Over the past decade streaming media has exploded and one of the brands that have facilitated the explosion of streaming audio over this time has been the Lenbrook brand Bluesound, and adding to its selection of product, Bluesound has just announced the subject of today’s review: its new, affordable $299 NODE NANO whole-house streaming product.

Bluesound came to market and rather than using someone else’s streaming platform or simply rushing to market and cutting corners, the company released its original BluOS streaming operating system after developing it in-house.

Today, BluOS can be found in products throughout Lenbrook’s brands, including PSB and NAD. Currently, the Bluesound product line offers an array of solutions such as the POWERNODE multiroom streaming amplifier, Vault 2i hard drive and CD ripper, and a wide selection of PULSE powered speakers. So let’s see how the NODE NANO adds to that.

Overview of Bluesound NODE NANO

Designed to serve dealers and homeowners as a near-turnkey whole-house audio streaming solution, the NODE NANO allows users to play music, radio stations, podcasts and other content.

The small-footprint streaming product is a little bigger than an Apple TV 4K and it easily rests on top of an AV receiver, integrated amplifier or connected directly to a pair of powered speakers. Connection options include analog RCA, digital coaxial, optical, and USB. The new streamer offers dual-band Wi-Fi and Ethernet network compatibility, and it runs the new BluOS 4 operating system.

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Supporting a wealth of audio options, Bluesound incorporates Apple AirPlay 2, along with aptX Adaptive Bluetooth into the NODE NANO. The BluOS platform offers a host of streaming services, including Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Pandora, Deezer, Qobuz, SiriusXM, and Napster, to name a few.

Internally, the new Bluesound NODE NANO utilizes an ESS SABRE DAC with Hyperstream IV technology. According to the company, these technologies help the NODE NANO to play FLAC, WAV, AAC, and MQA music, including high-resolution music up to 24-bit/192kHz.

As I mentioned at the start of the review, because it runs BluOS, the NODE NANO can be integrated into a whole-house audio system, and it integrates with third-party control systems from manufacturers such as Crestron, Control4, RTI, ELAN, URC, and Lutron. The affordable streamer also includes voice control options via Amazon Alexa.

Key Features

• Outputs include stereo RCA, as well as optical, coaxial, and USB digital
• Apple AirPlay 2, aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, and TIDAL Connect
• Dual-band Wi-Fi and Ethernet network connectivity
• MQA and high-resolution music streaming capabilities
• Companion iOS and Android apps
• MSRP is $299

Setup for the NODE NANO

Setup of the NODE NANO for the review was simple. After I unboxed the NODE NANO, I ran a pair of RCA cables from the Bluesound product’s rear panel to the RCA inputs of a Simaudio 791 Network Player/Preamplifier. I then ran an Ethernet cable from my Access Networks system to the rear panel of the new Bluesound unit, and I completed the connections by plugging the product into a TRENDnet PDU. Later, I would disconnect the Ethernet cable, and I connected the NODE NANO to my network via Wi-Fi by entering the Bluesound app’s setup menus.

Beyond the setup of the Wi-Fi, which was accessible by tapping the mechanical wheel in the top right corner of the app, the app’s navigation is self-explanatory and it’s simply a matter of getting use to using the app. Most of the features available using BluoS 4 are accessible on the bottom of the app screen. Tapping the music tab allows users to add their streaming services. In my case I added Pandora and Amazon Music. Radio Paradise and TuneIn were natively included. I also connected my iPhone 15’s Bluetooth to support streaming of my Apple Music account.

I will say that I had trouble adding Amazon Music to my list of services. I tried several times before I could eventually add the service. My suspicion is that since I don’t use Amazon Music—because of my Apple Music subscription—the issues adding the service to the NODE NANO were due to Amazon security and Amazon trying to upgrade me into a paid subscription, which I suspect were the problem.

Considering the Amazon Music issues, setup didn’t take long, and it did not take me long to learn the app’s navigation.

Performance and Final Thoughts

I had a lot of fun with the NODE NANO for this review. Admittedly, it had been with a long time since I had used Pandora, but I enjoyed listening to 80s and 90s music stations the service offers. I think part of my enjoyment was the randomness of the content and the fact that I hadn’t heard some of these songs literally in decades.

Using the Bluetooth option allowed me to access my familiar Apple Music account and my preferred playlists and artists. My preferred method of listening to local radio for a review like this is with TuneIn and with Bluesound, the BluOS operating system and the NODE NANO I didn’t have to pull TuneIn up on my browser. I simply turned on the Simaudio components, grabbed my phone so I could open the BluOS app, and I could listen to Boston sports radio critique every movement of Drake Maye.

I will note that realistically most people aren’t going to pair the NODE NANO with a Simaudio 791 Network Player/Preamplifier and Simaudio 761 Power Amplifier—about $30,000 worth of components—but with that said, the combination sounded gorgeous. During my listening sessions I had also used my Aerial Acoustics Model 6 loudspeakers and a pair of GoldenEar T66 loudspeakers, and both sets of speakers allowed the connected electronics to shine.

Listening to 16-bit/44Hz content from Amazon Music I thought the NODE NANO with the other connected components were nicely detailed. I could hear elements such as layers within the image of keyboards, organs, guitar, bass and vocals, and I would say the sound is on the lean side, but it is clear and articulate. Comparing the sources, there’s obviously some quality differences with a service such as Pandora vs Amazon Music, but overall, regardless of the service, it all sounded good. More importantly, it was simply fun and entertaining whether it was music or sports talk radio from TuneIn.

I’ll also point out I did not see any difference in performance switching from my wired to wireless network connections either.

So, what’s my opinion of the new, lower cost Bluesound NODE NANO after this review? When I add up the unit’s features, including its whole-house (multiroom audio) capabilities, high-resolution audio compatibility, its choice of popular streaming services, Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2 options; its networking options, and of course its price point, I think Bluesound and the NODE NANO will open new doors for integrators offering whole-house audio installation services.

Bluesound NODE NANO: CE Pro and Cons

Pros

• Small footprint and easy to setup
• Good sound quality with wireless and streaming sources
• BluOS platform interface is easy to learn and operate

Cons

• As an Apple Music subscriber it would be nice to see native Apple Music integration

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