Bluesound Powernode Edge N230 Wireless Multi-Room Hi-Res Music Streaming Amplifier (Black)

Product Information

Outputs to the loudspeakers are 5-way binding posts, there is a single RCA output to the subwoofer. There is a remote control available, but you won’t need it, a smartphone with the BluOS App is all you need. BluOS is so responsive and stable and is available in Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. Quality or turntable, with HDMI eARC or the combo analog/digital input. Use the Bluesound POWERNODE EDGE as a discrete amp in a standalone setup or combine it with other BluOS devices to create a multi-room music system. Add Bluesound, known for their budget friendly streaming audio products, has lowered the price bar with the new POWERNODE EDGE. Digital optical and analog input options, subwoofer output, and Bluetooth® wireless headphone output AirPlay 2 lets you play music or podcasts from wireless stereo components throughout your house — all in sync

This module also supports AirPlay and two way Bluetooth (meaning it can send audio to wireless headphones too) and is combined with a small but useful set of extra connections. The combined 3.5mm optical and analogue input is retained but it’s the fitment of the HDMI ARC connection that gives the Edge… well an edge. It’s exactly the same fitment as the normal Node and Node X but where it only acts on their inbuilt level control and has no effect on the amp they are connected to, with the Edge, the effect is complete handover of volume control. There are very few other just add speakers style solutions that cost less than this with the same level of HDMI integration. At the rear of the unit, there is a small selection of connectors, including a pair of speaker terminals, an HDMI eARC port for a TV, a 3.5mm combo digital optical input, a USB-A port for connecting a storage drive, plus an output for a subwoofer output next to an Ethernet port. Most people will probably use the Edge’s built-in dual-band Wi-Fi to connect to a home network and stream music. And although the Edge doesn’t have endless connection possibilities, there are enough options for handling sources like a turntable or a CD player. As previously mentioned, the Bluesound Powernode Edge is a just-add-speakers sound system that supports all relevant streaming services, benefits from the intuitive BluOS App, and employs DigitalDirect amplifier technology with the help of its sister company NAD. Let’s clarify: what exactly is direct digital amplification? In a nutshell, a direct digital amplifier converts the digital Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) signal from a digital source, like a music streamer, to a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) analog signal at the very last stage, the speaker output stage, thereby keeping the audio signal in the digital domain until the very end of the amplification stage, at the speaker terminals. The traditional digital-to-analog converter (DAC), preamplifier volume control, and analog power amplifier are eliminated as a byproduct of direct digital amplification design. Direct digital technology accomplishes all these components’ tasks in one design and the digital domain.

The Bluesound POWERNODE supports Surround Sound

To ensure reliable, undamaged delivery of televisions - TVs will now be shipped on a pallet service with DX Freight, TNT, or Epic Logistics, rather than with our standard next working day courier.

The Powernode Edge did particularly well with vocals. In “The Musical Box,” from the Genesis album Nursery Cryme (16/44.1 MQA, Atlantic/Tidal), Peter Gabriel sings with real intimacy in the quieter opening minutes, his breath accenting the lyrics. When Gabriel and Phil Collins sang in harmony, I was right there with them. I rebooted the Powernode Edge, restarted my phone, paired the C500s to my phone and unpaired and then paired again—still no connection. And when the C500s finally did show in the list of found devices, I still couldn’t get the app to stream to them. It took some 90 minutes before connection was somehow established. This was the only glitch I encountered with the Powernode Edge.

Wireless multi-room capability with BluOS-powered speakers allows an easy path to whole-home audio. Any extended warranties offered by Peter Tyson are free. We do not include any form of insurance terms such as accidental damage or loan equipment cover. Having found the Powernode Edge so enjoyable in two-channel stereo, I was keen to listen to it with the Pulse Sub+ subwoofer in a 2.1 setup. The BluOS Controller app makes it easy to turn the subwoofer on and off and make adjustments on the fly. You can tweak crossover frequency, fine-tune subwoofer level, and adjust phase so that the sub and main speakers blend seamlessly. After some experimentation, I left the crossover point at the default 80Hz and bumped up the volume trim to around 4dB. This gave me a satisfying sound without overemphasizing the bottom end. Like other Bluesound streamers and streaming amplifiers, the Powernode Edge also carries controls such as play, pause or volume on its housing and is also said to be ready for integration into BluOS multi-room or surround setups; due to its compact size, it is supposed to be especially well-suited for smart home applications, to which the wall mount included with the device also wants to contribute.

Large Appliances - (Washing Machines, Dishwashers, Fridge Freezers etc). Free Local Delivery Service (Cumbria, SW Scotland and NE England*) 2-3 working days. The Powernode Edge connects to your home network automatically when an ethernet cable is plugged into its LAN port. Connecting wirelessly is easily done through the BluOS Controller app. A few moments after the unit is powered up, it becomes ready for network connection in hotspot mode; a flashing green LED turns solid to indicate this status. Once ready, you launch the Add A Player wizard in the BluOS Controller app, which searches for and lists available players, and select the Powernode Edge. (This wizard is also used to connect the Pulse Sub+ subwoofer.) Next, you connect the Powernode Edge to your Wi-Fi network: on iOS, the BluOS app discovers it automatically; on Android, you use a wizard to select and log in to your Wi-Fi network. The status indicator turns blue once connection is established. This process may sound involved, but it took me less than five minutes to complete. Keep the Edge in its comfort zone and there’s a lot to like. The most intriguing aspect of this is that some of the same propulsive edge that marked out the standalone Node is present here too. Bloc Party’s Alpha Games moves with real energy and drive to it, delivering the high speed vocal and dense drum routines with real vigour and bite. Some (but not all) of this can be ascribed to the Edge not being a bass monster of a device but there’s a definition and overall agility to the way it sounds that really helps high tempo music to come alive.HDMI eARC connectivity, combined with Dolby Digital decoding, provides easy integration of your television and audio system.

Hi-res audio streaming with access to Internet radio stations, cloud music services, and your own local music library to multiple Bluesound Players. Dare I say, the EDGE is pitched as fitting into a lifestyle that includes interests in addition to music: that’s the EDGE mounted to wall on the right powering the rear channel speakersSo where has Bluesound made its savings on the more affordable Edge? It’s all inside the tidy unit. While BluOS gives you full access to its streaming features, the hardware components had to be modified, and in some ways limited, to suit the new price point. This means your maximum file resolution support in the Edge is 24-bit/192kHz PCM (the Powernode goes up to 32-bit/384kHz), but all the major file types – PCM, FLAC, MQA– are still supported. We find that this should cover a majority of high-resolution music libraries. IR input and remote learning capability – Control it with the optional Bluesound RC1 Remote Controller. Unfortunately, our Installation Service excludes all gas appliances. It is the customer’s responsibility to find a gas safe engineer to connect the appliance. Any work conducted by a third part gas safe engineer will be at the customer’s expense and we will not accept any liability for their work. Where the Edge starts to justify its existence is the moment you fire up your TV and ask it to take up the duty for that. I entrusted an episode of Foundation to the Bluesound and it didn’t let the side down. Dialogue is clear and easy to follow and it does a fine job of opening out content around the screen and giving you a believable sonic basis for what you’re seeing on screen. More than this, the utter simplicity of how it works with your TV is where the Edge really scores. A Mission 778X over optical will deliver a listening experience that is the equal of the Edge but you’ll be clutching the Mission’s dinky remote to select optical and adjust the volume to what you need where the Edge needed nothing more than an HDMI cable in place and power to run. Pairing my wife’s Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless earphones with the Powernode Edge proved challenging. In theory, the process is straightforward: in the BluOS Controller app, you call the Bluetooth-headphones wizard from the context menu of the connected Powernode Edge, and then select your ’phones from the list of found Bluetooth devices. But the app seemed not to recognize the C500s; that blue circle kept spinning and spinning.