Bluesound Sub: $Bluesound Pulse Soundbar 2i, white: $SYSTEMS &
SOLUTIONSA
mong the various streaming multiroom
platforms available, Bluesound had
a clear differentiator in place from
the start. It was quick to establish
its credentials as a higher-quality platform for
enjoying music throughout your home, allowing
high-res audio to be played, which some rivals
added only later, or still haven’t. Also key to its
success has been its ease of use, with one of the
most attractive and effective apps for selecting
what you want to play and where you want to
play it, including the ability to play to multiple
rooms at once. And of course you can use it to
play from online streaming services, some free,
some like Spotify and Tidal requiring subscription.
And indeed if you pay for the Tidal HIFI-quality
account, you can stream its ‘Masters’ albums in
MQA format and listen in glorious high-res.
Yet much has also changed since its original
launch, especially in the latest generation of its
ecosystem, which is known as Bluesound 2i.THE NEW GENERATION
Bluesound 2i brings updates to pretty much
every corner of the range. Let’s start with the key
Bluesound components for use in a traditional
stereo context — the Node and the Powernode.The Node is a streaming preamplifier,
with USB, optical and minijack inputs, plus
Bluetooth, and access to “all the world’s music”,
as Bluesound puts it, through the Wi-Fi and
Ethernet networking options. The new Node 2i
is not only re-engineered inside for improvements
in DAC and audio quality, it brings new facilities.
In addition to all the streaming services from
online and your own files across the network up
to 24-bit/192kHz high-res, there is now two-way
Bluetooth using the latest Bluetooth 5.0. This
means you can not only stream music to the
Node, you can also have the Node play to your
favourite Bluetooth headphones (the Node also
has a headphone output for direct connection)
or to an additional Bluetooth speaker within
range. Also new is Apple’s improved AirPlay 2,
which brings more options for control in AppleBLUESOUND 2i wireless multiroom
BLUESOUND 2i
6
This family of streaming multiroom speakers and components just
got better, with Generation 2i bringing more power and new abilities.
Bluesound Node 2i: $999 Bluesound Powernode 2i: $1599 Bluesound Vault 2i: $