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I’ve been slowly diving into the world of home theater systems while reading up on how to properly set one up, which components you need, and so on. Thankfully an opportunity came my way to review the first major device of any setup, the amplifier. That’s where the Bluesound Powernode Edge Streaming Amplifier comes in to give life to your sound setup while offering loads of different connectivity options for nearly any kind of setup you’re planning.
Most times when people want to se tup a sound system with the ability to stream to and from it, you would need two or more different devices. This device cuts all of that down to one simple unit that takes a 40W amplifier with a network streamer and combines them together into a small but highly effective package.
This enables it to provide streaming connections such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, along with wired connections such as IR in, HDMI eARC, subwoofer out, optical/analog in, and ethernet port, and USB Type A. Thankfully our friends who sent the Powernode Edge also sent some DALI Spektor 2 Compact Speakers to pair it with, which I used for this review.
The Powernode Edge also features a Dolby Digital decoder, so you’re able to create setups for your HD audio needs. To help you do this, Bluesound has a neat app you can download and use called BluOS for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.
Once you have the app, you can really go to town with loads of settings and options starting with some streaming music services you can check out for free called Radio Paradise and TuneIn Radio. One allows for very high-quality audio mixes while the other allows to tune into streaming radio stations all over the world which is pretty awesome.
If you’re looking for more streams, the app also allows access to subscription-based ones, and the device supports Apple AirPlay for you to stream audio from any app on a Mac or iOS device, and it supports loads of formats such as MP3, OGG, WMA, WMA, and even high-quality, uncompressed 24-bit/192kHz AIFF and WAV files. Connecting the Powernode Edge to your internet is super easy when using the ethernet port, and it’s also easy via Wi-Fi as the BluOS app will get you up and running in no time.
If you’re looking to get a home audio setup going, you can’t go wrong with the Bluesound Powernode Edge Streaming Amplifier as your connection hub. It has plenty of connections, can playback and stream just about any audio codec you throw at it, and it has all this power in a small form factor that any audiophile is sure to love.