Bluesound NODE ICON
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Nothing less than the most sophisticated Bluesound Node yet built, the ICON is here to make a statement. But does the performance back it up?. Watch and listen to ed give his unbiased view and read the review at: www.sound-advice.online/product-reviews/bluesound-node-icon
Finally a proper review on the Icon, not just an advertisement! Good for you, good for me, good for everyone! Thanks;)
What a nice thing to say, thank you. All of our reviews are totally independent, we're very proud of our bunch of reviewers.
Agreed, have a 2i and a 130 w/LPs upgrade but this icon is king
Great job! How would you describe the sound signature if the icon in comparison to the wiim ultra? I like clarity and warmth but not a fan of bright. WOuld love to hear your thoughts.
Yes please- be great to see what Dirac is all about. Thanks
It would be great to see a deep dive into Dirac.
Thank you for the review Ed. Certainly I echo your statement about the volume knob. Would be so much better if it had one if you intend to use this as a pre-amp. Maybe they'll do an Icon+ with a full width case, larger screen AND a volume control. As it is though, it's great for adding functionality such as HDMI, USB and DIRAC to an amp that doesn't have those facilities.
The Node 2i volume control is digital and attenuates the sound by reducing dynamic range, I had to get a preamp to fix the issue even though I didn’t need one otherwise !
You can configure any RC for controlling the volume. Also if it had a knob, I would prefer a RC...
Finally, a streamer with display and a good headphone amp.
Thanks for the advice Ed. Are you still with Chord Electronics? It was nice to work with you there as well.
It’s a great unit , hopefully there’s an update with some VU meters for the display
You should check out the new Fiio s15, I’ve been debaiting the node icon but having to pay around £300 extra for Dirac and mic and it not having an built in equaliser is a bit of a sore point for me, the fiio has this all for under a grand.
but the fiio hast no line-in
It would be great to have a review comparing the Icon and the S15.
@@trierer01 S15 has two RCA, Coax, Digital and AES in.
If it is the same issue I had with psb t2 speakers, rubbing alcohol removed the sticky mess. Keep changing rags until it is all gone
Which active speakers did you use with the Icon?
Thanks a lot for this very practical and honoust review.
Can anyone help me with what is in his/her opinion a 'better' connection to the amplifier?
As das as I am concerned I have 3 options:
Optical cable
Vca -vca
Xlr - vca
I am quite interested in the last one: xlr -vca if any of you can say something about this kind wil f connection.
My amp is a Denon PMA110A
Clearly Ed doesn't believe in cable management 😂 good review
Why not offer a 4.4 pentaconn headphone output or a 4-pin balanced XLR instead of 2 SE 6.3 jacks simply put on both sides strictly for false convenience? 🤔
It’s not a deal breaker, but it’s disappointing. 😐
You said that the Node Icon is the first ever node with an analog input. You are incorrect. I have a Node 2i, and it definitely has an analog input.
What about Apple Music support without resorting to Airplay? I believe that it is the most popular Lossless streaming service globally. Seems like a big miss to me.
That’s the issue with most streaming platform though. Some don’t even have airplay
@Chimpsfingers Their are a few that support Apple music nativity. I purchased a FiiO S15 streamer about a month ago and it 100% supports Apple Music. It also projects the apple music app to your phone or tablet so you get the full graphical experience.
@@tototronic2does the equaliser work on the s15 on all of the analog inputs? Wanting to get one but also attach my turntable to it via rca - xlr so I can essentially use it as a preamp for everything
@@Brett1334 The FiiO S15 doesn't have analog inputs.
@@tototronic2no I understand but if I was to get an rca-xlr cable could I not just plug my turntable in that way? I know it would essentially make it digital not analog, I meant does the equaliser work with all inputs on the device?
Showing us a black box is not professional! Reviewing a product which has a big display as the most NODE feature and not switching it on is absurd!
I would advise anyone not to buy Bluesound products. The products are okay, but the service and help from Bluesound is total crap if you ever need it.
They have been selling their products with a soft touch interface for years. In the meantime, they have all turned into sticky plastic. Bluesound knows the problem, Bluesound is to blame for the problem, Bluesound leaves the customers with it.
The only thing that would be possible is a replacement at your own expense. So if you think you're buying a premium hi-fi product from a company that takes its customers first - you're wrong.
BS
Hello Mr Fischer, wow you arent a Bluesound fan! we will try to help you out. Couple of quick questions: what was the product that caused the problems/ and are you in the UK? if you prefer, ping a note to info@sound-advice.online so that it isn't so public and let us know the source of your problems
I've bought more Bluesound products than I care to count, including five Node 2is and one Node X, and all have been flawless and all remain in active, happy use.
@ Thank you, but I've spent more than enough time with Bluesound support and their German distributor than I care to remember. I have a Powernode 2i. ALL Bluesound devices with the soft touch surface get sticky over the years.
It's visually shit. How Bluesound deals with it is shit. The fact that I have to pay for it is shit. And you can't resell such a sticky pile either - also shit.
@ It's about the Bluesound devices with soft touch interface. They no longer use it on newer devices... Guess why. But all the customers of the old devices will ALWAYS have sticky plastic at home in the long run. Because plasticizer diffuses - you can get this information from Bluesound support. And you can no longer sell it. Sounds cool for a device costing almost 1000 euros, doesn't it?