A leader for years in the entry-level audiophile network player segment, the Canadian brand Bluesound has been facing increasing competition in recent years. It was therefore time to react forcefully, and the manufacturer has just done so by completely revamping its range of streamers, which now includes the little Node Nano.
Priced at €349, the Node Nano features Sabre’s latest DAC chip, the ESS9039 in its low-power Q2M version. It features the 1.8 GHz quad-core ARM® Cortex™ A53 architecture and already enables playback of DSD256 or PCM files sampled up to 192 kHz, in addition to all the usual playback formats. Bluetooth is also available, thanks to a 5.2 aptX Adaptive connection, as well as playback of external hard drives, which can be integrated via a USB 2.0 socket.
Based on the same converter chip and processor, the new Node offers more inputs/outputs (including HDMI eARC) and Dolby Digital decoding. On the front is a 6.33mm headphone output amplified by THX AAA™ technology. Long reserved for the brand’s proprietary application alone, the Node is now open to AirPlay, Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect, in addition to also boasting a Bluetooth aptX connection. It retails for €599.
The manufacturer’s top-of-the-range player, the new Node Icon is also based on the Sabre ESS9039Q2M chip, which it integrates in pairs, configured in dual-mono. The front of its aluminum chassis features a 5-inch color display, much appreciated by users. Connectivity is even more extensive than on the Node, with two USB 2.0, one USB-C and two headphone outputs. An Optic In link is also available for direct integration of the DAC, in addition to Optic Out for output via the streamer only. In addition to a pair of RCA terminals, also present on the Node Nano and Node to connect to amplifiers, the Node Icon adds a balanced XLR analog output. This reference version is priced at €1,099.
VUmètre will be testing all three devices very soon!