We have just gotten a new music streamer, the Bluesound Node Icon. It is the highest quality streamer Bluesound has ever made, with a nice design and impressive specifications. Over the years, the standout product in the Bluesound lineup has always been the Node, and this article will review the Bluesound Node Icon and see if it is one of the best music streamers this year.
Review
The Bluesound Node Icon has an aluminum chassis and a five-inch screen on the front panel. You can display some different clocks on the screen and the music you’re currently listening to. On the top panel, you have backlit controls for playback, skipping tracks, and five customizable presets, and there is a headphone jack on both sides.
In terms of input and output ports, the Bluesound Node Icon has full-sized analog inputs, making it easy to connect to a turntable. There is an optical input, HDMI eARC, USB-A and USB-C, LAN, a coaxial output, and a subwoofer output. Along with the standard RCA outputs, this streamer also has balanced audio outputs. The Node Icon can also decode Dolby Atmos files and mix them down into two-channel stereo audio.
Powering all Bluesound products is BluOS, Bluesound’s very own operating system. BluOS has evolved over the years with different Bluesound products, and it has improved each time. It supports 24bit/192kHz playback and supports many streaming platforms like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Pandora, and more. With the Node Icon, you also have the option of enabling Diraq Room Correction, which is the best room correction software one can get. You will have to buy the software, but Bluesound users will get special discounts.
This new line of Bluesound streamers will also support DSD with a future software update, but DSD playback will be for locally stored files only. The BluOS app is very user-friendly, you can group rooms for multi-zone listening, you can adjust crossover settings, equalizer settings, treble controls, and more. In terms of connectivity, the Bluesound Node Icon is compatible with Apple Airplay 2, AptX Adaptive Bluetooth, and Spotify Connect. Because the Bluetooth in the Icon is two-way, you can send music signals from your streamer directly to your wireless headphones.
The Node Icon has a Dual-Mono DAC design with two ESS SABRE ES9039Q2M DACs and transparent circuitry. Another interesting feature of the Icon is QRONO d2a. This is a software that we have heard about but it is the first time any of us are seeing it in a product. It looks for timing errors when the digital signal is converted to analog and then realigns the timing response to give you a more natural sound.
Verdict
The Bluesound Node Icon is a feature-packed reference music streamer that combines impressive hardware and software capabilities. Its sleek aluminum chassis, intuitive controls, and vibrant five-inch screen make it a visually appealing and user-friendly addition to any audio setup. The inclusion of extensive input and output options, including balanced audio outputs and Dolby Atmos decoding, ensures compatibility with a wide range of systems. BluOS, the heart of the Node Icon, provides seamless streaming, multi-zone listening, and robust customization options, including Diraq Room Correction and future DSD support. The innovative Dual-Mono DAC design and QRONO d2a software demonstrate Bluesound’s commitment to high-quality audio reproduction. When I compared it with the WiiM Ultra, the Node Icon was noticeably better. It is a very good music streamer and one of the best products Bluesound has ever released. If you are looking for a reference music streamer or a digital hub for your music system, you should consider the Bluesound Node Icon.