Bluesound Streaming Audio Guide
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Hi-Res Streamers, Wireless Speakers, and More
Bluesound has a reputation for making some pretty great hi-res streamers and that's no surprise as the NODE entry-level music streamer is one of our top-selling products. As the original hi-res multi-room brand since 2013, Bluesound makes award-winning wireless hi-res sound systems that let you play music in any and every room throughout your home.
At Moon Audio, we carry 10 Bluesound products, from streamers to speakers and soundbars — Everything you need to begin building your perfect home audio setup.
Bluesound Wireless Stereo Components
Bluesound's wireless stereo components reimagine the world of wireless streaming. With components engineered to connect your existing stereo system to wireless streaming, you can access all of your favorite songs with ease. The NODE ICON is Bluesound's latest addition to the wireless stereo components lineup.
Bluesound NODE ICON Reference Music Streamer
Perfect for the novice, music enthusiast, and audiophile, the Bluesound NODE ICON Music Streamer brings hi-res music streaming to any audio setup. With full streaming capabilities, access to over 20 streaming services via the dedicated BluOS Controller App, and multi-room playback capabilities, the NODE ICON is a force to be reckoned with. Enjoy PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz, DSD256 playback, and Dolby Digital® multichannel audio formats. Add the range of connectivity options including HDMI eARC, balanced XLR outputs, Analog RCA, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and you've got a highly flexible music streamer.
The Bluesound NODE ICON is one of the latest additions to the renowned NODE family of music streamers. Having come a long way from the first-generation NODE, the NODE ICON represents the 21st century with its fancy display screen and complete redesign. Two 1/4" headphone jacks on each side of the unit, compatibility with Dirac Live Technology, and two ESS SABRE DAC Chips make the NODE ICON worthy of its flagship status. Whether you're new to music streaming or looking to add another streamer to your collection, the NODE ICON offers tremendous value and its easy-to-navigate user interface makes setting the unit up and enjoying your favorite tunes a walk in the park.
Bluesound NODE Hi-Res Music Streamer
The Bluesound NODE is an all-in-one multi-room Hi-Res wireless music streamer that reinvents your HiFi systems and equipment. The NODE is a very basic, easy to understand streaming system for beginners that allows users to begin developing their own quality sound system for their home.
Connect the Bluesound NODE to any existing stereo amplifier, AV receiver, or powered audio system. The NODE supports multiple file formats such as MP3, WMA, OPUS and Hi-Res formats including FLAC, WAV, and AIFF. The streamer utilizes a 32-Bit, 384kHz differential output design digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The NODE operates with Microsoft and Apple operating systems, and integrates with Control4, RTI, iPORT, ELAN, Airplay 2 and others. The NODE has a clean and accurate sound signature that works great with all genres. The NODE features a top panel interface with touch controls and presets. Control the volume, play, pause, and skip tracks all with the touch of a finger. For information on how to setup and use the NODE, check out our blog here.
HUB Music Streamer
Streaming audio is more flexible than ever with the HUB Music Streamer. Turn any wired audio device into a multi-room player by adding a HUB to transmit music wirelessly to one or many Bluesound players around the home. With a compact, minimalist design and a choice of high-speed dual-band Wi-Fi or wired Gigabit Ethernet connection options, the HUB provides unlimited placement flexibility, so you don’t have to move players around or deal with wires.
This network accessory has a wealth of digital and analog input options including HDMI eARC, Coax Digital, TOSLINK optical, analog RCA, and a MM Phono input. Each HUB can simultaneously stream one digital and one analog source, and up to four HUBs can be supported on a single network.
Vault 2i Network Streamer
The Bluesound VAULT 2i is a network streamer that digitizes, organizes and displays your physical music library. Plus it allows you to connect to your Hi-Res music streaming apps like Spotify, Tidal and Amazon Music. The VAULT 2i lets you rip all your CDs rapidly in bit-perfect, high-resolution formats: —FLAC, space-saving MP3, and everything in between. Store thousands of tracks on its internal ultra-quiet 2TB hard drive that doubles as a network NAS drive.
Once set up on your wired home network, the VAULT 2i allows you to access and share your entire music library, and stream it to any Bluesound player, all without a computer. Hook up the VAULT 2i to your existing gear, pair it with a set of powered speakers, or stream your digital music collection in studio-quality to Bluesound players all over the home. A powerful Dual-Core ARM Cortex A9 processor allows the VAULT 2i to effectively multitask while streaming to multiple rooms with flawless playback. For information on how to setup and use the VAULT 2i, check out our blog here.
Bluesound Wireless Home Audio Solutions
Stream, store, and share quality sound throughout your home using Bluesound's wireless home audio solutions. Bluetooth's state-of-the-art aptX HD technology allows you to seamlessly stream music to Bluetooth speakers, and experience uninterrupted audio throughout your home. Turn your music, movies, sports, and video games into a fully immersive sonic experience.
Pulse 2i Wireless Multi-Room Speaker
The PULSE 2i Wireless Multi-Room Speaker is the most complete powered streaming speaker available by Bluesound. The PUSLE 2i combines Bluetooth and multi-room capabilities to fill large spaces with rich, clear, Hi-Res audio. When it comes to your music, don't settle for anything less than high fidelity.
No matter where you place it, the PULSE 2i will deliver clear, distortion-free sound to anywhere in the home. Best-in-class dual-band Wi-Fi allows the PULSE 2i to give a stunning performance, free from skips or delays. The PULSE 2i also has native support for Bluetooth® aptX ™ HD, giving it the ability to transmit studio-quality music to Bluetooth headphones and speakers. Listening to your favorite songs never felt so easy.
PULSE Soundbar+
The PULSE SOUNDBAR+ is the ultimate audiophile-grade soundbar for all your home entertainment needs. Designed to seamlessly fit with your existing TV setup and enhance the sound experience, the PULSE SOUNDBAR+ offers precise soundscapes that place you in the middle of the action. With Dolby Atmos, you can experience music, movies, and games in the most immersive and cinematic way.
The PULSE SOUNDBAR+ has eight Class D powered speakers that create 120W of powerful, moving sound with deep bass and rich detail. The PULSE SOUNDBAR+ features an all-new quad-core processor designed specifically to deliver audio at ultra-fast speeds with the highest quality.
PULSE SUB+ Wireless Powered Subwoofer
The PULSE SUB+ Wireless Powered Subwoofer enhances your home theater experience by delivering a deep, accurate bass to music, movies, games, and more. This subwoofer is designed to be used with Bluesound wireless speakers, amplifiers, and streamers. Featuring an 8" woofer and a smart DSP amplifier that delivers 150W of deep, detailed bass. It's got a sleek and compact design to fit beside, behind, or underneath your furniture. The PULSE SUB+ comes with a custom mounting bracket as well.
POWERNODE Wireless Multi-Room Music Streaming Amplifier
The Bluesound POWERNODE is a HiFi amp designed to easily drive your existing pair of premium speakers, featuring 80W per channel of zero-distortion power. Source, control, and amplification come packed into the compact and minimalist POWERNODE. A premium DAC design delivers Hi-Res, studio-quality music, including support for FLAC, MQA, and other popular file formats.
The POWERNODE supports HDMI eARC, dual-band Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet. As well as Apple Airplay 2, two-way aptX HD Bluetooth, RCA, Toslink optical, 3.5mm jack, and USB Type A connectors. Seamlessly connect the POWERNODE to multiple Bluesound speakers throughout the home with the BluOS Controller app and create an intuitive multi-room music system unlike any other.
BluOS
The real star of the show when it comes to Bluesound streamers is BluOS. The BluOS app is one of the most intuitive and well-thought-out companion control devices for any streaming device out there. The BluOS app is available on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. It's the "brain" of your entire home audio ecosystem, allowing you to manage all of your music and stream it to any BluOS enabled stereo system or speakers. Control where, at what volume, and when music plays. You can play music in perfect sync or different music simultaneously.
Using your home network to connect more than one enabled device, BluOS wirelessly transmits lossless music up to 24-bit/192kHz at record-fast speeds, with no lag or loss in sound quality. Setup is simple, streaming is easy, and you've got everything you need to control your listening experience right there on the BluOS app.
Discover a plethora of music with access to hundreds of internet radio stations, dozens of streaming music services, or even your own digital music library. BluOS has Roon integration that supports files stored on internal and external hard drives and NAS. Access TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify, SoundMachine, and many more streaming services (subscriptions purchased separately). You can also connect and share your music collection from a computer or network-attached storage drive to the BluOS app.
BluOS has voice control with Amazon Alexa and Apple's Siri so you can play a track, or skip a song, and even say what room you want to listen to music in. Through the app you control the volume in any room, read detailed artist information, and even check what quality you are streaming. No more rummaging through the couch cracks for the missing remote!
Bluesound has extensive technical support to include guides and downloads for the BluOS app and all of their products, available on their website. The latest version of BluOS was released in the spring of 2023, BluOS 4.0— Improved navigation, a new home screen display, a globally accessible search feature and more.
BluOS Features
Voice Control via Amazon Alexa
Full support for Hi-Res audio on all Bluesound players: Can stream uncompressed WAV, FLAC, ALAC music files over Wi-Fi or USB connection
3rd Party integrations such as Control4, Crestron, Lutron, ELAN, RTI, and more
Dolby Digital support: PULSE SOUNDBAR+ and PULSE SUB+ can be wirelessly connected with a pair of PULSE FLEX speakers to create a home theater setup
Wi-Fi chipset technology
Bluetooth® aptX ™ HD
Dolby Atmos 3D experience
MQA (End-to-end studio-speaker technology)
BluOS Minimum System Requirements
iOS version 9.3
Android version 5.0
MacOS version 10.13
Windows version 7
Who is Bluesound?
Like all great brand stories, Bluesound started from a dream — The dream to make a product for audiophiles aspiring to something more. Bluesound was established as a brand under the umbrella of The Lenbrook Group of Companies. In fact, Bluesound almost didn't happen. The Lenbrook Group had a similar company, NAD Electronics who already had its footing in the world of high-fidelity audio making amplifier designs. But The Lenbrook Group knew they had something special on their hands that could flip the HiFi industry on its head.
Picture this: It's the turn of the 20th century and network audio video players are gaining traction, with an increasing interest in wireless connectivity in tablets, screens, user interfaces and so on. This new market would be Bluesound's bread and butter.
With the manifesto "Living HiFi," Bluesound launched in 2013 with four products in its lineup: The NODE, POWERNODE, VAULT, and PULSE. At the time there were minimal music streaming services and most people were still ripping CDs and downloading music onto their computer. So how do you capture a market that's not quite ready to jump into the world of Hi-Res streaming? Create a product with CD ripping — the VAULT.
The NODE became a very popular product for Bluesound because of its ability to be easily integrated into your system. Bluesound found that a lot of people still had very old stereos that weren't up to date with the latest amplifier. How do you combat that? Well, Bluesound combined the NODE and an integrated amplifier and thus the POWERNODE was born.
The PULSE family of speakers was an understated part of Bluesound's story. For the company, the interesting design of the PULSE was one way they could get the attention for a product that carries the same DNA as all of Bluesound's products. The PULSE speakers' physical and industrial design was honest and pure.
Pictured: Bluesound POWERNODE Streaming Amplifier
Bluesound says their first generation of products were radical with industrial designs that were different from anything on the market at the time. They entered the market with a new brand and rolled out products that were bound to shake the industry.
In 2015, Bluesound introduced its second generation of products, having changed industrial designs in a lot of their products while also adding new products. Bluesound Generation 2 included: NODE 2, POWERNODE 2, VAULT 2, PULSE 2, PULSE MINI, and PULSE FLEX. In the same year they stepped into the home theater realm with two products: PULSE SOUNDBAR and PULSE SUB. In 2018, generation 2i products became integrated with Apple AirPlay, giving customers another access point to stream into the Bluesound ecosystem.
Picture this: It's the turn of the 20th century and network audio video players are gaining traction, with an increasing interest in wireless connectivity in tablets, screens, user interfaces, and so on. This new market would be Bluesound's bread and butter.
Bluesound says their first generation of products were radical with industrial designs that were different from anything on the market at the time. They entered the market with a new brand and rolled out products that were bound to shake the industry.
In 2015, Bluesound introduced its second generation of products, having changed industrial designs in a lot of their products while also adding new products. Bluesound Generation 2 included: NODE 2, POWERNODE 2, VAULT 2, PULSE 2, PULSE MINI, and PULSE FLEX. In the same year they stepped into the home theater realm with two products: PULSE SOUNDBAR and PULSE SUB. In 2018, generation 2i products became integrated with Apple AirPlay, giving customers another access point to stream into the Bluesound ecosystem.
Bluesound Products: Intuitive and Easy to Use
Whether you're looking for the last piece of audio gear to complete your ultimate home setup, or you're just getting into the world of HiFi streaming, Bluesound's products will appeal to you. With Bluesound products you'll get high-quality streaming at a very affordable price. You just can't beat that. Their products are intuitive and easy to use, and the fact that all Bluesound products work together in one ecosystem makes creating and setting up your own home audio setup a breeze. We hope this guide will assist you in choosing your first, or even fifth Bluesound product.
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