About The Bluesound Node Icon Music Streamer
From iconic to icon. The Node Icon is a flagship wireless music streamer for the audio obsessed. Every detail of the design has been carefully engineered to the highest standard of performance, from its breakthrough Bluesound Dual-Mono design with two ESS SABRE® ES9039Q2M DAC chipsets implemented to perfection, to its sleek aluminium chassis and beautiful 5" full-colour display. The Node Icon seamlessly connects to any high-performance amplifier, powered speakers or headphones, bringing BluOS hi-res streaming, Apple AirPlay 2, THX AAA™ technology, aptX™ Adaptive Bluetooth® and DSD support to your existing stereo setup. With HDMI eARC, Dolby Digital and Dirac Live Ready, you can also transform the way you experience music and TV with Dolby downmixing and state-of-the-art room correction technology.
Benchmark Sound Quality: With carefully selected componentry, and a masterfully engineered Bluesound Dual-Mono design with two ESS SABRE® ES9039Q2M DAC chipsets, the Node Icon sets a new benchmark for wireless music streamers. It uses the latest fourth generation ESS Hyperstream® technology to let you experience sound with superior dynamic range, ultra-low distortion, and the highest possible resolution ever heard. From engineering to performance, the Node Icon is the best streamer Bluesound have ever built.
Beautifully Designed For The Audio Obsessed: The Node Icon features an all-new industrial design, with an aluminium cabinet construction, seamlessly integrated with the large front glass panel and the gorgeous 5" non-touch display. Its sleek gloss black finish blends seamlessly into any existing setup, with audiophile-grade connections to support high-quality performance. It also features built-in IR learning and a proximity-sensing touch panel that provides quick control and access for up to five programmable presets, volume and playback controls.
Stream Everything: Stream all the music ever recorded, from popular music streaming services to your own digital music libraries, and access everything you listen to, including hi-res FLAC, MQA and DSD 256, in the BluOS app. Apple AirPlay 2 and aptX™ Adaptive Bluetooth® are also built-in to let you enjoy even more music from more apps and services. With HDMI eARC, you can easily connect the Node Icon to your TV with a single cable and bring hi-res music streaming together with your movie and gaming experiences.
Go Beyond The Hifi System: The Node Icon can wirelessly connect to Bluesound speakers and stereo components to create a multi-room music system connected by BluOS® throughout your whole home. With dual-band Wi-Fi for dropout free listening, you can play your new favourite track everywhere or listen to different music and genres in different rooms with total control from your phone, tablet, or desktop.
World-Class Headphone Amplifier Technology: Lifelike headphone listening is made possible by THX AAA™ technology, the headphone amplifier that boasts the world's most linear response. Its patented feed-forward error correction results in remarkably low noise and distortion, revealing exceptional soundstage and clarity. Connect your high-performance headphones to the left or right full sized ¼" (6.35 mm) headphone jacks and enjoy audiophile listening without fuss or compromise.
Smart Acoustics: The Node Icon comes ready to intelligently fight bad room acoustics with Dirac Live, available as an upgrade directly from Dirac. Use Dirac's app to measure your room acoustics and eradicate bass traps, echoes, and other unwanted distortions from your audio. The result is clear, balanced, and detailed sound for your music and movie soundtracks. A calibration kit with a high sensitivity microphone is also required and available from Bluesound.
Our Take
The Bluesound Node Icon Music Streamer is a flagship wireless device designed for the audio obsessed, setting new benchmarks in sound quality and engineering. It features a cutting-edge Bluesound Dual-Mono design with two ESS SABRE® ES9039Q2M DAC chipsets, delivering superior dynamic range and ultra-low distortion, housed within a sleek aluminium chassis with a 5-inch full-color display. With support for BluOS hi-res streaming, Apple AirPlay 2, aptX™ Adaptive Bluetooth®, and DSD, it seamlessly integrates into any high-performance setup. The Node Icon also includes HDMI eARC, THX AAA™ headphone technology, and the ability to upgrade to Dirac Live room correction, ensuring a transformative audio experience for both music and TV.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Reference Hi-Res Wireless Network Music Player
- Bluesound Dual-Mono DAC Design
- 2 x ESS ES9039Q2M SABRE® DACs
- Stereo Balanced XLR Output
- Stereo RCA Output
- Optical, Coaxial, USB Outputs
- Subwoofer Output
- 2 x 6.35 mm Headphone Outputs
- THX AAA™ Headphone Amplifier
- HDMI eARC Input
- USB-C Input
- Stereo RCA + Optical TOSLINK Input
- ESS ES9826 SABRE® ADC
- 5" Non-Touch Colour Display
- 5 Programmable Quick-Touch Presets
- User-Interface With Proximity Sensor
- BluOS™ Wireless Multi-Room Platform
- Quad-Core 1.8GHZ ARM® Cortex™ A53 Processor
- Dirac Live Ready
- MQA & Hi-Res Music Streaming
- DSD256 Playback
- AirPlay 2 Integration
- Spotify Connect + Tidal Connect
- Local Server Mode
- Dual-Band Wi-Fi + Gigabit Ethernet
- Two-Way aptX™ Adaptive Bluetooth
- IR Remote Learning Capability
- 12V Trigger Out
- Black Finish
Audio
- Supported Audio File Formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, WMA-L, OGG, ALAC, OPUS
- Supported High-Quality Audio File Formats: FLAC, MQA, WAV, AIFF, MPEG-4 SLS
- DSD Support: DSD256
- Supported Multi-Channel Audio Formats: Dolby Digital®
- Native Sampling Rates: up to 192 kHz
- Bit Depth: 16-24
- Audio Controls & EQ: BluOS Controller App
- DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: TBD
- Distortion: TBD
- Headphone Continuous Output Power (THD<0.1%): 160mW, 16Ω / 230mW, 32Ω / 53mW, 250Ω / 22mW, 600Ω
Software & Integrations
- Operating System: BluOS
- App Controller Operating System: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
- Processor: ARM® Cortex™ A53, Quad-Core, 1.8GHz per core
- Supported Network File Sharing: Server Message Block (SMB) up to 200,000 files
- Album Art Supported: JPG, PNG
- Music Services & Internet Radio: 23+
- 3rd-Party Integrations: AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Roon Ready, Dirac Live Ready
- Control System Integrations: Crestron, Control4, RTI, ELAN, URC, Lutron
- Voice Control Integrations: Amazon Alexa Skills
Connections
- Power Supply: Universal bi-pin AC cord input (100-240AC)
- Ethernet/LAN: Ethernet RJ45, Gigabit 1000 Mbps
- Wi-Fi Built In: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), dual-band
- Bluetooth Quality: Bluetooth 5.2 aptX Adaptive
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Two-Way (transmit & receive)
- IR Optical Built In: IR Sensor Built In - front panel with IR Remote Learning
- IR Input: 3.5mm Jack
- Analogue Input: Stereo RCA
- Optical Input: TOSLINK Digital
- HDMI Input: HDMI eARC
- USB In
- Type A (Fat32 Formatted) - External Storage only
- Local Server Mode
- USB (other): USB Type C (PC input)
- Audio Outputs
- Analogue RCA Stereo with Fixed option
- Balanced XLR Stereo with Fixed option
- USB Audio 2.0 (Type A)
- Coaxial Output: RCA Digital
- Optical Output: TOSLINK Digital
- Trigger Out: 12 Volt
- Headphone Outputs
- 35mm Stereo x 2
- Bluetooth
- Subwoofer Outputs
- RCA x 1
- Wireless to Pulse Sub+
User Interface & Control
- Status Indicator: LED
- Play/Pause Button: Touch LED
- Volume Control Buttons: Touch Slider LED
- Previous/Next Track Buttons: Touch LED
- Preset Buttons: Touch LED x 5
- Proximity Sensor
- Display: 5" Non-Touch Display
General
- Version: N530
- Storage Environment: -10°C to 50°C, 20% to 80% relative humidity
- Operating Environment: 0°C to 40°C
- Included Accessories: AC Power Cable, Stereo RCA to RCA Cable, Ethernet Cable, Safety/Warranty Guide, Quick Setup Guide, Dirac Live Ready Info Card
- Removable Power Cable: Upgrade to a Premium Power Cable for better performance
- Finish: Black
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 220 x 84 x 193mm
- Weight: 2 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.