Disclosure: The Node Nano was provided by Bluesound for this review. Please read more about our product review disclosure here.

The Bluesound Node Nano has been making waves in the world of music streaming, packing a powerful punch in a compact and affordable package. At $299 USD it looks to be an affordable entry point into the Bluesound ecosystem. In a category that can see you spending $500+ on reliable music streamer, how will the Node Nano hold up? Read on to find out.

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• Bluesound Node Nano
• USB power supply with USB-C cable
• 4x international power adapters
• Stereo RCA cable
• Ethernet cable
• Manual and warranty guides

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The Node Nano is impressively small, measuring just 36 x 143 x 143mm, meaning it is no bigger than most desktop DACs. Its sleek, black matte finish gives it a modern and sophisticated look that seamlessly blends with soundbars, TVs, and other audio components. I found its minimalist design particularly appealing, as it exudes elegance without drawing unnecessary attention to itself.

It’s not particularly heavy, weighing in at 570 grams, but it still firmly stays in place thanks to the rubberized ring on the bottom of the unit.

The front of the Node Nano has a very sharp-looking Bluesound logo in the center. Above it is a capacitive touch panel with buttons and LED indicators. Starting on the left are the two preset buttons (which can be configured in the BluOS software), and then we have the play/pause button that also serves as the status indicator the LED ring will change color or blink depending on the situation), then we have an IR receiver, and finally the volume down and volume up buttons. What I think is a nice touch is that the brightness of the buttons can be dimmed, or even turned off completely, depending on your intended use case and placement.

Physical Connections

The Node Nano doesn’t disappoint when it comes to connectivity options. All of the physical connections are located on the back. From left to right we have the RCA output, coax output, optical/Toslink output, RJ-45 gigabit LAN port, the USB type-A 2.0 port beneath it, a 12V DC trigger output (3.5mm), IR input beneath it, and lastly a USB-C power connection.

One last detail. The bottom of the Node Nano has holes for mounting if that is needed for your use case. When not in use the holes are covered by a rubberized cover.

It’s worth noting that to achieve its compact size and lower price point, the Node Nano does omit some features found in the larger Node. There’s no HDMI ARC connection or optical input, and the headphone socket has been removed. However, for its intended use as a streaming device, I found these to be reasonable sacrifices as the existing connections still provide a lot of flexibility.

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The main appeal of the Bluesound Node Nano is no doubt the BlueOS platform that powers it, but before we get to that, I found a hidden gem of a feature that I don’t see talked about too much, the USB 2.0 Type-A port.

USB-A Port

The USB-A port has two modes, input and output. The input mode allows you to connect a USB storage device to the Node Nano (formatted to NTFS or Fat32) so that you can play audio files from it. If the Node Nano has Server Mode disabled, then the USB drive is only accessible by the Node Nano it is plugged into. If Server Mode is enabled, the other Node players can access it as well. This is a nice feature and worked well when I tried it.

The USB output mode allows you to plug an external DAC into the Node Nano. This is a huge feature as the Node Nano lacks any headphone connections, so the only way you would be able to listen to the Node Nano with wired headphones is to output to an amp via the RCA or coax connections, or if your DAC supports an optical input. I tested the Node Nano with an iFi ZEN DAC V2, Qudelix T71, FiiO BTR13, an iFi GO link, and even an Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle (with a USB-C to USB-A adapter) and all of them worked without issue. This increases the flexibility of the Node Nano, as it is something you could have sitting on your desk and connected to your desktop or dongle DAC for some excellent listening experiences.

BluOS

At the heart of the Node Nano is the BluOS operating system, which I found to be both powerful and user-friendly. This proprietary system is the backbone of the Bluesound ecosystem, offering seamless integration with a wide array of streaming services, and a healthy amount of customization options.

The initial setup of the Bluesound Node Nano is extremely intuitive. Using the BluOS Controller app it guides you for adding the player to your network and doing the initial setup. The app is available for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS, so it is widely accessible and has an excellent UI.

Once the Node Nano is set up and added to your network (either via WiFi or ethernet) you can start adding your music. You have the option of adding music via a network share, which is what I did, or on the MacOS and Windows apps you have the added option to add local folders if your music resides solely on your computer (internal drive or USB connected drive).

You also have the option of configuring the 23+ music services that integrate with the Node Nano. BluOS supports the majority of music streaming services, including Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify, and Tidal. Sadly it does not support Apple Music integration.

The Node Nano is also Roon Ready (and works very well with my setup) and supports AirPlay 2, but lacks Google cast capability.

The overall interface is similar across the BluOS apps, with the Home screen giving you your most used sources, configured presets, and recently played audio. The bottom of the app (or left side on Windows and MacOS) gives you access to any favorites you’ve configured, Music playback sources, BluOS supported players, and the universal search where you can choose and search across the music sources you’ve configured.

Below are some screenshots of how the Music Library, Tidal, and Qobuz interfaces look. The Music Library has enough view and sorting options for my liking, and Tidal looks exactly as the app does since Bluesound is utilizing Tidal Connect integration. Qobuz looks good considering there is no official integration here (Qobuz Connect will hopefully be launched soon though!).

Looking at the audio settings available, it will depend on what type of output is selected. If you have a DAC plugged in via USB it will be detected and is automatically selected as an output. You can also switch to a non-USB output from here as well.

The Settings page differs slightly between the mobile and PC apps, but overall the functionality is the same. The only difference I have seen so far is the PC app allows you to specify a folder containing DSD files, whereas the mobile app omits this option.

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet

The Node Nano can be connected to your network through either 802.11ac Wi-Fi or gigabit ethernet. WiFi connection speed tops out at 433mbps, which is more than enough for music streaming. Both WiFi and ethernet performed exactly as you would expect and were completely stable, I had no issues using either connection.

The Node Nano supports two-way Bluetooth, meaning it can act as both a receiver and a transmitter, using the following codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and aptX Adaptive. In receiver mode, you can connect a source device via Bluetooth and play music from it to the Node Nano. In transmit mode you can connect Bluetooth headphones to Node Nano to enjoy listening to music from any of the sources you configured. You can customize the Bluetooth behavior as seen below.

Testing both Bluetooth modes I experienced no issues, and the connection was perfectly stable. It’s actually rather enjoyable to connect Bluetooth headphones to the Node Nano as you won’t get any distracting calls or notifications like you would get when connected to your phone. In the bottom right corner of the Now Playing screen, the current Bluetooth codec technology being used for playback is shown, which is a nice touch I think.

High-resolution audio support

The Bluesound Node Nano features an ESS ES9039Q2M Saber DAC for decoding, which is capable of handling audio up to 24-bit/192kHz. This level of support ensures that you’re getting the most out of your high-resolution audio files. Support was also recently added for DSD256 files. As well, the Node Nano supports the majority of commonly used file formats, such as FLAC, ALAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, and MQA files.

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The Bluesound Node Nano delivers a pristine audio experience. One aspect that stands out to me is the device’s ability to create a wide and well-defined soundstage. Instruments and vocals are clearly separated, giving each element of the music its own space within the mix. Background noise is also virtually non-existent, allowing even the subtlest nuances in the music to shine through. Whether I’m listening to classical pieces such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, or bass-heavy electronic tracks from deadmau5, the Node Nano performs admirably, and most importantly, with such ease that you aren’t trying to mess around with settings or troubleshoot connection issues.

No matter which audio output you are using, the audio quality is excellent and detailed, and songs that have scale and dynamic range sound exactly like they should, so large shifts in sound don’t fall flat or sound thin. The Node Nano does an excellent job of maintaining the sense of scale within a track, with appropriate energy and body.

Accessing and switching between my FLAC collection on a network share, Qobuz, and Tidal was effortless, with no audio glitches while the songs buffer, and no perceivable lag or performance degradation. Even when dealing with 24-bit/192kHz files, the Node Nano is very responsive and prompt. You aren’t going to be waiting on it to perform any of the functions are asking for, which leads to an easy and enjoyable listening experience.

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When it comes to music streamers, half the battle is having your audio played with the smallest amount of intervention on your part. I don’t want to have to dive into the app settings because my library isn’t loading, or troubleshoot why the WiFi connection is slow. I just want to simply play my music when I want to, whether it’s to my speakers or my Bluetooth headphones. The Node Nano does just that, and effortlessly too.

For those in need of a competent hi-fi music streamer without spending too much, the Node Nano does an excellent job at $299. While it is pricier than, say, the WiiM Pro Plus, you get the added value of potential multiroom support, which is one of the key pillars of BluOS. The Node Nano is very stable and has excellent integration, streaming support, and potential for scale thanks to the BluOS ecosystem, and the right amount of connectivity options. I have no problem highly recommending the Bluesound Node Nano.

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I’m not always able to cover all the details of a product, both hardware and software, in our reviews. If you have any specific questions you’d like answered about this product please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly.

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