Old-school audiophiles like me cling to our vinyl records and CDs. We spin them on turntables and slide them into transports, which send electric signals through wires to solid state or tubed amplifiers—a string of hardware devices. But, despite our object-attached ways, we’re quite aware that we are living in a software-enabled, Bluetooth-connected, Wi-Fi–facilitated world. Even our Milky Way galaxy is wireless; as that pontificator of everything galactic, scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, has proclaimed, “We’re all connected.”
“Connected,” though, can mean different things. For some, it means stumbling down the street staring at a smartphone screen and bumping into strangers as life rushes by. For others, it’s a way to carry their office wherever they go—a curse if you ask me. But for still others, including the multitude of music lovers who have purchased Bluesound’s NODE streamer, POWERNODE1 streaming amplifier, and VAULT storage, it’s a net positive: They can have music—a big fraction of all the music there is—almost anywhere they want.
Debuting in 2012, the Bluesound Node and Powernode have sold upward of a million units, a roaring success for parent company Lenbrook, which also owns and shares technology from PSB speakers and NAD, no strangers to high-value audio equipment. NAD, in fact, produced what might be the most iconic high-value amplification component ever made, the 3020 integrated amplifier, which launched in 1978 for $135. That’s just under $600 in today’s dollars.
One reason for the Powernode’s success is its simplicity: Its rounded corners and compact design look fantastic. If you didn’t already know it, you might not recognize this device, with its flickering proximity sensors that light up when you approach, for what it is. Maybe it’s a headphone amp, or a small UFO ambassador from a high-end mothership. The Powernode’s suedelike finish completes its cosmetic allure. Plus, operating it is child’s play.
Probably the main reason for the Powernode’s success is its extreme value: It’s almost an all-in-one music system, lacking only speakers and speaker cables. And it costs just $899.
Design
Now in its fourth iteration, the Canadian-designed, Chinese-manufactured Powernode is rated at 80Wpc into 8 ohms, a 20Wpc increase from the previous (2i) generation. The Powernode’s “HybridDigital” class-D power module is based on the Hypex UcD module. Though rated at 80Wpc into 8 ohms, the Powernode is said to be capable of instantaneous power delivery of up to 120W.
UcD, which stands for Universal Class D, “is a topology developed by Bruno Putzeys,” Greg Stidsen, chief technology officer at Lenbrook International, told me in an email. “It’s a self-oscillating analog amplifier that solves many of the problems inherent in previous class-D amplifiers. It has less noise, wider bandwidth, and is load-invariant (same frequency response
