Bluesound Node review: An affordable high-res multi-room audio streamer
I’m glad the folks at Bluesound haven’t taken the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” adage too much to heart. Neither are they just resting on the laurels we previously bestowed on the company’s stellar Node 2i and its amplifier-packing variant, the Powernode 2i. The new-for-2021 models—named simply Node and Powernode—add even more features and embellish on those components’ top-notch performance while holding the line on pricing at $549 and $899 respectively.
At first glance, the new models look cosmetically unchanged from their compact predecessors, with sleek, round-edged enclosures measuring 8.66 x 5.75 x 1.81 inches (WxDxH) for the Node, and 8.66 x 7.48 x 2.75 inches for the Powernode. But when a proximity sensor causes the top-of-box control panel to light up as you approach, you’ll see it’s grown a bit larger, with a new array of five preset buttons helpful for party starting without engaging the BluOS app. That sensing feature will be undone, however, if you stash the player into a narrow equipment rack (guilty as charged).