder how the new NODE would compare and what Bluesound would have up their sleeves to make the latest version of the classic NODE worth almost double the price of the new NANO.

If you have been following tech for the last few years, you have probably noticed a huge rise in the number of higher-performing powered speakers. These have a lot of advantages, as everything you need is built into the speaker. If they offer true bi-amping with electronic crossovers, some of these rival and surpass a lot of passive systems. The NODE is a perfect fit for these. With its variable audio outs, you can run into the analog input on your powered speakers. This will, in almost all cases, give you a better streaming platform and better source. However, another advantage is the NODE's super flexible subwoofer output. Most powered speakers do not have a sub out, and if they do, it's typically just a mono output with no crossover. Using the NODE will allow you to integrate and fine-tune a subwoofer to your powered speakers so much better. It's small enough that you should be able to place it right on top of your powered speaker that has all the audio inputs.

Or should you be running a passive pair of speakers with a power amp, the NODE is a fantastic preamp to pair with this type of system.

Headphone lovers will appreciate the full-size headphone jack. Plus, this is not just any headphone jack. It has a THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier. This is an actual piece of hardware THX sells that was developed for the ultimate headphone listening experience. It is starting to show up in other headphone amps due to its ultra-low noise and distortion, which translates into a wonderful listening experience.

The NODE has the exact same top-of-the-line DAC as the NANO and very similar supporting circuitry. When we compared the current NODE to the new NODE, it was clear the better power supply and supporting circuitry put it past the current NODE. We had all of the nice open and spacious sound of the NANO with the bass and dynamics of the current NODE. So it is definitely an audio improvement over the current NODE.

We said there was one big surprise in the new NODE, and that is the fact that it is DIRAC-ready. In our opinion, this is a big deal and just fantastic! DIRAC is a world-class room correction system that can, in many rooms, take your sound from just ok to amazing. By taking away most of the audio abnormalities created by the shape of your room, you hear your music the way the artist intended it. This will be an optional software purchase from DIRAC, but Bluesound said DIRAC planned to have special pricing on DIRAC for the NODE in the $250-300 range for the license.

So this gives anyone, whether it's a classic separates or receiver-based system or powered speaker system, a way to deploy DIRAC in their room and get a great value streamer to boot!

A lot of people who bought a NODE in the past just for the streaming option will probably be tempted to go for the very affordable NANO, but if you want to correct the acoustics of your room, the next step up with the new NODE will be the best route.

If you do have a current NODE and are wondering if the new NODE is worth moving up to, we think it will come down more to your room and the use of Dirac. While the new model is audibly better, it was not an earth-shattering difference, but if your room is not perfect, being able to correct those issues with Dirac certainly will be.

Overall Recommendation

We hope this overview has given you some insight into Bluesound's new NODE line. We expect you might be as excited as we were to get your hands on these. Bluesound has once again set the bar for what affordable streamers should offer and will remain our employee favorite for quite some time.

We’re here to help!

If you have further questions, contact our experts via chat, phone, or email. Or simply visit one of our world-class showrooms to experience speakers, projectors, TVs, and everything in between for yourself before you make a purchase!

If you’re planning your home theater or media room, check out our Home Theater Design page, where we have everything Home Theater related, including our FREE Home Theater Design Tool.

When you buy from Audio Advice, you’re buying from a trusted seller since 1978. We offer Free Shipping, Lifetime Expert Support, and our Price Guarantee. We look forward to serving you!