Bluesound Powernode N330 Wireless Streaming Amplifier

Here we have a wireless multi-room music streaming amplifier from digital experts Bluesound. This has to be one of the easiest and simplest ways to have music streaming in your home. Combining a fully featured Streamer with on-board amplification means all you need is simply a pair of speakers. Our unit is in very good condition, with a couple of very small blemishes, and comes suitably packaged with manual, mains cable plus our usual three month warranty.
Bluesound Say….
The Bluesound POWERNODE is the hi-fi amp reinvented for the streaming age, combining audiophile-grade componentry and multi-room music capabilities to create an intuitive “just add speakers” hi-res sound system for modern music lovers.
The compact minimalist exterior disguises 2 x 80 watts of award-winning HiFi amplification, a premium hi-res DAC design, and access to all the music ever recorded with a tap in our BluOS Controller app for smart devices and laptops.
Source, control, and amplification come packed into the compact and minimalist POWERNODE. Get the most out of your favourite speakers with an award-winning audiophile-grade amplifier that features 80 watts per channel of zero-distortion power. A premium DAC design flawlessly delivers hi-res, studio-quality music, including support for FLAC, MQA, and other popular file formats. The BluOS Controller app connects you to popular streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, SiriusXM, and dozens of others, or from your own music library through Apple Airplay2, aptX™ HD Bluetooth, or even a network-connected drive or USB hard drive.
Whether it’s one or many rooms, the POWERNODE is a versatile workhorse. It can be placed either freestanding or in a custom installation rack, allowing you to easily toggle back and forth amongst a number of listening set-ups. Looking for a traditional 2-channel audiophile listening experience? Just add a pair of your favourite speakers. Add the PULSE SUB+ to your 2-channel set-up to create a capable and musical 2.1 wireless system. Bring a pair of PULSE FLEX 2i to the party as rear channel additions to your 2.1 system for a wireless Dolby surround sound home theatre experience. Sprinkle other BLUESOUND players around your home for a whole-home multiroom audio solution.
The POWERNODE supports HDMI eARC, dual-band Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet, Apple Airplay 2, two-way aptX™ HD Bluetooth, RCA, TOSlink optical, 3.5mm jack, and USB Type A connectors. Bring music into your POWERNODE from dozens of internet radio and streaming services, Bluetooth devices, TV and gaming consoles, network or local hard drives, nearby Apple devices, CD players, and many others. Then send your music into your favourite speakers, other Bluesound players or BluOS devices, Bluetooth headphones, wired headphones, Apple AirPlay devices, or other network-connected speakers.
With BluOS you can easily create a DIY multiroom hi-res audio system with a few taps of the BluOS Controller app. Additional hands-free controls are available through voice assistants like Siri, Google Voice, or Alexa. For professional smart home installers, full-feature drivers are available for Lutron, Crestron, RTI, Elan, and other popular control systems.
Seamlessly connect the POWERNODE to multiple Bluesound speakers throughout the home with the BluOS Controller app and create an intuitive multi-room music system unlike any other.
Features:
Easily drive your existing pair of premium speakers
80 Watts per channel of HybridDigital™ amplification technology
A state of the art Quad-Core 1.8GHz ARM® Cortex™ A53 processor and a 32-bit/384khz premium DAC design ensure flawless playback with precision and clarity
HDMI (ARC & eARC) connectivity
Featuring digital, optical, and analogue input options, wired and wireless headphone and subwoofer outputs.
Wireless Dolby® surround sound
Dual band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, and support for 2-way Bluetooth aptX™ HD Bluetooth ensures music playback without interruption
Hi-res audio streaming with access to Internet radio stations, cloud music services, and your own local music library to multiple Bluesound Players
Create and control a seamless multi-room system with the intuitive BluOS Controller app
Top panel touch controls with presets
IR input and remote learning capability – Control it with the optional Bluesound RC1 Remote Controller
Connect with the BluVoice skill in the Alexa app and use Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant to control Players around the home
AirPlay 2 lets you play music or podcasts from wireless stereo components throughout your house — all in sync
Specifications:
Operating System: BluOS
Supported Controller Operating System: iOS, Android, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, macOS 10.10-10.15, 11
Supported Audio File Formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, WMA-L, OGG, ALAC, OPUS
Supported Hi-Res Audio File Formats: FLAC, MQA, WAV, AIFF, MPEG-4 SLS
Supported Multi-Channel Audio Formats: Dolby Digital
Native Sampling Rates: up to 192 kHz
DAC: 32-Bit, 384kHz
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: -100dBA
Distortion: THD+N, 0.008%
Amplification: HybridDigital™
Rated Power Output: 80W x 2 (8 Ohms)
IHF Dynamic Power: 220W (4 Ohms) / 130W (8 Ohms)
Power: Universal bi-pin AC cord input (100-240AC)
Wi-Fi Built In: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), dual-band
Bluetooth Quality: Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD
Optical/Analog Input: Combo Mini TOSLINK; 3.5mm Analog Line In x2
HDMI Input: HDMI eARC
USB IN: Type A (Fat32 Formatted)
Headphone Output: 3.5mm Stereo; Bluetooth
Subwoofer Output: RCA x 1; Wireless to PULSE SUB+
Speaker Terminals: 5-Way Binding Post
Dimensions: 220 (W) x 190 (D) x 70 (H) mm
Weight: 1.78 kg

For a review from What Hi-Fi? magazine please click HERE