Is everyone celebrating a major milestone in 2023? It is starting to feel that way. It’s almost hard to believe that Bluesound was launched the same week that my youngest child was born in 2013 but it has really been a decade for the Canadian brand and there is no question that it delivered a double-double with two French Crullers.
The Bluesound NODE has become a fixture on our “Best Network Player” list for the past 3 years and for some very good reasons; excellent sound quality, great value for the money, and one of the best ways to integrate all of the major music streaming platforms in one place. It’s hard to justify spending more. We’ve recommended the NODE to more family and friends than any other product in recent memory.
Cambridge Audio, WiiM Audio, NAD, Andover Audio, and iFi Audio have excellent affordable options as well in 2023 — but the Bluesound NODE has become the standard bearer in the category.
So how are the folks up in my hometown celebrating this special birthday?
Certainly not by watching the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs who choked again in the NHL Playoffs, but with a very special new version of the NODE.
Bluesound, the original hi-res multi-room streaming brand, has announced the launch of a special limited-run Anniversary Edition NODE X streamer created in celebration of its 10th anniversary. The new silver finish looks rather striking and our review sample should arrive in 3 weeks or so.
Under the Hood
Performance takes a step up in the NODE X with the venerable ESS 9028Q2M Sabre DAC, which offers near-zero levels of clock jitter, ultra-low noise, and a wide dynamic range.
A truly high-end headphone amplifier is driven by cutting edge THX AAA (Achromatic Audio Amplifier) technology with patented feed-forward error correction resulting in infinitesimally low levels of noise, distortion, and power consumption.
Along with the ¼” headphone jack, the NODE X delivers a no-compromise headphone listening experience.
Full Equipped
The NODE X features enhanced dual band WiFi to deliver the best in-class wireless stream quality. Over 20 natively integrated music services and thousands of internet radio stations are accessible directly on the NODE X or play from a personal digital music library held on a computer or external drive through the intuitive BluOS app for iOS, Android, or Mac or PC computers. TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer and Roon have all been successfully integrated into BluOS and the streaming platform has proven to be very robust and reliable over the past five years.
The award-winning BluOS platform is the only platform that can support up to 64 players, all streaming up to 24-bit/192kHz hi-res audio and supports lossless file formats and MQA playback, which allows music lovers to listen to the actual studio masters of favorite albums, as they were intended to be heard.
Like a jack of all trades, the NODE X is equipped with all the inputs and outputs — bring music into the NODE X using HDMI eARC, WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, Apple AirPlay 2, aptX HD Bluetooth, or USB Type A.
Multi-Room Audio
Seamlessly group the NODE X with multiple Bluesound speakers around the home to create an intuitive multi-room music system. Control the NODE X directly from a smart device or computer, touch panel controls with presets, voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, or by using the included RC1 Remote Control, which offers one-touch access to any Bluesound player within its proximity.
The NODE X can also integrate into a smart home with full-feature drivers for Crestron, Control4, URC, RTI, ELAN, and other popular home control systems.
“When we thought about how to celebrate a decade of audio excellence and leadership in wireless hi-res streaming, we knew we had to start with the NODE,” says Matt Simmonds, Product Manager of Bluesound. “The NODE X re-imagines some of the best parts of the critically acclaimed, iconic NODE’s product design – our most popular model – and takes ’just add streaming’ to new performance levels for the next generation of audiophiles. I’m particularly excited to see how our customers use the NODE X with their favorite pair of performance headphones.”
Features:
- Premium ESS 9028Q2M Sabre DAC
- THX AAA Headphone Amplifier technology.
- 6.35mm / 1/4” Wired Headphone Output
- Wireless Bluetooth Headphone Output
- Quad-core 1.8GHz ARM® CORTEX A53 Processor
- HDMI eARC, Optical & Analog Inputs
- Stereo Analog Output
- Optical, Coaxial & USB Audio Outputs
- BluOS Wireless Multi-room Music Capability
- MQA Music and Hi-res Audio Streaming
- AirPlay 2 Integration
- Works With Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Dual-band Wi-Fi & Gigabit Ethernet
- Two-way aptX™ HD Bluetooth
- IR Remote Learning Capability
- IR Input
- 12V Trigger Output
- Wired & Wireless Subwoofer Output
- Touch Controls with Presets
- Silver Finish
- RC1 Remote Control Included
Price & Availability
The Bluesound NODE X retails at USD $749 / CAD $999 and is now available for purchase from participating dealers or on Bluesound.com.
Related reading: Bluesound NODE Review: The Best Affordable Network Player?
nwwoods
May 11, 2023 at 11:52 pm
Enjoying here Bluesound since 2017. As of this year I’m now whole home networked with a NAD M33, a NAD C388 w/BluOS MDC and a standalone NODE 2021 partnered with a NAD C316BEE on my desktop. OK, it’s an apartment so not all that many endpoints are needed 🙂