It does cost roughly twice as much as a Node (N130) so it should reward us with better audio quality. This thing has two ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M DACs and allows for balanced output, should you desire/demand.
It promises Dirac Live room correction but this has yet to surface, but among the various features it does do is DSD playback.
Bluesound has been dabbling with various workarounds to be able to say say âwe support DSDâ since a few years, but they have been really poor work arounds (such as transcoding in software when playing from a desktop source).
Anyways, the Node Icon seem to play back DSD files from networked storage locations with a reasonable result. Now, the problem is that i suppose i should be able to play back DSD material through Roon also, but the recognition of the Icon as a Bluesound device seems to generalize it along with the older generations of the Bluesounds, not allowing DSD playback.
Is there a Roon Ready certification going on for the Icon and other newer Bluesound devices? I know Roon will not answer this, but i figured someone heard/read something elsewhere? Lenbrook support is a â â â â â â experience these days, so i find no comfort in adressing them directlyâŚ
I have the new Node N132 and Icon in my system. Plan to do head to head comparison on the two this weekend, but after a couple weeks with the Node, I canât say the Icon is worth the cost to upgrade. They both sound about the same IMO, which is to say really good. The display is ok on Icon, but could live without it. Icon has been dropping connection to my wireless network, where the Node has been solid throughout testing.
I got one just before Christmas, I canât compare to the old one as I exchanged it at same time, but from memory of what the old one sounded like, I canât hear much of a difference. There probably is, but like all this stuff, once you get past listening to music on a mobile phone the improvements are small compared with the extra cost - and all depends on what your ears tell you sounds good or better.
The screen is great though and the shape looks better. None of which enhance the sound, butâŚ.
Plays fine with Roon, so no issues there.
Is it worth more? Personally I think so because of the screen, after all, itâs not that expensive when compared to say a good amp, record player etc. and a darn site cheaper than most streamers on the market for similar sound quality.
I feel the sound signature is quite different from the older/simpler Nodeâs. Not entirely in a positive way though.
With great resolution comes great responsibility as the old djungle proverb saysâŚ
And to me, this responsibility is not fully realised.
If someone is using a Node to output digital audio, without using its own DAC, is there any advantage to the Icon model over the midrange model? In my own case, I have an amp with its own DAC as well as a Marantz receiver with its own DAC (which, unlike the ampâs DAC, handles DSD and surround sound). Thanks.
There isnât any clear evidence it actually allows native DSD to the DAC. This is the first unit to have the MQA DSD code which is a DSD to PCM converter. This might be used purely for when using DSP but not seen anything to confirm one way or another. We all know accepting a format and what actually happens are different things. Look at most Chord DACs they accept DSD but convert to PCM. Same for Wiim you can send DSD files to it via its own software but it will be converted internally to PCM. They havenât been hugely forthcoming.
I did not try that when the Node Icon was visiting. Previously i got the impression that the Bluesound âhouse soundâ was present also when using an external DAC, to some extent.
I donât think there could be a Bluesound house sound with an external DAC. If it is sending bit-perfect zeros and ones, the device shouldnât produce sound colored in any way.
My ears say: the ICON is clearly better than the three times pricier Chord Hugo 2.
Not to talk of Lyngdorf TDAI 2170.
Better in Terms of Channel Separation and timing, that is precision of spatial localisation.
And in Resolution.
I think the reason is first of all the two ESS Chips and second the timing filter done by MQA. Suppose, itâs really good, since especially 16/44 or even compressed files benefit. A file ripped from cd feels like a 24/96 file. I donât judge by comparison but by joy of listening. I find myself relistening to all of my old cd rips and having loads of fun and discovering lots of details i never recognized. And LOTS i mean.
To say the whole truth, Impressions arenât really comparable, since there has been more change then the DAC. I have a new listening location since i moved. And i use the Dirac Option the ICON brings. This surely has a huge impact.
But hey, the ICON provides Dirac! Chord Hugo doesnâtâŚ
And the Chord Hugo 2 was served by a INNUOS ZENITH. Together this is 7000 compared to the 1100 bucks for the ICON.
Iâm afraid I cannot confirm this experience. I have had the pleasure of using an Innuos Zen MK3 for several years and an Innuos Zenith MK3 for more than a year. At the same time, I also had the opportunity to compare the products from Bluesound and iFi-Audio, and I was able to keep them on site for months at a time, which allowed me to make an informed comparison. In my opinion, the sound quality of the various Bluesound devices was not as good as that of the competition, even as a digital transport.
I would be hesitant to recommend the analogue output of the Bluesound Icon, especially given its price point of around âŹ1000, for a hi-fi setup worth more than âŹ2000.
If itâs absolutely necessary to go for a Bluesound device, Iâd suggest opting for an inexpensive node as a digital transport, along with a good DAC from the second-hand market.
This is just based on personal experience, of course. I wish all those enjoying a Node Icon many enjoyable musical moments!
Welcome to this forum, Marc!
You owned some Bluesound gear, but not an Node Icon, do i understand you right? So because you didnât like the Node N130 or what you had, youâre assumption about the quality of the ICON comes from beeing a BluOS product and from beeing a modest priced product, right?
Youâre assumptions are misleading, because the ICON meets a sweet spot, beeing a product Bluesound had to show what it could do with the ICON in the face of strong competition at the same price level. The Dac therefore has nothing to do with the N130, which was indeed mediocre.
Since even much more expensive devices cannot rely on better converter chips than the ICON uses, it is pointless to assume that the price is in relation to the sound. The price difference is due to the fact that the Node ICON is a mass-produced product and not handmade and not eyecandy.
I doubt your assertion that the Node doesnât sound good as a streamer either, especially as the influence of streamers on the sound is marginal, if there is any at all.
Youâre (and mine, as i own one, too) INNUOS Streamer is all about a âblack backgroundâ, i.e. not adding any interference.
Well, the ICON has a SINAD of -116db. How little Noise do you want?
That said, the INNUOS gear of course is super convenient. Install and forget. Great!
I also donât like BlueOS, but what alternatives do you have? ROON of course, and thatâs why itâs great that Bluesound products are RoonReady!
I am currently testing out the Bluesound Node Icon and comparing it with the Innuos Zenith + RME DAC. Iâd love to keep the Node Icon and get rid of expensive devices if theyâre not needed.
Iâve been doing some direct comparisons and I have to say that the Node Iconâs stage is not as good as the Innuos Zenith + RME DAC.
I listened mostly to jazz ensembles for my tests, and I found that there was hardly any width, no depth, and little space between the instruments with the Node Icon. The instruments sound less natural and more artificial. It just feels lifeless and boring to me.
I did order the Node Icon because I initially found the technical data quite promising, but unfortunately it didnât work out for me.
There are actually quite a few alternatives that are Roon-ready, which is great. For an all-in-one device, I would suggest considering Cambridge Audio and Atoll, or if BlueOS is your preference, then NAD and Naim may be worth exploring.
I donât think, these personal Impressions - whether yours nor mine - are very useful for others. I for example didnât like RME due to being flat and unlively and think the stage of the ICON is gorgeous and precise, and with DIRAC unbeatable. Thatâs that from my side. Happy listening!
