The Bluesound Node, a staple of any good Hi-Fi shop and show floor, has recently had an upgrade. With the little streamer being of respectfully high quality already we were curious to see whether the promise of a new DAC and processor really made enough difference to justify the latest iteration of an award winning streamer.

The Specification

Upgrading from the 1GHz ARM CORTEX A9 processor to the new Quad-core 1.8GHz ARM CORTEX A53 processor, Bluesound promised a smoother experience while streaming, allowing the overall experience to be uninterrupted, even when listening to the highest quality audio. Speaking of high quality audio, the DAC has gone from 32-bit - 192kHz to 32-bit - 384kHz, to allow for fully unfolded MQA audio (Master Quality Authenticated). Another feature of the new Node is the inclusion of an eArc slot, allowing for easy connection to a TV, something we feel is is always a welcome addition.

A touch screen panel has replaced the five button interface on the top, which allows for quick access to 5 preset options that can be linked to things like radio stations or playlists, a volume slider, a play/pause button and a network connection indicator light. A small quality of life change that I highly appreciate is how the ethernet port does not flash when a cable is plugged into it, as it did on the Node 2i, so there is no longer an annoying orange light flickering away in the background to distract me.

But the big question is…

Does it sound better? In short, yes! My personal setup is not ideal. Like many homes, the room is small and square, but it is easy to tell when something in the sound changes, as my distance from the speakers can only be described as intimate. Hooked up to a Yamaha amplifier I inherited a number of years ago, and a pair of Dynaudio Evoke 10’s, I listened to songs I knew well and knew how they sounded in my room, Petals by Tops, Cool for a Second by Yumi Zouma and Les yeux ouverts by Enzo Enzo to name but a few.

When playing Petals on the old Node 2i, the bass guitar ran the risk of becoming almost too overpowering if the volume was cranked up to an enjoyably loud level. However, I didn’t experience this issue with this new and improved Node 3. The jazzy, finger style bass becomes more controlled and instantly fits in with the rest of the mix as a whole, rather than a competitive solo instrument.

Whenever I’m in the mood and feel like transporting myself to some French jazz bar, I like to put on a bit of Enzo Enzo. The new Node 3 helped me do that perfectly. The sound stage and positioning I found during her rendition of Les yeux Ouverts makes the performance feel incredibly natural, as if you’re right in front of the stage. This is in no small part to the exceptional production of this track. To be fair, the listening experience with this track wasn’t too dissimilar on my old Node 2i, but I did find that songs that aren’t MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) are enhanced to new levels by the Node 3’s new and improved engineering.

Yumi Zouma’s, Cool for a Second, was able to fully showcase its chilled-out, clean, dream pop production without any restrictions thanks to the Node 3’s MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) unfolding technology. The New Zealand, alternative Pop quartet are a fantastic band to listen to when determining the clarity of a system due to their beautiful compositions of subtle synths and real instrumentation. Definitely one to check out.

BluOS Controller App

The BluOS controller interface is one of the easier applications to use from the plethora of options available in the industry. It is considered to be so sturdy that other manufacturers have taken to use it with their own products, such as as the brand new Roksan Attessa. This means you can actually use devices from different manufacturers in one complete multi-room system. Very clever!

As with many other apps, it gives you access to any drives of saved music libraries you may have, as well as a good selection of streaming services such as Qobuz and Tidal, meaning you’ll never be short on choice for what you can listen to.

In Conclusion

At its price point, the Node 2i was considered to be one of the best streamers you could buy. I think it’s safe to say that the Node 3 will continue that trend by doing everything that the Node 2i did so well, but better, and with several improvements on top of that. If you take all of this in to consideration, it really is a justified upgrade.

Please feel free to Contact Us to schedule a demonstration either in store or at home.

Andrew, Jon and Luke - Audio T Oxford

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