Powernode Edge N230 Wireless Multi-Room Hi-Res Music Streaming Amplifier (White)

I needed an amp for speakers in an older kid's room. I wanted to reuse an old receiver, but it takes up space. There are wires, buttons to press, remotes, etc. I thought about a simpler solution. I already have BluOS devices, so it was only natural to get this new Powernode Edge. It is perfect. There are no extra buttons, no extra wires, it has enough power, and it is dead simple. It sounds excellent paired with KEF Q150. It is powerful enough to blow woofers into space. Luckily BluOS has a volume limiter, which helped (be careful; my device was set to max volume when I turned it on the first time). I see only two downsides to this device. It does not have a pre-out, so you cannot reuse it if you need more power. It also depends on the BluOS ecosystem, software, and service, so technological longevity is an issue. For myself, I decided that if it lived for 5-8 years, it would be a win. My kid and I are thrilled with this purchase.

I purchased this for a second system in my bedroom, and I could not be more pleased, paired with my Q Acoustics 3030i stand mounts, I initially had in my mind to pair with a sub seeing as the Edge can high pass the mains, but after a few weeks settling in I really don’t think it’s required in this room (3.5x4.5m) BlueOS has been rock solid, and the eArc from the TV is a boon for decent TV sound without a sound bar (and actually as a music source if you enjoy music videos from the Tidal Apple TV app) For the right use case I cannot recommend this more, the only quibble is that I had to shell out for an extra cable to connect my turntable pre amp as the dual aux/opt input is 3.5mm and I didn’t have a decent quality one to hand.

Overall I'm really pleased with my powernode edge, but a few limitations make me wonder if I should have considered the new wiim amp which is considerably cheaper and more flexible. - not as compatible with android as apple devices Eg if I use an app not supported by bluesound, my android phone cannot stream over WiFi /Chromecast to the powernode (it can use lower quality Bluetooth) or whereas an apple device can use airplay 2. - Bluetooth out does not support apt to match my headphones (only aptx which my Sony wh-1000xm4 do not support) - minimal EQ control (just bass and treble) unlike the Wiim. - lacks support for a lot of apps such as mixcloud which I use every day or SoundCloud whereas wiim are constantly adding more apps. - problems setting up with android and had to use iPad but believe they were teething problems with v4 of the controller app which have now been resolved. Seems to be very reliable, the sound is good quality and overall impressed.

works day-to-day, streaming via Spotify connect or AirPlay is robust. On the rare occasion that all neighbors are away it would be great if it had a bit more oomph for the floor standing speakers.

This is my second Bluesound device so for me it was very easy to setup this device. I discovered when setting up my first Bluesound device the iPad Air 2 had issues with the Bluesound app. I had no trouble with an iPad Pro. The Bluesound devices are always visible in Spotify or Tidal. No network issues. I was worried that it may not sound very good for a small unit that has so many features; streamer, DAC, and amplifier. I was pleasantly surprised how good it sounds. I have it paired with PSB Alpha P3 Compact Bookshelf Speaker. I would recommend this system for small spaces like a den, bedroom, etc..