Bluesound New NODE ICON N350 – Quick Look
All Image Credit: Bluesound
Bluesound of Canada, the original wireless hi-res multi-room music brand, has announced its flagship wireless music streamer, the NODE ICON N350. Said to be the pinnacle of Bluesound’s innovation in high-resolution streaming and a new benchmark for the brand’s line of wireless multi-room music streamers it supports both PCM and DSD playback.
This latest industrial design arrives in a high-quality aluminum chassis finished in a gloss black finish with a 5″ full-color display and sports a wide range of both analog and digital connectivity. Providing ultra-low distortion, this latest flagship model features a dual-mono DAC architecture using two ESS SABRE ES9039Q2M 32bit/768KHz PCM & DSD1024 DACs and the latest two-channel ESS SABRE ES9826 32bit/768KHz ADC. The design also includes MQA Labs groundbreaking QRONO d2a technology further refining the DACs performance by correcting timing errors during digital-to-analogue conversion, ensuring the timing response aligns perfectly with the original recording.
The pair of ESS SABRE ES9039Q2M DAC’s and associated dual ESS ES9312Q dual ultra low noise linear voltage regulators
Seamlessly connecting to any premium amplifier, powered speakers, or headphones, it supports; BluOS hi-res streaming, Apple AirPlay 2, THX AAA technology for headphones, and more. With HDMI eARC, Dolby Digital, and Dirac Live ensuring an immersive audio experience for music and TV.
Control options are extensive and include; the supplied RC1 IR remote, the top front panel touch sensitive buttons and 5″ full color display, the app for iOS, Android, Windows and macOS with voice control integration for; Amazon Alexa Skills. Third party integrations include; AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Roon Ready, Dirac Live Ready and control systems integrations include; Crestron, Control4, RTI, ELAN, URC and Lutron.
Wireless signal connectivity includes dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) with two-way Bluetooth 5.2 aptX Adaptive. For wired connectivity analog connections include; 1 x stereo RCA and XLR outputs, 1 x RCA sub out and 1 x stereo RCA inputs. Digital connections include; 1 x coaxial and 1 x TOSLINK optical out, 1 x TOSLINK optical in, 2 x USB type A and 1 x USB type C, 1 x HDMI eARC, 1 x Ethernet RJ45 – Gigabit 1000 Mbps and 2 x 12VDC trigger. Headphones are supported on 2 x 1/4″ (6.3mm) sockets located on each side of the enclosure and via Bluetooth.
Features At A Glance:
- Dual-mono DAC design with 2 x ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M DAC
- The latest two-channel ES9826 SABRE ADC
- QRONO d2a
- THX AAA headphone amplifier technology with 2 x 1/4″ jacks for cable management
- High-quality balanced XLR outputs
- HDMI eARC, optical, analog and USB-C inputs
- RCA, coax, optical, USB outputs
- Apple AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth
- Dirac Live Ready – Future upgrade
- Multi-Room Music
- Five inch full-color HD display and backlit touch panel with presets and controls
Specifications:
- AUDIO:
- Supported Audio File Formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, WMA-L, OGG, OPUS
- Supported High-Quality Audio File Formats: FLAC, MQA, ALAC, 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 x2
- ADC: ESS ESES9826 x1
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: XLR: -129dB, RCA: -121dB
- Distortion: THD+N, 0,0004%
- Headphone Continuous Output Power (THD<0.1%): 160mW, 16Ω / 235mW, 32Ω / 56mW, 250Ω / 23mW, 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
- Optical/Analog Input: Toslink Optical, RCA Analog
- HDMI Input: HDMI eARC
- USB IN: Type A (Fat32 Formatted) – External Storage only; Local Server Mode
- USB (other): USB Type C (PC input)
- Audio Output: Analog RCA Stereo with Fixed option; Balanced XLR Stereo with Fixed
- option; USB Audio 2.0 (Type A)
- Coaxial Output: RCA
- Optical Output: TOSLINK digital optical
- Trigger Out: 12 Volt
- Headphone Output: 6.3mm/1/4″ Stereo x2; Bluetooth
- Subwoofer Output: 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: Yes
- Display: 5″ Non-touch display
- GENERAL:
- Dimensions: 220 x 84 x 193 mm (W x H x D), 8.7 x 3.3 x 7.6 in (W x H x D)*
- Weight: 2.23kg/4.92lbs
- Finish: Black: Anodized Aluminum
MSRP:
- US: $999.00
- UK: £899.00
- EU: €1,099.00
Read the press release here.
For more information visit the Bluesound web site.
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