Nobody saw the self-immolation of Sonos coming, of course - but it’s hard to imagine the folks at Bluesound didn’t allow themselves a moment or two of excitement when the ramifications of the fall-out became plain. At a stroke, the BluOS ecosystem became the world’s most expansive, most stable and most usable multi-room audio system - and, of course, it’s a high-resolution system where the Sonos alternative most certainly is not.
Which means that this new Node Nano music streamer - the smallest and most affordable of Bluesound’s hi-res audio streamers - is an even more significant product than it otherwise would have been if Sonos hadn’t so determinedly and repeatedly shot itself in the foot. It’s not the world’s only compact and affordable hi-res audio streamer, of course - but it’s the cheapest way into the BluOS ecosystem. And from there, Bluesound and its many BluOS partners (including the likes of Cyrus, DALI, NAD and Roksan) can enable you to construct a hi-res multi-room audio system of as many as 64 network-attached zones, from ‘entry level’ to ‘high-end’.
It’s not much to look at, the Node Nano - but then these things seldom are. At just 36x143x143mm (HxWxD) it’s unobtrusive, and that’s an impression that’s only compounded by its unremarkable plastic construction and black-only finish options. Apart from some touch-control areas on the fascia and a little ‘B’ logo, it’s basically featureless.
There’s not all that much more going on around the back of the Nano, either. Power is via a USB-C slot (Bluesound provides a usefully long USB-A/USB-C cable and a mains adapter to plug it into), and there is an Ethernet socket too. Outputs run to stereo RCA, digital optical, digital coaxial and USB-A. That’s your lot as far as physical connectivity goes - an HDMI input might have been nice, but that’s the preserve of pricier Bluesound streamers.
Obviously, there are wireless options too. Dual-band wi-fi means that Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect are available, as is internet radio, and the Nano is Roon Ready too. Bluetooth connectivity is via the 5.2 standard, and there’s compatibility with the aptX Adaptive codec. Bluesound is promising a software upgrade that will make the Node Nano a Bluetooth transmitter as well as a receiver - just as well, as there’s no headphone socket here.
There’s also a software update coming that will make the Bluesound compatible with DSD256 digital audio files - for now, it’s limited to 24bit/192kHz PCM stuff via any and every worthwhile file format. There’s an ESS ES9039Q2M Sabre DAC doing the decoding business.
Sound quality
If your music streamer can cope with 24bit/192kHz FLAC files, why wouldn’t you give it something of such high resolution to deal with? Certainly, the Bluesound Node Nano sounds its best this way - although it’s fair to say it doesn’t sit in judgement on lesser resolutions in the way some, rather more picky, streamers often do.
So, no matter the quality or size of the digital audio file you ask it to deal with, the Nano is an upfront, quite direct and positive listen. There’s a definite sense of energy and drive to its presentation, a sensation of engagement that makes me want to reach for that most vexatious of words: ‘musicality’. The Bluesound gives every impression of enjoying your favourite music just as much as you do.
It’s quite nicely balanced where frequency response is concerned, and doesn’t underplay or overstate any particular area. Low-frequency response is solid and well-controlled - so there’s decent rhythmic expression available and a definite sense of momentum to those recordings that require it. Midrange resolution is equally accomplished - voices, in particular, are delivered with all their character and attitude intact. And at the top of the frequency range, the Bluesound has plenty of attack and bite - but it’s nicely balanced against a convincing level of solidity that prevents the sound ever getting noticeably splashy or hard.
Detail levels are high across the board, and the Node has no problem identifying and contextualising those little harmonic variations in a voice or an instrument that really bring a recording to life. There’s plenty of dynamic headroom available too, so when a recording really demonstrates big variations in intensity or straightforward volume, the Bluesound is able to describe these changes with confidence.
About the only area in which it might be considered deficient is soundstaging. There’s a degree of three-dimensionality to the layout here, a suggestion of ‘front/back’ as well as ‘left/right’ - but where scale is concerned, the Node Nano comes up slightly short. It doesn’t quite have the space available to let a big, complex recording stretch out - elbow-room is at a premium, and as a consequence the Bluesound can present as slightly congested where other (admittedly more expensive) streamers sound quite expansive.
Living with
Bluesound gallantly provides mains power, a pair of stereo RCA analogue interconnects and an Ethernet cable in the Nano’s packaging - so getting connected is no kind of hardship. And once it’s all joined up, the BluOS app makes getting the streamer onto your local network dead easy, too.
And from there, life doesn’t get any more difficult. The BluOS app is stable, logical and extensive - so setting up multi-room systems or integrating your favourite music streaming services (there’s a huge list of compatible services, with Apple Music the only notable exception) is simple. So is accessing internet radio or your network-attached storage.
There’s a status LED in the centre of the fascia, with a couple of touch-controls either side. Here’s how you can control volume and play/pause, as well as access a couple of presets. These could be internet radio stations, or TIDAL playlists… or whatever you fancy, really.
Conclusion
In terms of outright sound quality, the Bluesound Node nano is very good indeed - but in all honesty it’s not that much of a step up from the performance available from the more affordable WiiM Pro Plus music streamer. But where the Nano scores, and really scores hard, is with its BluOS compatibility. As a gateway to a world of full-on high-resolution multi-room music streaming, the Node Nano is untouchable.
Listening notes
Lambrini Girls Boys in the Band (24bit/96kHz FLAC)
Noise and attitude on the surface - and, to be fair, noise and attitude beneath too. The Bluesound delights in serving up the dynamism and attack of this recording, so all of its conviction remains intact
Mary Lattimore We Wave From Our Boats (16bit/44.1kHz FLAC)
Exactly the sort of thing the Node Nano excels at - delicate, detailed, alive with harmonic variation and with a kind of understated melodicism all at the same time, this recording sounds as affecting as can be heard when heard this way
John Travolta Greased Lightnin’ (24bit/192kHz FLAC)
This is a busy recording, and the Node isn’t absolutely comfortable in trying to give every element a bit of breathing space. But its powers of midrange resolution make the rather approximate nature of Travolta’s singing sound quite endearing
The most compelling reason to acquire a Bluesound Node Nano is to either start or expand your BluOS hi-res multi-room audio system - in that context it makes perfect sense and represents very decent value for money indeed.
