CE Pro November/December 2024 - 10

Audio+Video
DISPLAYS | COMPONENTS | FURNISHINGS | ENTERTAINMENT | SERVICES
Bluesound Explores Hi-Fi Music Ignorance
Among Consumers at NYC Node Launch Event
The company wants its new Node Hi-Fi music streamers to change how modern
consumers are listening to their favorite artists. By Zachary Comeau
MOST MUSIC being enjoyed
by consumers comes
from streaming platforms
like Spotify and Apple Music,
but most simply aren't
aware that what they're
listening to is a far cry from
the high-fidelity (Hi-Fi)
audio that represents the
music the way the artist
intended.
On streaming platforms,
the audio files are compressed
to make them
easier to transfer over the
internet, resulting in a loss
of audio quality.
Audiophiles are largely
aware of these issues,
but for most consumers,
this scaled-down version
of their favorite music is
good enough. Bluesound,
a Lenbrook Media Group
brand, hopes to change this
with its new lineup of Node
high-fidelity music streamers,
featuring the affordable
entry-level Node Nano, the
mid-level Node, and audiophile-grade
Node Icon.
The new streamers were
unveiled at a launch event
in New York City at a music
listening bar called All Blues.
The Node Nano is a
compact, entry-level music
streamer designed to transform
existing hi-fi and home
audio components into
powerful streaming systems.
The mid-level Node is a
remastered version of the
company's original streamer,
updated with a new
ES9039Q2M DAC, built-in
THX AAA headphone amplifier,
aptX Adaptive Bluetooth,
and DSD support.
For more advanced users,
the Node Icon offers a
5-inch full-color display and
Dual-Mono DAC design,
utilizing two ESS SABRE
ES9039Q2M DACs and a
low-noise power supply,
among other high-quality
features.
The streamers support
Spotify, AirPlay, Amazon
Music, Pandora, Qobuz,
SiriusXM, Tidal, and more.
A panel discussion at the
event explored the need to
better inform the average
consumer of the Hi-Fi experiences
had in the All Blues
bar, in which countless
vinyl records are on display
shelves around the venue.
" If you could take those
off the shelf and see all the
liner notes and everything,
that's an experience that a
lot of people really enjoy, "
said Matt Simmonds, a
10 | CE Pro November/December 2024
The difference the Hi-Fi music streamers make was
clearly noticeable, as Bluesound led press through a
demo of all three Node devices at a recent event in New
York City.
Bluesound product manager.
Regarding
audio quality,
Simmonds compares it to
the display market, which
has evolved from 1080p to
4K. Consumers have shown
that video quality does
matter. Similarly, he adds,
most people would become
believers in fine food if they
had dinner at Michelin star
restaurant.
" If we can see the difference
and taste the difference,
why on earth can't
we hear the difference? "
Simmonds asked.
Marat Berenstein, who
leads partnerships and industry
relations at the Clive
Davis Institute of Recorded
Music at NYU, commented
on the fact that young
people are conditioned to
listening to music in a compressed
format.
According to Berenstein,
a faculty member at NYU
conducts an exercise where
he shows students two
versions of a song, one an
uncompressed WAV file and
another a compressed MP3.
" When you ask the kids
which one they prefer, they
all prefer the MP3, " Berenstein
said. " For the first 15
years of their life, they've
been conditioned to hearing
music in the compressed
format. "
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CE Pro November/December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro November/December 2024

CE Pro November/December 2024 - Intro
CE Pro November/December 2024 - Cover1
CE Pro November/December 2024 - Cover2
CE Pro November/December 2024 - 1
CE Pro November/December 2024 - 2
CE Pro November/December 2024 - 3
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