Bluesound isn’t a computer company masquerading as an audio company. It’s a hi-fi company that embraces tech – and everything tech can do to enhance the listening experience. Its designers and engineers are dedicated to bringing true high-fidelity sound to every room in your house, wirelessly.
We aren’t just talking CD-quality sound, either. Bluesound is specifically optimised for true 24-bit hi-res audio and the new, industry-changing MQA format – the same level of audio you’ll find in studio-master recordings. Uncompressed, full-fat and without compromise.
In fact, it’s the only system that supports both. That’s because it’s been created by audiophiles, for audiophiles. And that love of music has been hard-baked into every bit of hardware and the software that runs it all.
BluOS: the heart of it all
BluOS is the operating system that powers every Bluesound product. It lets you access and stream lossless music up to 24-bit/192kHz to every other Bluesound product on your home network, and is primed and ready to take advantage of ultra high-quality MQA files, too.
It works with pretty much any digital audio format ever: MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, FLAC, ALAC, WAV and AIFF are all supported in addition to hi-res and MQA files.
It also gives you access to internet radio service and streaming services, and then lets you send it to any or all of your Bluesound (or BluOS-enabled NAD) devices.
And the list of services is long: HDtracks, highresaudio.com, Murfie, Qobuz, Tidal, WiMP, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Juke/MyMusic, MQA, Spotify, Slacker Radio, TuneIn radio, Radio Paradise, Calm Radio, Microsoft Groove… If you can’t find what you’re after on any of these, it probably just hasn’t been recorded.
Of course, you’ll need a hand to navigate that ocean of content. The free BluOS Controller app for smartphones, tablets and computers lets you do that. It’s available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and Mac OS X and Windows.
The Node2
A pure streamer. The Node2 plugs into your existing hi-fi or home cinema system and opens it up to a world’s worth of music. All those services above, in fact. It connects to your own music library too, and you can control it all from one place with the Controller app (or by prodding at the touch-controls on the top).
The PowerNode2
Add amplification to the Node2 and you have the PowerNode2. Bluesound has drafted in the experts from sister hi-fi company NAD and endowed the PowerNode2 with the same zero-distortion audio signature the company is famous for. At the PowerNode2’s heart beats a cutting-edge HybridDigital amp and DAC that promises heady dynamic power and precision at high volumes. Just plug in your favourite speakers and go.
The Vault2
Got a massive CD collection you want to be able to stream? The Vault2 has your back. Essentially it’s a Node2 streamer, but with a CD drive and a cavernous (and ultra-quiet) 2TB hard drive built in – so you can set up a production line with a big pile of discs and your hi-fi. It stores your collection in lossless FLAC format or MP3 (or both), and lets you stream it out to any other BluOS-compatible device on your home network wirelessly or via its Gigabit Ethernet connection. And, of course, you can navigate it all with the free BluOS Controller app.
All-in-one speaker products
The Bluesound Pulse 2
You might not want a full-on hi-fi system in every room – but that’s no reason to deprive them of hi-res goodness. Bluesound also offers a variety of speakers that only require mains power – the rest is handled wirelessly. The smallest, the 20W Pulse Flex, has one 3.5in woofer and a 1in tweeter; the Pulse Mini puts out 60W from its twin 2in midrange/tweeter drivers and single 3.5in woofer; and the Pulse 2 serves up 80W from twin 2.75in midrange/treble drivers and 5.25in woofer. And if you want to beef-up your TV’s sound, there’s also the Pulse Soundbar and Pulse Sub (click here for more on them).
If you already have a system you know and love, and want to take it to the next level with high-res multi-room streaming and a frankly ludicrous amount of music on demand, the future could very well be Blue.
The Bluesound Pulse Mini
For more information on Bluesound, click here >>
