Description
The Bluesound NODE ICON is a reference-grade wireless streaming preamplifier built for the music lover who wants every connection in one elegant chassis. It handles hi-res streaming from Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify Lossless, and local libraries through the BluOS operating system, while AirPlay 2 and two-way Bluetooth 5.2 aptX Adaptive bring wireless casting to Apple and Android devices alike. A dual-mono ESS Sabre DAC architecture with two ES9039Q2M chips and MQA Labs' Qrono d2A timing-correction technology delivers 192 kHz/24-bit playback with 0.0004% THD+N and −129 dB XLR signal-to-noise. The 5-inch full-colour HD display keeps album art and track information front and centre, and balanced XLR outputs feed any power amplifier as either a fixed source or a variable preamplifier. For personal listening, two 1/4-inch THX AAA™ headphone jacks provide reference-grade amplification—SoundStage! Simplifi calls the THX AAA circuitry "the reference component for built-in headphone amplifiers." Dirac Live Ready room correction (optional paid upgrade) further refines output for your listening space. Roon Ready, Crestron, Control4, and smart-home integrations complete the package.
Specifications
| DAC | ESS ES9039Q2M ×2 (Dual-Mono) |
| ADC | ESS ES9826 SABRE |
| Native Sampling Rates | up to 192 kHz |
| Bit Depth | 16–24 |
| DSD Support | DSD256 |
| Supported Formats | FLAC, MQA, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MPEG-4 SLS, MP3, AAC, WMA, WMA-L, OGG, OPUS |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio | −129 dB (XLR) / −121 dB (RCA) |
| THD+N | 0.0004% |
| Headphone Output | 2× 6.35 mm via THX AAA™; 150 mW @16 Ω / 235 mW @32 Ω |
| Analog Outputs | Balanced XLR + RCA Stereo (variable or fixed) |
| Digital Inputs | HDMI eARC, Toslink Optical, USB-C (PC) |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 aptX Adaptive (two-way) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) dual-band |
| Display | 5" full-colour HD (non-touch) |
| OS | BluOS |
| Integrations | AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect Lossless, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready, Dirac Live Ready |
| Room Correction | Dirac Live Ready (full-band $249 / low-band $159) |
| Processor | ARM Cortex-A53 Quad-Core 1.8 GHz |
| Subwoofer Output | RCA ×1 + wireless to PULSE SUB+ |
| Power | Universal bi-pin AC (100–240 V) |
| Dimensions | 220 × 84 × 193 mm (W×H×D) |
| Weight | 2.23 kg / 4.92 lbs |
| Finish | Black anodized aluminum |
| Model Version | N530 |
